Paragon of Korra
by Deus Swiftblade
Summary: When the new Avatar stepped off the boat in Republic City and as she deals with life as the Avatar, she soon discovers that not everything is what it seems. Especially when the other side of the world, a place the Bending Countries had been in vague contact with for the past 70 years, shows itself again.
1. Shipping out and new places

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 1: Shipping out and new places

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Korra)

As the ship sailed through the sea and the night, its captain and crew unaware of what was in the cargo hold. They were sailing from the South Pole to Republic City, the capital of the United Republic of Nations. It was an easy job and the ship was a part of a company that sailed the trade route between the two countries. So no one bothered to check the cargo hold for stowaways. This made it easy for said stowaway and her polar bear dog to hide.

Korra knew that she should try and sleep but she was just too excited to do that. She had just left the compound where she had grown up and trained in since she was five and going out to a new place. She was going to Republic City to find a specific person: Tenzin, the only remaining Airbender master left in the world and her predecessor's son. The reason why she was going to him was because she was the new Avatar and she needed to learn Airbending.

She had learned Waterbending, Earthbending, and Firebending from her time in the compound, but when it came time to learn Airbending, Tenzin and his family, who were supposed to move to the compound, only stayed for the night. She had pitched the idea that if he couldn't move to her, she would move to him only to have the Order of the White Lotus shoot it down. So, she snuck out of the compound, said goodbye to her parents, and then snuck aboard this ship.

She was so excited that her stomach was filled with butterflies at the thought of what she was doing. _"Calm down, Korra,"_ she told herself as she leaned against Naga's fur. _"Republic City won't get to you any faster if you stay this excited."_

It had taken her some time but she finally fell asleep. However, it had felt like she had just closed them when she heard noises coming from outside of the ship. She rubbed the grogginess from her eyes and when she recognized the sounds; her energy came back in an instant. "Naga, we're here," she told her polar bear dog.

She leapt up from where she was sitting but hid behind a stack of boxes so she wouldn't be caught right away. As the nearby loading door opened, the light from outside blinded her, causing her to rise up her hand to block it. But once it didn't hurt so much, she turned and went back to Naga. "Come on, girl," she said, urging the polar bear dog to get up.

Once Naga was up and Korra mounted her, they practically flew out of the ship. "Thanks for the ride!" Korra shouted at the workers as she rode pass them, surprising most of them and causing a few to fall on their rears.

As the polar bear dog and her rider rode out of the docks, Naga began to slow down. Korra began to look at the city and was amazed by she had seen. "Wow, look at this place," she said to the polar bear dog. She looked up at the nearby bridge and saw how clogged it was. "I've never seen so many Satomobiles!" Truly, what she was seeing was nothing like she had ever seen before in her life.

She turned her eyes away from the bridge and out over the water. Her eyes locked onto the small island out in the bay or rather, onto the statue that placed on the small island out in the bay. It was a statue of her predecessor, Aang. He held a staff with the symbol of Airbending on its tip and had a serene expression on his face as he looked at the city he had helped create.

Korra knew about Aang. Having been his successor to being the Avatar, she had been curious about him and read everything and anything she could get her hands on about him (it also helped that her Waterbending master was Katara, Aang's wife). He was a legend that helped end the Hundred Year War by defeating Fire Lord Ozai in single combat and helped create the United Republic of Nations. Truth be told, she felt awed and intimidated at the sight of her predecessor and it felt like that he was watching her.

She turned her gaze away from the statue and looked at the larger island to the left of it. "Air Temple Island," she said as she recognized it instantly. "That's where Tenzin lives. You ready for a little swim, girl?" she asked Naga, who sniffed the air and charged down the street instead. "Okay, okay! Food first, then air temple!" said Korra.

Unfortunately, Naga's tracking of the scent of food led the two of them right into the middle of traffic, the opposite way. "Watch it, Naga! Look out!" her rider screamed as she hung a right and rode off the main street.

Korra looked back at the semi-chaos that they had caused before turning her head back to see where they were going. It wasn't any easier since they were currently running through crowds of people. "Whoops, sorry about that. Excuse us. Coming through. Heads up. Eh, sorry, we're new in town," she told the people as they quickly got out of the way of the polar bear dog.

Naga soon found the scent she was tracking coming from a small stand on the corner. She poked her head through the drape on the side of the stand and saw all kinds of meat waiting to be eaten. She opened her jaws to eat, only to stop when her rider said, "Naga, wait." She closed her jaws and lowered her head with a disappointed whine.

Korra hopped off the polar bear dog and went around to the stand proper. "We'll take one of everything, please," she told the stand lady as she took a stick of meat and held it in her hands.

"That'll be twenty yuans," the lady told her.

She froze momentarily. In her haste and excitement to leave the South Pole, she had forgotten about that. "Uh…I don't have any money?"

"Then what good are you to me?" the lady demanded as she took the meat stick back.

Both human and polar bear dog walked away from the stand disappointed and a little hungry. "Don't worry, girl," Korra told Naga. "The city's huge. I bet we could find a place to rustle up something to eat."

* * *

As it turned out, the only place that they could do just that was in the park in the middle of the city. Korra found a few thick sticks and speared three fishes from the river while Naga simply waded into the river and looked for fishes on her own. Korra stabbed the sticks into the ground and bent a small fire to roast the fishes. Even as she did that, the smell of the fishes made her mouth water and her stomach grumble.

When she was done roasting the third fish, she quickly blew the smoke off of it and placed it in her mouth, ready to bite down. But she froze when she saw a guy coming out of a bush to her left. She hadn't expected him to be there. "Uh, say, think I can get one of them tasty-smelling fishies?" he asked from where he stood in the bush.

She had been surprised, but she did remember her manners. "Oh, uh, yeah, sure," she told him, prompting him to come out of the bush, take one of the fishes, sit down, and begin to eat. Feeling a little bit awkward, she tried to continue the conversation. "So, do you…live in that bush?" she asked, pointing at said bush.

"Yes, presently that is what I call home. Took me a while to procure a bush that beauteous," he answered, looking up from his fish (and for some reason, the bush sparkled from the light of the sun). "This park is quite popular with all the vagabonds."

"So there are a lot of you out here? I thought everyone in this city was 'living it up.'" She could already feel the excitement of being in the big city disappearing.

It didn't help that the guy started laughing when he heard that. "Hey, you got a lot to learn, newcomer," he told her. "Welcome to Republic City."

She could only stare at him in disbelief. That is until she heard a whistle being blown. She turned her head to see where it was and saw a man in a uniform standing on a nearby bridge. "Hey, you!" he shouted at them. "Stop! You can't fish here!"

He started running towards them and the vagabond leapt to his feet. "You best skedaddle!" he told Korra before leaping back into his bush. Korra got up too and whistled sharply for Naga. The polar bear dog ran out of the river and the two of them fled the man in uniform. Korra leapt up onto the saddle Naga was wearing and they fled over a different bridge, leaving the out-of-shape uniformed man panting behind them.

As they got further away and onto actual pavement, Naga slowed down to a walk. "That was a little close," Korra said quietly. They were trying to get to Tenzin on Air Temple Island but that was proving to be more difficult than originally expected.

They padded down the park street, looking for a way out, when they heard someone speaking over a megaphone to a small crowd of people. "Are you tired of living under the tyranny of benders?" the man holding the megaphone asked the crowd. "Then join the Equalists! For too long, the bending elite of this city have forced nonbenders to live as lower-class citizens. Join Amon and together we will tear down the bending establishment."

"What are you talking about?" Korra asked from the outskirts of the crowd. "Bending is the coolest thing in the world."

"Oh yeah?" asked the man. "Let me guess: you're a bender."

"Yeah, I am."

"Then I bet you'd just _love_ to knock me off this platform with some Waterbending, huh?"

Now he was beginning to irritate her. "I'm seriously thinking about it."

That proved to be the wrong thing to say. "This is what's wrong with this city!" the man suddenly shouted into the megaphone. "Benders like this girl only use their powers to oppress us!"

That turned the crowd against her. "What? I'm not oppressing anyone!" she protested as the crowd shouted at her to get out of there. "You're…you're oppressing yourself!" But even as she spoke, she could see that it was a lost cause. So she left.

"That didn't even make any sense!" the man with the megaphone shouted after her with a mocking tone.

* * *

"Okay, Naga, I'll admit it. We're lost," Korra said to Naga as they walked down a street. They had tried getting back to the harbor, but everything looked the same to the new Avatar. They probably were going in the wrong direction. Naga looked to her and she raised her hands in small surrender. "Fine, I'll ask."

She walked up to an elderly woman who sitting by her shop talking to a younger man. "Excuse me. I think I'm lost," Korra said to the woman. "How do I get to Air Temple Island from here?"

"Just head down this street," the woman answered, pointing down the street. But at the moment that she pointed, a Satomobile came around the corner and down the street. "You should get going, young lady. It isn't safe," she told Korra while standing up and moving away.

"_What's going on?"_ Korra thought to herself as the Satomobile came to a stop and three men stepped out and walked over to a stall.

"Mr. Chung," the man in the grey clothes and hat said to the shop owner cleaning a phonograph, getting his attention. "Please tell me you have my money or else I can't guarantee I can protect your fine establishment." He turned his body slightly so the smaller man in the red scarf could be seen bending a small fireball in his hand.

"I'm sorry, business has been slow," Mr. Chung told them before picking up the phonograph that he had been cleaning and offering it to them. "Please, take one of my phonographs."

The Firebender lifted his leg and bent a small burst of fire at the phonograph; burning it to pieces and making the owner drop it with a shout. "My friend here is not a music lover," the hat guy told him.

"Guys!" a voice from inside the Satomobile shouted out, making all the attention turn that way. The door opened again and a boy about five years younger than Korra stepped out. What surprised her was not the fact that he was riding with blackmailers but the fact that his hair was yellow (she had thought the only way one could get that color was with dying). "You said that this was a lunch delivery run."

"And we are getting lunch, just after this," the hat guy told him whilst rolling his eyes.

"Come on, Viper, you heard the guy."

"It's possible that he's lying so he wouldn't have to pay. These kinds of people will do that, kid. You have to keep a watchful eye on them so they don't slip up."

"There's an easier way to do this."

"Oh yeah, like what?" asked Viper.

The boy walked past the three adults and went to the shop owner. "How much money do you need to pay?" he asked.

"One thousand yuans," Mr. Chung answered, still feeling very nervous about all of this. "I would have to sell nearly thirty phonographs to get that kind of money."

"Alright, I'll buy them."

He stared at the boy. "What?"

"I'll buy thirty phonographs off of you." He dipped his hand into a pocket on his pants and pulled out a large roll of money as well as a piece of paper. "Just have them sent to this location once you can."

Mr. Chung hesitantly took the paper from him and read it, his eyes going wide once he was done reading. "But…I can't send them there," he protested.

"Of course you can," the boy said. "Trust me; he's not going to complain about it." The shop owner hesitated but when he saw the three men standing behind the boy, he took the cash and then handed it to Viper.

Viper scowled but he took the money. "Thank you for your patronage," he snapped at Mr. Chung. The four of them turned around and started walking back to the Satomobile. "Next time, don't humiliate me like that, brat," he snarled at the boy.

"Next time, don't do it in front of me," the boy said back. "I don't like bullies."

"You used the triad's money."

"No, I used the money my uncle gave me, there's a difference."

"HEY!" a girl's voice shouted at them, making them stop in their tracks. When they turned to see who it was, they saw Korra standing on the other side of the street with her hands on her hips. "I think you owe that guy an apology for breaking his phonograph."

Viper looked at his other two guys and started laughing but the boy just backed off a little. "Since you're obviously fresh off the boat, let me explain a couple things," Viper said to Korra. "You're in Triple Threat Triad territory, and we're about to put you in the hospital."

"You're the only ones who are going to need a hospital and for your sake, I hope there's one nearby," she said back, smashing her right hand into her left.

"Who do you think you are?" he asked with a scowl on his face.

"Why do you come and find out?" she asked right back.

He took that as an invitation. He dipped his hand into his coat and bent a small body of water at her with a quickness that only came from years of practice. But in spite of that, she grabbed hold of it and bent it right back at him, freezing his head. He tried running forward to punch her but she just kicked him into the grill of the Satomobile, shattering the ice.

"That had to hurt," the boy said from where he was watching.

The third man of the three, wearing a light green jacket, tried to attack but was sent skyward when Korra bent the earth beneath him to shoot up. When he began falling he landed on a wire, bounced into a sign, landed on a pentice, tore a tapestry, and crashed onto a food stand.

The Firebender, despite looking a little more than terrified, bent a stream of fire at Korra, screaming as he did. She leapt through the stream, bending it to part ways with her, and grabbed hold of his hands. Using her own momentum, she spun around and threw him into the window of a nearby store, smashing it to pieces. "Got any idea of who I am now, chump?" she asked the unconscious person in the store. _"And that just leaves one,"_ she thought to herself.

But when she turned to find the boy, she saw that he was standing in front of Naga. "This is a polar bear dog," he said as he looked up at her with awe in his voice. "I've read about them."

"Hey, get away from Naga!" Korra shouted at him.

He turned to look at her. "I thought that there were no tamed polar bear dogs. How did you do it?"

Even though the question was innocent, it still tore a small hole in her heart. She could remember that day perfectly and while she was happy that she had Naga, she had to lose someone else to get her. "I said get away! Do you want her to bite you?" The engine of the Satomobile roared to life as Viper started it up and drove down the street. The Firebender climbed out of the store he had crashed into and leapt into the back (with Earthbending help).

"You're not getting away!" Korra shouted at them. She ran after them and bent a stream of earth after the Satomobile. It struck and sent the contraption flying upwards before coming back down. When it landed, it crashed into two stores before stopping.

Both she and the boy, along with Naga went up to the hole where the Satomobile had crashed. "Hah, serves them right," Korra declared as she watched the three triad members stumble out of the Satomobile. A siren began to sound off over their heads (making Naga howl in response) and when she looked up, the girl from the South Pole saw an airship above them.

"Police!" someone shouted over a microphone. "Freeze where you are!" Three people leapt out of the airship and fell down to the ground. It looked like they were about to kill themselves when they stretched out their hands and cables shot out attached themselves to the buildings on the street.

"Cool! Metalbenders!" said Korra as she watched them land. "I caught the bad guys for you, officers," she told them as the triad members stumbled out of the shop.

"Arrest them!" the officer in charge ordered the other two. They stepped forward, bending their metal cables at Viper and the other two triad members. The cables wrapped themselves around their body with a speed and force that made them fall to the ground.

While they were being taken away, the officer in charge walked to Korra. "You're under arrest too!" he told her.

She hadn't expected that news and it surprised her greatly. "What do you mean I'm under arrest? Those are the bad guys over there!" She pointed over at the triad members being taken away. "They were smashing up a shop."

"Everything was perfectly fine until you open your mouth!" the blonde kid told her from where he stood by Naga. "And have you seen the damage you've caused?" He was looking at a street that looked like it would need some serious repairing.

The officer nodded in agreement to what he said and bent his cable at Korra. She instantly dodged it and then grabbed hold of it. "Wait, you, you can't arrest me. Let me explain!"

"You can explain yourself all you like, down at headquarters," he told her, pulling his cables back. He leapt forward and attacked Korra, forcing her to step back away from him. Naga came to her friend's defense and knocked the officer away with her head.

Seeing her chance, Korra went for the saddle on Naga's back. "Come on!" she said to the kid as she passed him, grabbing him by the shirt.

"Wha-hey!" he shouted in surprise as he was thrown onto the back of the polar bear dog without warning. Then she landed in front of him on the saddle and the polar bear dog took off, forcing him to hold on. "I'm not with her!" he shouted to the cops as they chased after them. One of them made a leap for them only to have the girl's boot meet his face and push him away.

While one of the other cops checked on the guy who got kicked, the other went for the cables overheard and began sliding on it after the polar bear dog, bending his cables at them and missing by a few scant inches.

When they came to another street, Korra had Naga turn right and head for the nearby bridge. For a moment, it felt like they were safe. But just as they were crossing the bridge, she felt the hair of her topknot being pulled back sharply, making her grunt in pain. She reacted on instinct and bent the water beneath the water up and froze it into an iceberg. The pain and tightness on her topknot disappeared and when she looked back, she saw the officer had crashed into the iceberg.

"That's probably going to hurt," she remarked.

"Ya think?" the boy asked her as he held on tightly. She didn't reply, she just had Naga run up some stairs onto a bridge that was also a street, which was weird to her. As Naga tried to avoid the oncoming Satomobiles, two more police officers appeared on the cables alongside her so she turned Naga toward the edge. "What are you doing?" the kid shouted at her, confusing coloring his voice. Then he saw a train passing underneath them and realized what she was planning to do. "Oh no, oh no, oh no!" he began screaming.

With a few steps, Naga leapt over the side of the street and onto the train. She slid forward and almost off the side but recovered and got her hind legs back on the train. She kept her body pressed to the roof and Korra was right there with her. But the Tribeswoman sat back when she saw Air Temple Island pass by. She had been trying to get there this entire time and now, it was right there in front of her. _"Well, at least I know where to go now,"_ she thought to herself. Once she lost the police, getting there should be easy.

Then she realized that something was pressing against her chest and when she looked down, she saw that it was a pair of hands groping her breasts. Her cheeks went red instantly as she realized what that meant. "Hey, let go!" she shouted at the kid behind her, also figuring out that his head was pressed against her back.

"I'm not falling to my death from a polar bear dog ridden by a very crazy but very pretty lady on top of a moving train!" he shouted back, pressing his head harder against her back. For some reason, his words just made her blush harder.

The sound of an airship began ringing again in their ears and they saw that another one had appeared right over their heads. Korra urged Naga forward and jump off the train onto a nearby building. But just as she landed, cables shot out of the airship and grabbed hold of her, lifting her up into the air. Before Korra or her passenger could do anything to help her, they were caught by cables as well. She tried to struggle free but it was pointless. They had been caught.

(Location: Republic City Police Headquarters)

"Let's see," said the woman with hair the color of iron and wearing black metal armor showing she was police as she walked behind Korra and the boy with a clipboard in a room of metal. "Multiple counts of destruction of private and city property, not to mention resisting arrest…" Suddenly, she slammed the clipboard down on the table next to Korra, whose hands (and the kid's) were cuffed to. "The two of you are in a whole mess of trouble."

"I am not with her, I am an innocent bystander," the kid said in protest.

"Then what were you doing with a group of Triple Threat Triad members?" she asked him.

"They said it was a lunch run!"

"Yeah, and then you decided to stop and bully an innocent shopkeeper!" Korra snapped at him.

"Everything was perfectly fine until you opened your mouth and started a fight!"

"Can it!" the woman barked at the both of them. "You should have called the police and stayed out of the way."

"But I couldn't just sit by and do nothing. It's my duty to help people," Korra told her. "See, I'm the Avatar." The kid looked at her like he was in shock but she didn't pay attention to that. Her attention was on the officer.

"Oh, I am well aware of who you are," she told the Tribeswoman. "And your Avatar title might impress some people. But not me," she declared with a hard tone.

Korra just stared at her for a moment before acknowledging that tactic wasn't going to work. "Alright, fine. Then I want to talk to whoever's in charge." For some weird reason, the kid lost his shocked expression and began to snicker.

"You're talking to her. I'm Chief Beifong," she introduced herself.

"Wait, Beifong? Lin Beifong?" Korra asked, knowing the name. It was one Tenzin had mentioned during some of his trips down to the South Pole. "You're Toph's daughter!"

"What of it?" she said.

"Well then, why are you treating me like a criminal? Avatar Aang and your mother were friends. They saved this side of the planet together."

"That's ancient history. And it's got diddly-squat to do with the mess you're in right now. You can't just waltz in here and dole out vigilante justice like you own the place!"

"I'd say it was more of a showing-off beat down," the kid remarked.

"And you, you've been told to stay away from the Triple Threat Triad," Lin said, swinging her head to look at him.

But he just rolled his eyes. "You've told me that but the last time I checked, you're not in charge of my life. And it's not like he's going to do anything about it. Honestly, what is wrong with hanging out at my uncle's place?"

"You mean besides the trouble you're in right now?"

"How many times do I have to say it? I was an innocent bystander."

One of the panels on the wall slid open to reveal a cop's face. "Chief, Councilman Tenzin is here," he announced.

Lin looked over at him and then looked away with a sigh. "Let him in," she ordered before getting up from her chair.

A part of the wall slid away and Tenzin walked in with a stern expression on his face. That, along with his pointed beard, bald head, grey eyes, and Airbending master tattoos made look rather intimidating. "Tenzin, sorry," Korra said to him. "I got a little sidetracked on my way to see you."

"A little sidetracked?" the kid said, making her scowl at him.

Tenzin just took a deep breath and looked at the only other adult in the room. "Lin, you are looking radiant as usual," he began.

"Cut the garbage, Tenzin," she told him, cutting him off. "Why is the Avatar in Republic City? I thought you were supposed to be moving down to the South Pole to train her."

"My relocation has been delayed," he answered before turning his gaze on Korra. "The Avatar, on the other hand, will be heading back to the South Pole immediately, where she will stay put."

"But—" Korra tried to protest.

"If you will be so kind as to drop the charges against Korra, I will take full responsibility for today's regrettable events and cover all the damages," he finished.

Lin looked back at Korra once and heaved a resigned sigh. "Fine," she agreed, bending the cuffs Korra wore open. "Get her out of my city."

"Hey, what about me?" the kid demanded, lifting his hands to make the cuffs jingle.

She turned to scowl at him. "You are going to stay right there until your grandfather comes in to get you."

He paled slightly at those words, only for Tenzin to speak again. "Actually, Lin, he will be coming with me."

The chief of Republic City's police snapped her head around to look at him, searching for something. When she found it, she rolled her eyes. "He's left the city again, hasn't he?"

Korra was at a loss but it sounded like the boy knew what they were talking about. "Oh great, another extended stay at Air Temple Island. Why can't he ever trust me to stay in the apartment by myself for once? Or even with my uncle?"

Both of the adults shot him a look that made him fall silent. "Fine, he can go with you too," Lin said, opening his cuffs as well.

"Always a pleasure, Lin," Tenzin said to her. "Let's go, you two," he told the kid and Korra, who got out of their chairs and followed him out of the room. As she passed the chief, Korra got an "I'm watching you" gesture from her. Feeling a bit insulted and snotty, she returned it mockingly before walking out of the room, leaving a slightly bewildered Lin behind.

* * *

"Tenzin, please," Korra begged as the three of them stood in the reception room of the police pound (whose other occupants were a little old lady and a large platypus-bear). "Don't send me back home."

"You blatantly disobeyed my wishes and the orders of the White Lotus," he reminded her sternly.

"Katara agreed with me that I should come! She said that my destiny is in Republic City."

"Don't bring my mother into this!" he said, the top of his head going red as he tried not to shout.

"Tenzin, your head's gone red," the kid remarked from where he leaned against the wall, earning him a scowl from the Airbending master.

"Look, I can't wait any longer to finish my training," Korra told him. "Being cooped up and hidden away from the world isn't helping me be a better Avatar. I saw a lot of the city today, and it's totally out of whack. I can understand now why you need to stay." Before she had just assumed that it was for a pointless reason. "Republic City does need you. But it needs me, too."

Tenzin could see the logic behind those words but he still tried to come up with a defense, only to find that there wasn't any. The sound of a prison door opening allowed him to stop thinking about it and look to see a police officer standing before them with Naga on the leash. "Is this your polar bear dog, miss?" he asked Korra.

His hair was already a complete and utter mess, but Naga just made it worse by licking it upwards. The kid started giggling at the sight of it. "You look ridiculous," he told the officer.

(Location: Air Temple Island)

Night had fallen over the city by the time Tenzin brought his charges back to the island. He had been quiet throughout the ride, letting Korra watch as the city lights grew distant. When they passed the statue of Aang, he looked up at his father and wondered if he was doing the right thing.

When the boat docked at the island, a larger ship was waiting for them along with three members of the White Lotus. Korra gave a defeated sigh and started walking towards them. She stopped when she saw two gliders flying down towards her. As they got closer, she saw that they held Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo (who piggybacking on Jinora), Tenzin's three kids. "Korra!" they all shouted happily together as they landed, running towards her into a hug.

"Are you coming to live with us on the island?" Ikki asked her as she lifted her head up to look at her.

"No, I'm sorry, Ikki," she replied, bending down so that she was at face-level with them all. "I have to go home now."

Tenzin frowned slightly as his children gathered by his side and watched as the girl from the South Pole, along with her polar bear dog, walked towards the ship while the members of the White Lotus members came to her. "Wait," he said, breaking the silence that hung over them all. Korra turned back to look at him coming towards her with a little bit of surprise in her eyes. "I have done my best to guide Republic City toward the dream my father had for it, but you're right. It has fallen out of balance since he passed. I thought I should put off your training to uphold his legacy." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "But you _are_ his legacy. You may stay here and train Airbending with me," he declared, removing his hand. "Republic City needs its Avatar once more."

Joy and happiness washed over her when she heard those words. It seemed like her efforts to come here wouldn't be in vain. "Yes! Thank you! You're the best," she told him. She then picked up his children and him into big platypus-bear hug and she could feel Naga rubbing her back with her head.

"Oh great, the crazy Avatar is staying," the blonde kid remarked loudly from where he stood behind them all. A single pack was slung across his back and he didn't look too happy to be there. When he looked at the younger kids there, a small smile appeared on his face. "Hey there, runts," he said to them, making Ikki and Meelo smile back at him.

Korra put Tenzin and his family back down and Jinora turned to look at him. "Could you please stop calling me that?" she asked him with an annoyed expression on her face. "You're only two years older than me."

"And I'm taller, so I can still call you runt." He turned around to face the island. "If you guys still need some time alone, I'll just head on up to my room." He walked off the dock and began climbing the stairs that led to the island proper.

"He has a room here?" Korra asked as she watched him disappear from sight.

"He's been here enough times to have one," Jinora told her.

"Who is he? I never got his name." That fact hadn't really hit her until just now and she felt a little embarrassed about it (but in her defense, there was a lot going on).

"His name is Arashi Uzumaki," Tenzin told her.

She went still at that piece of information. She had heard that last name before in her lessons at the compound and from the stories she heard Katara tell her. "You don't mean…as in…?" she tried asking.

Thankfully, he knew what she was trying to say and nodded. "Yes. He is the grandson of Naruto Uzumaki, the Paragon of the Fire Nation."

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

You've been waiting patiently and now, I finally present to you, the sequel to Bodyguard of Azula. But I should let you know that Naruto isn't going to be a main character, not at first at least. I've got a whole new cast of characters along with some of the old ones and I intend to use them.

And don't worry about Arashi, his backstory and history will be revealed during the story. But I'm not going to dump it all into one chapter. That's boring and quite frankly, overused. I plan to spread it out a little.

If you want to read Bodyguard of Azula to catch up on this story, go right ahead. I did my reediting awhile back and hopefully, I got everything.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	2. Getting whacked and playing sports

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 2: Getting whacked and playing sports

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Air Temple Island)

Korra sat at the breakfast table with a newspaper in her hands. "And, in the final round, the Buzzard Wasps won with a decisive knockout!" she read from the sports page in the newspaper, excitement coursing through her voice. She lowered the newspaper enough to look across the table at Tenzin. "What do you say we go to the arena tonight, catch a few Pro-bending matches?" she asked him.

Unfortunately for her, his reply was not what she wanted to hear. "That sport is a mockery of the noble tradition of Bending," he declared, taking a sip from his cup. They were having breakfast and they weren't alone in the room.

"Come on, Tenzin! I've dreamed about seeing a Pro-bending match since I was a kid and now I'm just a ferry ride away from the arena," she begged.

"Korra, you are not here to watch that drivel," he told her sharply.

"Hey, that 'drivel' is fun to watch," Arashi said from where he sat between the two of them, his blue eyes pointing an accusation at the Airbender.

"You've seen some?" Korra asked him.

He just gave her a look. "I live in this city. Of course I've seen some matches."

"She is not going," Tenzin said firmly. "She is here to complete her Avatar training." He looked at the Avatar in question. "So, for the time being, I want you to remain on the island."

"Is that why you're keeping the White Lotus sentries around to watch my every move?" she asked him with a voice equally annoyed and snarky. She cast a look at the White Lotus guardsmen standing against the walls of the room, watching her, Tenzin, Arashi, and the Air Acolytes eating.

"Yes. In order to learn Airbending I believe you need a calm, quiet environment, free from any distractions."

She wanted to find fault with those words but she had no defense against it. "Alright, you're the master," she said, acknowledging the fact. But still, she turned to look out the window at the arena with longing. She really wanted to go there and see the home of Pro-bending.

"Hey," Arashi said, getting her attention again.

"Yeah?" she asked, turning her head back to look at him.

"Are you done with that?" He pointed at the newspaper she had placed on the table.

"Yeah, I am."

"Good." He took the paper and started looking through it.

"What are you looking for?"

"A particular team, they were playing last night."

"Oh, which one?" she asked. She had read about all the teams who were playing and who had been eliminated but she didn't have a favorite team.

"The one I'm rooting for." He had stopped flipping through the pages and began reading intently

"Which one is it?"

He looked up and frowned. "Don't you have some training to do? I'm trying to read here."

"That is an excellent idea," Tenzin agreed, wanting to change the subject. He stood up from the table. "Korra, please change into the clothes that have been left in your room and meet me outside in five minutes."

She scowled at the blonde, but did as she was told. She went to her room, dressed in the robes of an Airbending novice (but rolled up the sleeves and kept her armband on), and went back outside to meet up with Tenzin. "So, my mother has informed me that you've never been able to Airbend before," he commented as they began walking towards the training grounds.

She stopped and sighed. "Yeah, but I don't know why," she told him as she placed her hand on her head. "The other elements came so easily to me, but every single time I've tried Airbending…" She blew a short raspberry and finished with, "Nothing.'

"That's perfectly alright," he told her while placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We just need to be patient." As he spoke, he pulled down her rolled up sleeves so that they looked like they should. "Often the element that's most difficult for the Avatar to master is the one most opposite to the Avatar's personality. For Aang, it was Earthbending."

She could understand what he was telling her, but that didn't make her feel any better. "Yeah, well, I'm about as opposite an Airbender as you can get."

If Tenzin heard her say that, he didn't let it show. "Let's begin your first lesson."

Having no other choice, she followed through the temple to the training ground, where Jinora and her siblings were already waiting. "Korra's gonna Airbend! Korra's gonna Airbend!" Ikki shouted happily, doing a little hop in place.

Korra would've smiled at the sight had her attention not been on the thing behind the kids. "What is that contraption?" she asked Tenzin as they climbed the steps to it. It looked like someone had clumped a lot of wooden banners with the symbol of the Air Nomads on them.

"A time-honored tool that teaches the most fundamental aspect of Airbending," he answered. "Jinora, would you like to explain this exercise?" he asked his eldest.

She nodded. "The goal is to weave your way through the gates and make through the other side without touching them," she explained to Korra.

"Seems easy enough," the Tribeswoman remarked. They were just standing right there, after all.

"Jinora forgot to say that you have to make it through while the gates are spinning," Ikki added.

Tenzin stepped forward, bent the air around him upwards and then at the gates, making them start spinning around and around rather rapidly. Undisturbed by what he had just caused, the Airbending master held up a single leaf in his fingers. "The key is to be like the leaf," he explained to the Avatar as he bent the leaf forward into the gates, watching as it disappeared into the spinning of the gates. "Flow with the movements of the gates. Jinora will demonstrate."

She nodded once to her father and went for the gates. As she approached, she started turning around and around but still kept moving through them all, always turning when it looked like she was going to hit one. "Airbending is all about spiral movements," Tenzin lectured Korra as they watched his daughter. "When you meet resistance, you must be able to switch direction at a moment's notice."

Somehow, Jinora made to the other side of the contraption and started the gates spinning again with a blast of air. Korra realized that it was now her turn. "Let's do this!" she declared, running towards the gates.

But instead of turning away from the resistance of a gate, she just charged right in. This idea resulted in her getting hit every single time by a gate and getting sent in a different direction then she had planned. Every time she got hit, she grunted loudly in pain, especially when the gates had sent her flying back to the ground in front of Tenzin, right on her butt.

Determined to beat the thing, she got back up and charged again, only to get the same results again. _"Why isn't this damn thing working!?"_ she thought to herself.

It didn't help that the kids were trying to be helpful as well. "Don't force your way through!" Jinora shouted.

"Dance! Dance like the wind!" Ikki called out.

"Be the leaf!" Meelo told her while doing an arm movement to emphasize his point.

She tried getting through but just kept getting hit and redirected, each time with obvious pain. When the gates had finally sent her out of their midst, she looked like she had two black eyes and spinning in circles, completely dizzy from getting hit and redirected like that. She twirled for a few seconds before falling to the ground.

When she arched her head back to look at Tenzin, she could see him sigh in disappointment. She wanted to say something in reply to that sigh but was too tired to do so. The only thing she was glad for at that moment was that Arashi hadn't been there to see it. He would've laughed his ass off, she was sure of it.

* * *

By the time night had fallen, she had gotten no further in learning Airbending. It didn't help that she couldn't even bend a simple gust of air. "Airbend!" she cried, moving her arms and hands at a newspaper hanging on a line in front of her. She had tried to get some inspiration for Airbending by using a newspaper with the chief of police in a picture but was still getting nothing.

"What is wrong with me?" she demanded to no one in particular (although Naga was close by). "Airbend!" she told herself again as she thrust her hands at the newspaper. When she still got nothing, her frustration broke loose and she burnt the paper to ashes with a single blast of fire. "Maybe I'm just not cut out to be an Airbender, huh, Naga?" she asked the polar bear dog.

Suddenly, the sound of a radio turning on went off in her ear and she turned to the nearby building where it was coming from. "Ladies and gentlemen!" the commentator began. "I'm coming to you live from Republic City's Pro-bending Arena, where tonight the best on this side of the planet continue their quest for a spot in the upcoming memorial championship tournament. Grab your snacks and grab your kids because this next match is gonna be a doozy!"

Her interest was caught and she got closer to listen in. Since she saw that members of the White Lotus were listening to the radio, she climbed up onto the roof and listened in from there. It proved to be worth it because she might've just been listening to the match, but it was very exciting.

"This Mako's got moxy!" the commentator declared as sounds of the match echoed past his commentary. "Yomo is hammered back into Zone Three! Clock is winding down, can Yomo hold on? He's teetering on the edge of the ring now. The Fire Ferrets like up to strik—"

The radio went off, leaving her hanging. _"What happens next? What happens next?!"_ she asked in her mind while her face twitched in a state of horrified surprise.

"Korra, come down here, please!" Tenzin's voice ordered her from beneath the roof.

She bent down over the edge to look and saw that it was Tenzin standing there behind the White Lotus guardsmen. Having no other choice, she flipped off the roof and down onto the ground. "You shut it off at the best part!" she complained.

"I thought I made myself clear. I don't want you listening to that distracting nonsense," he told her.

"But it's their radio," she pointed out, gesturing to the White Lotus guardsmen behind her. "And technically, you said I couldn't _watch_ a match. You didn't say anything about listening to one."

"You—!" he started only to stop himself and take a deep breath. "You know what I meant! Anyway shouldn't y- shouldn't you be in bed by now!?" He turned around and walked away, flapping his cloak closed and hitting her with a small blast of air in the process.

She scowled at his retreating back but once he was out of sight, she turned to look at the guardsmen. "So, any chance of getting the rest of the broadcast?" she asked.

"Sorry, that was the last match of the night," the guardsman in the center told her.

Her shoulders slumped at the news. "Oh."

* * *

The next night, she was in her room looking at the guards surrounding the temple. That day's exercise hadn't gone any better. Instead of making her go through the gate contraption again, Tenzin had her try to sit and meditate. She had gotten bored in about five minutes and told Tenzin that, only to be told to relax and be free. She found that funny considering the fact that she couldn't _leave_ the damn island.

What irritated her even more was Arashi. The kid was living on the island just like she was but he could leave at any time and he did. She just knew that he was laughing about it as he left, she just knew it!

"_Oh, screw it!"_ she thought to herself. She was getting off the island and heading to the arena. But first she had to get past the guards. She climbed out of her window, waited for the guard to leave, and leapt for the ground. Once her feet touched earth, she started running for the edge of the island, leaping into the air once she was there.

For a moment, she hung in the air. Then she began to fall to the water below. She bent it upwards to catch her and let it carry her back down to normal height. Once there, she began swimming towards the arena, using her Waterbending to quicken her pace.

She had done this many times in the South Pole (where the water was warm) and the distance between the island and the arena wasn't that far. It had only taken her fifteen minutes to reach it. She came up for air next to the arena and saw an open window.

"_Lucky me,"_ she thought triumphantly, bending the water around her into a cyclone that lifted her up to the window. She leapt through it and then spun once to get rid of the excess water. She was inside.

The only problem that she had was that she had no idea where she was. Figuring it was best to look around; she started walking down the hall to find what was where. As she turned a corner and walked down another hall, she saw a large room to her left that looked like a gym. _"Now this is interesting,"_ she thought to herself as she stepped into the room, looking around. There seemed to be plenty of nets, stone discs, and barbells lying around to show that the people who used the place were always at it.

"Hey!" a voice snapped at her, breaking her of her excited frame of mind. She looked over to see a bulky-looking kind of guy with a towel over his shoulders coming towards her. "What're you doin' in my gym?"

"_Crap!"_ she thought, realizing that she was in trouble. Trying to come up with a lie quickly, she went with, "Uh, I was just looking for a bathroom and I got lost."

"Ah, the old 'I had to pee' excuse," he said mockingly, not buying it for one moment. "You know, I am sick and tired of you kids sneakin' in without payin'. I'm taking you to security!"

"No, wait!" she said, desperately trying to think of a way out of this.

To her surprise, help came in the form of Arashi. "Korra!" the blonde kid said as he stood at the entrance of the gym with a guy in a Pro-bending uniform. "This is why I told you to go before we left." He walked into the gym along with the Pro-bender. "Sorry, Toza, she's fresh off the boat but with me," he told the old man.

The guy just threw his arms up in annoyance. "Ah, just get her out of here. I've got work to do!" He turned around and went back to his work, which at the moment was bending a barbell made of rock and stone and tossing it back into the nearby pile.

The three of them walked out of the gym and a short while through the hallway before Korra spoke. "Thanks for the save back there," she said to Arashi.

"Think nothing of it," he replied. "But in all seriousness, what are you doing here? I thought you were stuck on the island."

"Come on, I've wanted to see a Pro-bending match since I was a kid. Do you really think that I was going to let being stuck on the island stop me? The better question is why are you here?"

"I always come here to cheer on my favorite team," he told her. The Pro-bender walked beside them cleared his throat rather loudly. "Oh yeah, Korra, this is Bolin, the Earthbender for the Fire Ferrets. Bolin, this is Korra."

"Nice to meet you," Korra greeted Bolin with a smile.

"No, no, it's nice to meet you," he said to her, returning her smile with a charming one. His black hair and green eyes suited him and his build showed that he was an Earthbender.

Before she could even reply to that, Arashi spoke. "Bolin, you've got a match. Now is really not the time for flirting."

That got the attention of the Tribeswoman. "Wait, there's a match about to happen?" she asked excitedly.

"Yes indeed," Bolin declared. "Would you like to watch?"

"You bet I do!" She didn't know why Arashi was rolling his eyes at her, but didn't care at that moment. She was finally getting her wish.

"Then please follow me." He took the lead and walked down the hallway. Korra and Arashi followed him to a door on the side. "I present to you, the best seats in the house," he declared with a slightly exaggerated tone, opening the door for them.

Korra walked in and the first word out of her mouth was, "Whoa!" Bolin hadn't been kidding. They weren't in the stands that surrounded the hexagonal ring and the large body of water beneath it. In fact, they were beneath the stands and had an even better view because of it. "This place is even more amazing then I imagined," she said as she looked at everything.

"Yeah, I was like that too, the first time I saw this place," Arashi agreed with a small smile on his face.

Bolin was about to make his move when he heard his brother say, "Psst, Bolin."

"Yeah?" he asked, turning around and heading over to his brother, who was at the locker in the back.

"I told you, you have to stop bringing your crazy Fangirls in here before the matches," his brother said as he put on the rest of the uniform. "Get her out of here."

"Oh, come on, Mako! Alright, look, I kinda invited her here, but man, I've got a good feeling, there's something special about her. I know it!" he pleaded. "Besides, it's not all bad. Arashi knows her." He went back over to Korra and grabbed her by the hand. "Come here, I want you to meet my brother, Mako."

"Mako?" she repeated, surprised and excited to have an opportunity. "Woe, I-I heard you play on the radio," she said to him, holding out a hand.

"Come on, Bolin, we're up," Mako said to his brother, ignoring her as he walked past.

"…Or I could meet him later," she remarked, staring at her outstretched hand.

"Don't worry about it," Arashi told her, still at the railing. "When Mako's ready to play, he's ready to play. Just wait for the end of the match."

"Okay, I gotta go. Wish me luck," Bolin said, putting on his helmet and securing the strap. "Not that I'll need it."

"One of these days, that's going to come bite you in the ass, Bolin!" Arashi shouted after the Earthbender as he joined his team.

Korra said something a little different. "Good luck! Knock them out!"

The lights in the stadium went dark and a single light shined down on the ring, prompting cheers of excitement to come out of the crowd. The announcer in the ring appeared in a stance that looked a little more than exaggerated and with a microphone in hand. "Introducing the Fire Ferrets!" he said into the microphone, pointing at Bolin's team as they came to the ring, waving to the crowd and their fans.

On the wall next to Korra and Arashi was a large speaker and the commentator's voice began to speak through it. "The rookie Ferrets came out of nowhere and have made it farther than anyone expected this season, despite the fact of who one of their previous teachers was. But tonight, they face their toughest test yet, folks."

The Fire Ferrets made their way to the center of the ring on the red side, coming to a stop at the circle. On the blue side of the ring were their opponents. The two teams stared each other down in the seconds that came before the match. To them, it felt a little more then dragged out.

But the bell rang, the match was on. "And they're off!" the commentator declared as the two teams started bending at one another. "The two teams waste no time trying to blast each other out of Zone One!" As the first round continued, he made his observations. "Hasook is the first to feel the heat of the Tigerdillos," he remarked about the Waterbender on the Fire Ferrets. "He tries to return the favor, but they're too fast for him, while Mako shows off his trademark 'cool under fire' style."

"It's called keeping your head protected," Arashi remarked while rolling his eyes.

"Shush!" Korra said to him, her eyes focused on the match.

Just then, Bolin and Hasook got knocked back by the opposing team across the line behind them, getting a loud noise from the speakers. "Ooh, the Tigerdillos score with a walloping one-two combo! Can their teammate hold on to their Zone One territory?" the commentator asked while Mako flipped out of the way of the strikes coming his way. But the Earthbender waited and stuck as he landed, hitting him square in the chest and pushing him back onto the line, prompting the buzz from the speakers. "Guess not! Mako's over the line! The Tigerdillos get the green light and advance into Ferret territory!"

"Come on, Ferrets!" Korra shouted as the Tigerdillos moved forward and the fighting began again.

"Looks like Hasook's in trouble!" the commentator said as Hasook was hit back again by an earth disc. "He's in Zone Three teetering over the drink!" While the Fire Ferret Waterbender was getting back onto his feet, he was a little slow and the Tigerdillos pounced on that. A blast of water knocked his footing off the ground and another earth disc sent him flying over the edge.

"And Hasook takes a dip! He'll be back for round two. Assuming the fabulous Bending brothers can hold their ground until the next round."

"What the hell, Hasook?" Arashi said mostly to himself as he watched the Waterbender swim out of the water onto the platform and then onto the nearby elevator. "What's with you lately?"

A buzz sounded off and his attention went back to the ring, where Bolin and Mako were pushed off into Zone Three. Just as soon as that happened, the bell rang, signaling the end of the round. "Round 1 goes to the Golden Temple Tigerdillos!" the announcer declared as the scoreboard flashed blue in the Round 1 glass.

Hasook got back into the ring and the bell was rung for the second round. "The Fire Ferrets are knocked into Zone Two and the Tigerdillos advance!" the commentator announced while the Tigerdillos moved forward into the red Zone One.

From there, the match continued. For Korra, it was like she could see even move each team made in perfect slow motion and with that slow motion, she watched as the Ferrets pushed the Tigerdillos out of their own territory and into their own Zone Two. The Tigerdillos tried to push back, but the bell rang before they could do it. "The Fire Ferrets cinched the round in the closing seconds! It's one apiece, still anyone's match as we go into the third and final round!"

The bell rang and the Tigerdillos went after Hasook first, making him leap out of the way. But that didn't work as well as he had planned. "Hasook stumbles, and now he tumbles right into his teammate!" the commentator said as the Ferret Waterbender fell atop on Bolin from a blast of water. "He and Bolin better untangle quick if they don't want too…" At that moment, the Tigerdillo Earthbender bent a disc at them and sent them over the edge into the water. "Ooh, too late!"

"Oh no!" said Korra as she watched this happened.

"They're not out of the match yet," Arashi told her, keeping his eyes locked firmly on the ring and the only Ferret left.

"It's all up to Mako now!" the commentator declared as the remaining Fire Ferret dodged any and all of the attacks coming at him. "He bobbing and weaving! He's weaving and bobbing! But he's not hitting back!" His dodging led him to the edge of Zone Three, with his foot almost stepping off the end. "If Mako's knocked, the Ferret's fabulous season is over!"

Korra had grabbed hold of her hair and was clutching it tightly in tense excitement. She didn't want Mako to lose, but it seemed to look like it was coming to that. "Mako!" shouted Arashi from out of nowhere. "Dragon hunts through the forest!"

She didn't know what he was talking about but it seemed like Mako had heard him. While the Tigerdillos continued to attack him, he kept avoiding them. "He's dancing on the edge of the ring, surviving the three on one barrage! It seems like his plan to let the Tigerdillos punch themselves out!" In the moment the Tigerdillos took to breathe, Mako struck sending the Waterbender back across the ring into the water. "And his plan is working! Han is in the pool! They've got nothing left in the tank and Mako is on the offensive!"

The tables had turned with Mako fighting the two remaining Tigerdillos just as aggressively. "It's two-on-one!" Mako sent the Tigerdillo Firebender out of the ring with a single blast of fire. "Scratch that, it's one-on-one and it's an earth and fire slugfest!" Slugfest was the most appropriate word for the fighting. Mako and the Tigerdillo Earthbender were throwing so much fire and earth at each other that they were creating a large cloud of dust.

The Earthbender got hit in the chest and was sent flying back into his own Zone Three. He was down on one knee, but had an earth disc ready to be used. There was just one problem and the commentator summed it up perfectly. "There's so much smoke and dust from the firefight, I can't even see where the Fire Ferret is!" That question was soon answered when Mako appeared out of the cloud airborne with a fireball engulfing his hand. He threw it right at the Earthbender, breaking through the disc and sending him flying backwards and down into the water.

"It's a knockout!" the commentator shouted as the final bell rang and the crowd went nuts. "What a wing-dinger of a hat trick, folks! Mako pulls off the upset of the season, winning the match for the Fire Ferrets!"

As the scoreboard showed the win for the Fire Ferrets, Mako took off his helmet and looked around at the people who had watched the match. They started chanting, "Mako! Mako! Mako!" And there was one particular member of the crowd who was awestruck by him.

"_Wow,"_ Korra thought to herself as she watched the Firebender for the Fire Ferrets come back. It was the only thing she could think at that moment.

"Whew," Arashi said with a sigh of relief. "They had me worried there."

"Whoohoo! Yes!" Bolin cheered as he came back into the locker room. "One more win, and we're in the memorial championship tournament!" he told Korra, snapping his fingers. "So, what did you think, Korra?" he asked, taking off his helmet. "Bolin's got some moves, huh?"

"What did I think?" she repeated with a big grin on her face, grabbing him by his uniform. "What did I think? That was amazing!" she let go and pushed him back in an almost playful manner, except that she almost made him stumble to the ground. "Whoops, sorry," she apologized with a sheepish grin.

"You did more harm than good out there!" Mako chastised Hasook as they came back into the locker room. "You almost cost us the match!"

"We won, didn't we?" Hasook demanded, taking off his helmet.

"Barely!" he snapped.

"Get off my case, pal!" He threw his helmet down on the bench nearby and stormed out of the locker room without bothering to change.

Mako just glowered at the door. "Useless."

"Did you try to see what was going on with him or did you just go straight for the chiding, Mako?" Arashi asked him. He didn't bother to wait for an answer. "I'll talk to him later and see what's going on with him. There must be a reason."

"You guys were incredible out there!" Korra said to Mako, turning to face him. "Especially you, Mr. Hat Trick!"

"Oh, you're still here?" he asked her coldly, heading for the locker.

"Oh, you're still a jerk?" she asked back with an irritated look on her face, making Bolin chuckle. "Anyway," she said, looking at the Earthbender amongst them. "I've been immersed in Bending my entire life, but I've never learned how to move like that! It's like there's whole new style here! Think you can show me a few tricks?"

"Absolutely!" said Bolin instantly, drawing out the word.

"Right now?" asked Mako. "Come on, Bolin."

"Just ignore him," his brother said to Korra, leaning in like it was a secret. Then he started talking a little louder. "Yeah, I can show you the basics. I'm just not sure how my Earthbending would translate to your Waterbending, but we'll figure it out."

"Won't be a problem," she told him, leaning back slightly and crossing her arms. "I'm actually an Earthbender."

"_And here we go,"_ Arashi thought to himself.

Bolin just looked at her with confusion in his eyes. "I'm sorry, no, no! I didn't mean to assume! 'Cause I, you know, I was figuring…with your Water Tribe getup…that you are a…Water Tribe…gal." It was unlikely that he could've made that sound any more awkward.

"Nope, you're right," Korra said. "I'm a Waterbender. And a Firebender."

"You forgot to mention Airbender," Arashi chimed in.

She looked over at him with a frown on her face. "I'm still working on that."

He shrugged his shoulders. "So? You still are one."

Bolin looked at both of them intently before finally admitting, "I'm very confused right now."

Fortunately, Mako figured it out almost right away. "She's the Avatar, and I'm an idiot," he said aloud.

"Both are true," Korra said in reply.

Bolin just looked at her with a shocked expression on his face. "No, way," he said before turning to look at his brother. "The _Avatar_!" he whispered loudly whilst shielding his gaze from Korra and pointing his finger at her.

"We heard it the first time, Bolin," Arashi told him, rolling his eyes at the sight.

"How can you not be surprised about this, Arashi?" he demanded.

"That's because I've already met her when she grabbed me while she was being chased by the cops. That and I'm living with her."

"You're living with the Avatar?"

"He just said that, bro," Mako told him.

He looked at his brother and then at Arashi before finally managing to get the slack-jawed expression off of his face. "I would be glad to show the Avatar my moves," he declared formally. "If the lady would like to follow me…?"

"The lady would," Korra answered, ready to go for the door. "Let's go!"

"Hang on," Arashi said, making the two of them stop in their tracks. "Give them a couple of minutes to get out of their uniforms and wash up, Korra. They just came out of a match." He looked over at Bolin. "We'll meet you guys in Toza's gym."

"Alright," the Earthbender agreed, seeing the reason for it.

The blonde and the Avatar left the locker room and went for the gym, retracing their steps. "So, how do you know the Fire Ferrets?" Korra asked Arashi.

"I guess you could say that I'm something of a mini-coach to them," he answered with a slightly bragging tone to his voice.

"Yeah, but how did you know them. You couldn't have just walked off the street and into their locker room."

"Couldn't I?"

"Would you just give me a straight answer? Like what was that thing you shouted at Mako during the match?"

"It's a Firebending technique that he learned. I was just helping him out when I shouted it out."

"I've never heard of a technique like that."

"Obviously, you hadn't been trained by dragons," he remarked while rolling his eyes with great exaggeration.

"Wait, Mako was trained by dragons?!" she demanded, almost stopping in her tracks at the thought.

But he didn't. "Come on, keep moving." She did and they reached the gym in a matter of minutes.

They also didn't have to wait long for Bolin and Mako to come into the gym, out of their uniforms and in casual clothes that left their arms bare (giving Korra a nice little view). "Alright, let's see what'cha got!" Bolin declared, leading Korra over to a stack of earth discs in front of a net.

"So, what?" she said, looking at the stacks. There were three of them with the middle one being larger, separating it into two aisles. "You want me to bend these things?"

"Yep, let me see how you do."

"Alright," she replied. She took the stance that her Earthbending teacher had ingrained into her head and bent two discs at the net with a thrust of each arm. She watched in satisfaction as they sailed through the air and hit the net square on.

"That was great! Good power!" he praised her. "But in a real match, you would be a sitting turtle-duck. Not so upright and flatfooted! Stay light on your toes, right up until you need to dig in and strike," he explained, showing her what he was talking about. "Then…" His stance suddenly became firm and he bent two discs at the net. "Pop, pop!"

She watched in silence as the discs flew and hit their target. "Okay, let me try it again." She went light on her feet, like he had shown her. She moved around for a couple of seconds and then dug in and bent another two discs at the net.

"Wow! Nice adjustment!" Bolin said to her. "You're a natural at this."

"Not bad," Mako remarked from where he was leaning against a nearby ladder.

"What's it take to impress this guy?" Korra asked Bolin while gesturing at his brother.

"What? I said 'not bad."

"Don't worry about it, Korra," Arashi told her from where he sat against the wall. "That's just something he picked up from his teacher."

"You mean the dragon?"

That got Mako's attention. "What in the name of the Spirits makes you think that I was trained by a dragon?" he asked her.

"Well, that's what he told me," she said, pointing at Arashi.

"He was talking about his grandmother, Princess Azula. _She's_ the one who was trained by a dragon."

"And then she taught what she knew to her son, who then taught it to you," the blonde in the room added on at the end.

Those words rang a bell in Korra's head and she looked over at Mako with surprise in her eyes. "You were trained by Sozin Uzumaki? Like, 'the best Pro-bender the world had ever seen' Sozin Uzumaki?"

"Yep, my dad," Arashi said, standing up and stretching his legs a litte.

She had heard of Sozin Uzumaki (who hadn't) and his status as a Pro-bender. It was one of the reasons why she had wanted to see a Pro-bending match for so long. "Wait, I had read that Sozin had retired from Pro-bending and had gone into politics," she said to Mako. "How were you able to train under him?"

"Do you want the unofficial version, or the official version?" Arashi asked before Mako could open his mouth.

Her curiosity now aroused, she looked over at him. "What's the official version?"

"That my father had stopped by the Arena to watch a match and saw Mako Firebending in the gym later on."

"And the unofficial version?" she asked.

"Arashi, don't you dare," Mako warned him.

All he got was a grin in reply. "Too late, she asked." He looked back at Korra and opened his mouth.

"Arashi, tell her and I will make you do hot squats until your knees fall off!" the Firebender snapped at him with a hard scowl on his face. But once those words left his mouth, the scowl disappeared and a look of shocked realization appeared. "Sorry," he apologized.

Arashi had closed his mouth and the mischievous look he had on his face was swapped for one of determined neutrality. "It's fine," he said shortly.

"Hey, wait a minute," said Korra, realizing something and turning her attention onto the blonde. "You were trained by your dad too, right? Think you can show me some moves?"

He turned his head to look at her. "Leave it alone, Korra."

"Oh, come on! It's not that big of a deal. Just a few moves, that's all I'm—"

"I said leave it alone!" he shouted, his voice cracking slightly. Korra flinched and took a half step back, caught off-guard by the shout. For some reason, he had a little blush on his cheeks and stormed out of the gym.

The Avatar just watched him go. "What was that about?"

"If you want to know, ask him. It's not our place to say," Mako said while shooting a warning glance at Bolin. "Anyway, it's getting late. I'm turning in, you kids have fun." He started walking away. "Nice to meet you, Avatar Korra," he said to her.

"Yeah, been a real pleasure," she replied sarcastically. _"Honestly, what's with this guy?"_

"See you upstairs, bro," he told Bolin.

"Upstairs?" Korra repeated, looking at the Earthbender beside her. "You guys _live_ here?"

"Yup. In the attic," Bolin answered. "It's nothin' fancy, but we have some great views! So, back to Bending! Why don't you throw that combo one more time?"

She did just that and the two discs flew through the air and hit the net. _"This is the coolest thing ever!"_ she cheered to herself with a big smile on her face.

(Location: Air Temple Island)

"_Oh Spirits, not this thing again!"_ thought Korra as she stared down the contraption with an uneasy feeling. It was made even worse by the fact Arashi was now watching as well.

Feeling like she had no other choice, she ran right into the contraption and immediately started getting hit by the gates. She tried spinning around but still got hit.

"Patience, Korra!" Tenzin shouted at her.

But after getting hit by a gate for the umpteenth time, she had had enough. With an angry roar, she started throwing fire everywhere in the contraption, setting it ablaze and breaking it down in the process. She was just completely and utterly mad at the damn thing!

She kept bending fire at the contraption until her arms started feeling heavy and her breathing became tired. She had just started bending in a rage and that worn her out quicker than any fight. She stood there panting in the ruined remains of the contraption and when she looked outside of it, she saw the shocked looks on Tenzin, Jinora, Ikki, Meelo, and Arashi.

"That was a two-thousand-year-old historical treasure! What…" Tenzin started asking her. "What is _wrong_ with you?!"

"There's nothing wrong with me!" she replied, coming out of the contraption. "I've been practicing like you've taught me, but it isn't sinking in, okay? It hasn't clicked you said it would!"

"Korra, this isn't something you can force. If you would only listen to me—"

"I have been!" she shouted, cutting him off. "But you know what I think? Maybe the problem isn't me! Maybe the reason I haven't learned Airbending is because _you're_ a terrible teacher!" She pointed an accusing finger at him before stomping off.

"Yeah, you're a terrible teacher, Daddy!" Meelo said, pointing at his father. However, that earned him a hard smack on the back of his head from Arashi. "OW! What was that for?" he demanded of the blonde, looking up at him with tears in his eyes.

"That was uncalled for, Meelo," Arashi said with a scowl on his face. "Your dad isn't a terrible teacher. He's teaching you, isn't he? Don't disrespect him like that!"

"Arashi, I will handle my own children, there's no need for you to speak on my behalf," Tenzin told the blonde with a slight frown. Arashi looked at him for a long second before walking away himself.

* * *

No one saw Arashi for the rest of the day and Korra kept to herself as well, even when dinner was ready. "Okay! Everyone here?" asked Pema as she brought the tray of food to the table. "Wait." She looked around and only saw her husband and children. "Where are Korra and Arashi?"

"Honestly, Pema, I am at my wit's end with that girl!" Tenzin told her, only hearing the first part of her question. "I…I don't know how to get through to her!"

She went to his side and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Dear, the best thing you can do for Korra right now is to give Korra some space."

Instead of answering her, he looked at his children. "You must promise you're teenage years won't be like this!" he said to all three of them.

Jinora, being the one who was closest to said years, simply lowered her book and replied in a deadpan manner, "I will make no such promises." She brought the book back up and went back to reading.

Tenzin cradled his head with his hand at those words. That was not something to look forward to for him. "Tenzin, where is Arashi?" Pema asked him. "You didn't tell me."

He took his hand away from his head. "I do not know specifically. It's possible he's with his uncle or at the Arena."

"But he usually doesn't leave until after dinner. What happened?"

"He hit me on the head when I called Daddy a terrible teacher!" Meelo piped up, hoping to get the blonde in trouble.

But instead, it got his mother to frown at him severely. "Meelo, what I have said about tattling?"

He looked away, knowing that look quite well. "To not to," he answered.

"Good," she said before looking back at her husband. "And what did you say?"

"I told him I could take care of my own children," Tenzin said.

"Dear, you know that he was just trying to help."

"I know." He heaved a great sigh. "His grandfather should stop going away from the city."

"He has to. With the Avatar still training, who else will make sure the countries stay in check?"

"There are four Paragons to do that. He can stay in Republic City and watch over his grandson."

"Tenzin, you know that Gāng is in Ba Sing Se running crowd control, Yue is helping Zuko with his ambassadorial duties and—"

"And I know full well where the third Paragon is," he finished. He remembered that quite well, considering the fact that he had seen that one off (quite happily too). But that didn't change the fact that Naruto Uzumaki should be here in Republic City instead of wherever he was. His grandson needed him.

(Location: Korra)

She retraced her steps inside the Arena to find the Ferrets locker room, running through the hallways to get there. She had a feeling that she was going to miss the match if she slowed down. She didn't want that to happen. Bolin had invited her to the next one and she was hardly going to let an opportunity like that pass.

Thankfully, she saw the door leading to the locker room and slowed down her running into a walk. Taking a breath to steady herself, she opened the door and walked in, seeing Mako and Bolin leaning against the wall and sitting on the bench respectively. "I didn't miss your match, did I?" she asked them. "You guys look like you lost already."

"We might've as well have," Bolin told her.

"Hasook's a no-good no-show!" Mako explained with an angry voice and a furious scowl.

"What? What happened?" Korra asked him.

"If I knew that, would I be here?" he asked back. "Arashi's gone looking for him but I don't that he'll find him in time."

The door to the locker room opened and a referee poked his head in. "You guys got two minutes to come out ready to play," he informed the Bending brothers. "Or you're disqualified." He pulled his head back and closed the door.

"Well, there's goes our shot at the tournament, and the winnings," Mako declared with a bitter tone to his voice.

"I know, Arashi is going to be really sad about this," Bolin agreed.

"Why would Arashi be sad?" Korra asked.

"This isn't just some tournament that we're trying to get into," Mako told her. "It's the Sozin Uzumaki Memorial Cup."

"Oh." It was the only thing that came to her at the moment. Now they really had to get into the match. "Can't you ask one of those guys to fill in?" she asked, pointing at the other team in the locker room.

"Nah, the rules say you can only compete on one team," Bolin told her dejectedly.

That was when she had an idea. "Well, then…how about me?" she suggested. "I'm a top-notch Waterbender, if I do say so myself."

Both brothers gave her a look. "But…you're the Avatar," the Earthbender pointed out. "Isn't that cheating?"

"It isn't cheating if I only do Waterbending."

"No way," Mako said firmly. "I'd rather forfeit then look like a fool out there."

"Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence," she told the Firebender with complete and utter sarcasm.

The door opened and the referee showed himself again. "Time's up," he announced. "You in or out?"

Korra pounced on the chance before someone could say otherwise. "We're in!"

"We are?" Mako asked.

"Yes!" Bolin agreed.

"Hey, I didn't agree to this!" his brother protested while he and Korra ran for the locker behind them.

"You can thank me later," she told him.

He just watched as she opened the locker. "This girl is crazy," he decided.

"Come on, Mako," Bolin said to him as he pulled out the spare uniform. "We need your help over here." While he did roll his eyes at the thought, he did go over and helped Korra put on the uniform. Once it was, they made their way into the ring.

"Looks like the Ferrets have ferreted out a last minute replacement," the commentator remarked. "Let's see if she's another diamond in the rough like the brothers from the school of hard knocks!"

"Don't do anything too fancy or aggressive," Mako told Korra as they waited for the bell to ring. "In fact, don't do anything. Just try not to get knocked off the ring."

"You got it, captain," she replied. Her helmet slipped a little but she quickly readjusted it.

"Players!" shouted the referee. "Are you ready?" He blew his whistle and the bell rang.

Korra acted instantly. Bending water with her foot, she threw it at the opposing Waterbender, sending him to the robes and then over the side. She instantly went into a victory dance, ignoring the shocked looks from the other players. "Woohoo, man overboard!" she shouted.

Then the referee blew his whistle, making her stop. "Fire Ferret Waterbender, penalty!" he shouted. "Move back one Zone!"

"What? Why?" she demanded.

"You're only allowed to knock players off the _back_ of the ring! Not over the _sides_!" Mako told her in an angry whisper, gesturing with his arms to make his point.

"Oh…whoops." She moved backwards feeling really embarrassed.

The bell rang again. "And we're back in action after that hiccup," the commentator began. "But I don't think this replacement player knows what she's doing."

Korra was doing her best to participate in the match but it was like the opposing team knew that she was new to this and targeted her. She tried using a trick Katara had once showed her and flipped up into the air, shooting a glob of water. But when she landed, her foot went past the Zone line and the buzzer sounded.

"Foul!" the referee called after blowing his whistle. "Over the line! Move back to Zone Three!"

Now she was getting frustrated. "I'll show _you_ over the line!" she muttered to herself as she moved back. Her teammates watched as she went, Bolin already having second feelings about all of this.

The bell soon rang and with the positioning of Korra, it was obvious who the victors were. But still, the commentator had to declare it. "The Platypus Bears take round one!" The bell rang again and the opposing team knew where to throw their Bending. "The Platypus Bear know a green player when they see one, and they're focusing the brunt of their Bending on this poor girl!"

"_This is getting really annoying!"_ Korra thought to herself as she tried to dodge and return fire. But she was still new to all of this and the opposing team was targeting her. When she saw fire, earth, and water flying right at her, she reacted on instinct and reached for the nearest bendable object, which happened to be the discs slots near her. Two discs popped out and floated in the air before, acting as shields against the triple attack.

"Wait a minute, did that Waterbender just Earthbend?" the commentator asked.

The action made everyone in the crowd draw in a gasp of surprise and began whispering amongst themselves. The referee quickly blew his whistle. "Foul…I think."

Korra could grin sheepishly, even when her helmet fell over her eyes and the other two Ferrets looked anywhere but her.

(Location: Air Temple Island)

"Did I see that right?" the commentator asked from the radio. The White Lotus guardsmen sitting around it were a little confused but thought nothing of it. They were on break and they were enjoying it. "Hold on, folks, we're just waiting for the referee's official call but… I think this replacement player could be… No, there's no way!"

At that moment, Tenzin came up to the guards. "Pardon me, everyone, have you seen Korra this evening?" he asked them. "She's not in her room."

"You've gotta be kidding me!" the commentator suddenly cried. "She's the _Avatar_, folks, playing in a Pro-bending match!" The guards were stunned to hear this and the one who had been taking a drink from her cup spat it out. "Can you believe this?"

As Tenzin listened, his eyes began to twitch and his head turned pink. "I'll get her myself!" he told them, turning around with an angry gust of wind.

(Location: Arena)

After what felt like a long couple of minutes to the Fire Ferrets, the referee came back. "The Avatar will be permitted to continue so long as she solely bends water!" he declared, making the Ferrets sigh in relief (while the Platypus Bears complained a little).

The bell rang again and the Platypus Bears resumed their tactics. "This girl might be the Avatar, but she's no Pro-bender and the Platypus Bears are intent on exploiting that weakness!" the commentator remarked as Korra was being pushed back to the edge of Zone One. "They're giving her their best and her best ain't good enough to stop it!" As she tried to block the barrage of Bending being through at her, Korra couldn't hold it and was sent flying over the edge of the ring. "Aaaaand she's in the drink."

It hurt a little when she hit the water but she didn't let that stop her from swimming through it to the platform. She felt the pain still stinging her body as she reached and climbed up out of the water. But she stopped when she saw who was standing right there in front of her. "Oh, hey, Tenzin!" she said to the Airbending master nervously. "I thought you didn't like coming to these matches."

As she fully climbed out, he fixed her with his sternest look. "Once again, you have flagrantly disobeyed my orders. You were to stay on the island! Let's go," he ordered her, turning away and walking away.

But she wasn't going to be listening to him. "No! I'm kind of in the middle of something."

He stopped and slowly turned around to face her. "I have tried my very best to get through to you by being gentle and patient, but clearly the only thing you've responded to is force! So I am _ordering_ you to come back to the temple right now!"

"Why?" she asked. "So I can sit around and mediate about how bad I am at Airbending? You know, I'm beginning to think that there's a reason I haven't been able to learn it! Because, maybe, I don't even _need_ it!" she told him.

That idea astounded Tenzin and it was not in the good way. "What? That is a ludicrous suggestion! The Avatar needs to learn about Airbending! It's not optional!"

"No! _This_ is what I need to learn!" she exclaimed, gesturing back at the ring. "Modern styles of fighting!"

"Being the Avatar isn't all about fighting, Korra! When will you learn that?"

She had had enough of this conversation, seeing that it wasn't going to go anywhere. "I have a match to go finish," she said pointedly, heading over to the elevator.

As she went upwards, the bell rang and the announcer said, "The Platypus Bears win round two!" Tenzin walked away from the platform and went back up into the stands, looking for the way out when the announcer cried out, "Round three!" and the bell rang.

The Platypus Bears started throwing their Bending at the Ferrets and their plan soon became obvious. "The Platypus Bears come out of the gate and quickly go after the Ferret brothers! They're corralled, wedged in the edge of Zone One, unable to come to the Avatar's rescue! And boy does she need it!"

Tenzin looked back at the ring and watched as Korra knocked back two Zones. He covered his eyes and groaned slightly at the sight. "Looks like the Avatar's Pro-bending debut is about to be cut short!" the commentator declared. "She's been pushed back to Zone Three and the water is calling her name!"

She was indeed teetering at the edge, balancing on her toes to avoid falling in. When she saw a disc coming right at her, she spun out of its way, letting it pass and allowing her to get a more firm footing. She realized what kind of move she had used and Tenzin's words came back to her.

"_Airbending is all about spiral movements, when you meet resistance, you must be able to switch direction at a moment's notice."_

"_These teachings will sink in over time. Then one day, they'll just click."_

"_Huh, I guess he was right,"_ she thought to herself before turning back to the ring, moving into a beginning Airbender stance. _"Be the leaf."_

"It's only a matter of time before…" the commentator began before seeing how Korra now moved. "Hold the phone! Stop the presses! She's still in the game, folks! And she's moving like an entirely different player! All of a sudden, the Platypus Bears' strikes are only striking air!"

Tenzin watched more intently now, seeing how she moved like she was supposed in the gates. None of the opposing team's Bending struck her. Whenever one got close, she would simply turn away from it. "How about that?" he said to himself.

Quickly enough, the Platypus Bears wore themselves out going after Korra like that and the commentator saw that. "The Platypus Bears have no juice left, but Mako and Bolin are still fresh and juicy!" The brothers, no longer pinned in the corner, came back at the opposing team with a vengeance. And Korra was right there to help.

Between the three of them, they started driving the Platypus Bears back. Since they had no energy left to fight back, all the opposing team could do was try and defend themselves until the bell rang. If they could do that, the match would be theirs. But the Fire Ferrets would not let that happen. They struck hard and fast, pushing each member of the Platypus Bears back harder and harder until the last one was sent flying out of the ring courtesy of water from Korra.

"Knockout!" the commentator cried as the bell rang. "The Fire Ferrets come from way behind and steal the win! What an upset, folks! The rookies, Avatar in tow, have nabbed a place in the memorial championship tournament! I cannot believe it!"

Korra just stood there, listening to the roar of the crowd as they cheered for her team. She went over to Bolin and they exchanged a high-five, happy in victory. But the best part for her was when Mako came over and said, "Korra…what can I say? You really came alive in that last round. The way you dodged their attacks…you _are_ a natural."

"Thanks, but I can't take all the credit. Someone else taught me those moves," she told him. _"And I'll have to apologize to Tenzin,"_ she thought to herself.

"Hey-hey, come on guys!" Bolin said grabbing them both by the shoulder and pulling them into a group hug. "Let's go and celebrate!"

"That's sounds like a good idea," Mako agreed with a small smile on his face. They started walking back to their locker room, leaving the cheering crowds behind them.

When they reached the locker, Arashi was waiting for them with a somewhat annoyed expression. "Hey, Arashi," Bolin said, sounding nervous for some reason. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, I'm just wondering if you two had lost your minds," he replied, looking hard at him and his brother. "Seriously, you put _her_ in the ring!? The woman who got _arrested her first day in the city_?" he demanded, pointing at Korra. "Did you guys even give her a crash course on what to do in Pro-bending?"

"Uh, um…no?" the Earthbender offered weakly.

"Hey, I helped them win," Korra told Arashi. "So just lay off on them."

He looked at her for a moment before finally saying, "Fine." When she smiled, he avoided eye contact for some reason.

"So where's Hasook?" Mako asked with a scowl on his face. "I bet he's said he had a good reason for not being here."

"Actually, he does," the blonde replied. "He quit the team."

"What?" Bolin said, completely surprised. "Why?"

"He got promoted at his part time job, he's full time now."

"And he gave up the game for that?"

Mako fixed his brother with a stare. "Bro, he's got a family. If he had to quit the team so he can make sure that they get fed, we can respect his decisions." Now he felt bad for calling Hasook no good and useless.

"It would also explain why he had been so out of focus the past couple of matches," Arashi added. "He had been under evaluation for the promotion and it had been on his mind." A thoughtful expression appeared on his face. "You know we should probably head over to his work one day and say hi to him."

Bolin's face lit up with a big grin. "Actually, we were going to have a victory drink. We can stop by there for it. That way, we can tell Hasook the good news!"

"Now that is a good idea," he agreed.

"Well, what are we doing just standing around here?" Korra asked them all. "Let's get out of these uniforms and get going!"

(Location: Air Temple Island)

Tenzin was watching as the Air Acolytes rebuilt the gate contraption. He heard footsteps coming towards him and when he looked out of the corner of his eye, he saw that it was Korra and Arashi. "I'm really sorry," Korra apologized as he turned to face them. "About everything I said. I was really frustrated with myself and I took it out on you."

"I think I owe you an apology, too," he replied. "I was trying to teach you about patience, but I lost mine."

"No hard feelings?" she offered hopefully.

"Of course not," he answered. "By the way, you were really good out there. You moved _just_ like an Airbender!"

"Wait…you stayed and watched?"

"I did." He had even done a little victory shout when he saw the knockout, only to stop when he realized that other people had been watching. "Pro-bending turned out to be the _perfect_ teaching tool for you."

They smiled warmly at one another, glad that the hostile feelings they were having were now gone. "I'll see you tomorrow, bright and early!" Korra told him as she started jogging away. "And, by the way, I kinda permanently joined the Fire Ferrets and we're playing the memorial tournament in a couple of weeks!"

He had been surprised by that piece of news and sighed heavily at it. "Well, what did you expect?" Arashi asked him when he saw the sigh. "This wasn't going to be a one-time deal."

"I am aware of that," Tenzin replied. "Anyway, Arashi, about what happened with Meelo earlier…"

"I know, I know. I shouldn't have stepped in like that. You're the parent, not me." A look of sadness appeared on his face as he remembered a memory. But he quickly banished that memory and the look. "Look, let's just not talk about."

"Very well, what do you think about the Fire Ferrets participating in the memorial tournament?"

"I'm hoping that they make to the top and win," he said. "But I'm also opening that Jiji will be there."

"I am sure he will be."

"It sure as hell doesn't feel like it," the blonde said with an acidic tone in his voice. "It feels like that he's not here anymore."

"Arashi Uzumaki, that is your grandfather you're speaking wrongly of!" Tenzin told him sharply, trying to head off what would've come next. Some of the Acolytes stopped what they were doing to see what was going on, only to be told by others to keep working. "Has he not been there for every birthday that you have had? Has he not been there every time that day comes about?"

"…Yeah, he has," he admitted quietly. "I…I just wish he would be here more." Without saying another word, he left the Airbending master and the Air Acolytes behind, heading to the temple and his room.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

Some of you have been wondering about a few things, like what Arashi looks like or will he be a Paragon like Naruto? Well, let me answer those questions for you. First off: he is a carbon copy of his great-grandfather. Secondly: no, he is not going to be a Paragon (please remember the rules I put down for the Paragons).

Also, some of you have wondered whether if he's a Firebender or a shinobi. All I can say at the moment is that I have a plan for him and I don't want to ruin it for you guys (although, to the one person who suggested that he be both Bender and Shinobi, I would like to point out that in my story, that _has never happened_. It's either one or the other, not both).

I have given you people some information on the new generation of Paragons and while they won't all be introduced in the same chapter, I can assure that they will be introduced in the same "book," so to speak. As for the identity of the third Paragon, you were given in Bodyguard of Azula.

According to the creators of the _Last Airbender_ and _Legend of Korra_, Hasook was originally supposed to have a family but it was cut. So I'm not totally off base when giving a reason for him quitting. And he needed a reason to quit.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	3. Questions and answers

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 3: Questions and answers

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Arena)

Korra braced herself as a large ball came flying at her, catching it with ease. It was a training technique for Pro-bending that would help her hold her guard against attacks in the ring. And while she was all for that, there was just one problem she had. "What's the big idea making me train this early in the morning?" she asked Mako and Bolin. "The morning is _evil_."

"That's because you stayed up," Arashi remarked as he supervised the training from just outside the triangle.

"I did not," she said in reply as she threw the ball at Bolin.

"We're the rookies," he answered as he caught the ball and threw it at his brother. "So we get the worst time slot in the gym."

"And you're the rookiest of us all," Mako told Korra. "We gotta get you up to speed if we wanna survive the memorial tournament." He tossed the ball at her. "Deal with it."

She caught it and looked at him with a scowl. "_You_ deal with it!" She threw the ball right back at him and since he wasn't expecting it; it got him right in the stomach, sending him flying back onto the ground.

"Pay attention, Mako," Arashi told him while the Avatar smirked triumphantly.

The sounds of hands clapping filled the air, making them all stop. "There are my hard-working my hard-working little street urchins," a man in a fine suit and hat said at the door. He walked forward to them while they gathered around. "It's nice to finally meet you, Avatar," he greeted Korra.

"And you are…?" she asked with a suspicious frown.

"Butakha," he introduced himself, taking off his hat in a small bow (while also revealing that he had no hair). "I run this whole Pro-bending shebang."

"He was also the Earthbender for the Republic City Dragons," Arashi commented. "They used to call him the Badgermole."

"Ah, Arashi," the man said, putting his hat back on his head. "I do so love it when you remind me of the glory days."

"How do you know what team he was with?" Korra asked the blonde.

"The Republic City Dragons weren't just any Pro-bending team," he said, looking at her. "They were my dad's team. They were the ones who ended the Boar-a-pines' reign as champions."

"And now, I run the business," Butakha finished. He reached into his coat and pulled out a good deal of money. "Here's your winnings from the last match," he told Mako, who took the money with a big grin on his face. But before he could put it away, the older Earthbender intervened. "Ah, ah, not so fast," he said, waving his finger. He took some of the money with each thing he spoke of. "First, you owe me for the Avatar's new gear, gym and equipment rentals from last month, rent on your apartment, and a personal loan for groceries."

The last one took away the rest of the money and Mako looked at the emptiness of his hand. While he could understand why most of the money disappeared, he knew that the groceries shouldn't have taken away that much. There was only one person who was responsible for that and he was related to him.

"What?" Bolin asked as his brother glared at him. "I'm a growing boy!" He rubbed his belly to emphasize his point.

But Butakha was not done. "Oh, and one more small item of business: the Fire Ferrets need to ante up thirty thousand yuans for the championship pot,"

"Thirty thousand yuans!?" repeated Bolin, shocked at the number. He and Mako were lucky if they had _five_ thousand yuans!"

"Can't you give them some slack, Butahka?" Arashi asked the man with a small pleading tone in his voice.

"If I did that, I wouldn't be a good businessman," he said. He was sympathetic, but business was first. "Sorry, boys," he told the brothers, placing a hand on Mako's shoulder. "You've got 'til the end of the week to come up with the dough, or else, you're out of the tournament."

He walked away, leaving the four of them alone in the gym again. "You wouldn't happen to have a secret Avatar banking account overflowing with money, would you?" Bolin asked Korra with a slightly hopeful tone to his voice.

She pulled out her empty pockets. "I got nothing," she answered. "I never really needed money." And that didn't really work out for her when she first got to the city. "I've always had people taking care of me."

"Then I wouldn't say you have 'nothing,'" Mako said shortly as he put the training ball away in a duffel bag.

She winced slightly. "Sorry, I didn't mean—"

"No, it's all right," Bolin said, stopping her before she began. "It's just ever since we lost our parents, we've been on our own."

"I'm so sorry," she apologized. "I didn't know."

"So, anyway," Mako said, moving on from the current line of conversation as he hefted the duffel bag up onto his shoulder. "How are we going to come up with the money?" He looked over at Arashi. "Do you think there's a chance that you could write to your grandfather and get him to give us the money?"

"If I knew where he went, I would do it in a heartbeat," the blonde answered. "But he doesn't even leave a note when he leaves."

"Oh, oh, I got it! I got it!" Bolin said excitedly. He squatted down and picked up Pabu, his pet fire ferret. "I've been training Pabu to do circus tricks. Now people will pay good money to see that!"

"Come on, Bolin," Mako told him. "We need serious ideas."

His feelings a little crushed, he lowered Pabu a little with a downcast expression on his face. "I was serious," he said quietly.

"Don't worry about it," his brother said. "I'll take care of it. I always do." As he walked out of the gym, Bolin stood back up and watched him leave. Then a determined expression appeared on his face.

(Location: Central City Station)

"Come one, come all!" Bolin called out as he sat on a thin carpet at the base of Lord Zuko's statue wearing a semi-elaborate robe and a fake mustache, facing the people who were walking to and from the big station that lay beyond the station. "See Pabu the fantastic fire ferret as he crosses the Ladder of Peril upside down!" When nothing happened, he looked at Pabu, who was wearing a shirt and a hat. "Psst, psst!" he whispered. The fire ferret got the hint and started the trick, walking on his front paws across the Ladder of Peril (which was a plank settled on two cups)

"Big finish, little buddy," Bolin urged him on. "Stick the landing." When Pabu got to the other side, he flipped off and landed on one paw. "Ta-da!" the Earthbender declared. One of the many people passing by threw a coin into the donation can. "Thank you, ladies and gentlemen! You are too kind! Seriously, too kind! You can come back and put money right in this—" He picked up the can and shook, only to stop when he heard how little there was in there. "Okay, that's fine, that's fine." He looked down at the one coin in the cup. "One yuan down, 29,999 to go."

"Well, I'll give you props for speaking, Bolin," Arashi said from where he leaning against the statue. "But I think you're going to need something a little more than Pabu walking across a plank of wood on two cups."

"Do you have any better ideas?"

"No, you're the one who was training him to do the tricks."

Just then, a Satomobile rolled up to the curve. Both Arashi and Bolin tensed at the sight of it, knowing full well that red and a lion turtle insignia on the front grill meant only one thing: Triple Threat. The window rolled down and the driver stuck his head out the window. "Hey, Bolin, is that you?" he called out. What clothing that could be seen through the window was blue, showing that he was a Tribesman and most likely a Waterbender.

"Oh, hey there, Shady Shin," Bolin said in greeting, albeit nervously. He had known Shady Shin back when he had been a kid, during his and Mako's troubled youth.

The Triad member stepped out of the Satomobile and walked over to the Earthbender. "Heard you're a big time Pro-bending player now," he remarked aloud. "Not bad."

"Uh, thanks?"

"What do you want, Shin?" Arashi asked with a suspicious look in his eyes. The man wasn't called Shady for nothing.

If he was insulted by the tone of the blonde's voice, he didn't show it. "Hey there, little man," he greeted him, making it sound like he had just seen him. Then he turned his attention back to Bolin. "So listen. I got an offer for ya. Lightning Bolt Zolt is lookin' to hire some extra muscle."

"Why haven't I heard of this?" Arashi said.

Shin looked him over with a look of barely held contempt. "Just because your uncle's in the gang doesn't mean you're told every little thing." The look of contempt was replaced by one that showed he thought himself smart. "But if you joined, I'm sure we would welcome you, even with your rather…pathetic skills."

The kid glared hard at him. "You want to take up that idea to my grandfather when he returns?" he asked. "I'm sure that you will not survive the conversation." He smirked when the confident smile on Shin's face faltered and a bead of sweat appeared on his brow.

"Um, Shin?" Bolin said, feeling a little more nervous. "Mako told me to stay away from the Triple Threats."

As he looked at the Earthbender, the sweat disappeared and his confident smile turned into a scoff. "You're brother ain't the boss of you. It's just a little security work. Nothin' crooked." He reached into his coat, pulled out a large wad of cash, and threw it into the can. Bolin looked at the wad and using an old trick he had learned as a kid, counted the amount.

Once he figured it out, he began to freak out. The cash in his can would be enough to cover at least a quarter of the ante for the championship! And there would certainly be more where that came from! "You game?" Shady Shin asked.

(Location: Air Temple Island)

"Okay, I'm ready!" Korra shouted at Jinora and Ikki as she stood on one side of the gate contraption and they stood on the other side as the night began in the sky above them. The two girls bent the air around them and blasted it at the gates.

Once they started spinning, Korra moved through them. Instead of just charging right in this time, she actually moved with the movements of the gates, turning away at the meeting of resistance and always spinning. What had eluded her at first was now completely easy to do. _"How did I think this was hard?"_ she asked herself as she turned away from another gate. She felt a little stupid for feeling that way now.

"Good, light on your feet!" Jinora called out to her as she moved through the gates, soon coming out the other side. But while Korra was panting (it may have been easy but it was also tiring), she and Ikki saw something interesting. "Ooh, he's cute," she said as she watched Mako come up the steps. "Korra, is that the handsome Firebender boy that drives you crazy?"

"_Huh?"_ Korra thought as she stopped panting and recognized the fact that Jinora used the "handsome Firebender boy." She quickly looked over her shoulder and saw Mako coming her way.

"Does he make you crazy in a bad way?" Ikki asked the Tribeswoman. "Or does he drive you crazy like you _like_ him?"

The Avatar quickly bent the earth beneath them to jut upwards and send them flying. She turned around, coughed, and looked at the visitor. "Oh, hey, Mako," she greeted him, trying to act cool.

"You seen Bolin?" he asked, straight to the point.

"_And there he is,"_ she thought to herself before saying, "Nice to see you, too. And no, I haven't seen him or Arashi since practice. Think something's wrong?"

"I don't know. Bolin has a knack for getting into stupid situations and despite what he might think otherwise, Arashi isn't any better." He turned around and started walking away. "See ya later."

"Wait," she said, going after him. "I could, uh…help you look for them."

"Nah, I got it," he replied with turning to face her and while waving her off.

She grabbed him by his elbow, finally making him stop. "Hey, cool guy, let me help you. We can take Naga."

"Who's Naga?"

"My best friend; and a great tracker," she answered proudly.

* * *

"Your best friend is a polar bear dog," Mako remarked as he rode behind Korra on Naga. They were padding down a street in the city and they were riding an animal that was as large (if not larger) as a Satomobile. "Somehow, that makes perfect sense."

"I'll take that as a compliment, city boy," she told him, making them both smile.

The rest of the ride was silent as Naga made her down the street and to Central City Station. To Korra, it felt like the streets had a whole different vibe to them. It felt more alive but also dangerous, like one should be careful of they were going. But strangely enough, the vibe also made her feel like she was the Pro-bending ring again, with her heart racing and her blood pumping.

They soon found Central City Station and heading for the statue of Zuko, whose face looked different in the light of fire at night. "So, do you see them?" Korra asked her passenger.

"Well, this is Bolin's usual hangout," he said as he looked around the crowd of people in the plaza but not seeing his brother or Arashi. "But no, I'm not seeing them." His eyes found a couple of street kids horsing around nearby. Without saying anything to Korra, he climbed down from Naga and went over to the kids. "You guys seen my brother or a blonde kid around here today?" he asked them.

One of the kids stepped forward, obviously the leader. "Perhaps," he answered while rubbing his nose. "My memory's a little…'foggy.' Maybe you can help 'clear it up.'" He held out his hand like he was expecting something.

"You're good, Skoochy. Humph, a real pro," Mako told him as he passed forward some cash into the kid's hand.

The seconds that passed between the money landing in his palm and then disappearing into clothes was probably about two, perhaps even one. "Yeah, I seen your brother," the kid answered.

"When?" asked the Firebender.

"About noon," he answered.

"What was he doing?"

"He was preforming some kind of monkey rat circus. And then…" He looked away and held out his hand again.

Mako rolled his eyes but handed him another yuan. "And then what? Why did he leave?"

He leaned in and held his hand up to the side of his mouth. "Shady Shin showed up and flashed some _serious_ cash. "Bo took off with him in his hotrod, the blonde kid too. The Triple Threats? The Red Monsoons? The Agni Kais? All the triads are muscling up for something real big. Now that's all you're getting outta me!"

He turned away and then ran away back to the rest of the kids. "What's he talking about?" Korra asked Mako.

"Sounds like there's a turf war brewing," he replied. "And Bolin and Arashi are about to get caught right in the middle of it." He turned around and started walking back towards Naga. "Come on," he said to Korra as he passed.

They both climbed up onto the back of the polar bear dog and Mako had her run south from the plaza. "So where're we headed?" Korra asked as they passed in the wake of two trollies and then over a bridge.

"The Triple Threat Triad's headquarters," he answered. "Hopefully, Bolin and Arashi are there and nothing's gone down yet."

"The Triple Threat?" she repeated. "I beat up some of those yahoos when I got into town. I can understand Arashi a little bit, but why would Bolin get tangled up wit—" Her mouth snapped close when Naga suddenly shot forward, having found something interesting to eat. "Whoa, Naga!" said Korra as the polar bear dog hung a hard right.

Naga didn't hear her as she turn left onto a different street, still chasing that interesting something. It was only after that interesting something climbed up a lamppost that she stopped and her riders were able to see what it was. "That's Pabu!" Mako exclaimed as the Fire Ferrets' mascot perched on the street sign.

Naga was still interested in having said mascot as a snack until Korra pulled hard on the reins. "No, Naga!" she said. "Pabu's a friend, not a snack."

The order calmed the polar bear dog down, allowing Pabu to get off the street sign and then slide down the pole until he was at the same height as Naga. The two animals sniffed at one another, getting the other's scent, and then touched noses, signifying that all was well. After that was done, Pabu leapt off the pole, across Naga's head and back, and onto Mako's shoulder. "We gotta hurry!" he said. Bolin never went anywhere without Pabu and since he wasn't here, it was worrying.

Korra started Naga up again and the polar bear dog started running. Both Tribeswoman and dog followed Mako's directions to the headquarters of the Triple Threat Triad, which was revealed to be a restaurant. "Something's not right," Mako said as he climbed down from Naga and approached the entrance. "There're usually thugs posted outside. We better be cautious."

He snuck up to the doors and peered inside. Once he saw that no one was on the other side, he motioned Korra to come up. She did and promptly kicked the doors. Without missing a beat, she walked into the place and the others followed her.

The restaurant looked like a mix of a fight and a disaster had struck. There were tables thrown up against the wall with their settings all smashed and broken on the floor. The floor beneath them felt uneven and had a few missing chunks, showing that someone had been Earthbending. The wet spots and ash marks on the walls and floor showed that Waterbending and Firebending had also been used. Something had gone down, something bad.

"Bolin? You in here?" called out Mako.

"Hey, Arashi!" shouted Korra, a little louder than he had done.

He scowled at her but then they started hearing a faint pounding coming from the back. Following the sound to the back of the restaurant, where the kitchen was, they found that it was coming from a food locker that had a chair propped up against. With a swift kick, Korra knocked it aside and opened the locker.

Crouched inside of it was Arashi, who looked up and was relieved. "Thank the Spirits it was you guys!" he said as he took hold of Korra's offered hand and came out.

"What happened here?" Mako asked him.

"I have no idea. Bolin and I were upstairs when the attack started. My uncle tried taking us out the back but we got caught here. My uncle barely had enough time to throw me into that locker before the fighting started."

"When did this all happened?"

"Ten minutes ago, at the least!"

The sounds of engines roaring to life filled the kitchen, coming from the back door. The three of them raced towards said door and went through it into the back alleyway. At the end of the alleyway were several motorcycles and a single van all driving off. It became obvious that they were leaving in a hurry when the back door of the van flapped opened, revealing Triad members bound and gagged in it, along with Bolin.

"Bolin!" shouted Mako at the sight of his brother. He, Korra, and Arashi started running forward, only to stop when two motorcycle riders threw a grenade each at them. The grenades landed on the ground and began to emit a green smoke, making the three standing in the alleyway start coughing and obscuring their vision.

When they made their way through the smoke, they saw that the motorcycles were getting away fast. "Naga, come!" Korra shouted for the polar bear dog, which came to her side instantly.

The three of them climbed on, but it was a little uncomfortable for Arashi, who was sitting on Naga herself rather than the saddle. So when she started going after the kidnappers, he felt every bump and turn. "Ah! Ow! Ouch! This! Was! A! Horrible! Idea!" he shouted with each bump.

"Just shut up and hold on!" Korra told him while also thanking the Spirits that she had the good sense to put Mako between her and him.

As they got closer to the kidnappers, Mako started bending short blasts of fire at them. But the motorcycle riders just swerved away and between the blasts, avoiding them completely. Korra lent support by trying to crash one via Earthbending, but the rider just used the jutted stone like a ramp and landed back down easily.

It was only when they came out of the alleyway and into an open area that the kidnappers fought back. They did so by having some of their motorcycle rider turn around suddenly. One of them threw a bola at the polar beat dog, aiming for the legs. It struck and wrapped itself tightly, making Naga stumble and then fall hard onto the ground. Her passengers were sent flying through the air and hit the ground just as hard.

As Korra, Mako, and Arashi got their bearings back, the riders, who were wearing a dark green uniform with burgundy patches along with a helmet that covered their faces completely and bordered by yellow tubing on the sides of the face, got off their motorcycles, leapt into the air with high flips, and came right at them. "We've got incoming!" Arashi shouted as he scrambled back onto his feet, pulling out a knife.

"We can see that!" Korra told him, also getting back onto her feet. She bent a blast at the kidnapper coming right at her, who avoided it by flipping past it and came right at her. She tried to fight back with her Firebending, but the kidnapper kept deflecting the blasts by using his hands and arms to move hers out of the way.

When she tried using a high kick move, he locked his own foot against hers and twisted it down, forcing her to turn her back to him. He quickly jabbed a series of points on her and without any warning, she lost all feeling in her right arm. But she still had use of her left arm and her legs and she was going to use those as much as she could.

But it proved to be most difficult and she wasn't the only one having trouble. Mako was faring just as poorly against his own opponent and she really couldn't tell how the fight Arashi was in was going from out of the corner of her eye. Even though they tried putting up a good fight, the kidnappers made their limbs go numb and sent them back down to the ground.

"_This isn't good,"_ Arashi noted as he saw Korra and Mako go down. His moment of notice left an opening his opponent took advantage of and struck points on his body that made him fall to the ground, his knife skidding away from his hand. But while he had not beaten his opponent, he could take pride in the fact that he had wounded the guy. He could see the cuts he made in the uniform and the blood that was seeping out from those cuts.

But the fact remained the same; they had lost control of their bodies and could not fight back. The kidnappers started moving forward, swinging bolas around in an effort to get them ready. Their green goggles showed no eyes and that, plus the red circle high between the goggles, made for an image that would not leave their minds.

But the kidnappers had forgotten to factor one important detail: an angry polar bear dog that could destroy bola cords with a snap of her jaws. Naga broke free of her bonds and leapt for the kidnappers, making them leap back. She roared at them and Pabu added in his own screech (once he hopped down from her head).

The kidnappers shared a look between the two of them and leapt away, throwing down another grenade to cover their escape on the motorcycles. Naga didn't even bother to pursue them. Her concern was Korra.

While Pabu went for Mako, the polar bear dog helped her back onto her feet. She tried bending a fire blast but got nothing. "Ugh, I can't bend," she declared before trying it again. "I can't bend!"

"Calm down, it'll wear off," Mako told her as he stood back up and then helped Arashi up onto his feet.

"Who were those guys anyway?"

"Damn Equalists," Arashi muttered loudly as he went over to his knife had fallen and picked it up.

But those words made no sense to Korra. "Huh?"

"Those guys were chi-blockers," Mako explained. "They're Amon's henchmen."

Now that she understood, but she also wanted to be sure. "That anti-Bending guy with the mask?" she asked.

"Yeah, he's the leader of the Equalists."

"What do they want with the Triple Threats?"

"Whatever it is, can't be good." He looked at the alleyway that the Equalists had escaped through. He groaned softly and briefly clutched his forehead. "Can't believe Bolin got himself into this mess!" he groused before looking over at Arashi with a stink eye. "What were you two thinking?"

"I went along to try and make sure nothing like this would've happened!" the blonde protested. "It's not my fault that the Equalists showed up!" He turned around and walked away a few steps, clearly not wanting to have this conversation.

Korra went over to the Firebender and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Mako, we are going to save your brother," she told him. "I promise you that."

"If it's any help, I think we have a trail to follow," Arashi announced, getting their attention. Both Mako and Korra went over to where he was and saw what he saw: a trail of blood that started at that spot and then went down the alley the Equalists had escaped through.

"How did this happen?" Korra wondered aloud.

"It must've been from the guy I cut."

She looked at him like he had said something funny. "You cut the guy?"

He held up his knife, a squat thing with bandages around the hilt and an open ring on the other end. "My Jiji taught me a little on how to use one of these things."

"Who's Jiji?" That was a word she had never heard before.

"My grandfather," he answered, putting the knife away. "So, are we just going to stand around here or are we going to get going?"

They put the fire in their stomachs and they quickly got back on Naga. They followed the blood trail through the streets, intent on following it to the end. Unfortunately, they soon discovered that the blood trail ended. It seemed that the wounded Equalists had noticed the blood and took the time to fix it.

That did not stop them. They rode throughout the city, trying to find Bolin and the other kidnapped Benders. But as the hours wore on and the amount of places they searched grew, their hopes were beginning to diminish. "We've been out all night," Korra told Arashi and Mako when Naga finally came to a stop, panting with her tongue out. "No sign of him."

"We've gotta keep looking. But where?" asked Mako.

"Are there any places we haven't looked?" Arashi asked, sounding just as tired as they were.

"No, we've been to every place we can think of."

As Korra looked at the street ahead of them, an idea struck her with a gasp. "I have an idea!" she told the two of them.

"What is it?" the kid amongst them asked.

She wordlessly urged Naga on, now heading for the park. By the time they had reached the water fountain, they were very tired. Naga and Pabu started drinking from the fountain and the riders climbed down from the saddle. "The first day I got into town, I ran into an Equalists protester over there," Korra finally explained to Mako and Arashi, pointing at the spot (despite the fact that it was empty at the moment).

"And you think they'll know where Bolin is?" Mako asked her.

"It's our only lead right now."

"We'll just have to wait then," Arashi remarked. Once the animals were done drinking their fill of water, they all moved away from the fountain to beneath a tree.

Naga rested against the tree herself while Pabu rested on the saddle. Korra and Mako sat in front of Naga's side while Arashi was leaning against the side of her rump, more relaxed than the other two were. To Korra, the air around her and Mako was a little bit awkward and it didn't help that she was curious about a few things. "So, why _is_ Bolin running around with the Triple Threat Triad, anyway?" she finally asked Mako.

He had been quiet as they had waited but when she asked that question, he became a little nervous. "Well, we…we used to do some work for them back in the day," he answered.

"What?" she said, completely surprised by those words. "Wha— Are you some kind of criminal?" For some weird reason, Arashi began to snicker.

"No!" Mako told her fiercely. "You don't know what you're talking about. I just ran numbers for them and stuff. We were orphans out on the street; I did what I had to do to survive and protect my little brother."

Her anger burned out quickly once she heard that and she looked away. "I'm sorry. It must have been hard." She had been raised in comfort and security, not on the streets like they had been. "Can I ask what happened to your parents?" she asked, looking at him again. She had drawn the question out; unsure if it was something she should ask.

"They were mugged, by a Firebender. He cut them down right in front of me." His eyes held sadness in them as he spoke those words. "I was eight."

"Mako…" She didn't know what to say. She was the Avatar and she didn't know what to say.

But he clutched the red scarf he always wore tightly. "Bolin's the only family I have left," he told her. "If anything happened to him…"

"We'll find him," Arashi told the Firebender from where he sat. Both Mako and Korra looked over but they couldn't see his face. "Don't worry about it, Mako. We'll find him.

"Thanks, Arashi," he said.

"Why were you snickering before?" Korra asked the blonde kid.

He turned his head and looked over at her with a smirk on his face. "I was snickering because Mako didn't just run numbers back then. He tried branching out into pickpocketing at one point."

"Oh, Spirits take me now," Mako groaned aloud.

But the Tribeswoman's interest was aroused. "At one point?" she repeated.

"Yep," Arashi replied. "Shady Shin had taught him how to do it and then told him to find a mark to pick. Unfortunately, Mako had made the mistake of trying to pickpocket my dad and got caught instantly. He tried running away and when that didn't work, he tried to fend off my dad with his Firebending." He snorted. "Like that would've worked."

"Arashi, I am well aware of the fact that Sozin Uzumaki wiped the floor with me," Mako told him a long suffering voice, showing that they had had this conversation before.

"Yeah, but then when he realized what you were trying to do, he kicked Shin's ass and then treated you and Bolin to a hot meal. The next day, he shows up at the Triple Threat restaurant and he started giving you lessons in Firebending, with my uncle helping along."

The Avatar amongst them just stared at Mako with a slack jaw. "You…you tried to steal from Sozin Uzumaki?" she asked him like she hadn't heard it right.

He didn't answer, but Arashi did. "Yep, and it's funny every time." He started laughing, only to stop when he got hit by Naga's tail. "Ack!" he yelped, surprised by the motion. He pushed the tail out of the way and looked hard at the polar Bear dog. "Would you watch where you're throwing that thing?"

"She's sleeping, Arashi," Korra told him.

"Well, she still needs to be careful of where that thing is going."

"That 'thing' is called her tail."

"I know what it's called." He gave the sleeping animal a look and then turned his attention to her. "By the way, how did you get her? I thought polar bear dogs were wild animals that couldn't be tamed."

He had asked her that question the day that they had met and that same hole was torn inside her. "I found her when she was a pup," she answered.

"How?" he asked, really curious.

"I don't really want to talk about it."

"Come on, Korra," Mako said to her. "I shared my past with you guys. You can do the same."

He had her there and they all knew it. So, she had to tell them. "How I got Naga actually started about two years before, when Akela showed up at the compound I was living in."

"Wait, Akela?" Arashi repeated. "As in the white wolf that was Sokka's companion Akela?"

"Yeah, that was him."

"Why would he go there?"

"I don't know. To go be with his friend's sister and granddaughter after he had died?" she asked him with bitter sarcasm. The day that wolf had been found sitting on his haunches outside the gate of the compound and had been brought in, Katara had started crying.

But it was her words that got his attention. "Hold on, granddaughter?"

"Yeah," she said. "My mom is the daughter of Sokka and Suki."

He just stared at her with a look of surprise. Clearly, he hadn't been expecting to hear something like that. It disappeared from his face quickly enough and he said, "Alright, continue."

"Thank you. So Akela had lived with us and went with me wherever I went." A sad smile crossed her lips at the memory of that big white wolf. She had thought he was great. He followed her and played with her but he never bit her. "I thought he would be my animal companion, like Appa was to Aang. But he was an old wolf and he kept getting more and more tired. Katara had told me that he wouldn't be long for this world, but I didn't want to hear it. And then…"

"And then?" Mako repeated, just as interested as Arashi was.

"And then, one day in the middle of a blizzard, he went out of the compound and I went after him, despite the White Lotus trying to stop me. I didn't pay attention to the cold or the howling wind that obscured my eyes. I just wanted to find my friend and bring him back."

"Did you?"

That old familiar sadness welled up inside her. "No, I lost sight of him in the blizzard. I hid in a cave to wait out the storm and once inside, I found Naga there. She was a puppy who had lost her pack and was alone." Happiness came to her at the memory of the small polar bear dog shivering against her side in that cold cave. "We shared body heat in the cave to keep warm while the blizzard went on outside. When the people from the compound found us, we had become fast friends and I took her with me when I went back."

"What about Akela?" Arashi asked her.

"From what they told me, they had never found him. It was like he had simply disappeared. I used to think that he was still out on the tundra somewhere, still alive."

"I take it that you don't anymore?"

She shook her head sadly. "No, I know better now. He's dead, that was probably why he went out into that blizzard in the first place." It had been her first brush with death and it was easy to say that she did not enjoy it. She didn't want that to happen to anyone else, until Katara took her aside and told her that it will happen no matter what she might do. After a long talk, they shared tears in memory of Akela. In that moment, they weren't teacher and student but rather grand-aunt and grand-niece.

Wanting to move past it, she looked back at the blonde amongst them. "Tell me something, Arashi," she said to him. "What is a son of Naruto Uzumaki doing with the Triple Threats? I would've thought he'd do something more…honorable."

But that just confused him. "Huh? What are you talking about? My dad was an only child."

"Then how do you have an uncle?"

"He's my uncle on my mother's side. My dad didn't just clone me."

"Then your mom was in the Triple Threats?"

"No, that was my uncle's thing. My mom was a Pro-bender until she got married and had me."

Mako chuckled a little. "Xiu Uzumaki, that woman was a great Pro-bender and had one of the fiercest rivalries you'd never expect."

Korra swung her head over to look at him. "Why is that?"

"That rivalry was with Sozin Uzumaki, her future husband. They told me and Bolin all the stories. Back then, people didn't really go see Pro-bending for the matches as they did to see Sozin and Xiu battle it out against one another. Both Firebenders and both at the top of the Pro-bending game, it drew in thousands."

"Wow, that's sounds impressive." She would've liked to have seen that.

"Apparently, it was. And it wasn't just inside the ring. They got up into the other's face outside the ring too. It all came to a head at the championship match between the Boar-q-pines and the Dragons."

"Is that the one where the Boar-q-pines lost their streak?"

"Yeah, and it was all thanks to my parents," Arashi told her. "It was a match for the ages. By the time they got to the third round, both teams had a round apiece and only my mom and dad were left in the ring. So they had a tiebreaker fight and the Boar-q-pines chose Fire. Everyone was on the edge of their seats as the two of them dueled for the championship, some even calling it an Agni Kai. In the end, Dad won when he knocked Mom off the platform.

"That was when things had gotten interesting. While Dad had taken off his helmet and was waving to the crowds who cheered him on, Mom got back up onto her feet and walked over to him, taking her helmet off too and getting his attention. Everyone noticed this and thought that she was going to hit him in anger because she lost the match. Both teams were ready to restrain their respective teammates as the two of them stared down the other. But then Mom grabbed Dad by the face and pulled him into a kiss that stunned everyone who saw it. The next words that came out of her mouth after that were 'you are so hot right now.'"

Korra couldn't help but laugh at that. "Seriously?" she asked. "That's what she did?"

"Oh yeah, that's how my mom and dad went on their first date." Both he and Mako chuckled alongside her as she laughed. But when the laughing stopped, they all felt the tiredness that had been hounding them for the past couple of hours and fell asleep.

* * *

"Equality now! Equality now! We want equality now!" a voice screamed inside Korra's ear, forcing her to wake up with an annoyed feeling. That feeling evaporated when she realized three things in rapid succession. 1: it was morning. 2: she had fallen asleep where she had sat. 3: she was currently using Mako as a headrest, which he was realizing just as she was.

Her shout of surprise as they scrambled apart woke Arashi up. "Huh? What's going on?" he demanded, a little groggy.

"Nothing, nothing at all!" promised Korra. Then she took noticed of the man standing on the platform nearby. "That's the guy," she told the guys. It was the same man she had met her first day in Republic City and he sounded just as annoying as he was the first time.

"Nonbenders of Republic City!" the man shouted out through the megaphone at the people passing by. "Amon calls you to action! Take back your city! It's time for the…" He trailed off with a surprised gasp when he saw Korra coming towards him with annoyed scowl on her face. "It's you again!" he said before shouting at her with the megaphone. "You cannot silence me, Avatar!"

She simply slapped the megaphone out of his hand, sending it crashing down to the ground and breaking into pieces. "Shut your yapper and listen up!" she ordered him. "My friend got kidnapped by some chi blockers. Where'd they take him?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he said, crossing his arms and looking away from her.

"Oh, I think you do." She raised a leg and swung it down hard, Earthbending the table he was standing on up into the air (unfortunately, he got off before it went up). As it sailed upwards into the air, the papers that been neatly stacked on it began to fall down to the ground in a gentle shower of sorts.

While the man began picking up the ones that landed on the ground, Mako snagged one out from the air and looked at it. It was a picture of Amon with his hand outstretched, like he was reaching for something. Beneath the image were words. "'Witness the Revelation tonight, nine o' clock,'" he read aloud.

Arashi had grabbed one too and read the same thing. "What the hell is the 'Revelation?'" he demanded of the man, who was still kneeling on the ground and still picking the papers up.

"Nothing that concerns the likes of you three," he spat out, only to have his collar grabbed by Korra and yanked up into the air.

"You better believe it concerns us," she told him. "Spill it!"

A small look of fear crossed over his face at those words and he began talking quickly. "No one knows what the Revelation is! And I have no idea what happened to your friend. But if he's a Bender, then my bet is he's getting what's coming to him."

"Where's it happening?" Mako demanded.

A whistle pierced the air and they all saw a cop coming towards them. "Hey! What's going on over there?" he shouted.

"The Avatar's oppressing us. Help!" the protester shouted.

Decidedly ignoring him, Korra tossed him aside and turned to look at Mako and Arashi. "Let's scram."

"Good idea," Arashi said, already turning and running for Naga. Both he and Mako grabbed a few of the fallen papers before leaping up on the polar bear dog. Once aboard, they ran out of the park, fast enough to lose the cop.

Once safely away, they stopped at a bench with a roof over it. Korra and Mako sat on the bench itself while Arashi squatted down to look more closely at the papers. "Why didn't the Equalists put a location on these?" Korra asked.

"If they did, it wouldn't be obvious," Arashi remarked.

"Yeah, it's probably because they don't want just anyone waltzing in to their big 'Revelation,' whatever that is," Mako said, at first mockingly and then dejectedly. He focused his attention back on the papers on the ground before him. "I bet the information is hidden on here somehow."

"Gee, you think?" the blonde said sarcastically with a paper in his hand. When he idly flipped it over, he saw an image on the back, an image that looked rather familiar to him. "Hang on, isn't this the dock?"

"What?"

"This image right here, this is the dock on the western end of the city." He showed the image to the other two.

Mako took the paper and looked at the other papers, flipping some over to see the backs. "There are four different images on these things," he finally said.

"So, it's a puzzle?" Korra asked.

"Yeah, of a map," he agreed. Grabbing three other papers that had a different image, he put them together to make the map. Taking notice of the official map of the city next to the bench, he stood up and started using the makeshift map to find where the location was (which was shown as a red dot on the makeshift map). It didn't take him long to find the right spot on the map. "Bingo, that must be where it's going down," he declared.

"Then what are we doing just standing around here?" Korra asked.

"We can't just walk right in there," Arashi told her. "Odds are we're going to have to be sneaky on this one."

"You mean like disguises?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Cool." It sounded like it was something out of her favorite series of books.

* * *

While they didn't have to get outright disguises, they did need to get Korra a coat and a hat (she also borrowed Mako's scarf to make it look better). Mako bought a hat as well and Arashi got one too as well as a black vest, making him look a little like a newspaper boy.

By the time they got to the place shown on the hidden map, night had fallen. They found themselves in an area that was nothing but warehouses and factories. They hid in an alleyway and watched as other people walked towards a particular building, the only one that had a guard out front. "This is the place," Mako declared.

They all put on their hats on and started walking forward. Without warning, Korra came in closer to Arashi and put a protective hand around his shoulder. "Hey, wha—!" he started to shout, only to stop, take a breath, and whispered instead. "What are you doing?"

"We'll attract less attention this way," she told him. He kept his gaze focused ahead, but she had thought she had seen something. "Are you blushing?"

"Just focus on why we're here," he said, still looking forward.

They walked up to the guard, a tall man who was also heavyset and had arms that looked like they were the size of small tree trunks when crossed. "This is a private party," he told the three of them as they came closer. "No one gets in without an invitation."

"Uh…invitation?" repeated Korra.

He looked at them with suspicion at those words, until Mako pulled one of the papers they had grabbed out from his pocket. "You mean this?" he asked, holding it up.

The guard took the paper, looked at it, and then smiled at the three of them. "The Revelation is upon on us, my brothers and sister." He stepped out of the way and they walked through the door.

"That was close," Arashi said underneath his breath as they entered the building. "Nice thinking, Mako."

"Thanks," Mako said in reply.

As they went further in, Korra's hand left the blonde's shoulder. He was a little disappointed, but didn't let it overwhelm him. They were there to find Bolin and his uncle. They followed the sounds of people talking to a large room that had a stage at the other end. Hanging on the back wall of the stage was a poster of Amon and two banners that held the symbol and sign of the Equalists, one on each side of the banner. Between the stage and the entrance, there were a lot of people, enough to make Arashi say, "Holy shit."

"I knew that a lot of people hated Benders, but I've never seen so many in one place," Mako said as the three of them looked down at the large crowd of people. There were enough there to make up a small army! "Keep your eyes out for Bolin," he told Korra and Arashi before they went down the nearby stairs and into the crowd.

As they made their way forward towards the stage, the lights came to life and shined down on the stage. An announcer began speaking in a loud voice, saying, "Please welcome your hero, your savior…Amon!"

A trap door on the stage pulled back and Amon, along with seven Equalists (including one who wasn't wearing the standard uniform, marking him as a possible higher rank), came up out of the floor amidst cheers from the crowd.

A light shined down on Amon specifically and Korra got a good look at him. She had thought he looked strange on the papers but in real life, that strangeness turned to intimidation. His hooded jacket covered his head, leaving only his face to be seen by the crowd. And that face was covered by a mask that looked vaguely like a face, with mouth and two eye sockets. High on the forehead was a red circle, like the ones on the masks of the Equalists. The jacket looked like it was padded enough to be armor if the need ever came.

He walked forward to a microphone standing on the stage and waited for the cheering to die down a little. Then he began to speak. "My quest for equality began many years ago," he said, taking the microphone off the stand and into his hand. "When I was a boy, my family and I lived on a small farm. We weren't rich, and none of us were Benders. This made us very easy targets for the Firebender who extorted my father. One day, my father confronted the man, that Firebender took my family from me. Then, he took my face."

He turned to look at the crowd so that they could see the mask fully. The implication set in and made everyone gasp in shock. "I've been forced to hide behind the mask ever since," he told them all. "As you know, the Avatar has recently arrived in Republic City." Those words made everyone around Korra, minus Mako and Arashi, start booing loudly. "And if she were here, she would tell you that Bending brings balance to the world. But, she is wrong.

"The only thing Bending has brought to the world, is suffering. It has been the cause of _every_ war in _every_ era." He pointed at the crowd to emphasize his point, making Korra grit her teeth in anger. "But that is about to change." He placed the microphone back on the stand and faced the crowd. "I know you have been wondering, 'what is the Revelation?' You're about to get your answer. Since the beginning of time, the spirits have acted as guardians of our world, and they have spoken to me. They sat the Avatar has failed humanity and that the Paragons have failed to correct this."

Those words drew fury from Korra and Arashi, but he kept speaking. "That is why the spirts have chosen me to usher in a new era of balance. They have granted me a power that will make Equality a reality. The power to take a person's Bending away. Permanently," he declared.

Amidst the gasps of surprise in the crowd, Korra's eyes widened in horror at the thought. "That's impossible," she told the other two, keeping her voice down. "There's no way."

"This guy's insane," Mako agreed. Arashi didn't say anything and when they looked over at him, they saw that he had gone pale and he was looking at the stage with shock and terror in his eyes. He was also trembling in place. "Arashi, you okay?" the Firebender asked him quietly.

He didn't say anything, but Amon did. "Now, for a demonstration," he said, turning to the side of the stage, where a group of people bound in rope were forced on stage. "Please welcome Lightning Bolt Zolt, leader of the Triple Threat Triad, and one of the most notorious criminals in Republic City."

The man with grey hair and expensive red and gold clothing sneered at the booing crowd with disdain in his eyes. "Ah, boo yourselves!" he told them.

His words seemed to snap Arashi out of the trembling state he was in. "That's my uncle!" he declared, his voice lost in the booing. He took a step forward only to be stopped by Korra. "Hey!"

"Hold on, would ya?" she told him. Her eyes were focused on the stage, where the other bound people were being force to kneel down. "There's Bolin," she declared, looking at her friend kneeling at the end of the row with frightened expression on his face.

This time, she was the one who tried moving forward only to have Mako grab hold of her. "Wait, we can't fight them all," he told her as he pulled her back. "We need to be smart about this."

"Then come up with a game plan, 'Team Captain,'" she told him pointedly.

"Zolt has amassed a fortune by extorting and abusing Non-benders," Amon announced for all to hear. "But his reign of terror is about to come to an end. Now, in the interest of fairness, I will give Zolt the chance to fight to keep his Bending."

The triad leader's binds were undone and the two were given a bit of room. But Zolt didn't seem to care. "Yeah right, you think I'm actually going to fight a schmuck like you?" he asked Amon with a careless tone of arrogance. "Tell you what, you name your price, I'll pay it, and we both forget that you were ever this stupid."

"Damn it, Uncle, this isn't a wannabe punk trying to infringe on your turf," Arashi muttered, looking right at the stage. "This guy is serious."

"My price, as you call it, is for you to lose your Bending," Amon told Zolt, his voice never changing its tone. "And if you refuse, I am sure we can find…others."

While others might've found it odd that he used those words, it had the effect he wanted: it sent Zolt off into a rage. "You stay away from my nephew!" he bellowed, instantly throwing fireballs at the masked man.

If Amon had been surprised by this action, he did not show it. Instead he dodged the fireballs while also making his way forward to the triad leader. Seeing how fire wasn't cutting, Zolt lived up to his name and threw lightning.

But Amon dodged the bolt, grabbed his hand, forced Zolt around, and onto his knees. As the lightning arced upwards, destroyed the part of the roof it was hitting, Amon placed one hand on Zolt's neck to stop him from moving and placed the other on his head, with his thumb pressing down hard on the forehead.

Zolt stiffened and a strangled gasp weakly breathed out from his mouth. As the seconds crawled onward, the lightning began to falter and diminish. It was quickly replaced by a brilliant plume of fire, only for the same thing to happen to the fire too, vanishing in a matter of seconds. It happened all too quickly and all too slow.

Once the fire had vanished, Amon released his hold on Zolt, letting him fall to the ground. The leader of the Triple Threat Triad struggled get back up, only to then try and bend fire at the man. But as his fist flew through, there was no flame, not even a spark. He fell back down again. "Wha…what did you do to me?" he asked Amon after supporting himself on his hands and knees. The arrogance he had was gone.

"Your Firebending is gone. Forever," Amon declared, drawing gasps of surprise and awe from the crowd. "The era of Bending is over. A new era of Equality has begun!"

The crowd began to cheer and clap while another bound Bender was selected and pushed forward, his bindings gone. "There goes Shady Shin," Arashi said, coming out of his silence as the Waterbender faced Amon. He couldn't say he wasn't happy to see the Waterbender in a position like this.

"Any ideas yet?" asked Korra, looking at Mako.

"I think so," he answered, looking at the wall to their left. "See those machines? They're powered by water and steam. If you can create some cover, Arashi and I can grab Bolin without anyone seeing. Then, we duck out of here."

"We are also getting my uncle," Arashi said in a firm voice. The look he gave both of them showed that he would have no argument about it.

"Fine, I'll grab Bolin, you grab Zolt."

"Works for me," Korra said. "Good luck, you two."

"Same for you," Mako told her. He and the blonde moved forward into the crowd, getting closer to the stage. She went to the side and found a doorway. Once she was sure that no one had seen her, she went through.

She lucked out when she found the machine that controlled the water and steam pressure. Quickly reading the warnings on the wall above the machine, she grabbed hold of the big red wheel and spun it around, releasing the pressure. But only a little pressure was released. "It's not enough," she muttered, reaching for the small red wheel, releasing the pressure there too.

"Hey, you," the voice of the door guard said, prompting her to turn around and look at him.

"Is there a problem, my brother?" she asked him as he came closer.

"What are you doing back here?" he asked back.

"Uh…looking for the bathroom?"

She cracked an innocent-looking smile but he didn't buy it. He pulled out a wrench and started swinging at her. The smile disappeared as she dodged him. It soon became clear to her that while he might have a little training with a weapon, it wasn't enough to stop him swinging wildly. He hit the machine and the pipes more than her while she avoided even getting hit.

She pulled Mako's scarf off of her neck and held it out. When the guard's wrench came swinging, she caught his hand with the scarf and used his own momentum to throw him into the pipes coming out of the machine. "Thanks," she told him as he fell unconscious to the ground and a lot of steam came flowing out of the broken pipes. "This should be enough."

* * *

Mako and Arashi could only wait while the second to last Bender had been struck down by Amon. The last Bender left was Bolin and they still couldn't move in. "What's taking her?" Arashi demanded as Bolin was freed and pushed forward.

"Um, hello, Amon, sir," Mako's brother began talking as the masked leader of the Equalists turned to face him. "I think there's been a _big_ misunderstanding."

Amon didn't say anything in reply, he only moved forward to the Earthbender. An explosion came out from the nearby wall, rocking the room with the sound. As steam began to fill the room, people started screaming and running in fear. Soon, they could barely see what was in front of their faces.

Amon let the smoke engulf him and then moved away from sight of the crowd. He stopped when he heard a voice cry out, "Uncle!" Turning his head to the sound, he could barely see a blonde leap onto the stage and race for Zolt.

"Kid?" said Zolt.

"Yeah, it's me. Come on, we gotta go."

The leader of the Equalists watched in silence as the two vague figures in the smoke faded away, the larger one being supported by the smaller one. But he knew who the kid was. Snapping his fingers once, an Equalist member appeared by his side in an instant. "Zolt has someone trying to get him away. Stop them," he ordered.

"As you command," the member replied, vanishing into the smoke.

Meanwhile, Bolin was stranded in the smoke with no idea what to do. He stepped back away from what he thought was the edge of the stage. Out of nowhere, he felt someone grabbed hold of him and tried pulling him away. He yelped in surprise and tried to struggle free, only to have the grip disappear. He turned and saw Mako standing there and throwing the Equalist who had held him into the air. "Bolin, you all right?" his brother asked.

"Yes! Mako! I love you!" he declared, moving forward for a hug. Instead, Mako grabbed hold of him and dragged him off the stage.

"Come on, we need to get out of here!"

"Wait!" He got himself out of the hold and moved in front of him. "I saw an exit just behind the stage before they brought us out! Follow me!" Mako did follow his brother through the smoke to the door. The sight of the city was a relief to their eyes once they were outside on a platform with a ladder their only option to go down on.

Bolin looked over the railing to see how far it was down to the ground. "I see Arashi!" he announced, seeing the blonde trying to fight off an Equalist while Zolt was sitting against a wall, barely conscious.

"We need to get down there!" Mako told his brother, seeing the same thing he was. Bolin started down the ladder first and he followed. But as they climbed, the man who Bolin had heard referred to as the Lieutenant appeared above them.

Before either of them could do anything, he drew his clubs and struck the ladder with them. Lightning coursed through the clubs and onto the ladder, striking them hard and fast. They both screamed in pain and in doing so, released the grip they had on the ladder, falling to the ground below.

"Nice to see you guys drop in!" Arashi remarked while trying to fend off the Equalist fighting him, finally succeeding with a hard kick to the crotch.

The Lieutenant leapt down from the platform with his clubs raised to strike, aiming for the Bending brothers. But they recovered enough to leap out of the way and get back on their feet. "Arashi, get out of here!" Mako told the blonde.

"No way!" he said instantly. "I'm not leaving you guys!"

"Then I'll take you down first!" the Lieutenant said, leaping for him with his clubs high. Arashi rolled to the side and threw his knife at him, making him turn away from it. He turned away even more when Mako bent a blast of fire at him.

Changing course, he went for the Firebender. For a couple of moments, the two of them fought but the Lieutenant knocked him down quickly enough with his clubs. The sound of earth being torn up from the ground got his attention. He turned to see a large chunk of the street in a rough disc shape being bended by Bolin, who threw it at him.

He dodged it and dodged the next one being thrown at him. Then he charged Bolin, intent on putting him down. The Earthbender panicked somewhat when he saw him coming and bent a wall up from the ground to protect himself. But the Lieutenant simply flipped over the wall, landed on the other side right in front of Bolin, and struck him down with the clubs.

Mako and Arashi came from behind the different sides of the makeshift wall, Mako coming in high with fire and Arashi coming in low for a tackle. The Lieutenant brushed the fire aside and then knocked Arashi into the wall before he could even try to tackle. The blonde hit the makeshift wall hard, causing it to crash down. As he lay there, he saw his uncle getting back up to his feet. "Uncle, run! Get away and find some place safe!" he urged Zolt, who nodded only once before hobbling quickly away down a different alley.

The sound of electricity going off and Mako groaning loudly in pain got the blonde's attention, making him turn to see the Lieutenant pinning the Firebender to the actual wall with his clubs. Once he was done, he let the Bender fall to the ground in a heap. "You Benders need to understand, there's no place in the world for you anymore," he told the three of them.

The street suddenly rose up in a jut, knocking him into the wall hard. As he fell to the ground, he lost his grip on the clubs and they went flying. His body overflowing with pain, he looked to see the Avatar standing just across from him, without her disguise. "I wouldn't count us out just yet," she told him before he collapsed again. She whistled and called out, "Naga!"

The polar bear dog came running at the sound of the whistle, coming down a nearby flight of stairs and right towards as she helped Mako back onto his feet. The two of them, along with Arashi, who stood shakily up on his own, climbed onto her back. More Equalists appeared on the platform and started leaping down to the ground.

"We need to go now!" Arashi said urgently, sitting on the far back again.

Korra couldn't have agreed more and urged Naga forward. As the polar bear dog started running, Bolin sat back up and saw her coming right at him. He screamed in panic but the only thing she did was grab him by the scruff of his shirt with her jaws and kept running.

That didn't really work for him, as he kept bobbing up and down with her movements. "Hah! Oh! Yah! Stop! I want! To be! On! Your! Back! Please!" he told Naga every time he moved.

"Trust! Me! It's not! Any! Better! Up! Here!" Arashi shouted at him from where he sat.

"The Avatar," the Lieutenant told the Equalists coming his way as the polar bear dog got further away. "That's her!"

They were ready to chase after her, only to stop when Amon spoke. "Let her go," he commanded from atop the platform, making them all stop. "She's the perfect messenger to tell the city of my power, her and the blonde child with her."

(Location: Air Temple Island)

Tenzin was worried for Korra, having not seen her for the past day. He was consulting with the White Lotus on how to find her when she came walking up to him with Arashi in tow. "Thank goodness," he said to them as he came towards them. "I was about to send out a search party. Are the two of you alright?" Korra shook her head and looked away from him, out across the bannister she leaned against and towards the city. "What happened?" he asked her. "Did you find your friend?"

"Yes, but…" she began to say, only to stop. Arashi didn't say anything; he just gave her a sharp nudge to make her continue. "We were at an Equalist rally," she told Tenzin, looking at him. "We saw Amon."

"What?" he said, surprised by the news.

"He can take people's Bending away, for good."

"That's…that's impossible. Only the Avatar has ever possessed that ability." He had seen his father use it a few times. It was enough to make him remember it.

"But we saw him do it," she told him before looking at the blonde beside her, who was staring down at the water below. "Arashi, tell him."

He didn't say anything but Tenzin did. "I believe you," he assured her calmly. He turned to look at the city. "I don't know how Amon achieved this power, but this means the revolution is more dangerous than ever. No Bender is safe." Then he looked over at the one person who hadn't spoken. "Arashi, are you okay?"

The blonde turned and gave the Airbending master a single look. Then he walked away, heading for the temple. Both Korra and Tenzin watched in silence as he went. Ever since they had escaped from the Equalists, Arashi had not said a word to Korra. Normally, she wouldn't think anything of it. But she kept getting reminded of when she saw Zolt lose his Bending and the look that had appeared on Arashi's face when it happened.

It was a mixture of horror, fear, shock, and questioning.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

Since they never really did reveal what happened to Sokka and Suki or if they had any kids, I've decided to go something I once read somewhere online and make them Korra's grandparents. It kinda makes sense if you stop to think about it. Both Korra and Sokka are sarcastic, stubborn, but also loyal. Plus, it was a way for Akela to be at the compound before wandering off into the blizzard.

I would like to say that I have been going over this story in my head ever since I worked on the first story. It was my full intention to make Lightning Bolt Zolt Arashi's uncle. It would give him a little harder edge then just a kid growing up in a nice home and it's somewhere he would go for the day whenever his grandfather isn't there.

Yes, the knife he was wielding was a kunai but neither Korra nor Mako knows that is what it's called. To them, it's just a knife. And no, this doesn't mean he's been trained as a shinobi. It just means he's been taught to defend himself. At one point I had thought of making him be able to run alongside Naga, easily staying up with her, but figured that was a little too much.

And if you're wondering about Arashi's reaction to Amon, don't bother asking me. It will be explained soon enough.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	4. Fears and secrets

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 4: Fears and secrets

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Korra)

She was asleep in her bed with the moonlight shining down on her through the open window, the hinges creaking slightly from the small gust of wind. Suddenly, she came awake, sitting up quickly and throwing her sheets off. She had felt a presence beyond her room and it had woken her up.

It was just in time as an Equalist broke through the window and two more burst through the door, shattering both. She leapt off the bed and bent fire at them all. They all leapt out of the way of the flame and spread out, surrounding her. While two distracted her, making her throw furious bursts of fire at them, one got in close and jabbed several points on her side.

Losing all feeling in her body, she fell to her knees with a pained shout. She would've fallen completely had the Equalist behind her not held her up with his knee. Hearing footsteps coming closer and closer, she looked up and saw with horror that Amon stood there before her.

"After I take your Bending away, you will be nothing," he declared ominously, his hand stretching out for her face. There was nothing she could do as the hand reached for her.

* * *

She came awake with a shout, still in her bed. It was just a nightmare, but it had been so real to her. She could feel the cold sweat coming down her forehead and she could not control her breathing. _"It wasn't real. It wasn't real. It wasn't real,"_ she kept telling herself, over and over and over again. But it just made her remember even more and she didn't want to remember.

Feeling a cold and wet sensation against her right hand, she turned to see Naga licking it. That was how she knew she was awake, Naga was there. "It's…it's all right, Naga," she told the polar bear dog as she put her head in her lap. "I just had a bad dream." She petted Naga's head as she spoke and then cradled it, using it like a lifeline to the reality she was in.

Then all of a sudden, a loud scream pierced the air, snapping her out of the state she was in. "What was that?" she demanded, getting out of the bed and going into the hall. The scream came again, much more loudly now. But she could tell where it coming from, just down the hall. More importantly, it was coming from Arashi's room and it was Arashi who was screaming.

She bolted down the hall to his room, thinking that he was being torture or something close to it. But when she opened the door to his room, she saw that he was twisting around in his bed, trapped in a dream.

"No! No! Stop it! Stop burning!" he cried in a pained little voice as he twisted and turned. "Help! Help! Please! Someone!"

"Arashi!" said Korra, going to his side. "Wake up. It's just a dream." She sat on the edge of the bed and grabbed hold of him to make him stop moving around.

It worked like a charm. He stopped moving like he was trying to escape from something. He opened his eyes and looked around the room, looking for something. Then those eyes settled on her. "Mama?" he asked in a small voice, his breathing erratic and loud.

The Tribeswoman was caught off-guard by that question, not expecting it in the least. "Arashi, it's me," she began to say to him.

But she didn't get any further than that. He sat up and then went for her, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his head into her side. "I'm sorry, Mama," he said as tears began to leak out of his eyes, staining her shirt. "I'm sorry, Mama. I didn't mean to. I promised I didn't mean to let it happen. I lost her. I'm so sorry."

Uncertain of what she was supposed to do (and having no idea of what he was talking about), she tried to do something her mother had done for her when she had been a little kid. "Shush now, it's alright," she told him gently, rubbing his back with a calm hand. "Mama's here. I'm right here."

The tears stopped somewhat, but he would not let go of her. He hung onto her like she was his last lifeline to this reality. It was a sight that was new to the Avatar and quite frankly, it scared her deeply. Arashi was a somewhat loud, somewhat sarcastic kid who didn't take any crap from anyone, but was also loyal to his friends. He had a confident aura about him that didn't seem to take a hit whenever something was thrown at him.

But it turns out she was wrong about that assumption, and she was wishing at that moment that she hadn't been wrong. The confidence was gone and now, she was looking at a scared little boy who only wanted his mother to help him chase the nightmare away.

But instead, he had her. Well, if it was going to be like that, she would try her best. She didn't know how long she sat there with his arms around her waist, his face buried in her side, and her rubbing his back, but eventually his sobbing began to lessen and he fell asleep.

But he still hung onto her, so she sat on the bed and stroked his back slowly. To her, it felt like her own worries weren't the matter, for the moment at least. Before long, the door opened and Pema stood there. "I see you've got here first," she remarked with a gentle smile.

"I'm sorry," Korra apologized, looking a little embarrassed at being caught like this. "I just heard him scream and—"

"And you came running to see what was happening," she finished knowingly.

The Avatar nodded silently. "Has this happened before?" she asked, feeling like an idiot as soon as the words left her mouth. If Pema could describe what would happen after he screamed, why wouldn't have it happened before?

Tenzin's wife nodded, walking quietly over to her. She reached down and gently pried Arashi's grip off of Korra's waist, letting her stand up from the bed. The blonde made a small noise at the loss of contact but she tucked him in and he fell silent.

The two women walked quietly out of the room, closing the door behind them once they were out. "Is he going to be okay?" Korra asked Pema once they were out.

"He will be fine. But he'll probably deny anything that he did in there later on. He doesn't like letting people see that side of him, not even people who are close to him."

"Pema, he kept calling me his mother, begging for something to stop burning, and that he had lost someone. What happened to him?"

"He was most likely dreaming of the night his family died. But other than that, it's not my place to tell his story." She looked at the Avatar with concern on her face. "But now, what were you doing up, Korra? You're usually a heavy sleeper."

"It's nothing," she said instantly. "I just had a hard sleeping. Good night."

"Good night, Korra." Both turned away and went back to their own beds, staying there for the rest of the night and trying to get some sleep (with various degrees of success).

(Location: City Hall)

"There is a madman running around our beloved city, threatening to tear it apart," Tarrlok, the representative of the Northern Water Tribe to the United Republic Council, said from where he sat across from Tenzin inside City Hall. They sat on the ends of a u-shaped table and between them sat the representatives for the Fire Nation, the Earth Kingdom, and the Southern Water Tribe. This was a normal meeting between the five of them and the first order of business was the Equalists and Amon. "We need to create a taskforce whose sole mission is to find Amon bring him to justice."

"Absolutely not," Tenzin instantly objected. "A move that aggressive would only further divide Benders and Nonbenders." They would start hearing rumors and whispers of the Council abusing its authority if they did that.

"Tarrlok, I'm inclined to agree with your proposal," the Fire Nation representative told the Northern Tribesman. "But who would head up such a taskforce?"

In response, he stood up from his chair. "It would be my honor and privilege to accept such a duty," he declared with a bowed head.

He looked like the very model of a humble civil servant but Tenzin knew him better than that. "This is just one of your ploys to gain more power, isn't it?" he accused the Tribesman, who lifted his head back up.

"All I'm trying to do is help," he said in slight protest. "Think back, forty-two years ago, Republic City was threatened by another dangerous man, Yakone. Your father wasn't afraid to face him head-on," he told Tenzin, pointing at him with a finger.

That drew the Airbender's ire immediately. "This is a completely different situation and how dare you compare yourself to Avatar Aang!" he shouted, standing up from his chair and pointing at him with an angry finger. The man was no Avatar; he was not the one to put himself in that position!

But Tarrlok hardened his gaze and his tone. "Amon is not going to stop with the Bending triads," he told Tenzin. "Eventually, he will come for all us Benders. Our friends, our families," he emphasized. "For all we know, he's been active for far longer than we had thought and is only now coming into the spotlight."

"What are you talking about, Tarrlok?" the Fire Nation representative asked him.

"I'm talking about your predecessor, Councilman Uzumaki." The room went silent as that word entered their eardrums and dived deep into their memories. "We all know how he and his family died, despite the story we've given to the press. It's very likely that Amon was the one to have done it." He looked at the Council. "Vote for this taskforce and I will stop Amon before it's too late. All in favor?" he asked, raising his hand.

The representative of the Fire Nation raised her hand and after a moment, so did the representatives of the Earth Kingdom and the Southern Water Tribe. The decision passed, Tarrlok banged the gavel he had on the block in front of him. Then he smiled triumphantly at Tenzin, who only narrowed his gaze at him in reply.

(Location: Air Temple Island)

"Ah, I love this music," Korra declared as she practiced the Airbending moves she had been shown outside on the courtyard, listening to jazz music coming from the radio set on the bannister. "It's completely relaxing." After a day of Pro-bending training and learning how to Airbend (or trying to learn how to Airbend), this was the perfect way to unwind, outside and under the night sky.

"You can say that again," Arashi said from where he sat on the bannister, right beside the radio. He was swaying a little in time with the music.

"It's completely relaxing."

He stopped swaying and gave her a look. "Just because I said you could say that again, doesn't mean you have to say it again."

She just turned her head and grinned at him. The music coming from the radio began turning to static for no reason, making them both look at it with a curious look. But when Amon's voice came on, that curiosity was replaced by a sense of fear and dread. "Good evening, my fellow Equalists, this is your leader, Amon," he began. "As you have heard, the Republic Council has voted to make me Public Enemy Number 1, proving once again that the Bending oppressors of this city will stop at nothing to quash our revolution. But we cannot be stopped. Our numbers grow stronger by the day. You no longer have to live in fear. The time has come for Benders to experience fear."

Korra stared wide-eyed at the radio, beads of sweat trickling down her forehead even after his voice vanished and the music came back on. It reminded her of the nightmare she had last night, the one that made her sleep fitfully for the rest of the night. Even the jazz music wasn't helping any. It just sounded like noise now.

Then the music died and she looked at Arashi, who had turned it off. "He's not here, Korra," he told her, jumping down from the bannister to the ground and walking over to her. "He only does this kind of thing because he's afraid to show his face in public. People like him, if you take away the mask, whatever power they have dies. He knows that, that's why he hides."

"How do you know that?" she asked him, looking down at his hand placed on her arm, letting her know he was trying to comfort her.

"My Jiji taught me a little bit about people like that," he answered.

"Wow." She was a little impressed. "Lord Naruto sounds a little cool."

"Lord Naruto?" he repeated with a look. "Why the hell are you calling him a lord?"

"He's the Paragon of the Fire Nation," she reminded him. "I think that deserves a little respect."

He just shrugged his shoulders. "If you say so," he told her, taking his hand off her arm. "Oh, and by the way, my uncle was found."

Now that was news to her. Zolt hadn't been seen since they had escaped from the Equalists. "Where is he?"

"In the slammer," he answered.

She frowned confusedly. She knew that she wasn't from the city and she was trying to make sure she knew what people were trying to say, but that one slipped past her. "Huh?"

He rolled his eyes. "The cops found him a couple of hours after the whole 'Revelation' thing went down. Apparently, he turned himself in to them."

"Why?"

"I don't know, he didn't tell me."

"Then how do you know that he's in jail?"

"I read it in the newspaper, duh."

She rolled her eyes back at him, which made him laugh a little. It was enough to make her start laughing and soon enough, their laughter was echoing off into the air. Then the laughter died away. Korra looked at the blonde and was struck by an image of him last night. "Arashi, about last night," she began.

The cheer on his face disappeared faster than she could blink. "Drop it, Korra," he ordered her. "Drop it and never bring it up again."

She was taken aback at how cold and angry he had suddenly become when she spoke about it. She shouldn't have brought it up. "Sorry," she said, a little nervous at the face he was giving her. He didn't say anything in reply. He just turned and walked away.

(Location: Mako)

"_Finally, the shift is over,"_ he thought to himself as he walked out of the power plant, flipping his scarf over his shoulder. It had been a long shift and he felt tired. He had started working at the power plant as a Generator Charger in order to pay for the ante for the memorial championship. He was making some decent money but he knew that there wasn't going to be enough for the ante in time. But still, a decent pay was a decent pay and it would help out once the season was over.

He heard the ringing of the trolley bell, singling that it was almost ready to leave. Seeing that the tram was on the other side of the road, he started running towards it. But as he passed the Satomobile beside him, he saw someone on a moped coming at him and trying to stop too late. Caught off guard, he shouted in surprise as he was hit and sent flying back to the ground, landing hard.

"Oh no!" the driver of the moped said as it came to a stop. She got off and quickly ran over to him. "I'm so sorry. I didn't see you."

"How could you _not_ see me?" he demanded while rubbing his head and making sure that nothing was damaged. He looked up at her and continued with, "I mean I was ju-jus…" He trailed off at the end of his sentence and his cheeks sprouted a blush. The reason for that was very simple: he had been hit a beautiful woman. She had pulled her helmet off and swept her long, black hair free, letting it flow in the air for a moment before settling down against her. She wore purple eye shadow that went perfectly with her green eyes and she had chosen probably the best shade of red lipstick.

All of a sudden, he felt like an idiot. "Uh…I was…I, I…wow," he tried to say, only not getting anywhere. He coughed and then tried again. "I was…" Still not getting anywhere, he tried clearing his throat to see if that would help any.

"Are you okay?" she asked him, going to his side, clutching his arm. "Did I hurt you? Ugh, I am such an idiot." She helped him stand back up on his own feet.

Having recovered enough to speak coherent sentences, he told her, "Don't worry, I'm fine." He wiped some street dust off of his arms and sleeves with a little nonchalance. "My brother hits me harder than that every day in practice."

She looked at him a little harder after hearing that. "Wait, I recognize you. You're Mako, right? You play for the Fire Ferrets."

"Yeah, that's me."

She placed a hand on her face. "I am so embarrassed." She tucked her helmet under the crook of her arm and held her hand to shake. "My name is Asami," she introduced herself as they shook. "Let me make this up to you somehow. Uh, how about I treat you to dinner? Tomorrow night, eight o'clock, Kuang's Cusine," she decided.

To say that Mako was surprised by the offer would've been a small understatement. "Um, Kuang's?" he repeated as she went back to her moped. He knew of the place and that made him a little nervous. "I don't have any clothes nice enough for a place that classy."

"I'll take care of that. All you need to do is show up," she assured him as she put her helmet back on and placed her goggles over her eyes. "So…it's a date?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess so," he agreed. "I'll see you tomorrow night." She started up her moped and drove past him, glancing back at him once more before turning her head away. As he watched grow smaller in the distance, he turned away and sprouted a goofy looking grin on his face. At that moment, he felt like the luckiest guy on the planet. But he also forgot that the tram was leaving.

(Location: Air Temple Island)

Korra and Arashi sat by one another at the table. The sun was setting outside and it was time for food. Tenzin took his seat, looked at everyone there, clasped his hands together and began the prayer with a bowed head. "We are grateful for this delicious food, for happiness, for compassion, and—"

"I'm not interrupting, am I?" Tarrlok interrupted from where he stood at the entrance to the dining room. Korra looked up to see who it was and saw a fellow Tribesman with clothes nice enough to show that he had earned enough money to buy them.

"This is my home, Tarrlok," Tenzin told him as he walked in, standing up from his seat. "We're about to eat dinner."

"Good, because I am absolutely famished." He cast a sly look at the Airbending master. "Airbenders never turn away a hungry guest, am I right?"

"I suppose," he conceded with a defeated sigh, sitting back down. When he looked over at Pema and saw the scowl she had on her face, all he could do was raise his hands up in slight surrender, saying that he had no control over the situation.

Tarrlok walked over to the other side of the table, where the two non-Air Nomads were sitting. "Ah, you must be the famous Avatar Korra," he said as he looked upon her. "It is truly an honor." He turned his gaze on Arashi. "And Arashi Uzumaki, I had the pleasure of serving alongside your father when he represented the Fire Nation. I don't if you remember, but I had come over to your house for dinner sometimes."

"You're right, I don't remember," Arashi said.

"Well, allow me to reintroduce myself." He bowed slightly with a hand on his heart. "I am Councilman Tarrlok, representative from the Northern Water Tribe."

"Nice to meet you," Korra said in greeting, standing up and bowing to him. They sat down together, with Arashi on the other side.

Unfortunately for Tarrlok, he sat down right next to Ikki, who leaned closer to him and began asking questions like, "Why do you have three ponytails? And how come you smell like a lady. You're weird."

"Well aren't you…precocious," he said in reply, pausing so he would say the right word.

"Hey, runt, can we eat before you decide to play the information game?" Arashi asked Ikki pointedly.

"I was just asking," she told him with a pout.

"So," the Tribesman said, turning to the Tribeswoman as she ate. "I've been reading about your adventures in the papers. Infiltrating Amon's rally, now that took some real initiative," he told her.

"She wasn't the only one who went there," Arashi said to him before Korra could reply.

He cast the blonde a look. "While I am sure that you were there too, I believe it is safe to say that she pulled most of the weight in that action. It wouldn't do well to put yourself on a higher pedestal then where you actually are, Arashi." He smiled as he spoke, but it was obvious that he had just insulted the blonde.

"Thanks, by the way," Korra said, breaking what she felt was the beginning of a tense and awkward silence. "I think you're the first authority figure in the city who's happy I'm here." Granted that the only other authority figures she had met were Tenzin and Chief Beifong, but it still counted.

"Republic City is much better off now that you've arrived," he assured her.

"Enough with the flattery, Tarrlok," Tenzin told him firmly. "What do you want from Korra?"

"Patience, Tenzin. I'm getting to that." He turned his attention back to the Avatar. "As you may have heard, I am assembling a taskforce that will strike at the heart of the revolution and I want you to join me."

"Really?" she asked.

"What?!" said Tenzin, having not expected that.

"I need someone who will help me attack Amon directly, someone who is fearless in the face of danger," Tarrlok told Korra. "And that someone is you."

"Join your taskforce?" she repeated. She was surprised to hear such an offer for her. But there was a tiny little voice telling her to refuse. And she heeded it. "I can't."

Her answer had caught Tarrlok, Tenzin, and even Arashi by surprise. They had all thought that she would accept such an offer in a heartbeat (the Northern Tribesman had been betting on it). "I must admit I'm rather surprised," Tarrlok said, uncertainty clouding his words at that moment. "I thought you'd jump at the chance to help me lead the charge against Amon."

"Me too," Tenzin said, mostly to himself. Korra was the kind of person to jump right into things the moment they presented themselves. But at the moment, she seemed hesitant. Something was going on with her.

"I came to Republic City to finish my Avatar training with Tenzin," Korra explained to the Tribesman sitting next to her. "Right now, I just need to focus on that."

"Which is why this opportunity is perfect," he insisted. "You would get on-the-job experience while performing your Avatar duty to the city."

"Are you deaf?" Arashi asked him with a hard look. "She said no."

"It's time for you to go, Tarrlok," Tenzin said to his fellow councilman pointedly before he could say anything in response to the blonde.

The Northern Tribesman fixed the Airbender with a brief look and then raised a hand in surrender. "Very well," he conceded as he stood up from the table. "But I'm not giving up on you just yet," he said to Korra, wagging his finger slightly. "You'll be hearing from me soon. It has been a pleasure, Avatar Korra." He bowed to her again before leaving.

"Bye-bye, ponytail man!" called out Ikki as he left the room. All she got in response was a grunt.

"Oh dear," Pema said with an annoyed look on her face.

"What is it, Pema?" Tenzin asked her.

"That man comes into my home saying that he is famished and doesn't even a single piece of the meal. That is really rude of him."

(Location: Mako)

When he had stood in front of probably the fanciest restaurant in Republic City, he felt really out of his league. But he had taken a breath and stepped inside. It turned out to be the better course of action then to turn tail and run. He had been greeted by a waiter who had addressed him as "Master Mako" and led him into a side room.

In that room, he had been given new clothes and his hair had been tamed. Within a few short minutes, he had gone from looking like a guy with an hourly wage to looking like a young gentleman who could fit in with high society. The only he had kept from his usual clothes had been the scarf. There was no way he would part with that.

Once he was all dressed up, he was led up to the dining floor and to his table, where Asami was waiting for him a red dress that left her arms bare and was just the right color of red for her. He sat down and as music played overhead, they began talking. "I am such a big Pro-bending fan," she told him. "I caught all of your matches this season."

"All of them?" he repeated, surprised that she had said that. "Wow. Honestly, there were a few I wish you hadn't seen."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous, you're amazing," she chided him lightly. "I can't wait to see you play in the memorial tournament."

Like someone had flipped a switch inside of him, his good mood vanished. "Yeah, well, ah, maybe next year," he said, his eyes looking down and away from her.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "You made it in."

"It's just isn't in the cards for us right now." He hated saying that; it felt like a punch to the stomach every time. But he had to face the facts.

She leaned forward and placed her hand on his, a look of concern on her face. "Tell me," she told him. "What's the problem?"

He could hear the earnestly in her voice as she spoke. "We don't have enough money to ante up for the championship pot. So, it looks like we're out of the running."

"That's not fair," she protested quietly. He agreed with her, but what could he or his teammates do about it?

A waiter came to their table with a covered plate in each hand. "Pardon me, Ms. Sato. Your main course," he said to Asami as he put the plates on the table and lifted their covers off, revealing food that looked quite good.

Mako was shocked by what he had heard the waiter say. "Miss Sato?" he repeated to Asami as the waiter walked away. "You wouldn't happen to be related to Hiroshi Sato, creator of the Satomobile?"

"Yeah," she answered with a shrug of her shoulders. "He's my dad."

"Get out of town!" he swore. He could've gone with something a bit more descriptive and/or profane, but he was with a lady.

"I'm serious," she said with a little smile. "You wanna meet him?"

"Meet the most successful captain of industry in all of Republic City?" he asked. "Yeah, I'll take you up on that."

"Okay then. Shall we eat?"

"Yeah, let's," he answered with a smile.

(Location: Air Temple Island)

"Hello, fellow teammate and coach!" Bolin called out to Korra and Arashi as he walked towards them with Pabu on his shoulder (but facing the wrong way for some reason).

"Hey Bolin," Korra said in reply. She was sitting next to Naga on some steps leading into one of the buildings. Naga was currently on her back and having her stomach rubbed. Arashi was leaning against the column to her right.

"Missed you at practice this week," he remarked.

"Thank you for pointing out the obvious, Bolin," Arashi said with sarcasm in full force.

"Sorry about that," the Tribeswoman told her teammate.

"Nah, it's alright," he said with a somber tone in his voice. "We're probably out of the tournament anyway, unless some money miraculously drops out of the sky by tomorrow.

"Or my Jiji suddenly remembers and sends a letter with the cash," Arashi added, feeling just as down as he was.

But unlike the blonde, Bolin wasn't focused on that. "Anyways the reason I came here was to give Korra this." He stepped onto the first step and held out a cupcake in a plastic bag and a rose. "Ta-da!"

"Wow, thanks," Korra said, taking the gifts from him. She was surprised by it and was a little confused by the scowl on Arashi's face at the sight. "What's this for?"

He turned away slightly and rubbed his chin, like he was trying to think deeply. "Uh, oh I can't remember now," he said. "Oh yeah, now I remember. You saved me from Amon!"

"Oh, that? It was no big deal," she declared with a shrug of her shoulders.

"No big deal, are you serious?" he asked. "I was totally freaking out when he was coming at him with his creepy mask all, 'I will take away your Bending forever.'" He acted a little like a zombie as he imitated Amon's voice. "I mean that…is scary stuff. I still can't sleep well."

He wasn't the only one. Even as he spoke about it, Korra was reminded of her dream, that night, and what it all meant. She turned her head ever so slightly to look at Arashi, but his face was turned away from her, preventing her from seeing his full expression.

"Delivery for Avatar Korra," someone announced from out of the blue. All heads turned to see a large mound of…stuff coming towards them, attached to a pair of weak-looking legs. The mound was placed down on the steps, revealing a man in a uniform had been carrying it. "Tarrlok sends his complements and urges you to reconsider his offer," he said to Korra, offering her a bow.

"Tell him I haven't changed my mind," she said back shortly. He just bowed and walked away.

"Who's this Tarrlok guy?" Bolin demanded. "Is he bothering you? Huh? 'Cause I can have a word with him." He punched his fist into his other hand to emphasize his point.

"That's real smart of you, Bolin," Arashi remarked. "Threatening to punch the living daylights of the Northern Water Tribe representative on the council that runs this city is _really_ smart."

The Earthbender's determined expression evaporated like water in intense heat. "Oh, um…never mind. I'll just shut up now."

"That would probably be for the best."

(Location: Mako)

Everywhere he looked, he saw the future. There were hundreds of assembly lines working on Satomobiles all around him and they were all being sent out to be sold in the quickest time he had ever seen (then again, this would've be the first time he had ever seen it). "What do you think of my little operation here?" Asami's father asked him.

"It's very impressive, Mr. Sato," he answered honestly.

"Please, call me Hiroshi." The man was dressed in an expensive suit, but had a warm smile on his face. He wore spectacles and while there were some grey hairs running through his black hair and moustache, they did not make him look old, rather refined. "So, I understand you're dirt poor."

Mako had been a little more than caught off guard by the blunt statement, so he was at a loss for words. But Hiroshi kept talking. "Young man, it is nothing to be ashamed of. I too came from humble beginnings. Why, when I was your age, I was a mere shoe-shiner, and all I had to my name was an idea: the Satomobile. Now, I was fortunate enough to meet someone who believed in me and my work ethic. He gave me the money I needed to get my idea off the ground, calling it a favor I could owe him, and I built the entire Future Industries empire from that one selfless loan." He looked out at the assembly lines as he finished his speech.

"Dad, stop bragging," his daughter chided him. "Just tell Mako the good news." He chuckled and turned back to face their guest.

"What good news?" Mako asked them, unsure of where this was going.

"Well, my daughter passionately told me all about your hard-earned success in the Pro-bending Arena. And about your team's current financial stumbling block," Hiroshi told him while putting a fatherly hand on his shoulder. "Now I'd hate to see you lose your chance at winning the memorial championship just because you're short a few yuans. That's why I'm going to sponsor the Fire Ferrets in the tournament."

"Are you serious?" the Pro-bender asked, stepping back to look at him better.

"He's serious," Asami answered. "My dad's going to cover your ante for the championship pot."

"Tha-that _is_ good news!"

"There's just one catch," Hiroshi told him. "You all have to wear the Future Industries' logo on your uniform."

"I'll tattoo it on my chest if you want to, sir," he answered, tapping his chest with his thumb and making both father and daughter laugh. "Thank you so much," he told them both, shaking their hands. "I promise the Fire Ferrets will make the most of this opportunity." A pensive look came onto his face as he withdrew. "Although…"

"Although what?" Asami asked him.

"Ah, it's nothing. I still have to let Bolin and Arashi know about this offer." He smiled at them. "Don't worry, though. If I tell them what you've told me and I tell them about the tattoo thing, I'm sure that Arashi will have Bolin hold me down while he gets the ink."

(Location: Tenzin)

As he listened to his daughter making car noises, he was walking towards the car she was in with her hands on the wheel. It was an extravagant-looking car, most likely fresh off the line, and had a nice big bow on the top of it. "Out of the way, Daddy," Ikki said to him from the driver's seat. "We're driving here!" She made a lot of beeping noises, like she was honking the horn, and Meelo, who was sitting in the passenger seat, joined her.

Tenzin simply shook his head in exasperation and walked past the car. He saw Korra going through the stances and motions of Airbending on a nearby lowered platform with a symbol of the yin-yang emblazoned on it. "I see Tarrlok's gifts are becoming more and more extravagant," he said to her as he came closer.

"Yeah, that guy doesn't know how to take 'no' for an answer," she replied.

"Korra, are you…doing alright?" he asked.

She stopped her training and looked at him. "Yeah, I'm fine," she answered.

He had a hard time believing that. So he sat down on the steps and suggested, "Why don't you take a break?" She went over and sat down next to him. "I'm glad you turned down Tarrlok, but I wanted to make sure your decision was for the right reason."

"I'm just really focused on my Airbending right now is all," she told him. But as she spoke, she wasn't able to look at him directly, only out of the corner of her eye.

"Right, that's what you said." And now, he was sure he knew why she had refused. "You know, it's okay to be scared. The whole city is frightened by what's going on. The important thing is to talk about our fears, because if we don't, they can throw us out of balance."

She looked at him for a moment but still didn't say anything. Seeing that he could do nothing else, Tenzin stood up and went back up the steps. "I'm always here for you, if you want to talk," he told her.

"Tenzin," she said to him, not even looking up at him as he stopped in mid-step. "Can you tell me what happened to Arashi when his family died?" It had been a question that had been on her mind ever since she had seen him in his nightmare and she already knew she probably wouldn't get anywhere with the kid himself. But perhaps she might have better luck with people who knew him.

But Tenzin didn't say anything. He walked away, leaving her alone. She spent the rest of the day alone, trying to train in Airbending. But her thoughts kept coming back to Amon and Arashi. Eventually, she just stopped and tried to relax. She wasn't having much luck there either but she tried.

By the time night had fallen, she was sitting on a bannister while Ikki and Jinora were playing Pai Sho nearby. She watched idly, having played the game a couple of times herself in the compound. "Avatar Korra," the uniformed man said to her as he came into sight. "I have something for you."

Her patience was at an end with this guy. He had come to the island multiple times bearing gifts from Tarrlok and every time she sent him away. Now, she was going to do it more forcefully. "It doesn't matter how many gifts Tarrlok sends," she told him after hopping down from the bannister. "I am _not_ joining his taskforce!" She bent the earth he was standing on around so that he was facing the other way and kicked him hard on the rear, sending him flying with a shriek of surprise.

But as she turned around to walk away, he got back up. "It's not a gift," he told her. "It's an invitation." He pulled out an envelope from his vest.

"To what?" she asked, surprised to hear about such a thing but still a little suspicious.

"Tarrlok is throwing a gala in your honor," he explained as she took the envelope from him. "All of Republic City's movers and shakers will be there. The councilman humbly requests your attendance."

She didn't see any kind of danger with that kind of thing. In fact, it sounded kinda interesting. "Fine, tell Tarrlok I'll be there," she finally answered. "And tell him I'll be with Tenzin and his family."

"Of course, Avatar Korra," the page said in reply, bowing his head and walking away.

(Location: City Hall)

Korra hadn't really been planning on attending galas and the like when she decided to come to Republic City but fortunately for her, Tenzin had taken the initiative and ordered a few made for her when it was decided that she was staying for good. The one she was wearing was dark blue with touches of white around the collar, belt, and the lower part of the dress. It was a modest thing and she actually felt quite comfortable in it.

The minute she, Arashi, and Tenzin and his family stepped into the hall, the people already in there began to applaud for her. "I can't believe this is all for me," Korra said to Tenzin quietly as the applause began to die down.

The Airbending master was dressed in his finest and so was his family. "I'm not sure what Tarrlok's plotting, but keep your guard up," he warned her. "It's not like him to throw a party just for the fun of it."

As if he heard them talking about him, Tarrlok came out of the crowd in probably one of his best suits. "So glad you could make it, Avatar Korra," he said with a grand voice. His eyes found Tenzin and Arashi. "If you'll excuse us, the city awaits its hero," he told the two of them.

As he and Korra walked off, Arashi leaned in more closely to Tenzin. "Why did you have to bring me here?" he asked in a whisper that would not go above the voices of the people around them.

"Tarrlok was smart, Arashi," Tenzin whispered back. "He made sure to include your name on Korra's invitation. That way, there would've been no doubt that she'd bring you. You are her friend and I'm sure he wants her to as comfortable as possible before springing the trap he's got planned."

The blonde tugged at the collar of the shirt he was wearing, feeling like it was trying to strangle him in a slow manner. The shoes he was wearing felt they were about to pinch his toes and it felt like the pants would rip if he took a too large of a step or turned way too fast. These were just some of the reasons why he didn't like wearing suits or attending stuff that forced him to wear a suit.

But they weren't the primary reason. "I'm sure that he had me invited just so people could have a chance to look and stare at me," he groused. Already, he could see it begin to happen, the sly looks and the subtle looks all telling him what they thought of him. They couldn't have been more wrong but it still hurt.

"It will only hurt you if you let it, Arashi," the older man beside him said.

"Well, I'd rather let them believe what they think has happened, rather figure out the truth." The truth was odd, embarrassing, and now horrifying (due to Amon) then what they could ever think of. His eyes roamed around the hall until he saw Meelo doing something he probably shouldn't be doing. "Uh, Tenzin…?"

The Air Nomad turned his head just time to see what the blonde was seeing and it went purple at the sight. "Meelo, no!" he shouted at his son as people were starting to look. "That is not a toilet! Oh dear," he said, going over to his son.

Arashi grinned at the sight, finding it funny. Then he moved away, going into the throngs of people that were all around him. He looked around for Korra, figuring that it would be best to stay by her side and make sure nothing happened. He found her quickly enough, just in time for Tarrlok to be making some introductions.

"Korra, it's my pleasure to introduce Republic City's most famous industrialist, Hiroshi Sato," the councilman introduced the two.

"Nice to meet you," Korra said to the man with a small bob of her head.

He, on the other hand, bowed his head with a bit more formality. "We're all expecting great things from you," he told her.

"Right, greatness," she replied, saying that last word with a touch of sadness and worry, not even able to make eye-contact with the man,

"Hey, Korra," Arashi said to her as he appeared by her side.

"Hey, Arashi," she said back.

"Hey, Korra!" called out Mako as he, Bolin, and a girl came to stand beside Mr. Sato. Both he and Bolin were dressed up as well and she found Mako to look quite striking in his suit. The girl on his arm, however, drew her jealousy instantly. It didn't help that she was quite beautiful.

"This is my daughter, Asami," Mr. Sato introduced the girl.

"It's lovely to meet you," she said to Korra. "Mako's told me so much about you."

"Really? Because he hasn't mentioned you at all," she said back in a short tone of voice and with crossed arms.

"Korra, be nice," Arashi told her, pressing his elbow against her side a little.

"Ah, Mr. and Miss. Sato, I would like you to meet Arashi Uzumaki," Tarrlok said like he had just realized the blonde was there with them.

"Uzumaki?" repeated Mr. Sato. "As in…?"

"Yes, Sozin Uzumaki was my dad," Arashi answered, stopping him before he had a chance to finish.

"Actually, I was going to ask if you were the grandson of Naruto Uzumaki," he said with a good-humored smile on his lips.

"Yeah, that too," he admitted with a moment of hesitation. He was more used to people thinking of him as the son of Sozin, not the grandson of Naruto.

"So, how did you two meet?" Korra asked Mako and Asami, still focused on them.

Bolin was the one to give her that answer, appearing beside her in an instant (and almost knocking Arashi down in the process). "Asami crashed into him on his moped," he told her before vanishing from her side in an instant.

"What? Are you okay?" she asked Mako, concerned.

"I'm fine. More than fine," he answered with a smile. "Mr. Sato agreed to sponsor our team; we're back in the tournament!"

"Isn't that great?" Bolin asked her excitedly as he latched onto his brother's shoulder.

"Yeah, terrific," she answered without any actual emotion in her voice.

"Chief Beifong," Tarrlok called out to the chief of police as she passed by, getting her attention and making her came over to their little group. "I believe you and Avatar Korra have already met."

Seeing the scowl on the Tribeswoman's face at the sight of her, she returned it with a glare. "Just because the city's throwing you this big to-do, don't think you're something special."

"I thought she was the Avatar," Arashi sarcastically remarked.

The police chief gave him a look before turning her glare back at Korra. "You've done absolutely nothing to deserve this," she told her.

"Speaking of deserving," the blonde amongst them said, cutting into the conversation with a glare of his own at the older woman. "At what point were you planning to tell me that my uncle was in jail, Lin?"

"With any luck, never," she answered, giving him a scowl in return to his glare.

"I had to find out from the newspapers. I could've at least gotten a phone call. I was worried about him."

"Arashi, we have told you many times to stay away from Lightning Bolt Zolt. He's dangerous."

"He's my uncle."

"He's a criminal, who would've tried to indoctrinate you into a life of crime if things were different."

The glare he had was softened by those words, like he had smacked across the face. "You don't know that," he grounded out.

Her scowl had softened as well, but it was because she had realized what she had said somewhat. "Kid, I've seen men and women like him plenty of times. And if you've seen one, you've seen them all."

"I want to see him."

"Not gonna happen, not by yourself." She turned and walked away from the group, back into the crowd.

The group splintered off and joined the crowd as well, moving the gala on. But almost as soon as they took their eyes off of her, Tenzin, his family, Arashi, and her teammates lost sight of her. When they saw her again, she was standing on the flight of stairs that led up to the council room with Tarrlok by her side.

The reporters also saw this and knew what that meant. They flocked to the bottom of the stairs, shouting questions and taking pictures. "If you would be so kind," Tarrlok said to Korra. "They just have a few questions."

Korra was surprised by this, she hadn't expected it. "But—" she tried to protest, only to have Tarrlok push her forward to the reporters.

Lights were flashing in her eyes as the cameras went off, almost blinding her. "Avatar Korra, you witnessed Amon take away people's Bending firsthand. How serious a threat does he pose to the innocent citizens of Republic City?" one of the reporters asked her.

She cleared her throat before speaking. "I think he presents a real problem," she answered. But she sounded a little uncertain as she did.

"Then why have you refused to join Tarrlok's taskforce?" another reporter asked her. "As the Avatar, shouldn't you be going _after_ Amon?"

"Well, I—"

"Why are you backing away from this fight?"

That offended her deeply. "What? No! I've never backed away from anything in my life!"

"You promised to serve this city, aren't you going back on that promise now?" a third reporter asked her.

"Do you think Pro-bending is more important than fighting the revolution?" a fourth asked.

"How do you think Avatar Aang would have handled this?" a fifth wondered.

She felt like she was getting swarmed by all the questions and she didn't know how to answer most of them. Her breaking point came when a reporter asked, "Are you afraid of Amon?"

"I am not _afraid_ of anybody!" she yelled at the reporters, making them all stop with their questions. "If the city needs me then…" She gestured back to Tarrlok. "I'll join Tarrlok's taskforce and help fight Amon."

"There's your headline, folks!" Tarrlok declared as he swooped in and placed his hand on her shoulder with the other hand outstretched, making it a picture-perfect sight. The camera people saw that and immediately began snapping photos. In the crowd, Mako and Bolin looked at one another with confusion in their eyes; Tenzin simply closed his eyes, knowing full well that Korra had been trapped, and Arashi pinching the bridge of his nose, wondering how Korra could've gotten led around by the nose like that.

* * *

A day later, Korra was sitting at one of the ends of a U-shaped table in the uniform of the task force alongside the rest of the task force. She was easily the youngest there. The rest looked like they had been selected from the police. All sat straight with their backs against the seats. She was the only one who was leaning forward and twiddling with her thumbs.

"My fellow taskforce deputies," Tarrlok began, dressed in the same uniform and standing before the table. "Tonight we will execute a raid on an underground chi-blocker training camp located in the Dragon Flats borough." He pointed at the blueprint of a building that had put up on the wall behind him. "According to my sources, there is a cellar underneath this bookstore where Equalists train chi-blocking in secret."

"How do we go in, sir?" one of the other task members asked him.

"We will go in by truck, staying hidden until we reach our destination. With us we will be taking a tanker of water for the Waterbenders. Once we've reached the target and assessed that it is as my sources say, we will attack in waves. The first wave will be the Waterbenders to catch the Equalists with their water and freeze them. The second wave will be the Earthbenders to take down who weren't caught by the first wave. After that, there should be no more left. Any questions?" he asked the taskforce, only to have silence for an answer. "Then we move out."

"_Here we go,"_ Korra thought to herself as they stood up from their seats and began walking out the door.

"I must thank you for joining this taskforce, Avatar Korra," Tarrlok said as he joined in the hallway at the back of the group.

"That's not necessary," she told him, having long figured out that he had tricked her into joining.

"Still, I feel that I must thank you anyway. But I also must caution you in your choice of friends. If you make the wrong one, it could very well haunt you for the rest of your life."

If they were alone, she might've stopped to look at him. Instead, she just turned her head a little. "What do you mean by that and who are you talking about?"

"Why, I am talking about Arashi Uzumaki. It would be best for your reputation if you distanced yourself from him from now on."

Her eyes narrowed at the suggestion. "What are you talking about? Is something wrong with him?"

"No, not in the extreme sense of the word…" He trailed off and looked at her. "You mean to say you haven't learned about his skills?"

"What skills? I don't know if he's even a Bender or not."

"Oh no, he is a Firebender. Just not a very good one," he answered, sounding very amused by her questions.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked.

"You know that his parents are Sozin and Xiu Uzumaki, two of the most powerful Firebenders of their time, and that he is the grandson of Princess Azula herself. They were all great Benders, able to bend great columns of fire and wield lightning with considerable ease. Arashi, from what my sources have told me, has trouble barely holding a flame in his hand. You can understand how that would be embarrassing to him and his family."

She didn't say anything in response, feeling a little insulted that he would think she would care about such a thing. But a few things about the kid made a bit more sense now that she had heard this piece of news. Of course, it could just be nonsense. If she wanted to know the truth, she would have to ask Arashi himself. But now was not the time to think on that.

Once the taskforce was outside, they climbed into the truck waiting for them, staying out of sight as it began driving towards their destination. No one said a word and no one peeked over the edge to see where they were going. They knew that part and they didn't need to see anything in between the City Hall and their target in the borough.

But once the truck stopped, they moved, hopping out of the truck and onto the street. The building in front of them had no obvious lights on; trying to tell everyone who saw it that it was closed for the night. But light leaked out from the covered basement windows. The taskforce snuck up to the wall and then a few looked inside the windows.

Korra was among those few and once she looked past the blinds and into the basement proper, she saw that Tarrlok had been right. It was a place for chi-blocking. People had masks on with the Equalist symbol emblazoned on it practicing on either wooden posts or on one another, all under the gaze of trainers. On the far back wall were two Equalist banners and in the middle of them was a poster of Amon's face.

The sight of that masked face made her remember her dream in an instant, especially the part when he was reaching for her. She recoiled away from the window for a moment, gasping for air. But then she recomposed herself and waited as Tarrlok signaled the taskforce member still on the truck.

He opened the top of the tanker and bent the water inside out into the open and down to the other Waterbenders. The first took and then sent it to the next, making it look like a small river hanging in the air. Once all the Waterbenders had their water, the river disappeared as they took a part of it and held it in a glob shape.

They all waited for Tarrlok to give the signal, taking deep breaths to steady themselves. But once his hand dropped, the Waterbenders poured their water through the windows into the basement. It was a flood and caught most of the Equalists by surprise, sweeping them up in its current. Just as soon as it appeared, it also froze solid, trapping the Equalists inside.

The Earthbenders went through the windows and began taking out the remaining Equalists. Both Tarrlok and Korra joined them with their own water. The Equalists who hadn't been caught by the water or the earth, being only two, decided to retreat.

As one opened the door to the basement to leave, the other flipped through to avoid a blast of water and threw smoke grenades at the taskforce, hoping to blind them long enough for them to escape. But Korra had seen those grenades in action before and froze them before the smoke covered the entire room. "I'm going after those two!" she shouted at the taskforce, heading for the closed door, kicking it open.

In front of her was a long hall with neither of the two Equalists in sight. But she started to run down it anyway, hoping to catch them before they escaped. But as she ran, it didn't take long for her to get slowed down. As her foot hit a tripwire, she stumbled and fell to the ground. When she looked up, she saw an Equalist waiting in the rafters above.

He leapt down, intending to strike her as she laid there. But she regained her footing somewhat and flipped out of the way, sending him upwards with chunk of rock she bent up out of the ground. She fell down again, this time on her bottom and another Equalist was ready for her, this time with a bola.

He was sent to the wall by burst of water that promptly froze once he was there. Korra looked over at her savoir and said, "Nice timing. Thanks, Tarrlok."

The councilman just smiled and declared, "We make a good team, Avatar."

She got back onto her feet and looked at the two Equalists they took down in a matter of seconds. "Yeah, we do."

(Location: Pro-bending Arena)

Mako was reading the newspaper in the gym, particularly the article on the new taskforce and Korra. They had couple of pictures of the whole thing, the most prominent one being Korra leading the way through a crowd of reporters with tied up Equalists behind her and Tarrlok at her side.

"No Korra for practice again?" asked Bolin as he came by with two earth discs floating above his hands.

"Doesn't look like it," he answered, making his brother throw the discs away.

"Hey, be careful with those, Bolin!" Toza snapped from where he was sweeping the floor. "Those things aren't easy to make and I'd rather not have Butakha take it out of my hide and money."

"Sorry, Toza," Bolin said absently. He looked over at his brother. "And where is Arashi? I would've thought he'd be here to train us into the ground more because we're in." The blonde had been on their case about that ever since Mako told them the news (even telling Bolin to hold his brother down while he went to get the ink after hearing the tattoo comment).

"I can't help you there, bro," Mako answered. "He said he was going to keep an eye on Korra to make sure she didn't fall for any more of that Tribesman's tricks." He took notice of his brother look and added, "His words, not mine."

"Do you think that there's a little more to it than just that?"

"Why would there be? He's twelve and she's our age." He folded up the newspaper and put it down. "Look, I gotta go."

"Another date with Asami?" asked his brother.

He smiled a little goofily and said, "Yeah."

(Location: Arashi)

He didn't have a pass to the press conference that Tarrlok had called, but he knew enough of City Hall to know how to get pass the security and be there without being seen (who knew those tips from Jiji on being sneaky would come in handy one day? He always thought it was a lark on Jiji's part). He watched from the shadows as Tarrlok spoke to the press from the podium.

"Avatar Korra has bravely answered the call to action," the councilman said with Korra at his side. "With the two of us leading the charge, Republic City has nothing to fear Amon and the Equalists."

"_Well, at least he was considerate enough to put her name in there too,"_ Arashi thought to himself.

"Question for the Avatar!" one of the reporters shouted out. "Amon still remains at large. Why have you failed to locate him?"

"You wanna know why?" Korra asked, coming up to the podium and the microphones on it. "Because Amon is hiding in the shadows like a coward," she declared before taking one of the microphones into her hand. "Amon, I challenge you to a duel, no taskforce, no chi-blockers, just the two of us tonight at midnight on Avatar Aang Memorial Island. Let's cut to the chase and settle this thing, if you're man enough to face me."

She put the microphone down and walked off stage and the second she did, the reporters started throwing questions right at her. She ignored them all and kept on walking. Meanwhile, Arashi was just staring at her with stunned expression on his face. _"Jeez, I didn't think she'd take my words so literally,"_ he thought.

(Location: Mako)

His date with Asami was going well. They had just finished dinner and were now going through the park in a motorized carriage with the driver in the back. That way, they had an open view of the park in the evening, which was quite beautiful. "I know it sounds weird to say this," Asami told him as the carriage rolled onward, holding onto his arm. "But I'm really glad I hit with my moped."

He couldn't help but chuckle at those words. "Um, me too," he replied.

"I forgot to ask. Why didn't you accept the new silk scarf I bought for you last week?" She fingered his scarf. "You didn't like it?" she asked with a curious and slightly worried tone in her voice.

"No, it was really nice," he assured her. It was a scarf that he wouldn't have been able to buy if his life had depended on it "But this scarf was my father's," he explained, his hand going for the scarf around his neck, like he was reminding himself that it was still there. "And it's all I have left of him. I just feel like…like it keeps me safe."

"I'm so sorry," she apologized right away. She looked down at her lap. "I lost my mother when I was very young." When she felt her hand being enfolded by Mako's hand, she looked up and smiled at him, which he returned. Then she leaned into his side. "I feel so safe with you," she told him quietly.

"I'm glad," he told her.

(Location: Korra)

She stood in a boat, taking the rope that held it to the docks and winding it up. She was preparing herself to go the island, to finish this once and for all. The sound of an air glider filled her ears for a brief moment and when she looked up, she saw Tenzin landing on the dock. "Korra, this is madness!" he told her.

"Don't try to stop me and don't follow me," she said to him. "I have to face Amon alone."

As she turned her attention back to the rope in her hands, Tenzin turned to look at Tarrlok. "This is all your doing!" he accused the Tribesman.

"I tried to talk her out of it too," Tarrlok said, raising his hands slightly in protest. "But she's made up her mind."

As they argued, she was done with the rope, putting it down in the boat so it wouldn't fly out at the worst possible time. She bent the water beneath her to surge her boat forward, sending it almost flying harshly across the waves to the island. She made it there in less than three minutes. Once she had tied off the boat, she all but ran for the top of the building on the island. There, at the base of Avatar Aang, she waited.

Her nerves were all bundled up and she was restless, inching for a fight. But in that moment, it felt like she was the only thing that was alive and that just made her even more restless. A small sound to her left made her turn quickly into a stance, ready for a fight.

But there was nothing there. She stood down from the stance only to yelp in surprise as a loud bell began to ring beneath her feet. It was the clock built into the building and it rang for all who could hear it that it was now midnight. For Korra, it was time for the duel.

She tried to steady herself with a deep breath and looked out at the city lights. "Man, you are wound up tight," Arashi's voice said from out of nowhere, making her almost leap out of her skin. When she turned around, she saw the kid standing there before her.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded. "I said that no one was supposed to follow me!"

"I didn't, I got here before you did."

"Why?"

"I thought you would need the company."

"Go away, Arashi," she ordered.

"No," he refused instantly.

"Go away."

"No, I'm not leaving you alone here. What kind of friend would I be if I did?"

She wanted to argue that point but she found herself too focused on facing Amon. He should be coming soon. "Fine, whatever," she said, sitting down on the roof facing the city. The blonde sat down next to her.

"Thanks," he said to her.

She didn't say anything back. She was waiting for her opponent to show himself. But as the minutes dragged on and Amon didn't show himself, questions about the kid sitting by her side began to sprout up in her mind. "Arashi," she said to him. "If you're going to be up here with me, you'll to answer the questions I have about you."

"Alright," he answered.

"On a mission with the taskforce, Tarrlok told me about you, about—"

"About how despite my lineage, I was a pathetic Firebender who was an embarrassment to my family, right?" he asked, cutting her off. His voice had turned harder when he spoke as opposed to the easy tone he had moment before.

"Right," she answered. "Is it true? I've never seen you Firebend."

"It used to be true. I had a little sister four years younger than me and she was being called a prodigy. My Grandmother used to say we were her and Fire Lord Zuko come again." He had always held onto to those words because he remembered that the Fire Lord had improved remarkably in the last year of the Hundred Year War.

"Used to be?" she repeated, not sure if she had heard him right.

He became silent for a moment. "I don't know what happened exactly, but ever since the night my parents and Grandmother died, I haven't been able to Bend, at all."

She stared at him with a look of shock on her face. "You what?" she couldn't help but ask him.

"I can't Bend," he repeated himself with none of his usual eye-rolling or sarcasm.

"What happened?"

"I just told you that I don't know what happened. I can remember bits and pieces but the rest is a blank." It also doesn't help that the bits and pieces usually came back to him in nightmares that never made any real sense.

"How did they die?" she asked, despite knowing that she was treading on potentially thin ice with that question. But she also felt that it was important to knowing him and what happened to him.

"They told me that they died in the fire that burned down the house."

She frowned slightly at those words, seeing the fault in them. "Three of probably the strongest Firebenders in current history were killed by a fire. Either that is probably the greatest irony or that's just a story."

"Most people tend to believe that it's an irony. Plus, from what I can remember, it fits." The sound of people screaming, the feeling of intense heat washing all over his skin, the image of the parlor alit in flames, his parents telling him to run, they all fit the story he had been given when they had found him.

"…Do you think Amon was involved?"

"Again, I don't know. But with what we've seen him do, I guess it's possible."

"It should be more than possible," she said with conviction. "He can take people's Bending away. How else would you explain how you can't Bend anymore? If you lost it, then that means he was behind the deaths of your family."

"Maybe, but I don't know." That single fact haunted him ever since that night, along with a sense that he could've done more. "Besides, most people would rather believe that I'm still pathetic at Firebending then believe that I can't Bend." He preferred it like that.

She didn't have a reply to that or have any more questions. They sat there, waiting in silence as the seconds and the minutes dragged on. For Korra, it seemed longer. She knew that Amon was there, somewhere. But she didn't know the some, let alone the where. But as the lights in the city died down, she finally yawned and stretched. "Guess you're a no-show, Amon," she remarked, having waited for probably two hours or more. "Who's scared now?"

"I take it you don't want me to answer that?" Arashi asked her as they both stood up.

"You would be right."

"Alright," he said as they walked off the roof and down to ground floor. "I'm hungry; you think that we'll be able to get something from the kitchen at Air Temple Island?"

"If we manage to sneak past Tenzin," she answered, stretching her hands back behind her head. Now that they were talking about it, she felt hungry too.

"So if we get caught, only you'll get in trouble," he remarked as they passed the entrance to the building.

"Hey, you're here too. That means you'll get in as much trouble as—" Her feet were yanked from under her, sending her to the ground with a rope wrapped around her legs. For a brief moment, she saw that Arashi was in the same way. Then they started getting dragged into the building by the ropes, where all they could see was darkness.

Korra broke free of her bindings easily, spinning them off with a kick and a burst of fire. The fire illuminated the room, showing that the two of them were surrounded by Equalists, enclosing them in a circle. As the fire died away, the last thing she saw were the light reflected off the goggles, making them look like eyes of evil spirits, waiting in the darkness.

She threw another burst of fire, lighting the room again, only to have her arms restrained by bolas. She used her feet to throw more fire and move the floor against them, trying to fight and win with all she had. But then she was struck in the back, making her groan in pain and fall unconscious.

* * *

She felt herself being hosted up to her knees as she came back to consciousness. The circle of Equalists was still there and there was now light coming from lanterns on the floor. She wanted to fight free but when Amon appeared before her, her body froze up. "I received your invitation, young Avatar," he said to her.

He stretched out his hand and all she could think of was how similar it was to her dream. _"Spirits, Tenzin, Aang, Mako, Bolin, Arashi, please, someone, help,"_ she silently begged as the hand came towards her. He was going to take away her Bending, she just knew it. As the hand was about to touch her, she bent her head and closed her eyes, afraid of what was going to come next.

But instead, the hand took her chin and forced her to look up at him. "Our showdown, while inevitable, is premature," he told her in a calm, cold voice. "Although it would be the simplest thing for me to take away your Bending right now, I won't. You'd only become a martyr. " He took his hand away from her chin. "Benders of every nation would rally behind your untimely demise. But I assure you, I have a plan. And I'm saving you for last. Then you'll get your duel, and I _will_ destroy you."

He stood up and moved over to Arashi, who was being held like she was right next to her. "As for you, Arashi Uzumaki, you are just as much as scion as she is. I did not plan on having you here tonight, but rest assured, I will not kill you either. I'll give you the chance to see if you can find what you are looking for, _then_ I will destroy you as well."

Remarkably, his words made Arashi try and fight free of the hands holding him down. "You know!" he shouted at Amon, getting a foot on the ground to support himself, fighting to stand up. "Where is she?! Where is she?!"

Amon did not reply to his shouting, he simply struck them both in the neck. Korra felt herself go limp, her vision already going blurry. As she fell to the ground, the last thing she saw was the entrance.

As her eyes closed into darkness, it was like the past was waiting for her there. Visions began to cloud her mind, showing her images. She saw her own grandfather, frowning slightly. She saw Toph Beifong, standing watch with two of her men. She saw Aang watching something from behind a seat. She saw a man she didn't know. And then she saw Aang flying down a street atop an Air Scooter, an angry look on his face.

Just as quickly as they came, the visions vanished and she was back in the memorial building, staring at the entrance. She saw a figure running towards her, but she couldn't tell who it was, only that it was an Air Nomad. "Aang?" she said in a weakened voice.

"Korra!" the Air Nomad shouted as he reached her, revealing himself to be Tenzin, not Aang. "Korra, are you alright?" he asked as he pulled her up from the ground. "What happened? Was Amon here?"

She moved slightly out of his grip. "Yeah, he ambushed us," she answered.

"Did he…did he take your Bending away?"

She opened her hand and tried bending a flame to appear. Thankfully, it did and she extinguished it. "No, I'm okay."

"Thank goodness," he said with relief.

At those words, everything she had been holding back, keeping locked down tight ever since she saw the Revelation, came bursting out. Tears came flooding out of her eyes and she cried openly as she reached out and grabbed hold of Tenzin. "I was so terrified," she confessed, the tears still falling. "I felt so helpless."

"It's all right," he told her, putting a comforting hand on her back. "The nightmare is over."

Still crying, she broke her hold of him and looked in the face. "You…you were right. I've been scared this whole time. I've never felt like this beforeand…and Tenzin, I don't know what to do!" Seeking comfort, she clutched him again.

"Admitting your fears is the first and most difficult step in overcoming them," he told her.

She cried for another minute, and then looked up at him with a worried expression. "Arashi, where's Arashi?" she demanded, half in a panic.

"It's okay, I found him outside," he assured her. "He was trying to go after Amon, shouting that he knew where she was. I had to knock him out from going anywhere, he was struggling so much to go after the Equalists."

"Who's 'she'?" Korra asked.

He fell silent. "Has Arashi told you what happened when his family died?"

"He told me that they burned to death when the house caught fire."

"That was the story we gave the city and Arashi," he told her. "The truth is that Sozin, Xiu, and Lady Azula Uzumaki were murdered and the fire was used for a cover. Arashi was the only survivor because he had been told to run away. We found him a week later on the streets."

"Then who is this 'she' he keeps talking about?"

"He's referring to his sister, Natsumi Uzumaki. No one has seen her after the fire; we've assumed that she had died too. But Arashi still believes she's alive."

"Why?"

"Because the last thing he remembered before waking up the day after the fire was that he was running from the house with her holding onto his hand."

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

So now you know where Arashi's parents are as well as Azula. For those of you who guessed it early on, congratulations. As for those of you who were wondering about whether Arashi was a Bender or a shinobi, what he told Korra should satisfy you.

Some of you have been wondering why I haven't showcased more of Arashi's skills. Mostly it was because I wanted to get to this point in the story but I also didn't want to make him a Mary Sue right off the bat. I think I learned that mistake a little too late to be fully corrected last time and now, I'm trying to be careful.

To the one reader who thought that Zolt and Xiu were Zuko and Mai's kids, I have no idea where you got that from but you are so wrong. They came from the streets and worked to get where they were.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	5. Love and jealousy

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 5: Love and jealousy

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Pro-bending Arena)

Korra was dressed in her training gear and had a glob of water in each hand as she stood in the gym, facing down her two teammates with a gallon of water by her side. "Ready?" Arashi called out from where he stood at the bench with the playing radio. A few seconds passed and he barked out, "START!"

The three of them started throwing their elements at one another, constantly switching from defensive to offensive and vice-versa as they fought. Korra was glad to have learned some stuff about Pro-bending as she was now able to hold her own against the brothers. Before, she would've gotten clobbered by the constant switching. But now she was able to do it more seamlessly.

The practice fight ended quickly enough with Bolin being the first one to go down via a fire blast from his brother. As he fell through the air, he sent his last disc at Korra, who threw her water at Mako. She got hit by the disc in the stomach and he got the water right in the face. Both were sent to the ground, regardless of where they got hit.

They all just lay where they fell for a moment and as the music ended, they laughed good naturally at one another. "Nice to see you guys haven't lost your touch," Arashi said approvingly, looking at all three of them.

"It's been great having you at so many back-to-back practices, Korra," Mako said as he stood back up and took off his helmet.

"Feels good to be back," she replied, doing the same thing.

"Yeah, you definitely needed it," the blonde amongst them said as he walked away from the table towards them.

She turned to scowl at him, only to stop when she saw the smile on his face. It suddenly mingled itself with her memory of the night of the duel with Amon, when she had seen him unconscious. He had a face that spoke loudly of sadness, fear, and desperation and having heard about his sister and what really happened that from Tenzin, she couldn't blame him. "Anyway," she said, moving on in a hurry. "Tarrlok isn't too happy about my leave of absence."

"Ah, that guy can go blow it out his—"

"Arashi, you're twelve!" Mako said, cutting him off before he could finish that sentence. "You don't need to be saying stuff like that."

"What? I was going to say rear!" he protested

"Sure you were."

"Besides, Korra joined the Fire Ferrets _before_ she joined Tarrlok's taskforce," Bolin added. "We had her first."

"You really think that would've stopped him?" Korra asked. She had seen the look on Tarrlok's face when she told him she was taking a leave of absence. It had been a mixture of surprise, suspicion, and contained anger.

"You're here, aren't you?" he asked back.

"Okay, come on, team huddle time!" Mako called out for the four of them. They came together, locked arms and put heads together, angling it slightly for Arashi's due to his height. Bolin sent Korra a big grin, which she return uneasily before sending one herself towards Mako, while Arashi just glared at the both of them. "It's our first match of the memorial tournament tonight," the captain of the Fire Ferrets told his team. "I know the four of us haven't been a team for very long, but even so, the Fire Ferrets have never been this good. Are we ready?"

"We're ready!" the other three declared.

"Not quite, you'll need these," Asami said from behind them. When they broke the huddle and looked over at her, she was standing next to a cart and holding a uniform shirt with the logo of her father's company.

"Hey, Asami," Mako said in greeting, walking over to her.

"Good morning, sweetie," she said back, smiling at him (and annoying Korra in the process).

"These new uniforms look great," he remarked as he took the shirt from her and looked at it more closely.

"You look great, champ!" They giggled and rubbed their noses against one another.

Both Korra and Arashi made gagging noises at the sight. "Guys, standing right here!" the blonde told the two, waving his arm exaggeratingly at them to get their attention. "Take the lovey-doveyness out of the room, please!"

"Alright then, if you want that," Mako said. "I'll see you guys before the match tonight. Asami and I have a lunch date."

"Okay, we'll check you guys later," Bolin said to them as they left with the cart, waving goodbye. "You know, we'll see you when we see you." Once they were gone, he went to Korra's side. "So, Korra," he began, his voice becoming what he thought was smoother. "There they go, here we are, all alone in the gym, just you and me, two alone people. Together. Alone."

A loud coughing filled the room, coming from Arashi. "Hi there, the name's Arashi, how're you doing?" he asked Bolin with a pointed look.

While the Earthbender was feeling a little embarrassed, Korra had an excuse. "Sorry, but I got go back to the air temple to train with Tenzin. See ya!" She turned and left the gym quicker than either of them could blink.

"Whoa, that was fast," Arashi remarked.

* * *

"Work with me here, Pabu!" Bolin told his fire ferret as he tried to put him in a basin of water. The two of them, along with Arashi and Mako were in the apartments the brothers shared above the Arena. It was almost dinner time and Mako was at the stove, making food. "You want to look spic and span in your new uniform, don't you?" Pabu was thinking more along the lines of trying to escape his grasp and flee from the water below.

"Bolin, don't you think it's a little ridiculous to put Pabu in a uniform in the first place?" Arashi asked him from where he sat on the ladder leading up to the Earthbender's 'room.'

"Nonsense!" he declared as he finally got the ferret into the water. "He is our mascot and should be treated as such."

"…Well, how can you argue against that?"

"You can't," Mako said. He had tried before and have given up.

"So, Mako, what do you think of Korra, in a 'girlfriend' sort of way?" his brother asked him while washing Pabu.

"She's great! But I think it makes more sense for to go with Asami."

That annoyed the Earthbender a little. "I was talking about a girlfriend for me! Leave some ladies for the rest of us!"

"I know, that's what I thought you meant," he quickly amended.

"_Sure it was,"_ Arashi thought to himself as he watched the conversation continue, interested in it himself.

"Well…?" Bolin asked.

"I don't know, Bo. It doesn't seem like a good idea for you to date Korra."

"You just said she was great two seconds ago," he remarked with a tone that was bordering on accusing as he lifted a wet Pabu out of the water.

"Yeah, Korra is a great athlete and the Avatar and stuff, but I don't know if she's really 'girlfriend material.' She's more like a pal."

"Bro, you're nuts! Korra and I are perfect for each other."

"What in the name of the spirits makes you say that?" Arashi asked with a look of confusion on his face.

"Look at the facts, Arashi. She's strong, I'm strong. She's fun, I'm fun. She's beautiful, I'm _gorgeous_!" His attention went back to Pabu. "Okay, I don't care what you guys think; I'm going to ask Korra out."

"Bolin, look, it just isn't smart to date a teammate, _especially_ during the tournament," Mako warned his brother, turning his head to look at him. "Keep your head out of the clouds and your priorities straight, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, gah," the Earthbender grumbled. He looked down at his ferret, who was staring back at him with a wet and confused expression. "You know what I'm talking about, Pabu. I'm talking about _real_ love."

"You know, you might not even be her type, Bolin," Arashi told him.

"And when did you become the expert on all things Korra?" he asked back challenging, looking over at him.

"Well, I do live with her, so I know her a bit better than you. Besides, for all we know, she might want to date someone else."

"Yeah?" he asked. "Like who?"

"Like me," the blonde answered.

Mako stopped his cooking to look at him once he said those words. Then both he and his brother began laughing out loud. "That's funny, Arashi, real funny!" the Firebender said while trying to get his laughter under control.

"Hey, I was being serious!" Arashi protested, his cheeks already going red from the blush.

"Dude, you're five years younger than she is," Bolin pointed out. "Do you really think that she'd date someone whose voice hasn't even cracked yet?"

"I was just telling you guys what I thought," he muttered, feeling embarrassed as it is. "I mean, she already knows my secret."

That stopped the laughter. "You told her?" Mako asked him.

"Yeah, I told her," he answered, looking out at the window, watching the snowflakes as they floated past.

(Location: Air Temple Island)

The ground on the island was already covered in snow by the time the sun began to set down and the snowflakes kept falling. While some might've found cold, Korra thought it was quite pleasant. She had been raised in the South Pole and this kind of weather was kind of like a gentle rain shower.

While it snowed, she was helping Jinora and Ikki out with their chore of finding the lemurs. "So, how's it going with the tall, dreamy Firebender boy?" Jinora asked her while she climbed down from the ladder. "You've been spending a _lot_ of time together lately."

"Oooh, yeah!" chimed in Ikki as she hopped around in front of her. "Tell us about the _magical_ romance."

"What?" Korra said, a little surprised by their questions. She laughed a short, awkward laugh. "Listen to you two, I-I'm not interested in Mako or _any_ romantic stuff." She put down the basket of fruit she was holding and coughed a little before continuing. "Besides, he's all into that prissy, beautiful, elegant, rich girl…" She stopped for a moment and then looked at the two of them. "But let's just pretend for a second I_ am_ interested in him. What should I do?"

"Ooh, I just read a historical saga where the heroine fell in love with the enemy general's son, who's supposed to marry the princess," Jinora told her, getting excited as she spoke. "You should do what she did!"

"Tell me!" Korra said, getting as excited as she was (despite the fact that she had claimed to not be interested).

"She rode a dragon into battle and burned down the entire country. Then she jumped down a volcano. It was _so_ romantic!"

Just as soon as it came, Korra's excitement left. "Uh…" was the only thing she could think to say about all that.

"No, no, no!" Ikki protested with an angry look at her sister. "The best way to win a boy's heart is to brew a love potion of rainbows and sunsets that makes true lovers sprout wings and fly into a magic castle in the sky, where they get married and eat clouds with spoons and use stars as ice cubes in their moonlight punch. Forever and ever and ever!" she declared, spinning around in place as she spoke and inadvertently sending herself up into the air at the end.

"The volcano is starting to make more sense to me now," Korra told her after a moment of silence. That was at least based in some form of reality and history. A small laugh from behind them made the Tribeswoman turn around to see Jinora's and Ikki's mother standing on the path. "Oh, hey, Pema," she said in greeting, feeling awkward. "Uh, how long were you standing there?"

"Long enough," Pema answered. "But trust me; I know what you're going through. Years ago I was in the exact same situation, with Tenzin." She came forward so she could talk better with them all.

"Daddy was in love with someone else before you?" Ikki asked her mother, surprised by the fact.

"That's right."

"So what did you do?" Korra asked.

"Well, for the longest time, I did nothing. I was so shy and scared of rejection, but watching my soul mate spend his life with the wrong woman became too painful. So I hung my chin out there and I _confessed_ my love to Tenzin. And the rest is history."

"Wow," all three of the younger women said in perfect unity, clasping their hands and admiring the sheer romance of it. "I think the only one better than that was hearing about how Arashi's parents got together," Korra stated.

"Oh? He told you that story?" Pema asked.

"Yeah, he did."

"Did he tell you all of it, including how his grandparents reacted?"

She frowned slightly as she remembered the night in the park. "No, he skipped that part."

"He usually does, but for us who knew them, we always found it funny. First off, you should know that Lady Azula was old-fashioned in some regards and Lord Naruto didn't disagree with her on some of them. When Sozin became able to marry, every girl who wanted to be the next Mrs. Uzumaki threw themselves at him. But his parents had declared that the only woman who would be able to date their son was the one who beat him in an Agni Kai."

"Really?" asked Korra. "Was that really necessary?"

"Like I said, she was old-fashioned and since her son was of royal blood, she could declare it. Lord Naruto took it a step further and said that Sozin had the right to refuse any challenges to an Agni Kai."

"Mommy, you're making it sound like they didn't want him to get married," Ikki said.

She just smiled. "It certainly seemed like that. Challenges were being thrown at Sozin left and right, even in the Pro-bending Arena. But he kept refusing to even consider accepting them. So when he began dating Xiu, all the rejected women threw up a fuss and the reporters came hounding after them and their parents. When one reporter asked Lady Azula how she felt about her son dating Xiu, she replied with, "Well, at least he did it right."

"Huh?" all three of her listeners said in perfect unity again, this time with confusion.

She smiled again. "You see, with everyone hung on about how they had to defeat Sozin in an Agni Kai in order to date him, they had forgotten that the opposite was just as true. He could date anyone he defeated in an Agni Kai."

While Jinora and Ikki stilled looked confused, Korra understood what she was talking about and chuckled a little at it. "I guess that is a little funny," she admitted.

"Trust me, it was," Pema assured her.

(Location: Pro-bending Arena)

As the stands were already crowded with people looking down at the ring, eager for the match to begin, the commentator began to talk. "Folks, after a year of waiting, the Sozin Uzumaki Memorial Championship is finally here. Tonight is the first set of matches in our single elimination sixteen team bracket. And I gotta tell ya, these are the most tenacious and talented Bending trios this arena has ever seen."

The arena went quiet as the ringside announcer appeared and cried out, "Introducing our first team, the Future Industries Fire Ferrets!" As the team came to the ring with a light shining down on them, the crowd went wild. They took it all in, waving to the crowd before stepping onto the ring and heading for their starting positions. "And their opponents, the Red Sands Rabaroos," the announcer continued, pointing to the other side of the ring as the other team entered with cheers equal to what the Ferrets had received.

The two teams took to the center of the ring, standing on either side of the zone line in their ready stances. When the bell rang, they threw their respective elements, starting the fight. "What an explosive opening volley!" the commentator began as the teams were driven back from the volley after-blast and started up again. "Both teams quickly recover and unleash a barrage of Bending. I am astonished at the level of improvement displayed here by the Ferrets."

The improvement he was referring to was obvious. The Fire Ferrets were working in perfect synchronization, both attacking the other team and defending their own. They were moving at such a good level that they were able to send the Rabaroo Firebender flying back into Zone Two. "No wonder the Avatar has been absent from the papers lately. She's obviously had her nose to the grindstone in the gym," the commentator remarked as the other two Rabaroos were sent back to join their teammate. "The Ferrets advance into Rabaroo territory and are holding nothing back."

It was true, they were giving all they had in attacking, not bothering to even try and pull their punches. The Rabaroos tried to mount a defense but there was really no use for it. "Nice sprawl there by Mako," the commentator remarked as the Ferret Firebender ducked to avoid a blast of water and then took notice of what his brother was doing. "Bolin strikes, Ula dodges." But she dodged right into her teammate and that was their downfall, aided by a disc right at the two of them. "And all three Rabaroos are down! The Fire Ferrets take Round 1"

The bell went off, signaling the end of the round. The Fire Ferrets withdrew to their starting positions and waited for the Rabaroos to do the same. Once they were there, the announcer declared, "Round two!" and the bell rang.

"The Rabaroos are looking for payback and they go straight after Bolin," the commentator said as the Rabaroo Waterbender targeted him, throwing blast after blast at him. But he bent a disc up to use as a shield to deflect the blasts and it worked, giving enough time for Korra to move. "Korra comes to his defense and water-whacks Umi into Zone Two!" After that, the Ferrets had no trouble in making the others fall back into Zone Two and beyond. "The Ferrets are on fire tonight and they win Round 2."

Again the bell rang, and again they went back to their starting positions. "Round three!" cried the announcer as the bell sounded.

"With the Rabaroos down two rounds, they'll need a knockout to win," the commentator remarked. "And with the way the Fire Ferrets are playing, I don't see that happening." It was true, within seconds of the round starting; the Rabaroo Firebender and Earthbender were knocked into Zone Two "These Ferrets are working together like a well-oiled Bending machine."

With a few quick disc throws, the last Rabaroo in Zone One was not there anymore. "Bolin bashes Adi into Zone Two and the Ferrets get the green light to advance. The Rabaroos are just fighting to stay on their feet at this point."

It wasn't like that for long, as the Ferrets knocked all three of the Rabaroos back into their last Zone. "Down goes Adi, and Ula, and Umi!" the commentator announced as each one was sent back. Before they could get back onto their feet, the bell rang for the last time.

"All three rounds go to the Future Industries Fire Ferrets to win the opening match of the memorial tournament!" the announcer declared, sending the crowd into a roar of applause and cheering.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Bolin declared as he and his team cheered along with the crowd. They also were giving one another a group hug.

"Yes, way to go guys!" Arashi said as he joined them in the ring, hugging them and giving them high-fives, which they returned gleefully. But once all that was done, he walked past them and towards the defeated team, who just sat there, silently acknowledging their defeat.

The whole stadium went silent as they watched him walked towards them. He stopped at the center of the ring, right at the edge where it would turn from red to blue with a single step. The leader of the Rabaroos noticed what he was doing and went to meet him. "What do you want?" she demanded with a glare.

He simply held his hand. "Good game." She looked at the offered hand for a moment and took it in a handshake. The silence of the stadium was broken when everyone began clapping for Arashi, feeling that it was good sportsmanship and despite not being in the ring during the match, people figured that he was an official member of the Fire Ferrets.

While he shook hands, Mako and Korra were heading back into the locker room. "Wow, we were really connecting out there in that ring," Mako said to Korra as they took off their helmets.

"Yeah!" she agreed with a small blush on her cheeks. "You know, I feel like the two of us have been connecting really well _out_ of the ring, too."

He stopped putting his stuff in the locker and looked back at her. "Uh, sure," he agreed.

"So, I was thinking that we should spend some time together."

"We've been spending time together," he pointed out to her.

"I mean outside the gym, and not while searching for kidnapped family members or fighting chi-blockers," she amended.

"I don't know. Asami and I have—"

"Look, I really like you and I think we are meant for each other!" she suddenly blurted out, only to suddenly realize it and turned away to hide her face.

"Korra, I'm really sorry, but I don't feel the same way about you," he told her gently, not even looking at her as he spoke.

Her heart broke a little at those words. "Forget I said anything," she said before walking away from him.

The door to the locker room opened and Asami walked in with Pabu on her shoulder. "Congratulations, guys!" she said while walking over to Mako. "You were so amazing out there." She gave Mako a kiss on the cheek while his brother and Arashi walked back into the locker room. "And Arashi, that was very sportsmanlike of you," she told the blonde, smiling at him.

He looked away and scratched the back of his head, feeling a little embarrassed. "It's nothing, really. It's just something that my dad did at the end of each match whether he won or lost. I figured it was something worth doing."

"And I'm sure that he would be proud of you for doing that," she said approvingly.

Seeing Mako with Asami at that moment made Korra feel really awkward and she could see that he felt the same. So she turned her back and walked away from them while they went in a different direction. "So, Korra, I was thinking," Bolin said as he came up to her. "You and me, we could get some dinner together, sort of a _date_ situation." Arashi whipped his head around to look at the Earthbender at those words.

"Oh, that's sweet," Korra told the Earthbender. "But I don't think so. I don't feel very _date_-worthy."

"Are you kidding me? You're the smartest, funniest, toughest, buffest, talentdest, incrediblest girl in the world!"

"_Those last two aren't even actual words!"_ Arashi thought to himself. But Korra chuckled at them with a blush on her cheeks.

"You really feel that way about me?" she asked him.

"I felt that way since the moment I saw you! Trust me, I know we're gonna have so much fun together."

"You know what? I could use some fun. Okay, sure!" she told him.

"Yes! Who's the luckiest guy in the world? Right here, Bolin!" he cheered while fist-pumping the air. He led Korra out of the locker room while Mako and Asami were still there.

"Hey! Wait up!" Arashi called after them, running out of the locker room and going after them. He caught up with them in the hallway. "Don't leave me in there with those two. There's only so much lovey-dovey a guy can take!"

"Then you can come with us," Korra said with a grin while Bolin's faltered a little. "I'm sure that'll it be more fun with you around."

"Thanks, I'm in," he said back with his own grin.

"Perfect!" She kept walking down the hall with the two guys right behind her.

"Is this because Mako and I laughed at you?" Bolin asked Arashi in a whisper. The blonde didn't answer back.

* * *

Bolin took her and Arashi to a restaurant out in the city, leaving Naga to lounge outside the front door. The place wasn't anything like Kwong's Cuisine, it was much more relaxed. It was also done up in Water Tribe fashion and served authentic Water Tribe food. "So, how do you like it?" Bolin asked Korra as they slurped down noodles at a table next to the wall.

"It's delicious and _totally_ authentic!" she answered after swallowing the noodles in her mouth, enjoying how they tasted as they went down. "You know, I didn't realize how much I missed Water Tribe grub," she told Bolin.

"That's great, 'cause this is my favorite joint," he said to her excitedly. "See? You love Water Tribe food, I love Water Tribe food, just another reason we are so great together."

"They are great noodles!" she declared with noodles in her mouth.

"I always found them to be a bit wet and slimy," Arashi remarked from where he sat beside Bolin.

"They're supposed to be a bit wet and slimy, that's what makes them so enjoyable," she told him.

He looked at the way she was eating the noodles and then looked down at his own bowl. "If you say so," he replied. "Personally, I wouldn't have this all the time."

"You heathen, go repent," she ordered, pointing an accusing chopstick at him but with a smile on her face. He couldn't help but chuckle a little at the words. While he chuckled, she took notice of a different table on the other side of the room that was crowded with people and it was all centered on one person, a pasty-looking guy, who was looking at them. "Hey, who's that creepy guy who keeps glaring at us?"

Bolin sneaked a look and then whipped his head back around. "That's Tahno and the Wolfbats, the reigning champs, three years running," he told her. "Don't make eye contact!"

Korra ignored him and return the glare she was getting with a scowl. One of the women on Tahno's arms whispered in his ear she giggled, along with the other woman. Meanwhile, he stood up from his seat and gesture widely. The rest of the table got up and started walking towards them.

"Uh-oh, here he comes," Bolin muttered worriedly. "Now don't mess with this guy, he's a nasty dude," he warned Korra. When he noticed that the Wolfbats were closer than before, he became very interested in eating his noodles.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Fire Ferrets, Pro-bending's saddest excuse for a team," Tahno began as he reached the table with his pack. "Tell me, how did a couple of amateurs luck your way into the tournament? Especially you, Avatar," he said to Korra, mocking her title. Then he leaned closer in to her, getting into her personal space. "You know, if you'd like to learn how a _real_ pro Bends, I could give you some _private_ lessons."

She put down her chopsticks and stood up, getting in his face. "You wanna go toe-to-toe with me, pretty boy?" she challenged.

"Go for it. I'll give you the first shot," he replied with a smirk.

"Korra, don't," Bolin whispered to her. "He's just trying to bait you. If you hit him, we're out of the tournament."

She didn't say anything back to her teammate. Instead, she kept facing down the arrogant ass of a Pro-bender standing in front of her. She wanted to punch his lights out, maybe even freeze his head for a bit. But she did hear Bolin and restrained herself from doing such things. So instead, she went something with something less painful but much more humiliating for him.

Bringing her hand up to her mouth, she blew a sharp whistle right in his face. Naga burst her head through the window beside her and roared at Tahno, making him yelp and jump away from the polar bear dog. While he recovered, Arashi spoke. "Junior, go away, we're trying to eat here."

Tahno instantly whipped his head at the blonde and glared at the blonde. Arashi felt the glare on his head and looked at him. "Your dad wouldn't start fights outside of the ring. It wouldn't be very sporting of him if he did." Tahno glared some more. Then he pushed his hair back into place and motioned for his cronies to follow him, which meant they left.

Korra watched them go and then turned to the blonde. "Junior?" she repeated.

He shrugged his shoulders. "He's Tahno Jr., son of Tahno Sr., who was known in his day as the Wolf."

"And how do you know that?"

"The Wolf was the Waterbender for the Republic City Dragons," he answered. "And if there's one thing that'll make Junior deflate faster than you can blink, it's being compared to his dad."

For a moment, no one said anything. Then all three of them started to laugh as the tension that had been mounting evaporated quicker than they could've seen. "I've never seen someone harass Tahno like that," Bolin said, pointing a chopstick at Korra. "You're one of a kind, Korra."

"Of course she is, she's the Avatar," Arashi said with a slight sarcastic tone to his voice. The Avatar just leaned over and slugged him lightly in the arm. "Ow, that hurt," he said to her, rubbing the injured shoulder.

"Oh, quit complaining, you big baby. That was a love tap," she told him.

(Location: Pro-bending Arena)

Mako sat on the steps in front of the stadium, waiting for the rest of his team to arrive for their next match. Normally, he would've waited inside but after Bolin came with a very goofy looking grin on his face, the Firebender elected to have a private conversation with Korra outside of the locker room and away from Bolin and Arashi.

He saw her coming and stood up from where he was sitting. "What kind of game are you playing?" he demanded as she started going up the steps.

She stopped and looked at him with a confused look. "Uh…Pro-bending?" she answered. "We've got the quarterfinal match."

"No, I mean with Bolin. You've got him all in a tizzy and I know you're only using him to get back at me."

"I am not," she told him with a frown. "We're just having fun together." After eating at the noodles place, they all went to another joint that served some very good cocktails (which devolved into a burping contest with Arashi as the referee). And at the end of the night, Bolin had taken her up to the top of Harmony Tower, which had the most amazing view of the city she had ever had the pleasure of taking in. "What do you care, anyway?"

"I'm looking out for my little brother," Mako answered defensively. "I don't want to see his heart broken."

"Wait a second…" A sly grin appeared on her face as she thought about it all. "You're not worried about him, you're jealous! You _do_ have feelings for me!"

Needless to say, he hadn't been expecting that response. "What? Jealous?" he asked her. "Don't be ridiculous."

"Admit it! You like me."

"No, I'm with Asami."

"Yeah, but when you're with her you're thinking about me, aren't you?" she challenged.

"Get over yourself!" he told her.

"I'm just being honest!" she declared, pointing a thumb at herself.

"You're crazy!"

"You're a liar!" They stared down the other with a glare that could've either melted ice or frozen it. But before they could even continue the argument, they both remembered that they had a match to play and to win. So they turned and went into the stadium, albeit through different doors.

* * *

"Eight teams have been eliminated and eight advance into the quarter finals, which get underway tonight," the commentator said as the stadium geared up for the match that about to happen. "The rookies are about to take on the former and longest-reigning champions, Toza's and Xiu Uzumaki's former team, the Boar-q-pines. Youth clashes against experience in a battle for the ages, or rather, of the ages."

The bell rang and the match began. The Fire Ferrets quickly discovered that the Boar-q-pines were steadfast in their stances and also relentless in their attacks. The way it was going, all it would take was one mistake for them to lose ground. "Korra dodges and," the commentator remarked as the Tribeswoman cartwheeled out of the way of a disc, only to crash into Mako. "Ooh, right into her teammate!"

As it turned out, that was the mistake the Boar-q-pines needed for them to make. They pounced and struck hard. "Down goes Mako and Bolin and Korra!" the commentator announced as all three Ferrets fell back into Zone Three.

"Round one goes to the Boar-q-pines!" the ringside announcer declared as the bell rang, pointing at the team in question.

Meanwhile, the Ferrets were not having a good moment. "You were supposed to be defending while I attacked!" Mako told Korra with an accusing finger.

"I had an opening, so I took it!" she replied angrily.

"What is up with you two?" Bolin asked them both. Then he decided that he didn't want an actual answer. "All right, whatever, just pull it together, guys."

The bell rang and the match continued. "The Ferrets looking to mount some offense here in Round 2," the commentator said as he watched the match. "Bolin lets fly flurry of attacks, he's a one-man Bending battalion."

"_That's more than I can say for Mako or Korra tonight,"_ Arashi thought to himself as he watched the match play out, his hands gripping the rail tightly. Both Mako and Korra were already in Zone Two while Bolin was still in Zone One and had pushed the opposing team back into their own Zone Two.

The bell rang quickly to the people watching. "The Ferrets are having a rough time finding their rhythm tonight, but thanks to Bolin, they narrowly notch Round 2," the commentator announced for all to hear. The bell rang and the third round began. "Not sure what's eating them, but this is not the same team who took out the Rabaroos."

The commentator wasn't the only one who was seeing that rather obvious fact. Whatever synchronization the Fire Ferrets had the previous night, they didn't have this night. They were getting hit just as often as they hitting the other team. They had some level of teamwork left as they were able to fight the Boar-q-pines to a standstill, with neither one getting the edge on the other.

By the warning buzzer sounded off, signaling the end of the round without a clear win, both teams had a man in Zone Two. "Round three is a tie!" the announcer declared. "We got to a tie-breaker to decide the match!"

Both teams stood in the circle in the middle of the ring with a referee showing them both the coin that would decide who would choose how the tie-breaker would go. The coin was colored red and blue on different sides. He flicked it up into the air and then caught it, concealing it for a moment with both hands. "The Fire Ferrets win the coin toss!" he announced as he revealed the showing color of the coin to be red. "Which element do you choose?" he asked the Fire Ferrets.

"I got this!" Mako declared.

But Bolin had different ideas. "I know you usually handle these things," he told his brother with a hand on his shoulder. "But frankly, your head's not in the game. I'm gonna take this one." He stepped forward and declared, "We choose Earth!"

The rest of the teams along with the referee backed off the circle and watched as it elevated itself upward, giving the two combatants less room to move around on. "Looks like the Earthbenders will collide in the tie-breaker face-off," the commentator said as the two readied themselves to fight.

The second the bell rang, they bent up discs and threw them at the other, creating a small dust cloud. The Boar-q-pine tried to get Bolin in his chest by doing a leap kick but he just rolled out of the way. Once he regained his footing, he turned around and got in close. "Bolin goes in for the grapple," the commentator remarked before continuing with "Chang reverses."

Bolin was sent upwards into the air from the reverse, but he managed to grab hold of a disc in the process. "Bolin strikes from midair, knocking Chang to the edge of the circle," the commentator narrated as it happened. Bolin landed back in the circle, bent up two more discs and sent them right at his opponent, sending him flying out of the circle and out of the ring. "Another strike from Bolin and Chang is in the drink!"

The crowd cheered as the last bell rang and Bolin cheered. "The Future Industries Fire Ferrets win their quarterfinal match!" the announcer declared into his microphone. Both Mako and Korra were relieved to see that they had won but when they looked at each other, they scowled and looked away.

"Oh, that was a close one, folks!" the commentator remarked. "Youth triumphs experience tonight. And speaking of youth, there goes Arashi Uzumaki as he heads straight for the Boar-q-pines."

The blonde was indeed walking up to the defeated team, stopping at the center of the ring. He didn't step over the dividing line, he just waited before it. The silence dragged on as he waited for the Boar-q-pines to respond and for a moment, it looked like they wouldn't. But then, their Waterbender come up to him. "Good game," Arashi said, holding out his hand.

"Yeah, good game," the older man said, taking the hand and shaking it.

* * *

Later, after the match, Korra stood outside the stadium, looking out at the city in the distance. There was no real reason for doing it, she just wanted something to do so she could have some alone time.

Unfortunately for her, that didn't last long as Mako walked up to her. "We need to talk," he told her as he got close to her, getting her attention. "Look, sometimes you can be so infuriating. But I—"

"Save your breath," she told him, cutting him off. "You've already made it clear about you feel about me."

"No, I haven't," he replied. "What I'm trying to say is: as much as you drive me crazy, I also think you're pretty amazing."

That surprised her and it also made her turn around to look at him. "So, you _do_ like me?"

"Yes, I do. But, I like Asami, too. I don't know, things are complicated," he said, mostly to himself. "I've been feeling really confused and—"

He didn't get any further than that, mostly due to the fact that Korra came right up to him and kissed him full on the lips. It was sudden and surprised him, but then he returned it just as much as she was giving it. It stopped almost as soon as it had started. They stepped back away from each other, not saying a word (but the blushes on their cheeks spoke volumes).

But he saw a look of surprise on Korra's face; Mako turned around and saw Bolin standing there, with a bouquet of flowers in his hands, Pabu on his shoulder, and a shocked expression on his face. The expression didn't last long as it was soon replaced with tears. "Bolin, this isn't what you think!" Mako tried telling him, only to have him run off crying, the flowers left on the ground. "Great! Look what you did!" the Firebender said to Korra.

"You're blaming me?" she asked, feeling rather insulted.

"_You_ kissed me!" he said, pointing an accusing finger at her.

"_You_ kissed me back!" she replied with an accusing finger of her own. Instead of replying, he just grunted in frustration and anger. Then he turned around and went after his brother, urgency hurrying his pace along.

She watched him go, her anger fading as he did. "Well played, Korra," she told herself as he disappeared from sight, silently kicking herself. The only upside to this whole thing was that Arashi wasn't there to see it. She had a feeling that he would've started yelling at everyone.

* * *

Mako spent the rest of the night trying to find his brother. He had entertained the notion of getting Arashi to help him in the search but he had a feeling that the blonde would be a more blunt and brutal to the both of them in the process. So he decided to go at it alone, searching all of Bolin's favorite places to hang out and/or hide.

It wasn't until the sun began to rise that it hit him and he felt like an idiot for forgetting about it. The last time Bolin went into full Drama Queen Mode, he had hidden in Narook's Seaweed Noodlery, where he had gone on a food binge. Hoping that he'd make it in time, Mako quickly hurried over there.

When he got to the restaurant, he slowed down his pace and entered the restaurant at a walk. "Morning, Narook," he greeted the owner of the restaurant, returning his wave. "My brother here?" he asked and got a finger pointed at one of the tables in the back. Sure enough, there was Bolin and Pabu, asleep at the table and surrounded by a lot of bowls.

"_Oh Agni, I was too late,"_ Mako thought to himself as he looked at the damage done. "Thanks," he told Narook before heading over to the table. "Come on. Wake up. Taking you home, bro," he said to his brother, shaking his shoulder.

Bolin looked up from the bowl his head had been lying in. It was obvious that he had been crying hard while eating. "Don't call me that. You're not my brother! You're a brother betrayer!" he told Mako, throwing a weak swing him, not caring when it missed. "The only one I can trust any more is Pabu! Pabu loves me." He gestured grandly to the fire ferret, which was currently lying in a bowl with an inflated stomach.

Some one more sympathetic might've tried to comfort him, but Mako didn't have the time for it. "You're a mess, and we've got the biggest match of our lives tonight," he reminded his brother, placing his hand on his back. "Let's go."

Bolin shrugged it away instantly. "No! I'm not going anywhere with you, traitor!

"Bo, either you leave this place or I get Arashi down here so he can _help_ me get you out of here."

"I don't care anymore!"

The Firebender paused. Usually, that threat worked on both of them (Arashi being angry was a scary thing, especially when it was directed at them). "Alright, I guess we're doing this the hard way," he muttered, really not wanting to have the blonde come down. He reached out and heaved Bolin up onto his shoulders.

The Earthbender didn't struggle much as he was lifted out of his seat, only failing his legs and sobbing the word "Why?" rather loudly.

"I told you dating a teammate was a bad idea," Mako said to him.

"You're a bad idea," he replied before continuing to sob aloud. "Put me down! Put me down!" His brother ignored him and continued to haul him out of the restaurant, with Pabu following behind on his stomach.

(Location: Pro-bending Arena)

"You won't find two teams more evenly matched in age, size, and strength then the Fire Ferrets and the Buzzards Wasps," the commentator declared as he looked down at the ring where the two teams were staring down the other. "Believe me, I've looked. This should be a pulse-pounding semi-final, folks!"

The Fire Ferrets weren't so sure about that. Once they were all in the locker room, they didn't say a word to one another. Not even Arashi spoke; he just leaned against the wall and gave them all a steady look, keeping it locked on them even as they had come out to the ring. But they shouldn't focus on that at the moment, they had to try and win the match.

The bell rang and the Buzzard Wasps immediately attacked. The Fire Ferrets tried to defend, but it wasn't enough. "The Buzzard Wasps open with a flawlessly executed combo. The Fire Ferrets take an early visit to Zone Two," the commentator said as Bolin went into Zone Two last. Then Mako got hit by a blast of water, sending him back. "And Mako is knocked all the way back into Zone Three! The Fire Ferrets have been struggling to stay alive since the opening bell. All three players are totally out of synch tonight."

"_By the Spirits, even he recognizes that,"_ Arashi thought to himself as he watched the match go on. This was not the same team that wiped the floor with the Rabaroos.

Bolin was throwing discs left and right at the Buzzard Wasps, but then got one in the stomach himself. "Ooh, that has got to sting!" the commentator remarked.

Arashi saw his legs go weak and knew what was going to come next. But just because he knew it was coming didn't make it any more pleasant to watch as Bolin tore off his helmet, grasped the railing on the side of the ring, and threw up over the side. _"Eww,"_ the blonde thought at the sight.

"And Bolin loses his noodles. Literally!" the commentator announced. "Which reminds me, this match is brought to you by our sponser, Flameo Instant Noodles! Noodliest noodles in the Republic City!"

Bolin's hurling lasted long enough to make everyone feel a little nauseous at the thought of noodles. But once he was done, the Buzzard Wasps attacked and pushed him back into Zone Three. Korra was the only one left in Zone Two and she was doing everything she could to stay there. But it wasn't enough as she was sent back too. "The Buzzard Wasps advance deeper in to Ferret territory."

The Fire Ferrets instantly retaliated with their Bending but their opponents dodged or blocked their strikes easily. They focused their combos on just one person, succeeding in making him fly over the edge. "And Mako's plunges into the pool! Can the Ferrets hold on?" the commentator asked aloud. The Buzzard Wasps seemed intent on answering that question by trying to knock Korra and Bolin out of the ring, pushing them all the way back.

"The Wasps have the Ferrets backed up to the edge now…" the commentator began, only to change course when the bell rang. "And the Ferrets are bailed out by the bell! They had better pull themselves together for Round 2; otherwise they can kiss the finals good-bye."

His words were true and the Fire Ferrets knew it. They had to make a comeback. Once the bell for the second round rang, they started throwing anything and everything they had at the Buzzard Wasps, only to be met in kind. After Mako got hit and went back into Zone Two, he tried to throw some fire back at them, only to hit his brother instead.

Surprised by the move, the Earthbender fell to the ground with a pained grunt. "Hey!" he said to his brother, getting back up to look at him. "Watch it!"

Unfortunately, the opposing team took that moment to strike, hitting Bolin in the back and sending him rolling out of the ring. "The Wasps take advantage of Mako's unforced error and Bolin is in the pool!" the commentator announced. In retaliation, an annoyed Korra grabbed hold of the Wasps' Firebender with her water and started throwing her up and down. "Ooh, and a blatant hold by the Avatar!" he added.

The nearest referee blew his whistle, making her stop. "Unnecessary roughness!" he declared. "Move back one Zone!"

"I'll unnecessary rough you up!" she replied angrily, throwing some water at him. She missed, but it was enough for him to give her a warning.

"And the Avatar is slapped with the yellow fan," the commentator noted. "The Ferrets are their own worst enemy right now. It's just sad to watch." Those words couldn't have been truer and it became more painfully obvious as the second round concluded with the Wasps winning. "With the Buzzard Wasps leading two rounds to zilch, the Ferrets' only hope of winning is with a knockout."

That may have been the case, but it didn't feel like it would actually happen. Not even the Fire Ferrets themselves thought it. "Well, I guess there's always next year," Mako said in the team huddle.

Bolin nodded in agreement but Korra was the only one who stayed optimistic. "Come on!" she told the two of them. "We still have a chance, even if it's a slim one!"

"The way we're playing, we don't even deserve to be in the finals," Bolin said.

"Look, if we don't pull together and work together, we'll never forgive ourselves. Arashi won't forgive us."

She wanted her little pep talk to be inspiring, but her teammates were still dejected. "Let's just get this over with," Mako said, turning back to the center of the ring.

"The sooner, the better," Bolin agreed, following his brother. Having no other choice, Korra followed them too and slipped into a ready stance. She eyed her teammates, wondering what they were thinking but her attention snapped back to the Buzzard Wasps the second the bell rang and a disc flew at her.

Within a minute, the Fire Ferrets were at the disadvantage again. "Bolin's knocked back into Zone Two, followed quickly by his brother!" the commentator noted as the brothers regained their footing. A couple of discs were thrown at Bolin. He dodged the first, but the second caught him in the shoulder, making him cry out in pain. "And Bolin takes a zinger to the shoulder! Looks like it's a clean hit!"

Mako saw his brother kneeling at the ropes, clutching his shoulder, and tried to go to his side. "Bolin!" he cried out. But his attention was off and he paid for it by getting a blast of fire to his chest, sending him over the edge.

"Mako's in the drink and out of the match. And Bolin keeps playing with one good arm! I got to hand it to him, this kid's got grit!" the commentator announced with surprise as the Ferret Earthbender used the ropes to get back onto his feet. He was indeed using his other arm to bend discs at the Buzzard Wasps, trying to help out his remaining teammate. "But how long can he keep it up?" A disc knocked him off his feet and a blast of water sent him flying out over the edge. "Apparently not very long," the commentator remarked. "The Ferrets' dream of making it to the finals now rests in the Avatar's hands. But with three-on-one, I don't like her odds."

"_Don't tell her that,"_ Arashi thought to himself as he watched Korra ducked, dodged, and avoided each attack at her. She was determined to win.

Meanwhile, Mako offered a helping hand to his brother, who was climbing out of the pool. "Are you okay? How's your shoulder?" he asked.

Bolin groaned a little at the pain. "It's messed up pretty bad. But I think I'll be alright," he answered. The two of them went over to the elevator and stood in silence as it went upward. Truth be told, it was an awkward silence as they didn't really know what to say to one another. It was the Earthbender of the two who finally broke the silence. "Are _we_ gonna be alright?"

"Of course we are," Mako answered instantly. "We're brothers. We'll get through this mess." He paused for a moment and then said, "I'm sorry."

"Me too," his brother replied. "Girls…"

"Seriously," he agreed.

As the ring came back into view, they were treated to a sight they never would've thought could happen tonight. Korra was still in the ring and she had knocked back two of the Wasps into Zone Two. "What an unbelievable effort here by Korra!" the commentator declared. "She's dodging every element the Wasps throw at her!" More than that, she had just knocked one back into Zone Three. "The Avatar finally gains some ground, but with ten seconds remaining, it might be too little too late!"

As the elevator reached the level of the locker room, allowing Mako and Bolin to get off, Arashi griped the rail and leaned out to the ring. "Korra!" he shouted. "Line them up!"

She didn't look back at him; to look back would've been the end right then and there. Instead, she did as she was instructed. With a few quick blasts of water, she lined the Buzzard Wasps in a straight across all three Zones. Then she gathered a powerful stream of water and bent right at them, hitting the first and sending back into the second, who then crashed into the third Wasps, and they all fell into the water below.

"It's the big kibosh!" the commentator declared. "What a knockout!" the bell rang and the entire stadium went completely and absolutely nuts. It was quite possible that there wasn't a single person sitting down in their chair. "It didn't seem possible, folks, but the Fire Ferrets are going to the finals!"

Mako was happy enough to grab Bolin and lift him into the air in a hug. "Shoulder! Shoulder!" cried Bolin as he felt the pain sharpen.

"Sorry," Mako apologized as he put him down. Meanwhile, Korra had come back into the locker room and took off her helmet.

"Nice going out there, Korra," Arashi told her with a smile on his face.

"Thanks for teaching me that trick," she replied.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm sure my mom would be happy to know it was being used."

"Thanks for not giving up on us," Mako told Korra, getting her attention. "We never would have made it this far without you. I owe you, big time."

"You're welcome," she replied. For a moment, she didn't say anything and then decided to take care of the platypus-bear in the room. "So…I know things are confusing right now, but I hope we can still be friends."

"Definitely," he answered.

The door to the locker room opened and the Wolfbats walked. Tahno sniffed the air as he swaggered in and then stopped. "You boys smell something in here?" he asked his teammates. "Wait, I know what that is: yeah, that's the scent of losers and a pathetic little runt." He looked over at the Fire Ferrets smugly at those words.

All four of the Ferrets glared at him but it was Korra who spoke. "I hope we see you in the finals. Then we'll know who the losers _really_ are."

"Yeah, I'm peeing my pants over here," he replied with sarcastic nonchalance.

"And now, the defending champs, the White Falls Wolfbats!" the announcer declared as they made their way to the ring.

While she was growling at their backs, Asami came into the locker room and threw her arms around Mako. "Great job!" she told him as they hugged one another. Then she looked over at Korra. "What a comeback, Korra. I've never seen a hat trick like that."

"Thanks!" she replied. "But, if it hadn't been for you and your father, we wouldn't have had the chance to play. So thank you."

"Uh, if everyone is done with the thank you party, need some medical attention over here," Bolin said a little loudly from where he was sitting on the bench. He had taken off enough of his uniform to let his shoulder be seen.

"Ooh, let me help," Korra said, going to his side.

He felt her hands on his shoulder and the pain sharpened again. "Owww! Gah! Haven't you hurt me enough, woman?" he demanded.

She laughed a little. "Relax, I'm a healer," she told him while bending some water out from a nearby bucket. "I learned from Katara, the best there is."

"No, no," he quickly tried to protest, only to change his tune once the water began to glow and heal him. "Ooh, that's the stuff!" The pain was disappearing fast.

"Bolin, I'm sorry I hurt your feelings," she apologized while she healed him. "I didn't mean for things to get so out of hand."

"Ahh, I'll be all right," he told her. "But we had fun together, didn't we?"

"I had a great time, honestly! You're one of a kind, Bolin."

"Please, go on. I enjoy praise."

"Nice to see the three of you have come back to your senses," Arashi told the two of them along with Mako. "You damned near cost us the tournament. From now on, you guys do romance in the off-season or I find a big stick."

"Fine, Arashi," Mako said. "No need to threaten us."

"With the way you guys have been acting? Yes, I do."

"Your winner, the Wolfbats!" the ringside announcer declared as the bell rang, surprising all five of them.

Korra dropped the water when she heard that. "What? How is it over already?" she demanded, getting up from where she was sitting and going to the rail. The Wolfbats were there in the ring, but she couldn't see their opponents.

"With a brutal Round 1 knockout, the defending champs secure their spot in the finals," the commentator announced. "I hope the Ferrets know a good doctor, 'cause they're going to need one!"

The Ferrets only watched in silence as they saw the Wolfbats take in the applause and faintly see the opposing team be taken away from the stadium on stretchers. But out of all of them, only Arashi was frowning as he watched.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

I always found Tahno to be a smug asshole early (and personally, I never did understand why anyone would want to pair any of the cast with him) and I wanted to have something that would make him deflate and pierce his ego at the same. Being compared to your more successful dad when you're in the same work as him will do it.

No, this won't be a Korra/Arashi story. With Korra, I'm sticking to canon (because it works so well) and I've got something planed for Arashi, something that his grandfather might not be fine with.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	6. Challenges and surprises

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 6: Challenges and surprises

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Pro-bending Arena)

While music played from the radio on the table, the three Fire Ferrets were hard at work, practicing their Bending skills in anticipation for that night. It was the finals and they were going up against the champions. They needed to be at the top of their game and have that perfect synch they had during the match against the Rabaroos.

And for Korra, it felt like they were getting just that back. Earlier when they were practicing moving between offense and defense with one another, they were able to do it perfectly without crashing into one another. Now, they were just taking out pictures of Tahno with their Bending, something to give them the extra feel.

"You are listening to the 'Music Hour,'" the radio host announced. "Brought to you by Cabbage Corp, Republic City's trusted name in technology for over fifty years."

Arashi, who was standing next to the radio watching the others practice, just gave the radio a look. "If that's the case, why do they keep getting out paced by Future Industries?" he asked aloud.

The other three didn't really bother to answer him on that. "Man, I got a good feeling about tonight," Korra declared as she stopped practicing. "I don't care if we are the underdogs. We can take those pompous Wolfbats."

"It's gonna be our toughest match ever, but I think you're right," Mako agreed as he stopped too and took off his helmet.

"Introducing your new champions, the fantastic Fire Ferrets!" declared Bolin, imitating the ringside announcer they all knew, as he gave Mako a fierce hug.

Arashi laughed a little at the antics of the Earthbender. "Nice imitation there, Bo," he said.

"Thank you," Bolin said with a little bow.

All of a sudden, the music on the radio turned into static and then, a familiar voice began to speak. "Good morning, citizens of Republic City. This is Amon." The four of them stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the radio. Both Korra and Arashi looked at it with shock and felt a chill running up their spines, but Arashi that old demanding need to know boiling up again.

"I hope you all enjoyed last night's Pro-bending match, because it will be the last," he continued. "It's time for this city to stop worshipping Bending athletes as if they were heroes. I am calling on the Council to shut down the Bending Arena and cancel the finals, or else there will be severe consequences."

His voice faded into static and the radio quickly went dead. But Mako, Bolin, Korra, and Arashi were not scared by what they had heard. Instead, they were mad. "That guy's got some nerve," Bolin said.

"You think the Council will give in?" Mako asked Korra.

"I'm not waiting to find out," she replied. "We need to get to City Hall."

(Location: City Hall)

They made good time getting over to City Hall and Korra led the charge into the council room, pushing the doors open loudly. "Korra, you shouldn't be here," Tenzin told her from where he sat at the council table, standing up from his seat. "This is a closed meeting."

"As the Avatar and a Pro-bender, I have a right to be heard," she replied as she and the rest of the Fire Ferrets came forward. "You can't cancel the finals."

"I know winning the memorial tournament means a lot to you," he said. "But as far as I'm concerned, we need to shut the Arena down."

"What about the rest of you?" she asked, looking at the rest of the Council, specifically the Northern Water Tribe representative. "Tarrlok, there's no way you're backing down from Amon, right?"

"Actually, Tenzin and I agree for once," Tarrlok answered, standing up from his chair as well.

"The Council is unanimous," Tenzin declared. "We're closing the Arena."

"No!" Mako said.

"You can't!" Bolin protested.

Korra was surprised at Tarrlok for hearing his answer. "I-I don't understand. I thought you, of all people, would take a stand against Amon."

"While I am still committed to bringing that lunatic to justice, I will _not_ put innocent lives at stake just so you and your friends can play a game."

"It's more than just a game!" Arashi shouted at him, stepping forward so they could all see him. "It's about honoring my dad, a man who deserves to be honored. My dad was someone who did great things for this city and this republic. But before he became a Councilman, he was a Pro-bender and a damn good one at that! He brought in millions of people into the sport and he never once forgot those that came to cheer him and the other teams on! You lot made this tournament so he could be honored and now you're closing it on the night of the final because a guy in a mask told you too? You can't do that! You shame my father's memory if you do!"

Some of the Council began to look at one another, but Tarrlok remained firm. "While I appreciate that you remember your father, Arashi, you're ignoring the reality of the situation," he told the blonde.

"The reality is that if you close the Arena, you let Amon win!" Korra protested.

"Yes, exactly what she said!" Bolin agreed, pointing at her. "Yes!"

"I'm sorry, but our decision has been made." He picked his gavel. "This meeting is adjourned."

But before he could swing the gavel down, a metal cable flew out of the doorway and struck it, breaking off the head and surprising him. All heads turned to see Lin Beifong standing at the door. "I can't believe I'm saying this," she said as she retracted the cable. "But I agree with the Avatar."

"You do?" Tarrlok asked her.

"Yeah, you do?" Korra asked as well, showing a lot more surprise in her voice.

"I expected this kind of cut-and-run from Tenzin," Lin said, getting no reaction from the Airbender. "But the rest of you?" she asked, looking at the Council. "Come on, show a little backbone. It's time that the Benders of this city displayed some strength and unity against these Equalists."

"We must prevent the conflict from Benders and Non-Benders from escalating into all-out war!" Tenzin protested. "The Council is not changing its position, Lin."

"Now just a moment, Tenzin," Tarrlok said to him. "Let us hear what our esteemed Chief of Police has in mind." All eyes turned to her at those words (although Tenzin threw his hands up in the air before doing so).

"If you keep the Arena open, my Metalbenders and I will provide extra security during the championship match," Lin told them all from where she stood beside the Fire Ferrets. "There's no better way to deal with the chi-blockers. Our armor is impervious to their attacks."

"Are you saying that you will _personally_ take responsibility for the safety of the spectators in the arena?" he asked in such a way that Tenzin looked at him with a suspicious look.

"I guarantee it," she answered.

"It is hard to argue against Chief Beifong's track record. If she is confident her elite officers can protect the Arena, than she has my support. I am changing my vote. Who else is with me?" he asked the Council. Tenzin was the only one who kept his hand down. "The Arena stays opened. Good luck in the finals," he told the Fire Ferrets.

When they heard that news, they were pumped. "All right!" cheered Bolin as he jumped up and down.

"Yeah!" said Mako as he fist-pumped the air.

"Thank you!" Korra said to them all. Arashi was the only who didn't say anything or did anything. Instead, he just looked rather grateful towards the Chief of Police.

"And good luck to you, Chief Beifong," Tarrlok said to her.

She didn't say anything in response, which prompted Tenzin to walk towards her. "A word please," he said as he passed her, heading for the door. She turned and followed him outside into the corridor. Once they were a good distance away, he began talking. "Tarrlok's playing you and I don't want to see you get hurt."

"I know what I'm doing and the risks that come with it," she replied.

"In that case, I'm going to be by your side during the match."

"You don't need to babysit me," she told him with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"It's for Korra and Arashi, I want to make sure that they stay safe."

She threw up her hands in angry surrender. "Do what you want! It's not like I've ever been able to stop you before."

From out of nowhere, Arashi appeared and wrapped himself around her waist. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" he said at a fast speed, surprising both adults. "Thank you so much for doing that!"

"Uh, sure," she replied, not really sure how to handle an excited Arashi (she usually dealt with annoyed, sarcastic, or angry Arashi). "It wasn't any trouble, kid."

"Thank you for making sure that the tournament stays open!" he told her still hugging her tightly.

She just shot Tenzin a look that screamed for help. He wanted to say something in reply, perhaps even smirk at her. But she plainly needed help and he would oblige her. "Alright, Arashi, you can stop hugging her now," he told the blonde. "She has work to do and you are stopping her from doing it."

"Oh, right! Sorry!" he instantly apologized, breaking his hug and stepping away from her.

Then Korra appeared, approaching the group. "Excuse me, Chief Beifong," she said to the older woman. "I wanted to thank you for your help."

"Too late, kid, he beat you to it," she said, cutting her off while gesturing to Arashi. Before the Tribeswoman could continue, she walked off.

Korra watched as she disappeared from sight. "What is her deal?" she asked Tenzin. "Even when she's on my side, she's against me!"

"I've known Lin since we were children," Tenzin told her. "She's always been…challenging."

Arashi looked up at him. "Were you thinking of another word there?" he asked, having calmed down somewhat.

"No," he answered immediately.

"What did your father do to make her hate the Avatar so much?" Korra wondered aloud.

"My father and Lin got along famously," the Air Nomad said to her. "I'm afraid her issues…are with me." He turned his head away somewhat as he said those words.

Something about those words reminded Korra of what Pema had said before about how she and Tenzin got together. "Wait a second, it all makes sense now!" she said with a gasp of surprise. "You and Beifong, Beifong and you!" she told Tenzin, pointing in different ways.

"Speak normally, would you?" Arashi demanded, clearly confused. "What are you talking about?"

"They were a couple!" she told him, pointing at Tenzin.

"What?!" shouted both Tenzin and Arashi, one a little louder than the other.

"How—" Tenzin began, looking around to see if they were alone. "Where did you get that idea?"

"Your wife," she answered.

"Criminy!" he muttered. "I'll have to have a word with her."

Feeling rather smug about her realization, she folded her arms and looked right at him. "So…Pema stole you from Beifong. I'm surprised our 'esteemed Chief of Police' didn't throw her in jail."

"That does sound like something she would do," Arashi acknowledged.

"Oh, she tried," Tenzin told them both.

"She 'tried'?" the blonde asked. To him, either you were thrown in jail or you weren't. There was no trying.

"It's a long story," he replied. "Anyway, Pema didn't _steal_ me, Lin and I had been growing apart for some time. We both had different goals in li—" He suddenly stopped as he realized that he was about to share a part of his life story. "Why am I even telling you two this?"

"You started talking?" Arashi offered.

The Airbending master gave him a look. "It all happened a long time ago and we moved passed it."

"Hm, apparently, Beifong hasn't," Korra remarked, still feeling smug.

"What do you…" he tried to say, only to stammer off into confusion. Then he regained his composure and declared, "Of course she has! Anyway, this is none of your business!" He turned around and started walking away from the two kids.

But the Tribeswoman couldn't resist getting one last shot in at him. "See you at home, Mr. Heartbreaker!" she called after him, chuckling at the end of the sentence.

"You know you're going to pay for that the next time you're training, right?" Arashi asked her.

"No, I won't," she replied confidently. "Anyway, we've got something more important to be concerned about." He nodded in agreement. The final match was back on and they needed to stay focused.

(Location: Pro-bending Arena)

The water was filled with boats and the sky was filled with airships, all bearing the emblem of the Police. They were manning the perimeter if an attack came from the outside in the form of an assault. Inside, the cops were looking through the entire darkened stadium with flashlights, checking everything and anything there. One by one, all search groups checked in and one by one, they all gave the same report: nothing found.

"All clear, Chief!" one of the cops called up to Lin once he had all the reports.

Lin was standing in front of an entrance into the stadium, watching all of her men do their jobs. Nodding once in acknowledgement, she signaled the nearest of them to take their positions. "How is the security sweep going?" Tenzin asked as he walked up beside her.

"Fine," she answered quickly.

"They checked underneath the stands?"

"Yes."

"And you have enough officers to cover all points of entry?"

She turned her head to look at him pointedly. "I've got the skies, the bay, and every nook and cranny of this place covered," she told him. Then she turned her head back around. "Now leave me alone and let me do my job."

He had a look of sadness on his face from those words for a brief moment, thinking about how things used to be. "Lin, with so much on the line it would be nice if we could help each other out, at least for one night."

"Like old times?" she asked after a moment of silence and a softened expression. There, she didn't look like the Chief of Police. She looked like his old friend.

"Like old times," he agreed.

He blinked and there was the Chief again. "Okay, I'll try to be less abrasive than usual."

It wasn't much, but he would take what he could get. "I would appreciate that."

"Tenzin, do we know if he'll be coming in?"

He looked at her for a moment, unsure of what she was talking about. Then he realized what she meant. "I am not sure. Neither I or Arashi have gotten anything telling us that he would be coming in."

She frowned at those words. "I would've expected him to do so. This is his son's memorial tournament. Where did he run off to this time anyway?"

"I am not sure." Where Lord Naruto always disappeared to was a mystery to all who knew him. The last time he had vanished, it was for the better half of a year and he was found to be living in the slums of the Northern Water Tribe capital, apparently trying to find out some sort of information.

"Has Arashi been told he might not be coming?"

"I think Arashi does not have his hopes up for his grandfather appearing for the match."

She frowned even harder. "Someone needs to have a talk with that man."

"Do not look at me to do it, Lin," he told her, a trace of fear showing in his face and his voice. "I still remember what happened after he lost most of his family with a clarity I wish I didn't have."

"You think you're the only one? We both had to help making sure that people got out of those buildings safely before they collapsed." She suppressed a shudder at the memories. They were something that probably could've been avoided if one politician hadn't been so greedy. _"Damn you, Jian,"_ she thought to herself. They had all knew that he had been somehow responsible for Sozin's death, but they could never prove it. That was what caused Lord Naruto to act.

* * *

An hour later, the lights in the stadium were on and the stands surrounding the ring were full of people ready to watch the finals. "The anticipation is palpable as we are just moments away from the championship match," the commentator announced for all those who couldn't be in the stadium and were listening to a radio. "Will the Wolfbats' ferocity help them repeat as champs? Or will the underdog Fire Ferrets serve up a surprising bowl of smackdown soup?"

"Gah, I wish he wouldn't talk about soup," Korra grumbled to Mako as they waited in the locker room. "He's going to make me hungry."

"Don't think about it," he told her.

"Gee, you think?" she asked sarcastically.

"You've been hanging around Arashi too much." He looked over at Bolin. "You ready, bro?"

Bolin ignored his brother, instead focusing on Pabu, who was sitting on the ground and wearing his uniform. "Now, I know there's a large crowd but don't be nervous," the Earthbender told the ferret. "You're gonna to great. I believe in you."

Mako turned his head away. "He's ready," he said to Korra.

She briefly acknowledged those words but didn't pay any attention to them. She was busy staring at the ring and waiting for the match to begin. She was tense and excited, wanting to get the show on the road. She hadn't felt like that since she wanted to start training in Airbending (or start a new element, period). But as she waited, she noticed something and once she noticed it, she looked around to make sure that she wasn't wrong. "Hey, where's Arashi?" she asked Mako.

He looked at her and then around the room, same as she did. "I don't know," he answered. "I would've thought he'd be here by now."

The lights in the stadium went dark and spotlights began to dance around in the ring. The center circle came up, along with the ringside announcer in an exaggerated pose and someone else. "Ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer shouted into the microphone as the spotlights focused on the two of them. "Presenting the son of Sozin Uzumaki, I give you Arashi!" He gestured grandly to the person beside him, which was Arashi.

Amidst the polite clapping he received, the blonde took the microphone from the announcer. "I know you guys didn't come here to see me," he said so all could hear. "You came here to see who won the tournament, the son of the Wolf or the students of the Phoenix. So I will try to keep this short."

"The Phoenix?" asked Korra as all three of the Ferrets watched from the rails. "Who's that?"

"That's what they called Sozin," Mako answered her.

She gave him a look. "They were the Republic City Dragons and no one called one of them a dragon?"

"Yeah," he said.

"That's weird."

"The first sport my dad ever took me to see was a Pro-bending match when I was four," Arashi began, bringing the attention back to him. "I can't remember the teams that were playing but I could remember the excitement and energy that the crowd gave. I was swept in it so much that I screamed just as loud as they did without ever really understanding the game that was being played. But we kept going back to see more games and I understood more of it and I enjoyed it more. When I told my dad that I wanted to be like him when I grew up, he smiled and told me, 'Then you will have to be a Pro-bender first. You think you can handle it?' I told him, 'You could.'"

The crowd laughed at those words, for they were a little funny. Arashi waited for the laughter to stop before going on. "My dad always said that he was still working on being a great man, so he'd settle for being a good one for now. But to me, he was a great man and to many others as well. He left his career as a Pro-bender and became a politician, eventually becoming one of the Council and doing all that he could to help bring peace to this city." For those who were sharp of eye, they would've seen tears start to well up his eyes. "To…to lose him the way I did, along with my mother and my grandmother, was nothing short of a crime that can't ever be answered." His voice was cracking with emotions he had kept under tight control. But then he closed his eyes, took a breath, and continued. "But my dad always told me that he didn't want to be mourned after he died. Rather, he wanted to be celebrated."

He looked up at the crowd, turning his head and his body all around so he could see all the people there. "So, I don't want a moment of silence from you all in his honor. Instead, to honor my dad, I want you to stamp your feet, bang your hands together, and shout your voice hoarse. I want you to honor my dad with all the noise you can muster!" He lifted the microphone high and shouted for all to hear, "To Sozin Uzumaki, the Phoenix, one of the greatest Pro-benders and Councilmen Republic City ever had, and my father!"

The entire stadium responded in kind with a virtual avalanche of applause and cheering. Even the police guarding the event joined in honoring the man. Later, it would be said that the noise was so loud that it could be heard all across the bay and the building itself vibrated with the noise. Arashi stood in the ring, looking at all the people who were drowning him in noise, and just took it all in.

Once the noise had died away, he handed the microphone back to the announcer. "Thank you for the speech, Arashi," he said to the blonde. "But let's get to the match! Introducing the challengers, the Future Industries Fire Ferrets!" he announced for all to hear and the applause started up again.

The Ferrets took it in just as much as their blonde friend had done as they approached the ring, waving to the crowd. Asami, who was sitting in a private booth alongside her father, caught Mako's eye and sent him a kiss. He winked at her and sent her one in return, which made Korra want to gag.

As they entered the ring proper, Bolin looked at the mascot on his shoulder. "You're on, Pabu," he whispered. The ferret hopped down to the ring, landing on his front paws. He walked around for a couple of seconds, and then did some backflips, twice through a disc Bolin had bent up, and then landed on one paw.

"Yes! Nailed it!" exclaimed Bolin as they got polite clapping from the audience. "He's so talented," he whispered to his teammates.

The lights suddenly went out. "And their opponents, the three timed defending champions, the White Falls Wolfbats!" cried the announcer, pointing to the other side of the ring.

Tahno and the others Wolfbats appeared in full-on costumes, wearing Wolfbat heads and capes designed like wings. Throwing the capes back to show the wings, they howled to the crowd amidst fanfare and fireworks. While their fans and some neutral members of the crowd were impressed by the display, others weren't.

"They got nothing on us, buddy," Bolin told Pabu while scratching him. "Anyone can howl." To prove his point, he howled a little but it sounded rather pathetic compared to the Wolfbats. "Whatever," he decided.

Tahno took his mask and cape off dramatically, making Korra scowled at him. "I'm gonna knock Tahno's _stupid_ hair off his _stupid_ face!" she promised, pounding her fist into the other hand.

Mako looked over at her. "Is that a direct line from Bird Flight?" he asked her. She didn't answer.

As the two teams came to the center line, Arashi took Pabu off of Bolin's hands and placed the ferret on his own shoulder. "Keep it clean and fair, guys," he told the two teams.

"Ah, beat it, brat," Tahno told him arrogantly. The blonde scowled at him, but walked away.

"The champs and the challengers face off at the center line and here we go!" the commentator declared as the bell rang and the Wolfbats charged forward. "Tahno tries to clean the Avatar's clock with some dirty water boxing," he remarked as Korra backed off to avoid a water-enhanced fist to the face. Tahno struck again with a blast and sent her backwards into Zone Two.

Mako tried going after Earthbender, but with no success. "Ming shakes off Mako's attack and returns the favor." The Wolfbat threw three discs at Mako. The Firebender tried to block them and hold his ground but the third one sent him over the line as well, leaving his brother the only one in Zone One. "Shaozu gets fancy," the commentator remarked as the Wolfbat Firebender flipped into the air to avoid an attack. "But Bolin ricochets a disk off the ropes and says 'No thank you, sir!'"

The aforementioned disc slammed into Shaozu's back as he landed and sent him crashing into the other side of the ring and fall to the ground. "Nice shot!" Mako told his brother as their fans cheered.

Tahno, on the other hand, saw his teammate go down and decided to retaliate. "The Waterbenders slug it out, looking evenly matched," said the commentator as Tahno and Korra dueled. But then the Wolfbat of the two Benders suddenly changed targets. "Tahno gets a little too worked up and unleashes a deluge on Bolin that would certainly elicit a foul."

As Bolin fell back to Zone Three, everyone was waiting for the referee to blow his whistle and call a foul. But instead, the Wolfbats got the green light to advance. "Or apparently not," the commentator remarked as the Ferret fans booed.

"What's the big idea, ref?" Mako shouted up at the referee. "That was a hosing foul!" But he just waved it off.

"And the Wolfbats advance despite Tahno exceeding the Waterbending time limit. A questionable call by the officials," declared the commentator as the match continued. "Ming trips up Mako with another dirty trick." The Wolfbat Earthbender did bend a disc upward but not one on his side of the ring. Instead, he bent it up from the Ferrets' side, right under Mako's foot. It offset the Firebender's balance and he pounced on that, sending him flying back to Zone Three with another disc.

While the Ferrets fans booed, Tenzin looked annoyed. "Oh come on, refs!" he shouted. "There was some funny business in that last play!"

"Wouldn't have guessed you knew the rules of Pro-bending," Lin remarked with an amused tone.

Realizing that he had acted like that in front of her, he cleared his voice and tried to regain his composure. "I've been brushing up, he explained to her. "That Wolfbat blatantly bent a disc outside of his zone."

"The Ferret brothers are back up into Zone Three and the Wolfbats smell blood," the commentator remarked as the Wolfbats pressed their advantage. Tahno went in low with Shaozu right behind him, throwing water onto the ring floor at Bolin, who did a little hop to avoid it. But when he landed, he found that the water had turned into ice and he slipped. That was when Shaozu struck and hit him with a blast of fire that sent him over the edge. "Looks like Tahno snuck in an illegal icing move but once again there's no call. I don't know what match the refs are watching, but its obviously not this one."

Now down a member, both Korra and Mako tried to hold onto to their Zone Two. But as Korra tried to block a disc from Ming, Tahno struck with a blast of water. "Ooh, a splash-and-clash sends the Avatar to Zone Three as well," the commentator announced as the Wolfbats advanced again. They all threw their bending at Korra, intent on getting her out. Mako saw this and stood in their path, trying to block it all with his own Bending abilities.

But it didn't work and it sent them both over the edge. "It's a knockout!" the commentator announced as the bell rang and the Wolfbats began taking in the applause of the audience, turning their backs to the edge of the ring. "The Wolfbats win the championship for a fourth year in a—" He came to abrupt halt when he realized something. "Hold on a second, folks! Scratch that! The Ferrets are still alive but just barely."

He was referring to the fact that instead of being in the water like Bolin, Mako was being held by the color by Korra and Korra was still holding onto the ring with her other hand. Knowing full well that her grip was about to go, she tried to get Mako back into the ring. When pulling him straight up didn't work, she began swinging him back and forth to get some momentum. Once he had it, she threw him upwards while falling to the water below.

Mako landed back in Zone Three and, taking advantage of the turned backs of the opposing team, bent a blast of fire right at Tahno, sending back into Zone One. All three Wolfbats looked back at him shock. He was supposed to be in the water and this was supposed to be a Round 1 knockout. But clearly, it wasn't either of those things. "What an unbelievable move! These Ferrets aren't just bending the elements, they're bending my mind!" the commentator declared while Mako winked at Tahno, who was twitching in his eyes. "The underdogs survive to see Round Two."

As the teams got back to their starting positions, the Fire Ferrets called a timeout for a last minute huddle. This gave Arashi a chance to look at Tahno with disbelief and anger in his eyes. _"Tahno, you promised!"_ he thought to himself. While Mako had gone looking for Bolin before the semifinal match, he had gone looking for the Wolfbats and made Tahno promise that he would play fairly. And now, he was blatantly breaking that promise! The worst part was that there was nothing the blonde could do about it!

Meanwhile, the Ferrets had a different concern. "What's wrong with these refs?" Korra demanded in a hushed voice so the Wolfbats wouldn't overhear them.

"They've been paid off," Mako replied. "It's the only explanation. Someone wants us to lose."

"If the Wolfbats are gonna fight dirty, then so should we."

"No, we can't!" he told her. "The refs have it out for us. If we're gonna win this thing, it has to be fair and square."

She was disappointed and she made it obvious. "That's no fun but… all right."

"Round two!" cried the ringside announcer as the bell sounded and the match began again.

"The opening salvo is a brutal call as both sides give it their all," the commentator said as they fought. After Korra blocked a blast of water from Tahno, she tried to move to attack. But when she found that her foot wouldn't move she looked down to see that it was covered in ice. "But once again, Tahno sneaks in a little ice to get the upper hand." He sent her flying back to Zone Two.

Meanwhile, Mako was going after Ming with blasts of fire, which he defended with a disc. Seeing that his teammate was in trouble, Shaozu went after Mako. "Wowzers!" the commentator cried as he watched the return fire make Mako jerk his head one way and then other. "Those look like illegal headshots to me!"

Whether they were illegal or not, the referees didn't seem to see them. Because of that, Shaozu pressed his advantage and pushed Mako back into Zone Two. Other than that, there weren't any illegal moves. The Wolfbats must've been confident about their ability to win. By the time the bell rang, that ability was in doubt. "Round two will be decided with a tie-breaker!" the ringside announcer announced.

They gathered at the center circle while the referee in charge of the coin flipped it. When he caught it, it was red. "The Fire Ferrets win the coin toss!" he announced to the stadium before asking the Ferrets, "Which element do you choose?"

"I'm taking this one," Korra told her teammate as she came forward. "Let's go! You and me, pretty boy!" she challenged Tahno.

"Thought you'd never asked," he replied confidently. They both stood on the circle while the others backed off. As the circle rose up into the air and became its own platform, they took their stances and began pacing against each other. "Come on, little girl," he told her cockily. "Give me your best shot."

Scowling ever so slightly, she bent a blast of water at him with a punch. He dodged it with ease and would've retaliated, except for the fact that he also got hit in the face from another blast. Korra had done a one-two combo with a punch and then a kick, getting him right when he wasn't expecting it. As he fell off the platform, there was the added bonus of his helmet flying off too.

"Hmph, chump," Korra declared smugly as the platform came back down and she looked at Tahno lying there like an idiot.

"Round two goes to the Fire Ferrets!" the ringside announcer declared while she got off the platform and went back to her teammates.

"Nice one," Mako said to her as they high-fived one another.

"That's the stuff," Bolin told her. "You're my herooo-ah!"

"We might actually win this thing!"

"Then let's keep going!" Korra told the two of them.

The Wolfbats, on the other hand, were having less than savory thoughts. As his teammates helped him back onto his feet, Tahno shook them off and glared furiously at the opposing team. This was his ring; no one disrespects him like that in his own ring! "Let's send them to a watery grave!" he declared. His teammates grinned at those words, knowing full well what he meant.

Lin just watched the tie-breaker happen from where she stood in the stands. "I can't believe your sweet-tempered father was reincarnated into that girl," she remarked to Tenzin while mentally comparing the two Avatars. "She's tough as nails."

"Reminds me of someone else I knew at that age," Tenzin replied, casting a look at her. "You two might get along if you would only give her a chance." She just averted her eyes and snorted in response.

"One round apiece: who wants it more?" asked the commentator as the Fire Ferrets and the Wolfbats stared each other down in anticipation for the third and final match once Tahno got a replacement helmet. When the bell rang, the Wolfbats attacked viciously. "The Wolfbats fly out of the gate, swinging with bad intention. The challengers are showing a lot of heart but the champs are really starting to find their rhythm now. Can the Ferrets hang in there with the best, especially when the best are _frankly_ getting a little help from the refs? It's all down to this final round!"

The Ferrets were definitely trying to push back the Wolfbats but they seemed to block or brush aside every attack that came at them. It also didn't help that they had confident smirks on their faces that were just begging to be punched off. "Mako is leaving it all in the ring," the commentator remarked as the Ferret Firebender went after Shaozu. "But it looks like Tahno and Ming are up to more shenanigans!"

The Wolfbat Earthbender had bent up a disc and then moved it behind his back, completely shattering it. Tahno was waiting right behind him and covered the shattered disc in water. Then he moved and threw the water at the Ferrets, right at their heads. It was a blatant and illegal move that was done right in front of the referees, but they did nothing as the water-encrusted rocks struck the Fire Ferrets hard and sent them flying over the edge. "Oh, this is going too far!" the commentator protested. "That water had rocks in it!"

The majority of the crowd began to boo loudly, even when the referee began to say, "Knock—!"

"Wolfbats, illegal moves!" shouted the referee on the other side. "Mixing elements and illegal headshots! You're out!"

The Wolfbats, along with the rest of the crowd, swung their heads to look at the referee. The odd thing was that they were not the same referees who had been there at the beginning of the match and she also wasn't wearing the official referee uniform, just some medallion around her neck.

"What the hell are you talking about, woman?" Tahno shouted out at her.

"You're disqualified! The Fire Ferrets win the memorial tournament!"

"Well, folks, I can't tell you what's going exactly," the commentator began. "But it looks like that there's a disagreement between the referees. One is saying that the Wolfbats win and the other is saying that they're disqualified. I don't think we're going to get a definitive answer for a little while, so just hang tight."

"Do you have any idea of who that referee is?" Tenzin asked Lin.

"No, I can't see her from here, same as you," she remarked.

"Well, I hope they make the right decision." He turned back to look at the ring, only to pause and then look back at Lin. Someone was standing right behind her, someone with a hood over their head, a mask covering the bottom of their face emblazoned with the symbol of the Equalists, and some type of glove on his head. "Look out!" he tried to warn Lin, only to be a second too late. The Equalist went up to her and struck her with his gloved hand. Electrical currents began flowing out of the hand and through her, shocking her into unconsciousness. Tenzin blasted the attacker away with his Bending, but was struck in the back by another Equalist with the same kind of glove.

They weren't the only ones who were being attacked. The police officers who were watching the game from the entrances were being attacked from behind, unable to react in time to avoid being struck. They had been on the lookout for chi-blockers, but this was something else entirely. If anything, it was made worse by the fact they were wearing metal, which conduct electricity.

Meanwhile, Korra and her teammates surfaced from the water, catching their breaths and taking off their helmets. Tahno's dirty move had hit them hard. As they treaded water for a second, they looked up at the stadium and saw arcs of lightning dancing all around. "What?" Korra tried asking, unsure of what was going on.

The sound of something landing on the ground nearby made the three of them turn their attention to the underside of the ring. Standing there, right before them, was the Lieutenant holding his clubs aloft. Korra realized instantly what he was going to do and tried to bend a spear of water at him. But he had electrified his clubs and stuck them in the water, making the spear collapsed as Korra, Mako, and Bolin were shocked into unconsciousness, screaming as they went.

"Folks, there is some kind of electrical disturbance in the stands," the commentator reported through the microphone. "Metalbender cops are dropping like bumbleflies! There appear to be masked members of the audience wielding strange devices on their hands." To those who were listening to him through the radio, they heard the sound of the door opening. "One of them is in the booth with me right now, folks! He is leveling one of those glove devices at me now and I believe he is about to electrocute me. I am correctly wetting my pants!" What came next was the sound of electricity discharging.

The Wolfbats, still standing in the ring, could only look around at the stadium in confusion, not sure of what was happening. Then the sound of the center circle coming up made them turn around and see Amon standing there with Equalists at his side. "What's going on here, ref?" Tahno demanded, looking at the referee he knew while also beginning to back up.

"I don't know!" he shouted back. Oddly enough, the other referee didn't say anything. She just watched.

The Equalists began walking towards them, making them back up even further. Tahno saw what they were doing and despite his nervousness, stood his ground and put on an air of confidence. "Alright, you want a piece of the Wolfbats?" he asked Amon. "Here it comes!" He took his stance and quickly threw a wave of water at the leader of the Equalists. His teammates followed suit and attacked.

The Equalists did nothing except dodge the attacks that might've gotten close to them. But Amon dodged all attack and darted forward, seemingly going for the leader of the Wolfbats. When he was about to reach Tahno, the Waterbender tried to blast his face off with a stream of water. Instead, he ducked and changed course, going after Shaozu instead. The Firebender tried to get him but instead Amon grabbed him by the shoulder and tossed him to the ground. That was when his subordinates acted; throwing bolas at the Wolfbats, tying their hands and feet together and making them fall to the ground.

As the Equalists dragged the captured Pro-bending team in front of Amon, Tahno could only watch in growing horror as the leader of the Equalists laid his hands on his teammates. "Wait, please don't do this!" he began to beg. "I'll give you the championship pot. I'll-I'll give you anything, just please don't take my Bending away!"

But as he begged, Amon raised his hand and then laid it on his forehead, making his eyes go wide and his body fall still while a strangled gasp escaped his lips. He fell to the floor, unconscious, while Amon stood triumphantly over his body. His part done, the Equalists members at his side took hold of the Wolfbats, dragged them to the edge, and threw them over into the water. Equalists' banners hung above the stands, showing their symbol proudly. They were there and they had taken control.

While people were being held in place in the stands, those in the private booths were relatively untouched. Arashi had been sitting in the same booth as Asami and her father. When he saw Amon appear, he came to his feet in an instant. "Arashi, what's wrong?" Hiroshi asked him, sounding concerned.

He didn't answer; he just turned and ran for the door. "Arashi!" shouted Asami. He ignored her. There was only one thing on his mind right now: finding his sister and he knew that somehow, Amon knew where she was.

He tore through the corridor, intent on getting to the locker room and onto the ring. Everything around him faded away into a tunnel vision, letting him only see his destination. That was why when a foot knocked his feet out from under him and sent him falling to the ground, he didn't realize it until he was looking right at the floor.

But having fallen down didn't stop him. He got right back up and started to run again, only to have an iron-like grip grab hold of his shoulder and keep him where he was. "Let me go!" he demanded, trying to break free.

"Now, is that any way to greet someone you know?" the voice belonging to the hand asked him conversationally. The blonde froze in place. He did know that voice, but he didn't expect him to be here.

Meanwhile, the Lieutenant was dragging the Fire Ferrets out of the water to the underside of the ring, to one of the support columns. Korra was the last one to be dragged and she was barely conscious. All she could see was the Lieutenant dragging her.

Her eyes felt heavy and she closed them. Then, she didn't see darkness, but visions. Visions of Aang and Toph standing together with Metalbenders at their back, visions of Aang sitting behind a confident looking man, and visions of Aang being in the Avatar State, bending the air around him as he hovered over the same man in a street. _"What…?"_ was all she could think as she felt her back against the column.

"I believe I have your attention, Benders of Republic City," Amon announced, holding the microphone of the ringside announcer. "So, once again the Wolfbats would have been your Pro-bending champions. It's fitting that you celebrate three bullies who cheated their way to victory because every day, you threaten and abuse your fellow Nonbending citizens just like the Wolfbats did to their opponents tonight. Those men were supposedly the best in the Bending world and yet it only took a few moments for me to cleanse them of their impurity. Let this be a warning to all of you Benders out there: if any of you stand in my way, you will meet the same fate."

A shocked gasp rippled through the crowd in the stands at the threat, but he continued speaking. "Now, to my followers: for years the Equalists have been forced to hide in the shadows, but now we have the numbers and the strength to create a new Republic City. I am happy to tell you that the time for change has finally come. Very soon, the tyrannical Bending regime will be replaced by a fair-minded Equalist government. You and your children will no longer have to walk the streets afraid! You will no longer have to fear the whims of the Avatar and her guard dogs, the Paragons. Soon, they shall be taken care of."

While he continued with his speech, the Fire Ferrets woke up and found themselves bound to the column with a bola wrapped tightly around them. "How are we going to get out of here?" Mako asked the other two.

They didn't have an answer for him but when Bolin looked out at the water, he smiled. The answer was swimming right towards them. "Pabu!" he said happily as the fire ferret came out of the water and hopped up onto his knee. "Listen up, buddy!" He began to chatter his teeth, telling the ferret what to do.

Not sure what their teammate was doing, both Korra and Mako gave him odd looks. Mako soon became frustrated as the chattering went on. "Stop fooling around!" he told his brother.

"I'm not!" he protested. "I'm trying to save us!" Once he heard the chattering stop, Pabu leaned in and began chewing away at the bola rope. "See? Pabu isn't just a one-trick poodle pony." Korra and Mako couldn't help but smile at that.

Meanwhile, Amon was still talking to the crowd. "For centuries, Benders have possessed an unnatural advantage over ordinary people. But thankfully, modern technology has provided us with a way to even out the playing field. Now anyone can hold the power of a chi-blocker in their hands." The fact that there were people wearing gloves that could discharge electricity and were using them to keep the crowd in place pretty much showed that. "My followers and I will not rest until the entire city achieves equality, and once that goal is achieved, once we overthrow the Avatar and her guard dogs, we will equalize the rest of the world. The revolution has begun!" he declared holding his fist in the air.

To those who knew him knew that was a signal. The glass dome above the ring had a hole broken into existence by several cables that fell to the ring. They came from an airship bearing the symbol of the Equalists on its underbelly. Once they reached the ring proper, small platforms at their base snapped open. Amon and the Equalists with him in the ring stepped onto the platforms and began being lifted out of the stadium.

The Equalists in the stands quickly retreated, knowing that it was the time to do to so. While they ran, Lin was finally coming out of the shock-induced unconsciousness she had been in alongside Tenzin. "Tenzin!" she said when she saw the state of the Air Nomad, going to his side and kneeling down beside him. But both of them stood on their feet when they saw that Amon was getting away.

But before they could do anything about it, an explosion ripped the ring apart, sending anyone in the stands that had been standing up back down from the shockwave. Pieces and chunks of the ring began to fall down into the water rapidly.

For those who were under the ring, this was something that didn't help quench their fears. "It's okay, Pabu. Just a little explosion," Bolin told the ferret. He chattered his teeth again to get him back on track. "Keep chewing, you're almost through it!" To Pabu's credit, he did as he was instructed even as it sounded like the entire world was being blown apart. Once he had chewed through one part of the rope, the rest of it slackened and fell down, allowing the humans to stand up. "Yes! Great job, buddy!" said Bolin to the ferret.

Korra didn't waste any time once she was free. She ran to the water, freezing a short path before her so she could stand on it. Once she was actually on it, she looked up and saw that Amon and the other Equalists were leaving. "I'm going after Amon!" she told Bolin and Mako.

"Be careful!" Mako told her back.

She jumped into the water and floated in its depth for a second. Then she began to bend the water to start rotating around her, going faster and faster by the second. Once she was ready, she bent rotating water upwards, taking her with it at its top. It broke the surface of the pole in the form of a water column, an advanced move for a Waterbender. Korra bent it to rise higher and higher, trying to go for the hole in the dome. But as she went higher, she felt her control over the column grow weaker until the column could not hold.

As the water fell back down, she hung in the air for a moment before falling back down too, a scream coming out from her mouth without warning as she watched Amon and the Equalists getting further away than before. Suddenly, a cable wrapped itself around her waist, stopping her fall. Looking up, the Avatar saw the Chief of Police swinging through the air on the cables and quickly grabbed hers. Within seconds, Lin twisted back around in mid-air and threw the cable holding Korra upwards, sending the Avatar flying through the air and through the hole into the night sky.

When Korra reached her zenith, she flung herself at one of the retreating cables, bending fire at the Equalists, including the Lieutenant, holding on and knocking them off. She grabbed hold of the cable and steadied herself on the platform but realized that it wasn't moving. She looked up and saw Amon still getting further away, retreating into the safety of his airship. _"Oh no, you don't!"_ she thought to herself, bending large blasts of fire at the opening he had disappeared into.

To her obvious disappointment, none of her attacks struck Amon, so she was forced to watch as he went out of sight. Then she looked around at what was outside the Arena and discovered how Amon was able to get an airship over the glass dome without being attack by the cops. The boats and airships commanded by the police lay in the water surrounding the Arena, completely destroyed.

Lin came up through the hole and saw the same level of destruction that the Avatar had seen. But she also saw one of the other Equalists on the retreating cables begin swinging over to the Tribeswoman. She bent her cables at the Equalist on that platform and yanked him down to the glass dome. Meanwhile, two Equalists swung down the cable to Korra, managing to knock her off and onto the dome, landing alongside her.

Lin tried to swing up to one of the platforms with a cable of her own but the Lieutenant struck her in the back with his clubs, making her go down. The other three Equalists there ran to his side, hoping to help him in his attack. But Korra saw what they were doing and went after them, knocking the first one down, then using him to go airborne, and took out the other two, using her Firebending on all the three and also using it to knock the Lieutenant away from Lin.

When she landed on the dome again, she went after the man, bending a column of fire at him with a kick. He rolled out of the way and then ran to put some distance between the two of them. She chased after him, still throwing fire. Two of the Equalists who had been knocked down got back up and seeing their superior's fight, went to assist him.

Unfortunately for them, Lin had recovered and saw them running. She bent her cables at them, grabbing hold of them, and then threw them away from the fight and from each other. Once she was done with that, she threw one of her cables at a retreating airship cable, retracing it once it was firmly wrapped around and lifting her up into the air.

Meanwhile, Korra and the Lieutenant were still dueling with one another, she using her Firebending and him his clubs. It was an even looking fight and it was possible that either one of them could've been the victor. At one point, when Korra had turned her back after swinging fire with a kick, the Lieutenant went for the opportunity and it looked like he would be the victor. But Korra turned and gave him a hard elbow to his face. He stumbled back, dazed, and could not recover in time to avoid two blasts of fire from her. He was sent flying off the side of the dome.

Korra had thrown those last two blasts in midair and landed hard on the glass. It only took a second of the glass cracking for her to realize that she had landed near the hole and it was close enough to inflict more strain on the dome. Once that second had passed, a new hole broke open and she fell down into the stadium with a scream.

Lin heard the scream and looked back down to see the Avatar fall. But at that moment, she was so close to getting to Amon. She was caught in the middle of a dilemma of what was more important: the capture of a terrorist at the cost of a citizen's life, or saving the citizen at the cost of letting the terrorist get away?

Some people may have paused by the dilemma, but Lin was the Chief of Police and she knew her duty. She disconnected her cables from the airship cable and while falling through the air, she threw at the iron plating on the dome and threw herself through the hole at a faster rate. Once back inside, she could only see smoke below her.

She threw one cable at a banner to give her some balance and threw the other into the smoke. _"Come on, kid,"_ she silently prayed. _"Don't let me down now!"_ To her immense relief, the cable went taut in her grip. Korra had grabbed on. The other cable began to slacken and Lin could hear the banner tearing behind her.

Thinking quickly, she swung herself and Korra over to the stands, which by now were completely emptied of people, and released the cables. They fell down to the stands and rolled once they touched the floor. Lin was the first to get back on her feet and she immediately went to Korra's side. "You all right?" she asked the Avatar, helping her up.

"I'm fine, thanks to you," Korra replied.

"Don't mention it, kid." They both turned their heads upward to see the Equalist airship flying away. "Looks like we lost this one," Lon stated.

They both heard the rapid sound of footsteps running towards them and Korra found herself quickly pulled into a hug by Mako. "I'm so glad you're okay," he told her.

"Me too!" agreed Bolin as he gave them both a hug.

While they were happy to see one another, Lin was still staring up at the hole in the dome. She only took her gaze away when Tenzin came to her side and placed a hand of comfort on her shoulder. "I can't believe Amon did this. I played right into his hand," she told him.

"He played us all," he said, turning to look down at the ruined ring. "Republic City is at war."

"You are always so melodramatic, Tenzin," a woman told him as she, another man, and Arashi came walking up to them. "It isn't a war unless it's an entire country. Right now, it's just a city."

Korra spun around the instant she heard the voice, having known it before. "Auntie Yue?" she asked the woman.

"I've told you before, Korra, I'm not your auntie," the older woman said but with a smile on her face. While they shared the dark skin and dark hair of the Water Tribes, Yue was about three to four inches taller than Korra, her skin was a couple of shades lighter, and her hair was short, layered, and bouncy. The only kind of blue she was wearing was a glove on her left hand; the rest of her clothing was mismatched but worn well. Hanging proudly over the grey shirt was the Medallion of the Paragon of the Water Tribes.

Korra just smiled back at the response. Yue had been there during her time in the complex for most of her childhood, so she always felt like an aunt to her. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"We came to see the tournament final. Shame the way it turned out, though."

"What in the name of the Spirits are you doing here?" Lin demanded from out of nowhere, looking at the man beside Yue who wore the Medallion of the Earth Paragon. "You're supposed to be in Ba Sing Se."

"And hello to you too, dear sister," the man replied with a smirk. "My journey was fine, thank you for asking." He had short black hair and was dressed in the rich green one would find on an Earth Kingdom noble. The two oddest things about him were that he kept his eyes closed and he wore no shoes.

"Gāng, why didn't you tell me you were coming?" she asked her brother.

"Because I wanted it to be a surprise, obviously," he answered with a shrug of his shoulders. "We rarely see each other nowadays. Besides, if I wasn't here, then this young man would've done something very foolish." He tapped Arashi's shoulder as he spoke those words. The blonde looked like he didn't want to be there.

All eyes turned to the blonde. "What did you do, Arashi?" Tenzin asked him.

He didn't answer, so Gāng did. "He was trying to get to the ring and to Amon."

"What? Why would you do that?" Korra demanded. "He's dangerous!" Arashi still didn't say anything. "Arashi, answer me!"

"You're not my mom!" he suddenly shouted at her. "And you know damn well why I wanted to get to him, I know Tenzin told you!" She went silent, understanding what he meant. But it still didn't change the fact that what he did was dangerous.

"Arashi, Natsumi is dead," Yue told him in a quiet voice. "She's been dead ever since that night."

"No, she's not. She's not dead," he replied, his voice firm with conviction.

"I suggest that we don't get into this fight again, Yue," Gāng told his fellow Paragon. "Let it stay in the family."

That got the blonde's attention. "Wait, he's back?"

"Yes."

"Where the hell is he?"

"He had to take care of something."

(Location: Amon)

As the airship sailed away from the ruined stadium and his Equalists were celebrating a victory, Amon was going to the room that passed as his command room for some privacy. Even though the mask did not show it, he was proud of what he had accomplished tonight.

But that pride was put to the side when he entered the command room and saw a single piece of paper lying on the table. No one was allowed into this room unless he ordered them to come here to see him. And since that none of his Equalists would dare come in without his invitation that meant that he had a stowaway onboard.

But before he did anything about that, there was the piece of paper to be taken care of. He walked over to the table and picked it up, reading what was on it.

We are not the Avatar's guard dogs, we are her watch dogs. _We_ decide when she has not done enough or has gone too far, no one else. Watch what you say.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

Was anyone besides me completely pissed by how the final match actually went when they first saw the episode? I wanted to strangle those refs after that last call. So, I made it turn out this way and I'm not done yet.

So, you have now met two of the new Paragons. Before you start wondering (particularly for the people who can't seem to read out there), no, Yue is really not Sokka's and Suki's daughter. Remember that little rule the Paragons have? June was an exception. Also, if you want an actual name to her hairstyle, it's the Rachel. If you don't know what it is, look it up.

Gāng is actually based appearance-wise on Lau from Black Butler, only I wanted to make him blind. But then I realized that if he was blind, he would've been a little incapacitated as Paragon. That was why I introduced the fact that Paragons could "see" the way Toph could, so I could get around that little hurdle. See? I've been thinking about this story even while during the writing of the first one.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	7. Friends and favors

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 7: Friends and favors

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Pro-bending Arena)

"Hey, guys, where do you want this?" Arashi asked as he handled a crate of stuff in his hands. He was helping Mako and Bolin move out of their apartments over the Arena and since they had quite a few things, he was helping out in any way he could.

"Just put it over there," Mako told him, gesturing over to the somewhat stack of crates and boxes already being set up. It was a small stack but was getting bigger with each and every thing they put down.

"Yeah, probably should've just done that," he remarked as he made his way over to the stack, the crate already beginning to feel heavy in his arms. Thankfully, he was able to put it down fast.

"I still can't believe they're shutting this place down," the Firebender said aloud as he finished his box and took it over to the stack.

"After all that's happened, can you blame Butakha for doing it?" Arashi asked him. "The guy's a businessman."

"I know that, but I still can't believe it."

"I know what you mean, bro," Bolin agreed from where he was sitting on the floor, filling his own box. "We had some good memories here, didn't we?"

"Yeah, we do." He smiled. "Do you guys remember the time Arashi ate some bad noodles and spent the night here in a sleepover?"

Arashi winced at those words. "Oh come on, how many times do I have to apologize for that? They were Bolin's noodles; he should've realized that they had gone bad."

"Yeah, but you were the one who ate them," Bolin said with a grin. "We woke up thinking something had died."

"Oh, like the time you thought you had been cursed by an evil witch was any better." Even though his tone was slightly accusing, there was a smile on the blonde's lips. "Remind me, how many times did you hit your head on something while walking backwards?"

"Guys!" shouted Korra as she came up the steps to their apartment. There was a smile on her face, showing that she was a good mood. "Great news," she began. "You don't have to go back on the street. I talked to Tenzin and made all the arrangements. You can come live on Air Temple Island with me!"

"With us, you mean," Arashi remarked.

Meanwhile, Mako looked a little uncomfortable at the news. "Oh, we'd love to," he told Korra. "But…"

"Asami already invited us to live in her dad's giant mansion!" Bolin said, excited where his brother was uncomfortable. His words disappointed Korra but he didn't see it. "From here on out, it's going to be the lap of luxury for us," he declared, standing up and grabbing hold of Mako in a one armed hug.

"Oh hey, Korra," Asami said as she appeared out of Mako's bedroom holding Pabu. Unbeknownst to her, her speaking made Korra put on an irritated expression (although it quickly disappeared). "I was hoping you would stop by." She put the fire ferret down and they both came down the ladder.

"I was just leaving," the Tribeswoman said as Pabu went over to Bolin. "So, I guess I'll see you guys around, some time," she told her teammates before looking over at Arashi. "By the way, what do you mean with us? Your grandfather is here, isn't he?"

"Yeah, but he hasn't picked me up yet," he replied, sounding a little annoyed by the idea. "And until he does, I'm stuck at the island. Plus, I didn't invite Mako and Bolin to live with us in the apartment for a reason. There is some weird stuff in that place."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, for the first five years of my life, I thought a shirshu was called a Snuffly-Wuffly."

"…Why?" she asked with a look of fascinated confusion."

"Because my grandparents lived with a Snuffly-Wuffly and it kept trying to kill my Jiji. Every time I went over to visit or after…that night, I didn't really need a radio to keep myself entertained. All I had to was watch the shirshu try and kill my grandfather and watch my grandfather insult the shirshu. And that's one thing that happened in that apartment."

"Oh." Suddenly, she felt like she shouldn't have asked. Just listening to things about the Fire Paragon made her nervous. She had never met the man but she had read the stories. Naruto Uzumaki was a legend just as much as her predecessor was. And out of all the Paragons during the War, he was the one who held Aang in the most contempt (if contempt was the right word). Now she wondered if he was going to do the same to her. "Anyway, I'll be going now. I'll see you guys around."

"Why not tomorrow?" offered Asami while she walked back to the stairs. "I'd love to have you come visit the estate."

"I don't know," she replied. "I have some…Avatar stuff to do."

"Weak excuse," Arashi stage-whispered from where he stood against the wall, which earned him a scowl from her.

Bolin had a different approached. "Come on, Korra," he said in a high pitched voice, holding Pabu up in front of his face and pretending to be the ferret. "We all deserve a little rest and relaxation after all this craziness. We could swim in Asami's pool. It'll be fun!"

She couldn't help but laugh at that. "All right, Pabu," she agreed.

"Great," Asami said as she went to Mako's side. "We'll see you tomorrow." They waved Korra goodbye as she went down the stairs. Then she turned to the guys in the room. "So, what's this I heard about Bolin thinking he was cursed by a witch?"

"I was cursed by a witch!" the Earthbender declared.

"No, you were not," his brother told him, his voice taking a tone that spoke of long suffering, like they had had this conversation before. "She wasn't even a real witch."

"Yes, she was!"

"Relax, Mako," Arashi told the Firebender. "It was six years ago. Besides, that was nothing compared to how you got your first kiss."

Mako instantly blushed and that got Asami interested. "Oh? What happened?" she asked the blonde.

"Let's just say it involved a first date, a hog-monkey being chased by a pygmy puma, Bolin thinking his brother had been kidnapped, and a construction project that had been taking way too long."

(Location: Lin)

She stifled a tired snarl as she went back to the Satomobile given to her by the force as an on-duty car. She opened the door to the driver side, only to stop when she saw who was sitting in the passenger side. "How long were you in here?" she demanded of her brother.

"And hello to you too, dear sister," he replied with a smile, not even looking at her.

"Gāng…" she began.

"Relax, I got in while you were talking to the reporters and hauling that man away. By the way, you couldn't have done that more privately?"

"He was in his office when we found the warehouse. Reporters get wind of this stuff faster than the police sometimes," she told him as she climbed into the driver seat, closing the door behind her.

Even though his eyes were closed (for he never really did like showing the world that he shared the same eyes as his mother), she knew that he was looking at her. "Lin, I heard what that Councilman said after the Arena was attacked. Don't think you're working too hard on this trying to prove him wrong?"

"This isn't me trying to rescue my career, Gāng," she replied as she drove the car away from Cabbage Corp Headquarters. "This is me doing my job. I'm the Chief of Police."

When he heard those words, the Earth Paragon laughed a little. "You sounded just like Mom right there," he told her. "How many times have we heard her say 'I'm the Chief of Police'?"

"I lost count," she said. But there was a smile on her face too at the memories of their mother.

"Lin, you need to relax. Why don't you take a break and take me out for lunch?"

"I can't. There are still people I need to interview and process from the attack."

"Lin, it's lunch. You can easily spare an hour to eat with your little brother."

She cast a look at him. "You always were the moocher in the family. I don't think I've ever seen you pay for a meal."

He just smiled widely. "That's because you haven't been looking hard enough. And you're the one who can see in this Satomobile."

(Location: Police Headquarters)

Korra had been called in that afternoon so she could be interviewed about what had happened during the night of the finals. But since there was a long line of people who were going through the exact same thing, she had to wait in the lobby. Thankfully, she had one of her favorite books to read to pass the time.

"Hey, Korra," a familiar voice said to her left before she could even reach for the book.

When she looked over at the voice, she was surprised to see who it was. "Tahno?" she asked the former Waterbender of the Wolfbats. He looked completely different from the last time she had seen him. His hair had lost its luster and now hung limply around his face, which had a look of depression and had bags beneath his eyes, showing how many nights he had stayed up.

Feeling a little guilty about what had happened to him, she took a seat on the bench he was on and said, "Listen, I know we're not exactly best friends, but I'm sorry Amon took your Bending."

"I've been to the best healers in the city. Whatever Amon did to me, it's permanent." He looked at her with determination in his eyes. "You gotta get him for me."

She nodded in acknowledgement, knowing full well that she needed to do that. "Oh good, both of you are here," Arashi said as he walked towards them. "This'll make it easier."

"What's going on, Arashi?" Korra asked him.

He didn't answer her. Instead, he looked at Tahno and tossed him a letter. "That's a formal letter from Butakha and from the Pro-bending board of directors. The Wolfbats have officially lost the final match. Plus, they are stripping your team of your previous victories as champions and banning you from playing Pro-bending."

Tahno's eyes had gone wide at the second piece of news and only grew wider as the blonde kept talking. "For long?" he dared to ask.

"For life," Arashi answered with a satisfied grin on his face. "It seems like you paid off the refs for each championship match the Wolfbats participated in. Don't worry, they're being fired too."

"But…how…why?" he tried asking, unable to form a coherent sentence.

"Why is this happening to you?" the blonde asked for him with an innocent expression on his face. "It's quite simple, really." The innocence vanished and was replaced with a vindictive one. "I was willing to look past what you've done in the previous matches. But you promised to fight fair and you broke that promise quicker than I could blink. This is just payback." He turned to walk away, only to pause. "You know, I'm sure your dad would be rolling in his grave right, _Junior_, because that's how ashamed he is of you right now."

Tahno looked like he had been slapped hard across the face with that last remark while Korra just looked at the blonde's retreating backside. She had never thought that he would have that kind of a side to him. Angry and/or sarcastic Arashi she knew. Happy Arashi was a surprise but understandable. An Arashi who was vindictive? That was something she'd never thought he would see.

"Mr. Sato, if you remember anything else about what you saw during Amon's attack, be sure to let us know," Chief Beifong said to Hiroshi as the two of them, along with Tenzin and Yue, walked out into the lobby.

"I'm happy to help any way I can," he replied. "I want these Equalists to pay for what they've done." He saw Korra and nodded his head respectfully before walking away.

"We're ready for you now," Tenzin said to Tahno.

He and Lin turned to walk back the way they came. Tahno stood up to follow them, only to look at Korra one last time. "See ya around, Avatar," he told her, saying her title the same he did when they first met.

She watched him follow after them in silence. "Hey, short-stack, how're you doing?" Yue asked her as she sat done on the bench alongside her, using an old nickname.

"I'm fine, Auntie," Korra replied.

"I'm not your auntie."

"And I'm not that short anymore."

"Perhaps," she said with a small smile. "So, do you know that asshole?" She gestured over at Tahno's retreating backside.

"His name's Tahno and he's not really an asshole, just someone who was cocky."

"Well, from what I saw during the finals, he certainly rated an asshole. That was half the reason I disqualified him."

The Avatar looked at the Paragon. "I didn't know you were a referee during the match."

"Well, I wasn't during the first round. But I stepped in during the second."

"You could do that?"

She laughed lightly. "The Paragons were the original referees for Pro-bending, short-stack. That's why you have four of them per match."

"I don't think that's going to matter to Tahno anymore now."

"Yeah, I know about that letter. Naruto's been keeping that information in his back pocket for a while. I'm surprised he let the asshole off easy."

Korra looked at her auntie-figure. "Lightly?" she repeated. "Tahno's been stripped of his Bending, his championships, and his right to Pro-bend. How is that light?"

"Naruto could've ripped him to bloody pieces for disrespecting his son's memorial tournament." She said with such ease that Korra could only look at her with slight disgust. She saw it and her casual manner vanished. "Trust me, Korra, never disrespect or attack the Uzumaki family if you value your life. The last time it happened…" She shuddered slightly. "I still have nightmares about it."

(Location: Sato mansion)

Both Korra and Arashi stood in front of the doors to the mansion, just taking it all in with looks of awe and wonder. "I know that Asami lived in a mansion," Arashi began. "But Agni have mercy on my hot burning soul, this place is fucking ginormous."

"What? You didn't live like this back in the day?" Korra asked him. She meant it as a joke, but it fell flat due to her being just as struck as he was.

"No, my family lived in a townhouse." He broke his gaze away from the mansion and its doors to look at her. "So, what should we do?"

She didn't really know herself. But he was asking her, looking at her for guidance. "I guess we just bang the knockers," she finally answered.

The weird thing was that he blushed and turned his head back to the door. "Right, bang the knockers."

She looked at him. "What? What did I say this time?"

He didn't make eye contact with her, keeping his gaze on the door. "Have you been making sure you understand slang?" he asked.

"Yeah," she answered. Then she realized what he meant and blushed too. "For the love of the moon, get your mind out of the gutter, Arashi."

"At the age I'm at? Not likely."

Rather than retort to that, she walked up to the doors, grabbed hold of one of the knockers, and began banging it against the door, making a sound that seemed to echo with a boom each time she banged it. It didn't take long for one of the doors to open and reveal a man in a butler uniform. "Yes, can I assist you?" he asked.

"Uh…hi, I'm the Avatar and this Arashi," Korra introduced themselves. "We're here to see Asami."

"Ah, yes. I was informed of your impending arrival. Miss. Asami and her guests are in the pool. If you would like to join them, I will take you to rooms where an appropriate change of clothes will be waiting for you."

"That's okay; we'll just meet with them."

The butler didn't say anything about that remark. He just nodded his head in acknowledgement and turned around to start walking. Both Korra and Arashi got the silent hint to follow him. They tried their best not to gawk as they walked through the main foyer but it was a little hard. "Spirits, this place looks like something," Korra said as she looked around.

"Yeah, it looks like a mansion," Arashi replied, but the joke fell flat because he was looking around just as much as she was. Everything in the foyer just screamed fancy, expensive, and a whole lot of money.

As they were led downstairs to the pool, they could hear the sound of water falling before actually seeing the pool, along with someone shouting, "Earthbending bomb!"

"Sounds like Bolin is here," Arashi remarked quietly as they finally entered the pool room. The pool itself was of modest size and ovular in shape. Beside the pool were a couple of long chairs that looked pristine. The only thing that showed it belonged to a rich family (besides the fact that it was indoors) was a bronze statue of a lion-turtle on one side with water pouring out of its mouth into the pool.

"Avatar Korra and Mr. Arashi have arrived," the butler announced the two of them in a formal voice.

"Hey, guys!" Mako said from where he leaned against the pool's side.

"Glad you could make it!" Asami told them both from where she sat on the pool's edge, close to Mako. They wore bathing suits of the same color and were probably a match on purpose.

Bolin broke the surface of the pool with a great deal of splashing. "Welcome to paradise!" he declared before floating on his back in the water. His bathing suit was a different color then Mako's or Asami's which meant that they probably had a lot of bathing suits in the mansion.

"Looks like you guys settled right in," Korra remarked with small sarcasm as she sat down on one of the chairs. Arashi took the other one and relaxed fully.

"Pretty much," Mako agreed as he and Asami started swimming towards the two of them. "Except someone forgot to ask her father if we could stay here," he remarked while giving Asami a pointed look.

Arashi's head shot up from where it was laying against the chair. "Wait, you can do that?" he asked.

Asami smiled at him. "Yes, you could. And if you have doubts about it, just remember that it's easier to seek forgiveness then permission. Besides, I'd smoothed it over with my dad."

Bolin came out of the pool and went over to Korra, Pabu riding on his shoulder. "This is the greatest place on this side of the planet! Watch this, watch this." He looked at the butler and said with a more formal voice, "Fetch me my towel, good sir."

"Yes, Master…Bolin," the butler replied before turning to do as he was asked.

"Master Bolin!" repeated the Earthbender. "Ha! I love this guy." As the butler approached, he held out his arms. "Now pat me dry."

"As you wish," the butler said, unfolding the towel. He began drying off the Earthbender at a speed that was very impressive to watch. The only person who didn't like was Pabu, who climbed atop Bolin's end to avoid the towel.

Bolin, on the other hand, was enjoying it immensely, moving his arms around the butler could get very part of him. "Don't forget Master Pabu."

"Wouldn't dream of it, sir," said the butler, covering the fire ferret with the towel and moving around again that same impressive speed. When he was done, Pabu was dried but his fur was all bushy.

Arashi saw this and started laughing. "You look ridiculous, Pabu," he told the ferret.

Bolin looked up at the ferret. "Hm, he does have a point, little buddy. Don't worry; I know a way to fix that!" Without warning, he jumped right back into the pool. If anyone had been watching the butler, they would've seen a look of severe annoyance pass over his face at the sound of water splashing.

"Hey! Watch you're splashing, man!" the blonde amongst them shouted at the Earthbender, trying to stay out of the splash zone.

"So, what do you have planned for us today?" Korra asked Asami as she swam near. "Let me guess, shopping, makeovers…"

Bolin, who was in the middle of water-wrestling with his brother, pushed him into the water before turning back around. "Ooh, ooh, I vote makeovers!" he declared before getting attacked by his brother.

"If that's what's happening today, goodbye," Arashi declared, getting up from his chair. Korra looked like she agreed with him.

"Don't worry you two," Asami said as she came out of the pool gracefully. "I had something a little more exciting in mind."

"Yeah?" asked Korra with a heavy amount of skepticism. "Like what?"

* * *

It turned out to be a trip to the race track where Future Industries test-drove the Satomobiles they created and to Korra, it was way cooler than a makeover, especially when she sat behind Asami as they raced a lap against the other test driver. It had been fast (faster than anything she had ever been through), wild, and completely exciting. She may not have been driving the Satomobile, but that didn't matter. She felt victorious as they crossed the finish line first.

"That was amazing!" she declared as she hopped out of the Satomobile. "I didn't think we'd make it." When they had been up against the track wall, it had gotten a little tense for her.

"Well, you can't be afraid to mix it up sometimes," Asami stated standing in the Satomobile whilst taking off her helmet and untucking her hair.

Korra took her helmet off as well. "I gotta admit, I had you pegged wrong. I thought you were kind of…prissy. Eh, no offense!" she quickly added, realizing what she had said.

But the other girl just laughed it off while she climbed out of the Satomobile and leaned against it. "It's all right, people usually assume that I'm daddy's helpless little girl, but I can handle myself. I mean, I've been in self-defense classes since I was this high," she explained, holding her hand an inch or so above her waist. "My dad made sure I would be able to protect myself."

"Smart guy," the Avatar acknowledged.

"He wouldn't be where he was now if he hadn't been." She looked over at the stands, where they had left the guys. "So, do you think we should give them a chance to try and beat us?"

Korra looked over at the stands. "Judging by the way Arashi is looking rather excited, I think he'd be willing to try and drive a Satomobile himself."

"Not without some training first. I wouldn't want him to crash into one of the walls and get caught in an inferno."

The smile on her face faded a little at those words as she remembered what had happened to his family. "You and me both," she agreed.

* * *

When they went back up to the mansion after a good couple of hours at the racetrack, Bolin was the first one through the door. "Emergency, emergency coming through, beep beep!" he shouted, clutching his groin and running for the bathroom.

Korra just watched him run off before turning to look at Asami. "Uh, is there another bathroom I can use?" she asked.

"We have a lady's powder room upstairs," Asami told her. "You can freshen up in there."

"Thanks." She turned and went for the stairs. She found the room easily enough and remembered to wash her hands after she was done. But as she was drying them, she noticed the powder sponge lying in its cradle.

Picking it up, she looked at it intently. _"So how exactly does this work?"_ she asked herself. _"Do I just smash this thing into my face or something?"_ Seeing as there was seemingly no way else to do it, she decided to go ahead and do it. The end result was a lot of powdered smoke flying everywhere and her coughing. _"I guess not!"_

Deciding to just leave it alone, she walked out of the powder room. "No, no!" Mr. Sato's voice suddenly spoke out from a closed set of doors. "No, I assure you, everything is going exactly as planned." Wondering what he was talking about, she snuck closer to the door and looked through the keyhole. She saw him sitting behind a desk with his back turned away from the door. "Mm-hm, yes…luckily, the Cabbage Corp investigation has bought us enough time. Trust me; by the end of the week, we'll be ready to strike!"

He turned around in his chair and hung up the phone. Korra tore herself away from the keyhole. She had read about the Cabbage Corp investigation in the newspaper, about how they found Equalist propaganda and electric gloves in one of the warehouses. But now a question was lodged in her head: wouldn't make more sense for Future Industries, who had left Cabbage Corp in the dust in technology every time, to make those gloves and frame Cabbage Corp?

That question drove her to a need of getting out of the mansion and find Chief Beifong. She tore through the hallway and then down the staircase, right past the others. "You're leaving?" Asami asked her, surprised to see that. "But I-I thought—"

She quickly turned around, trying to think up an excuse. "Uh, sorry!" she apologized. "I forgot, I'm supposed to airsit, I mean babybend, I-I mean babysit the Airbender kids. See you later!" She was out the door quicker than anyone could blink.

"_What's with you, Korra?"_ Arashi thought to himself. Babysitting the runts was _his_ job at the island and she never wanted it!

* * *

She hadn't found Tenzin and Lin until the day had turned into night and wanting to be sure there were prying ears, she had them meet her on the roof of the Police Headquarters to tell them her suspicions. "So, you think Mr. Sato manufactured those gloves for the Equalists then framed Cabbage Corp?" Tenzin summed up once she was done.

"That's a bold accusation," Lin remarked. "But what proof do you have?"

"Well, I don't exactly have proof?" Korra admitted. "But I know what I heard. Sato's up to something."

"He does have the means and he has a motive," she admitted after thinking about it for a second.

"That's right," Tenzin agreed.

"A motive?" repeated the Tribeswoman. "What is it?"

The Air Nomad looked at her. "Twelve years ago, the Agni Kai Triad robbed Sato's mansion. A Firebender killed Sato's wife during the break in."

"That's terrible." Her heart broke a little at that piece of news, but it still didn't change the fact about what she heard.

"It was tragic. It's possible that he's been harboring anti-Bending sentiment all this time," he remarked to Lin.

The more the Chief of Police thought about it, the more it sounded like it made sense. "Perhaps we _should_ look at Mr. Sato a little more closely," she remarked. "But we won't do it tonight."

"Why not?" asked Korra.

"It's almost midnight, kid. You should be in bed by now." She walked past her and Tenzin to the door, opening it and walking through.

Korra just stared at the door as it closed. "She could've said that some way else," she groused. Tenzin chose not to say anything.

(Location: Sato mansion)

When the butler opened the doors, he saw with surprise that the Chief of Police, the Air Nomad representative, and the Avatar standing there. They walked in silence up the stairs, passing Mako and Asami as they went by. "What's going on?" Mako asked Korra, stopping her with a hand to her shoulder. "Why are they asking Hiroshi more questions?" That was the only reason those two adults could be there to him.

"I overheard him on the phone yesterday," she answered. "Asami, I don't know how to tell you this, but I think your father might be involved with the Equalists."

"What?" Asami demanded. "I don't believe this."

As she went up the stairs, Mako cast a disapproving look at Korra. "You spied on Hiroshi? What's your problem?" He didn't bother to wait for an answer, going after his girlfriend. After a moment of hesitation, she followed.

She caught up to them just as Asami opened the doors to her father's office, declaring, "My father is innocent. Just because we're not Benders doesn't mean we support those awful Equalists." She strode over to her father to stand by his side.

"Equalists?" repeated Hiroshi from where he sat behind his desk. "Is that what this is about? I can assure you I have nothing to do with those radicals."

"Yeah, you don't know what you're talking about, Korra," Mako said to the Tribeswoman.

"I overheard you on the phone," she said to Asami's father. "You said the Cabbage Corp investigation brought you time and you're getting ready to strike. Explain that!"

To her surprise (and a little irritation), he laughed. "This is all just a misunderstanding, resulting from the Avatar's overactive imagination. My number one competitor was knocked out of the game. It's providing me an opportunity to _strike_ the market with a new line of Satomobiles. It's just business. Nothing nefarious," he explained.

It was a plausible story; both Tenzin and Lin were considering it in the seconds that followed. "In order to put all suspicions to rest, might we have a look into your factories and warehouses?" Tenzin finally asked him.

Asami sighed in annoyance, but her father did not. "If you feel it's necessary, you're welcome to search of Future Industries."

"Thank you."

"Excuse me, Master Sato," the butler said, appearing at the door with a small bow.

"Yes, what is it?" Hiroshi asked him.

"There's a man in a rather filthy cloak standing outside asking to come in. He says he is here to talk about that favor you owe him." There was a paused silence before he continued. "Would you like me to send him away, sir?"

Hiroshi stood up from his chair, surprising Asami as well as Korra and Mako. "No, no! Good grief, no. Let him in," he commanded. "Put him in the parlor room."

"As you wish, sir," the butler said, bowing once more before leaving.

"Dad, what's going on?" Asami asked her father. She had never really seen him act like this, both excited and nervous at the same time. He had always been in control of himself.

"Someone important has come over, Asami," he told her while trying to make himself look as presentable as possible right then and there, straightening his jacket and fixing his necktie. "I wish he had given me some more warning." He looked at Tenzin and Lin. "If you'll excuse me, I must take care of this." He came around his desk and walked out of the office.

They all followed him through the mansion towards the parlor room, going down the main staircase to the first floor. Mako, Korra, and Asami trailed at the back of the group. When they reached the entrance to the parlor, they were the ones who stopped when they saw Arashi standing outside the room, leaning against the wall. "Hey guys," the blonde greeted them.

"Arashi, what are you doing here?" Korra asked him, surprised to see him there. He hadn't been at the temple the previous night.

Before he could answer, they heard Hiroshi say, "Lord Naruto, welcome!"

Arashi watched silently as the Avatar seemingly froze in place. "That's what I'm doing here," he answered, stating the now obvious fact. "Jiji finally came and got me last night." He looked at the Tribeswoman. "You might as well go in there. He does know you're here."

Korra gulped nervously and found herself looking at the parlor entrance like it was a gateway to a dark place in the Spirit World. She forced herself to walk forward through it into the entrance with Mako and Asami. When they came into the parlor, they found Hiroshi sitting on one couch and the Paragon of the Fire Nation sitting across from him.

She had been expecting a wizened old man who needed a cane to help him get around. Instead, she got a guy who only had a few wrinkles on his face that showed his age. He had a full head of hair that the color of smoke after a fire and had a goatee that wasn't quite as long as Tenzin's that was the same color. She also saw the three whisker-like birthmarks on each of his cheeks but they did not disfigure him. A cane did lie against the side of the couch he was sitting on, but she did not think he really needed it. There was no cloak on his body, so she could not say if the butler had been exaggerating or not. But he did wear clothes that had been tailored to fit him and they were of high quality.

He turned his head to look at who had come in, his blue eyes looking over all three of them. "And who are these kids?" he asked, those eyes settling on Asami and Mako. There was hardness to those eyes, unnoticeable at first glance but obviously there once you saw it.

"Ah, forgive me, Lord Naruto," Hiroshi said. "This is my daughter, Asami, and her boyfriend, Mako." He gestured to them as he spoke. "And—"

"I know who the third is, Hiroshi," the older man said, cutting him off. "We've met before." If Korra could speak, she would've called him a liar. The two of them had never met before. The old Paragon turned his head away and looked back at Mr. Sato. "You've done well for yourself. The last place I saw you live in had a continual stink in the air from a clogged toilet that no one bothered to fix."

Hiroshi chuckled slightly. "Yes, I remember that apartment, oddly with fondness. But I don't think that there could've been something worse than living there."

"You've never slept in a trench during a besiegement of a walled city, wondering if you would die from a thrown boulder as they crashed into the ground above your head."

No one said to that for a long moment. The way he had said those words made it sound so casual but it reminded them all of how they were in the presence of a legend who fought against and alongside Avatar Aang in the Hundred Year War. That moment was broken when Arashi came in and said, "Jiji, you're scaring people again."

Naruto looked at his grandson. "He asked, I answered."

"I'm pretty sure he wasn't asking. Could we just move this along? We still need to clean out the apartment and then go to prison to see Uncle Zolt. I still don't understand why we can't just hire a service to do it."

"Because cleaning one's room never killed a person," his grandfather told him. "You'll thank me later when you've grown up. But you're right, I should move onto the matter at hand."

"Of course, Lord Naruto," Hiroshi said. "You said you were here because of the favor I owed you."

"Yes," he answered before taking a sip from the cup of tea in his hands, doing it with ease. "I am here partly because of the fact that I am not getting any younger and partly because my fellow Paragons have turned nagging into an art-form."

"Oh, what has my brother done this time?" Lin asked him, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Nothing that warrants me killing him, Lin," he told her, turning to face her. "Actually, in hindsight, he and the other Paragons were right in nagging me about it. I've been putting it off for a long time."

"What have you been putting off, my lord?" Hiroshi asked.

"The decision of taking an apprentice to become the next Paragon of the Fire Nation," he replied. "And after some thought, I've decided that person will be your daughter, Asami."

The surprise that came at his announcement seemed to ripple through the other people in the room, starting with Hiroshi and ending with Arashi. "This…this is a great honor, Lord Naruto," Hiroshi finally said. "I must thank you for the offer."

"Why? You're not the one who's going to be trained," the Fire Paragon said to him shortly.

"Yeah, that would be me," Asami said, getting over her surprise. "And don't I get any say in this matter."

"No." It was a short and blunt answer that sounded a bit like a smack and she recoiled like she had been by one. "There's no need to worry, I'm not going to drag you away from all you know and that kind of crap. You'll still able to speak to your father and go out with your boyfriend but frankly, your life is mine now."

"But—"

"Asami, there's really no use arguing about it," Arashi said quietly behind her, making her stop from even starting her protest.

"I will give you this day to get your affairs in order and to pack some things. But tonight, you're leaving with me," Naruto told her as he stood up from the couch and grabbed his cane.

"Is she going to be staying with us?" the blonde asked his grandfather.

"Perhaps, unless a better offer comes along. Now let's leave, Arashi. We've got things to do." He walked out of the room easily enough but still used the cane. It was only when he was about to leave the room that Korra realized that it wasn't a cane, it was a sword.

* * *

True to his word, Hiroshi let the police search his factories and warehouses for any sign that he had been in league with the Equalists. But with each factory and warehouses, it was becoming more and more clear that he apparently wasn't. As they finished up with the last warehouse, Korra approached Tenzin, Lin, and Gāng atop Naga, climbing down when she got closer. "I can't believe that we didn't found anything," she said.

"It would appear Hiroshi is innocent," Lin said to her.

"Okay, you did your search," Asami told the four of them as she approached with Mako at her side. "Now you can leave."

While the Chief of Police frowned at her, her brother had a different reaction. "Hello there, Asami, my name is Gāng and I'm the Earth Paragon," he introduced himself, stepping towards her. "It's nice to see our generation finally filled out. Naruto just would not take an apprentice." He took a thinking pose. "Although considering how young you are, it might be prudent to think that you're the beginning of the next generation rather than our generation."

"Gāng, you're doing it again," Lin said to him in a voice that spoke of how many times she had said those words.

"Hmm? Oh, yes. You're right. Now is not the time to be philosophical." He turned his closed eyes back to Asami. "In any case, I'm glad to have you join us and I hope you don't disappoint."

"Thanks," Asami said in reply. She was still surprised to know that she was to be a Paragon apprentice but was also still angry about how she didn't have a choice about it. When she had tried talking to her dad about it, he told her it was a great honor and that she should glad that she had been chosen.

Meanwhile, Mako and Korra stepped away from the others to have a somewhat form of privacy. "So, I hope you're convinced now," he said to her.

"No, I'm not!" she replied. "I don't care how cooperative Hiroshi is being, I know he's lying."

Now he was irritated by her belief. "Why are you doing this? Are you that jealous of me and Asami?"

She gasped in surprise at those words, never thinking that they would be said. "What? Don't be ridiculous! That has nothing to do with it!"

"If you don't drop this, consider our friendship over," he bluntly threatened her.

But she held firm. "I'm sorry. Hiroshi is _not_ the man you think he is." He scoffed and walked away with Asami. Feeling a little tired of everything that had happened that day, Korra turned her attention to Naga, stroking her head while waiting for everyone to leave so they could.

While she was waiting, she felt someone's hand press a piece of paper into her hand. Surprised at the move, she turned around to see who it was but had no luck. There were a few Future Industries employees there, but they were leaving and since they had matching uniforms, she couldn't tell them apart.

She read the paper in her hand and then immediately turned to Tenzin, Gāng, and Lin. "I think you guys should hear this," she told them before reading the paper again. "'If you want to find the truth, meet me under the north end of the Silk Road Bridge at midnight.'"

"Ooh, how intriguing," Gāng said lightly. "Are you going?"

"What do you think?" Lin asked him.

* * *

When midnight came, Korra, Lin, and Tenzin went to the described location. They were alone but they looked around for the person who handed off the paper. "Psst, over here," a voice spoke from behind one of the bridge support columns. From out behind it came a guy in a heavy coat and hat pulled down against his head. It was obvious that he was trying to keep his identity and the fact that he was there a secret.

"We got your message, what do you want?" Korra asked him.

"Listen, I joined the Equalists because I believed in what Amon said. I thought he could make life better for us Nonbenders. But I didn't sign up for this…this war," he told them.

"What do you have on Hiroshi Sato?" Lin asked.

"He manufactured those gloves for the Equalists."

"I knew it!" Korra declared.

"And there are rumors he's working on something even bigger. Some new kind of weapon," he continued.

"We search all of Future Industries and found nothing," Tenzin said to him.

"That's because he has a secret factory."

"Where?" asked Korra.

"It's right underneath the Sato mansion."

All three of the questioners gasped in surprise at those words. "How do you know that for sure?" Lin demanded right away. "Have you been there?"

"No, but I've kept my ear to the ground." He looked around some more. "That's all I can give you. Anymore and I'm liable to get interrogated." He turned around and walked off before any of them could stop him.

Even though they didn't have hard evidence of what he had told them, Lin called in an airship with a full contingent of cops to take them to the Sato mansion. During the flight, Korra tried reading to steady herself but found that she could not concentrate on the words in the book, even though what she was reading was ironically similar to what she was about to do.

"Raiding the Sato mansion is a risky move with Tarrlok breathing down your neck," Tenzin told Lin from the front of the airship, getting Korra's attention. "If we're wrong…"

He didn't finish the sentence and he didn't know to. "I know. I can kiss my job goodbye," Lin said to him. "But protecting Republic City is all I care about. We can't let Amon get his hands on this new weapon."

(Location: Sato mansion)

"Okay, I think this is the last thing I need," Asami stated as she put the pair of pants in her hand into the luggage on the floor before her. Since this was the first time she was going to be living outside the mansion, she had no idea what she needed to bring. Arashi had said that he and his grandfather lived in an apartment so it was probably best to keep what she was taking with her to a small level.

Speaking of the blonde, she looked over at him. He was standing opposite of her, leaning against a table. He had arrived an hour early, saying that he had gotten out of cleaning duty to come here. "Are you sure that I will be living with you?"

Arashi shrugged his shoulders and answered with, "Probably. Unless you find some place better to stay at."

She didn't have that, so she couldn't suggest any place. "When will your grandfather get here?" It was well past dark by now and the Fire Paragon still hadn't shown himself.

"Does it look like I know that answer?" he asked.

"Hey, go easy on her, Arashi," Bolin said to him. Both he and Mako were standing beside Asami instead of opposite her. "This is something new."

"And despite who I'm related to, I'm not a part of it. They'll show up when they show up, I really can't put it any way else."

Just then, a nearby door to the room opened and cops quickly filled the room, intent on finding something. Bolin threw his hands, completely surprised by the action. "I'm innocent!" he shouted.

Mako would've rolled his eyes or covered them with his hand if this was any other kind of situation. But instead he went with, "Bo, put your hands down."

"What are you doing here?" Asami demanded as the cops continued searching and their chief came into the room.

"We have reason to believe that there's a factory hidden below the mansion," Lin told her as Tenzin and Korra came in behind her.

"I think I would've noticed if there was a factory underneath my house," she retorted with a severe frown. "The lies you people come up with just to persecute my father."

"Where is your father?" Tenzin asked her.

"In his workshop, behind the house," she answered.

"Then that's where we're going," Korra declared.

"Miss. Asami," the butler said as he appeared at the door, barely batting an eye at the police. "Lord Naruto, Lord Gāng, and Lady Yue are here."

Before she could reply, Lin did. "Tell them they're going to have to wait, we need her. In fact, please get Gāng and have him come to us."

The butler didn't move from where he was standing. He was employed by the Sato family and he was loyal to the Sato family. "Just go ahead and do what she says," Asami finally told him, if only to end this for once and for all.

"As you wish, Miss. Asami," he said with a bow before leaving.

* * *

When Gāng finally came to them, they made their way out of the mansion to what could technically be called the backyard (although it was far too big to be one). The workshop stood out like sore thumb, making it easily found. The cops found the door and opened it with a kick, going inside at the ready.

But to their surprise, there was no Hiroshi. There were shelves, corkboards, boxes, tools, and engines scattered all around the edges of the room but no Hiroshi. Asami saw this as she came in and was a little concerned. "Dad?" she called out. "Hello?"

She got no answer. Meanwhile the cops were searching every inch of the place, only to find nothing. "Chief, the estate's been secured," one of them told Lin, walking up to her. "No one has left the workshop since we arrived."

"Perhaps you haven't been looking hard enough, hmm?" Gāng suggested from where he stood at the door, an amused little smirk playing on his lips.

While the cop just shot him a confused look, Lin did not. "Gāng, if you could," she told her brother.

"Why don't you do it, Lin?" he asked her. "We both know you can."

She rolled her eyes. He was going to be like this if she pressed the issue. "Fine," she said. She walked into the room, stopping around in the middle. She closed her eyes, lifted a foot up while also bending back the metal covering it, and struck the floor, letting the vibrations of the earth fill her senses. When she had what she needed, she opened her eyes again. "There's a tunnel beneath the workshop running deep into the mountainside."

"What?" Asami asked. "There's no tunnel." Lin just turned around and bent a piece of the floor, which was made of metal, up into the air and threw it to the side. Beneath the piece lay the tunnel she had been talking about, with a set of steps leading down.

As they all gathered around the hole, they saw that the ladder led to a little open elevator. "Do you think your dad knows about this tunnel?" Bolin asked Asami in a whisper, trying to be subtle about it (and failing).

"I don't understand," she said aloud as she stared down the tunnel.

"Gāng," Lin said.

"She's not lying," her brother said, whatever humor in his voice vanishing. Instead of being light and amused, he sounded cold and serious. "She didn't know."

"There must be an explanation," Asami protested.

"Maybe you don't know everything about your dad," Korra told her, her voice turning gentle for a moment. "I'm sorry."

"Officers, into the tunnel," Lin ordered her men. "Be cautious." They snapped to attention and quickly began marching down into the tunnel. When Asami, Mako, Bolin, and Arashi tried to follow, she stopped them with a sound. "You four stay up here. Officer Song, Gāng, keep an eye on them."

"Yes, yes. We'll take care of them," Gāng told her, the lightness back in his voice. He walked back to the door and leaned against it, keeping it open. Lin, Tenzin, and Korra followed the officers into the tunnel. Korra was the only one who looked back at those who were staying behind.

Once they were all on the elevator, one of the cops found the controls and they soon started traveling downwards into the tunnel, gaining speed as they went. It took them very little time to reach the end destination, which was a platform leading into a corridor. The cops went first, taking Bending stances as they moved forward with their chief, Tenzin, and Korra behind them.

At the end of the corridor, they found what they were looking for: a large factory with banners of Amon handing from the ceiling. It was brightly lit, showing them all what it had to offer. "Not your average backyard workshop," Lin commented.

"And I'm guess those are the new weapons," Korra stated, her eyes locked onto a series of machines lined up against the walls. They looked almost humanoid in shape but with treadmills instead of feet, claws instead of hands, and a glass window instead of a face. They were taller than the humans by far and there were a great deal of them down there.

"Hiroshi was lying alright, but where is he?" Tenzin asked the obvious question. As if to answer it, a wall of metal suddenly shot up from behind them, surprising them all and blocking off the entrance they came in from while also killing most of the lights.

* * *

"What was that?" Bolin asked as he, his brother, Asami, and Arashi stared down the hole into the tunnel. They had just heard a resounding boom come up through there and it made them feel uneasy.

"We need to get down there and see what's going on," Mako said.

"Absolutely not!" the cop in the room with them stated with what he thought was absolute authority. "You're staying here until the chief comes back."

"If you'll excuse me, officer," Gāng said. "I'll just be outside for some fresh air." He left before there was any protest.

It also gave Mako and Bolin an idea. "Alright, sir, we'll stay put," Mako said to the cop. "But could we wait outside like he did?" He jerked his head at the door and then scratched his nose. "It's so dusty in this workshop."

"_Dust?"_ thought Asami. _"What is he talking about? Dad would never let dust accumulate—"_ She stopped herself once she realized what he was doing.

"No! We're waiting right here!" the cop told him.

"Okay, but don't blame me if I start sne- if I start sn-sn-snez-" He covered his mouth with his hand and looked like he was trying to hold something back with not a lot of success.

"What's your problem, bub?"

"I'm about to-" He let out a loud sneeze, blowing out fire right in the cop's face. Song stumbled back and then tripped over a small wall that had suddenly appeared out of the floor (courtesy of Bolin). He landed backwards on his stomach and got hit by a flying tackle from Bolin which knocked him out for a brief moment.

The brothers used that moment to tie a gag around his mouth and tie him to a barrel. "Sorry, pal," Mako told him. "We know you were just doing your job."

"Yeah, just stay put until the chief comes back," Bolin said. "That sounds very familiar, doesn't it? Why? Because you said it."

"Way to ruin it, Bolin," Arashi remarked dryly.

When they turned to walk towards the tunnel, Mako placed his hands on his girlfriend's shoulders. "Asami, you should stay here," he told her. "We'll check it out."

"I have to find out the truth about my father," she said in reply.

"I understand. That's why I'm going to down, to find out for you. Please."

"…Alright. Be careful."

"Thank you." He turned his attention to the blonde. "Arashi, stay with her."

"Yeah right," Arashi said defiantly. He tried to go forward into the tunnel, but Asami held onto his shoulder. "Hey!"

"He'll stay," she said.

"Like Agni's flaming ballsack I will!" For that, he got a hard bop on the head. "Ow! Hey!"

"Watch your mouth," she told him. He scowled at her and jerked his shoulder out of her grasp but Mako and Bolin had already gone down the tunnel and onto the elevator, leaving them behind.

* * *

Once the wall had gone up and blocked them off, Lin tried to bend it back down. But the wall would not move. "I'm afraid you won't be able to Metalbend that wall, Chief Beifong. It's pure platinum," Hiroshi's voice announced through the factory, making them all stop and turn around to see where it was coming from. Green lights on the new weapons turned on, blinding their eyes for enough time to be surrounded. "My mecha tanks are platinum as well. Not even your renowned mother could bend a metal so pure."

Korra swung her head to the tank that his voice was coming from. "Hiroshi, I _knew_ you were a lying, no good Equalist!" she shouted at him. "Come out here and—"

"And do what, young Avatar?" he asked her, cutting her off. "Face the wrath of your Bending? No, I think I'll fight from inside here where my odds are a little more…equal."

"That source was a set-up!" Lin said in realization. "You lured us down here!"

"Guilty as charged." The tanks moved forward, closing in on the small group. Hiroshi's tank shot forward a claw at them, extending it out on a line, making Korra, Tenzin, and Lin scatter. The other tanks took that as the signal to begin the battle.

Despite splitting up, the cops tried to stay in groups and worked together as they had been taught. They bent their cables at the tanks in such a way that they could not move or use their weapons. It was a stall tactic, one Lin used to leap up at one of the tanks and land in front of the driving window. Bending out blades from her wrists, she stabbed through the window, trying to reach the Equalist inside. Her attacks forced the tank back, crashing into a support beam next to the wall.

The cops were stuck where they were, trying to hold what tanks they had ensnared in place. But that meant they couldn't go to the aid of their chief or Korra and Tenzin, who were fighting Hiroshi's tank. They could also feel the strain of their cables spools as they started to overheat. But they could not move. They could only hold it in place.

However, it seemed like Hiroshi had planned for something like that. The mecha tank simply rotated its arms and electricity discharged from them, traveling down the cables and right at the cops, shocking them into unconsciousness. When Lin heard the noise and looked back to see her fallen men, another tank took that opportunity to grab hold of her and throw her to the ground.

The only two left standing were Korra and Tenzin. They were attacking Hiroshi in tandem, beating him back with fire and air. When he crashed into the wall behind him, he moved the tank forward, shooting a claw at Korra. She avoided it by backflipping away and returned fire with a chunk of earth she bent out of the floor.

But while she had been fighting him, she was had forgotten about the other tanks and one took advantage of that. She was slammed by a cable into a pipe from her side, knocking her unconscious. Once she was down, the claw retracted and she began to fall to the ground.

"Korra!" cried Tenzin when he saw it happen. He bent the air to cushion her fall enough to prevent any harm. But now he was alone against the tanks and they all converged on him. He bent a wheel of air to move around them while still fighting, dodging their claws and bending blasts of air at them. He leapt into the air to attack from above but Hiroshi fired an object that had bola ropes attached to it. It struck him in the chest and promptly shocked him into unconsciousness.

With their opponents beaten, the tanks came to a stop around them. Hiroshi climbed out of his and down to the ground to look at them better. At some point during the fight, he had lost his glasses and his hair had become messy but that didn't matter. "Well, I'd say that was a near flawless test run," he remarked to the Lieutenant, who had climbed out of his own tank. Then he turned to the other tanks. "Load everyone into the trucks and deliver them to Amon!"

When Mako and Bolin reached the end platform and saw that it was blocked off, Bolin took the lead and began tunneling through the wall to get around the block, angling down so they could come up from the floor. Once they were sure that they were inside, the Earthbender quietly bent a hole above them so they could peek out from below.

"Oh no," Bolin said once they could see inside the factory. Mako agreed with him. There were the mecha tanks there, but they were standing guard next to a couple of trucks. Equalists were taking gagged, bound, and unconscious cops and loading them into the trucks.

"Korra was right," Mako said in a whisper. "We gotta do something, quick!" He saw Korra, Tenzin, and Lin unconscious on the ground close by. With a nudge and a look, he signaled his brother to their location.

They climbed out of the hole and stayed out of sight while getting closer, years of being on the street paying off. Once they were at their friends' side, they undid the robes that held them. Mako picked up Korra, Bolin picked up Tenzin, and together they reached down to pick up Lin.

"Not so fast, boys," Hiroshi told them with the Lieutenant at his side and electric gloves on his hands.

Both of them froze at the sight and also dropped Lin. "Hello, Mr. Sato," Bolin said to him, using Tenzin's arm to wave at him. "Wow! What a really swell, scary factory you have here under your giant mansion."

While his brother babbled on, Mako scowled at the man he thought he could trust (even beginning to see him as a father figure). "Sponsoring our team, supporting the Avatar, it was all just a big cover."

"Yes," Hiroshi acknowledged. "And the most difficult part was watching my daughter traipse around with Firebending street rat like you!" Electricity leapt from his gloves as he took a step forward, his intent clear.

But a single voice made him go still. "Dad, stop!" Asami shouted. All eyes turned to her as she stood in front of the hole. A look of sadness crossed her face as she stared at her father. "Why?" she asked him, coming closer.

He looked a little ashamed at having been caught. "Sweetie, I wanted to keep you out of this as long as I could. But now you know the truth, please, forgive me." As Korra slowly came back to consciousness, she saw Hiroshi point an accusing finger at her and Mako. "These people, these _Benders_," he spat out the word. "They took away your mother, the love of my life. They've ruined the world! But with Amon we can fix it and build a perfect world together. We can help people like us, everywhere!" He took off the electric glove on his right hand and held it out for her. "Join me, Asami."

She walked forward a few more steps until she stood before him and the Lieutenant. Her eyes were drawn to the glove and it felt like no one would know what she was going to do. But then she reached out a hesitating hand, a hesitation that vanished once she took the glove and placed it over her own hand. "No…" Mako whispered, shocked that she would do such a thing.

"I love you, Dad," Asami said to Hiroshi. A brief look of shock passed over his face before she struck.

But before she could even press the glove against him, a hand reached out and stopped her. "There's no need for you to do that," Naruto told her, pushing her gently away from her father. Then he took a step forward and stood between the two of them, his sword resting its tip on the ground and both hands holding the hilt.

"Lord Naruto?" Hiroshi said in surprise, having not expected to see the man there.

"Hello, Hiroshi." It turned that he wasn't alone. Both Yue and Gāng appeared out from behind a nearby crate. She went for the Lieutenant and he went for Asami's father, catching them unawares and knocking them down to the ground long enough for them to collect Tenzin and Lin. They, along with Korra and Mako, ran for the hole and leapt into it.

"After them!" shouted the Lieutenant.

The tanks moved forward, only to stop when Naruto said, "No need to do that." Everyone stopped and he looked at his new apprentice. "Asami, go down the hole. I will take care of this." To her credit, she did not argue with him. She did as she was instructed and hopped down into the hole before anyone could stop her.

"Now, here's what's going to happen," he announced to the Equalists. "I'm going to turn my back, I'm going to walk to that hole and leave, and you're going to let me."

"And why would we do that?" the Lieutenant asked, rising his clubs to attack.

All the Fire Paragon did was raise an eyebrow and they all felt a chill crawl up their spines, a chill that quietly told them that if they didn't do as they were told, they would die and he would not make it quick. Without saying another word, Naruto turned his back on them and left. Once he was in the hole, a piece of the floor was bent over it, preventing any attempt to come after them.

* * *

As the airship fled the Sato mansion, the majority of the people on board felt like they had lost a battle. "My Metalbenders are on their way to Amon, and it's all my fault," Lin bemoaned from where she laid down on a bench with a pillow beneath her head. Tenzin and Gāng were standing by her side. "Tarrlok's right, I've failed as chief. First thing in the morning, I'm handing in my resignation."

"No!" Tenzin protested. "You can't give up like this!"

"I'm not giving up," she replied as she sat back up. "I'm gonna find my officers and take Amon down. But I'm going to do it my way, _outside_ the law."

"So, you're a vigilante?" Gāng asked, amused. "I never would've thought that out of Mom's kids, _you _would be the one to do such a thing." She scowled at him, but there was a small smile on her lips as well.

As they talked amongst themselves, Mako went over to Korra. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you," he told her. "But Asami's dad being an Equalist is not an easy thing to believe. Even now," he admitted.

"I know," she said. "I'm sorry this whole thing happened." There was a small part of her that was happy about the fact that she had been right, but now wasn't the time to feel smug about it.

"So…does your offer to live in the Air Temple still stand?"

"Of course it does," she told him with a small smile.

"Thank you so much," he said with a grateful tone in his voice.

Korra looked over at Asami, who was standing at the window, watching as her home disappeared slowly from sight. "Hey, after everything Asami's been through, she's going to need you, Mako," she said to the Firebender.

He took the hint and to her side, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. She turned to look at him and promptly buried her head in his chest. He wrapped his arms around her in a hug and Korra couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

"Why didn't you extend the invitation to her?" the voice of Naruto spoke from her side, almost making her leap out of her skin. She turned to see him standing there, waiting for an answer. Just behind him she saw Arashi sitting against the wall. He hadn't been too pleased to have been left out of everything, but he was a kid. He didn't need to be there.

"Uh, I thought that she was going to be living with you and Arashi?" she offered.

"It would be best if that didn't happen," he replied. "My apartment only has two bedrooms and no one needs to sleep with on the couch. When we land, extend her the same invitation."

"Yes, sir," she answered. There was a small fear that something bad would happen to her if she said no.

"And relax. You look like I'm about to lop off your head without warning."

"Well, sir, I've read about how you and Avatar Aang didn't exactly get along."

He just gave her a look. "Is your name Aang?"

She was confused by that question but answered it. "No."

"Then you have nothing to worry about. In fact, you are doing better than he would have in this situation. He would've intervened and tried to be comforting, only to make it worse. You are not."

She didn't have anything to say to that at first, mostly because she was surprised at his words. "I've never heard anyone speak like that about Avatar Aang. Most sing praises of his glory and achievements."

"Think on this, Korra: when does a man stop being a man and starts becoming a legend?" he asked her, looking at her intently.

The question confused her. It made no sense. "I…um…uh…I don't know?" she offered, thinking that it was a weak excuse.

To her surprise, all he did was chuckle. "Don't worry; I don't expect an actual answer from you tonight. You're young; you have time to figure it out." As he spoke, the hardness that had been in his eyes in the two times she had seen him vanished and she saw him as a kind old man who had a good sense of humor.

She realized the position she was in at that moment and decided to take advantage of it. "Lord Naruto is it possible you can do something for me?" she asked him.

"Depends on the something," he answered.

She pulled out her book, Bird Flight, the first book in the Shiro Ryu series and held it out to him. "Could I please have your autograph?"

He looked at the book and then at her. "A fan, are you?" She just nodded, not trusting her voice at that moment. "Alright then," he told her, taking the book from her and reaching into his jacket to reveal a pen. "If you have the rest of the books, I might just sign them too." She looked at him with surprise and gratitude as he signed his name on the cover page and gave it back to her. She took it and held it like it was the greatest treasure she could ever have had.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

Personally, I like using random things to vaguely describe a situation. It's so fun and funny to do. One of the best ones I've ever read was from "Embers" by Fanfiction writer Vathara, which is: "That's one of the most… _creative_ interpretations of regulations I've heard since one of my old chief engineers got caught with a feather-boa, a hog-monkey, and six dancing girls." First time I read that line, I just about fell out of my chair laughing.

What happened to Tahno was my way of getting revenge for the finals. And trust me when I say that Naruto could definitely have gone harder on him. There's a reason why the adults have bad memories of a particular day.

Speaking of Naruto, here he is! And to those who believed that Asami was going to be the next Fire Paragon, congratulations. Now, unfortunately, Naruto's not going to be a big character for the first book. He's going to be more of a background character for now but that'll change, I promise.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	8. Opinions and stances

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 8: Opinions and stances

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Air Temple Island)

Korra and the Airbending kids waited on the dock for the boat to sail into place. It had been a day since the revelation of Hiroshi being an Equalist. Strangely enough, when word had been sent that they were coming, they also made mention of how Hiroshi wasn't at the Sato mansion and that the secret factory was completely empty.

"You're finally here!" Ikki called out to the ship's passengers as it came to a stop and gangplank was leveled onto the dock. "Welcome to Air Temple Island. Your new home!" she told them as they came off the ship.

"Yes, welcome to my domain," Meelo declared, pointing at himself. Korra just rolled her eyes at those words and thought nothing of it. He was always saying stuff like that.

"Well, aren't you sweet, little monk child," Bolin said to him. Pabu leapt down from his shoulder and ran between Meelo's legs before going over to greet Naga.

"What's that fuzzy creature?" the Airbender asked, pointing at Pabu.

"That is a fire ferret. An arboreal mammal common to the bamboo forest of the central Earth Kingdom," Jinora answered her brother.

"He's cuuute!" Ikki proclaimed loudly at the sight of Pabu, instantly running over to pick him up and snuggle with him. Sensing danger, the fire ferret puffed up his fur, hissed, and then promptly ran for his life.

Naga might've done something to help her friend, if Meelo hadn't leapt into the air, landed on her head, and began jerking her ears back like they were reins. "Yip-yip!" he commanded. "Fly sky-bison! Fly!"

"Not too hard, Meelo," Korra told him. "You don't want her to try and bite you again, right?" He frowned but did ease down his pulling of her ears. The last time he had done it, he had pulled too hard and Naga shook him off. He fell to the ground and she stood over him, growling quietly but dangerously.

Seeing that he had done as he was told, Korra turned her attention back to her friends. "Thanks for sending the Air Acolytes to help us with the move," Mako said to her.

"Yes, they've been amazing. Such tireless workers," Asami agreed.

At that moment, two of the acolytes came off of the ship, carrying a very large mound of trunks. "I thought you were only bringing a few things," Korra said, her voice rising at the end when it looked like the mound would tip over.

"Trust me, it could've been a lot worse," Mako assured her. "We had to help her bring the number down."

"Hey, it was the first time I was leaving home. I didn't know what to bring," Asami said in small protest. "Besides, it's not all clothes and make-up."

"I'll take your word for it," Korra told her. "And it won't be a problem. Everyone wants to make you feel welcome." She turned her head to look at Naga and her rider. "Meelo, time to get off and give the tour," she told him.

Once he was off, Naga and Pabu began to play, chasing each other around while staying in front of everyone as they walked up the steps to the temple courtyard. As they walked, Asami saw that Meelo was looking at her with a grin. "You're pretty, can I have some of your hair?" he asked, holding out his hand.

"Looks like I have some competition," Mako remarked jokingly.

"And now for the grand tour," Ikki declared, coming to a complete stop in front of everyone. First she pointed to her left. "The flying bison sleep in those caves down there." She turned around and pointed up. "And that's the temple Grandpa Aang built." She turned to her right and pointed forward. "And that's the greenhouse where we grow our vegetables to eat." She finished with a big grin.

"I have a couple of questions," Bolin told her, mimicking her way of speaking. "Is this an all vegetarian island?" He pointed off towards what looked like a training ground. "Is that where you train Airbending? Do we have to wear Air Acolyte clothes? Do we each get our own sky bison? And, final question, how many trees are on this island?"

She was silent for a moment as she thought it over. Then she answered with, "Yes. Yes. No. No. Ten thousand five hundred and fifty two."

As Asami, Mako, and Bolin stared at her with awed and stunned expressions, Jinora pulled out a note. "Arashi wanted you guys to read this once you met Ikki," she explained. Mako took the note and read it, Asami and Bolin looking over his shoulder.

Now you know why I've never blinked when Bolin was being weird.

Arashi

"So, where are we going to be staying?" the Firebender of the three asked the kids, putting the note away (and mentally reminding himself to burn it at a later time).

"You're a boy," Meelo answered him. "Boys have to stay on the boys' side."

"I'd be happy to show you the men's dormitory," Jinora offered. She began to lead the way with Mako following her.

"I'm a boy!" Bolin declared, going after his brother.

"Meelo, why don't you go with the boys too?" Korra suggested to him.

He nodded and then turned to Asami and said, "We shall meet again soon, beautiful woman."

As he walked off after his sister and the new guests, Korra turned to look at Asami. "Ikki and I will take you to your room this way," she said, leading the way to the dormitory.

It was very quiet as they entered and walked down the hallway. "Hmm, seems like a boy lives in here," Asami remarked as they passed an open door to a somewhat messy room.

"Oh, that's just where Arashi lives when he stays here," Korra told her.

She looked at the Tribeswoman with a curious look. "Why? Wouldn't he sleep in the men's dormitory?"

"I don't know really."

"Mom said it's because when he first came to stay, the only room that was available was that one," Ikki answered their question. "The next time, he wouldn't take another room." That made sense to the older girls, somewhat. Then the youngest of them opened her mouth again. "Asami, did you know Korra likes Mako?"

They both stared at her when she said that. In Korra' head, she was screaming while her hopes of keeping that a secret crashed and burned. Asami had a more quiet reaction. "Oh. Uh, no," she replied. "I wasn't completely aware of that."

Korra took her by the arm and led her to the room put aside for her, opening the door, letting her go in first, and then promptly closing the door in front of Ikki's face. "Hey!" the girl protested.

"Run along, Ikki!" she ordered. Ikki got mad and made some evil spirit cat noises, which made her poke her head and her arm out. "NOW!" she commanded, pointing her finger down the hall. Ikki pouted but complied, turning and leaving.

Korra watched her go before pulling her head back into the room and closing the door. She saw Asami standing in the middle of the room, taking in everything. "So, here's your room," she began, coming forward away from the door. "I know it's a little rustic compared to what you're used to." It was smaller than the powder room in the Sato mansion and a lot simpler in taste.

"I think it's really charming," Asami told her. "And the best part about it, nothing here reminds me of my father." Korra didn't say anything, knowing full well that was still an incredibly sore point for her. She just let her look around the room. When she was done, she looked back at the Tribeswoman and said, "Thank you for your hospitality."

Then someone began knocking on the door. "Hey, are you guys currently in the middle of some epic cat fighting?" Arashi's voice asked from the other side.

Korra went over to the door and opened it to look at the blonde. "No, why would we?" she asked back.

He shrugged his shoulders. "That was what I got from Ikki just now."

"What do you want, Arashi?"

"It's not about what I want; it's about what my Jiji wants." He looked over at Asami. "He wants you out at the gates in ten minutes."

"Lord Naruto is here?" she asked, a little surprised at the news.

"That's what I just said," he replied while rolling his eyes. "That's also why he gave you ten minutes, so you could change into something more suited for training." He looked up and down her business suit. "I'm assuming you brought some?"

"Yes, of course I did," she told him. "Now give me a few minutes so I can change."

Both Korra and Arashi took the hint to leave and did just exactly that. They stepped outside and waited in silence for the next couple of minutes. When Asami was done and came out, she wore a simple shirt and pants combination and had put her hair into a ponytail. "Much better," Arashi told her.

"Thank you," she said back with a little bit of sarcasm. She turned her head to look at Korra. "Where are the gates?"

"I'll take you to them," the Avatar told her. She had a feeling of what the Fire Paragon was going to do and thought that it was a little cruel to start her off with that. But then again, she got through it, so Asami would probably be fine.

The three of them walked out of the women's dormitory and over to the training ground where the Airbending gates were located. They found Naruto waiting there with his hands resting on his sword. "You planned ahead, I see," he said to Asami as he noted her clothing. "I guess that mass amount of luggage you brought in did have some sensible clothes."

"It wasn't just clothes I brought…sir," she said, hesitating at the end. She didn't really know what to call him (he didn't exactly look like a lord to her and she had met a few). She stood apart from Korra and Arashi, who hung back near the entrance.

"And what else, pray tell, did you bring?" he asked.

"Some books, some pieces of machinery I've been tinkering with, and some plans I've been helping Future Industries design." Before her father's secret came out, he had been grooming her to take over the company when he retired. But just because her father was an Equalist didn't mean she stopped being his heir.

He listened silently as she listed off what she brought and then finally dipped his head to her. "I'm impressed and that's hard to do to a man my age. It's rare to see a woman who doesn't pack other things nowadays."

"How old are you, sir?" she asked, feeling bold.

He looked a little offended. "Didn't you know that it's rude to ask a gentleman his age?"

"That's ladies, Jiji, not gentlemen," Arashi said from where he stood.

"Hm, true enough," he admitted, losing the offended look. "But to answer your question, Asami, I'm 87."

She was shocked to hear that and it showed on her face. "How?" she demanded. "You look you're barely older than my dad!"

Both he and Arashi laughed at that. "Two things you learn quick about us Uzumakis," the younger of them said. "We live to a long age and we age with grace."

"Now then," the elder began. "Tell me what you know of—"

"Actually, sir, can I ask a question?" Asami said, cutting him off.

"You just did but go ahead."

"Well, what exactly is a Paragon? What do we do?" It had to be some kind of order in close connection to the Avatar; otherwise Amon wouldn't want to get rid of them as well.

But as she looked at Naruto staring at her, she had a feeling that she had asked the wrong question. "Asami, do you not read history?" Arashi asked her, all but confirming her suspicions.

"Not to a great extent," she answered. "It didn't interest me as much as math, mechanics, or science did."

"Remember when I said that I was impressed?" Naruto asked her. She nodded. "I'm not anymore." What good cheer and humor were on his face was gone. Now there was the hardened look they had first seen him with.

She visibly flinched and Korra kinda felt bad for her. But she stiffened her shoulders. "You still haven't answered my question."

"In essence, we watch her." He gestured shortly at Korra. "She's keeps the countries in check, we keep _her_ in check."

Asami looked back at Korra, who was just standing there in silence. "I don't understand."

"What he's saying is that if I ever feel like I should rule the world or lost my sanity, the Paragons are there to end my life," Korra said, her voice solemn as she spoke. She had learned what a Paragon truly was a year before Yue had arrived and when she had met her aunt-figure; she hid from her for the first few weeks. But now, she had accepted it.

The apprentice of the Fire Paragon just looked at her in stunned silence before looking between her and her teacher. "Is…is that really what we do?" she asked Naruto. "Has it ever actually happened before?"

"Have you heard of Avatar Fong?" he asked in return.

"Um…I know of a General Fong, the one who fought against you and Zuko," she answered uncertainly.

"Right name, wrong person," he told her. "He was the Earth Kingdom Avatar before Kyoshi and her Earth Kingdom predecessor and was born into the royal family of the Earth Kingdom. When he did his training journey, he had met with each and every one of the current Paragons. They found him to be narcissistic, arrogant, and too overly fond of using a heavy-handed approached to things. He wasn't interested in keeping balance; he was more interested in making people see things his way. It also didn't help that his family were having thoughts of conquering the rest of the countries and using him at the front, for which he had no trouble with."

"So…what happened?"

"Once he had completed his training, he went home to Ba Sing Se. His family greeted him with a huge celebration, all the while having every intention of beginning war councils the next day and bringing in the Avatar, the supposed bridge of peace, to lead them." A smirk that seemed to be both vicious and sarcastic appeared on his lips. "You can imagine their surprise when they found him the next morning strangled in his own bed. The Paragons stepped forward and declared that they had done their duty."

"And they were not executed or imprisoned for their crime?" As far as she knew, trying to even kill the Avatar was a grave offence, one of the Old World rules that still played heavily in society today.

"How could they be?" he asked her. "They saw what would've happened to the countries if Avatar Fong had been allowed to live, so they took preemptive measures. That's why we exist, to prevent the Avatar from becoming the very thing he or she tries to defend the countries from." There was something in his voice, a slight distaste that made him sound like he did not exactly agree with the statement he just said. "Now that we're done with the Q&amp;A, let's get back to why we're here in the first place, your training. Do you know how to fight?"

She was a little disturbed and put off by his words but now was not the time to think about it. He answered her question and now he wanted an answer from her. "Yes, my dad…" She faltered for a moment before continuing. "He had put me in self-defense classes since I was little. He wanted to make sure I could protect myself." A part of her wondered if it was so she could join the Equalists more easily when the time came.

"What style?"

"I'm sorry?"

He rolled his eyes at her. "What style were the self-defense classes? Fire Nation? Earth Kingdom? Water Tribe?"

"Um…I don't know, Fire Nation, maybe?"

He seemed satisfied with that answer. "Looks like I'm going to have my work cut out for me," he said to himself but loud enough for others to hear.

"I thought you liked it like that, Jiji," Arashi said to him.

"Yes, but it doesn't make what I said any less true," he said back to his grandson before turning to look at Asami and the gates. "The first thing you're going to learn are the first steps in Airbending. Once these gates start spinning, I want you to go through to the other end without getting hit," he told her, gesturing at the contraption.

"Sir, shouldn't you begin my apprenticeship by teaching me the steps in Firebending?" Asami asked. She couldn't Bend, but she figured since she was learning to take his place, she would learn that first.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was training another Avatar," he remarked with very heavy sarcasm. She took the hint and kept her mouth closed. "You learn what I teach you, we're not going in a specific order." He looked past at her at Korra. "Start them spinning."

The Tribeswoman was a little surprised by those words. "Wait, are you talking to me?"

"Is there any other Airbender with us at this moment?" One could practically taste the sarcasm laced into the question.

Now that the attention was on her and she had been asked to do something that she couldn't do, she felt really uncomfortable. "Uh…I'm guessing Tenzin hasn't told you that I haven't been able to bend a single gust of air yet?" she asked hesitantly.

He looked at her intently. "Just how long have you been living here?"

"Hey, she's been trying real hard, Jiji, lay off her," Arashi told his grandfather, coming to her defense.

"Indeed she has," Tenzin said as he came up the steps, getting all the attention on him. "Good day, all. Asami, welcome to the island," he greeted her.

"Thank you for having me," she said with a small bow.

"Is there something you need, Tenzin?" Naruto asked him.

"I have need of Korra," he answered.

"What's up?" Korra asked.

"Beifong's replacement, Saikhan, is going to be inducted as the new Chief of Police later. I think that we should both be there."

She nodded silently in agreement. "How's Lin doing?" Arashi asked.

"Well, but I wish that Gāng had stayed a few days longer. Lin could use her brother to be by her side."

"He wanted to, but he had to go back," Naruto said to the Air Nomad. "There's a reason he went to Ba Sing Se to run damage control." The adults didn't say anything else which left the young trio a little confused at what they were talking about. "Anyway, since you're here, Tenzin, do me a favor and start up the gates."

He looked at the contraption and then at the Fire Paragon. "You are teaching her the beginning steps to Airbending?"

"Yes. And don't bother telling her what to do. I want her to figure it out by herself."

Asami began swinging her head back and forth between the two men, trying to understand the implications behind their words. She understood that her teacher wanted her to do this exercise by herself but why go to the trouble of denying others helping her? It was odd to say the least.

"Very well," Tenzin agreed. He stepped forward and bent the air at the gates, starting them up.

Korra stood in silence as she watched the gates go round and round, glad that she had already figured out how exactly to do it. She could only hope that Asami would figure it out quicker than she did, and with less bruises. "What are you waiting for?" Naruto asked his apprentice, who was staring at the gates. "Move it!"

She winced at the loudness of his voice but did as she was instructed and ran toward the gates. Korra turned around and back down the steps. She had gone through that experience once; she didn't need to see someone else go through it.

(Location: Police Headquarters)

The new Chief of Police was a middle-aged man who was balding and made no attempt to hide it. He stood at the podium in front of reporters from every newspaper and radio program that concerned themselves with this kind of news. Behind him were the members of the Council, along with fellow police officers, Korra, and to the surprise of some people, Yue, who stood off to the side away from any potential cameras.

"It was an honor serving under Chief Beifong for many years and I wish her a speedy recovery," Saikhan announced into the microphones. "It is with great humility that I take her place as the new Chief of Police. Republic City is facing a threat like none this side of the world has ever seen but there is one man who's been effective against Amon's revolution, Councilman Tarrlok." The aforementioned councilman bowed his head to the reporters at the sound of his name. "That is why for all matters involving the Equalists, I will report directly to him. The police department will lend any and all resources to the councilman and his task force until we quell this insurgency."

"What is that weasel snake Tarrlok up to now?" Korra asked Tenzin as she looked at Tarrlok from with a scowl.

Tenzin didn't say anything in reply at that moment, for it would've caused a spectacle. Instead, he waited for the announcement to be done and the reporters to leave before walking over to Tarrlok. "Tarrlok, I don't know what you did to get Chief Saikhan into your pocket but I highly doubt it was legal," he said accusingly.

"Oh, Tenzin," Tarrlok replied, making those two words sound like a little joke. "Always the conspiracy theorist. Did you ever consider Saikhan simply recognizes my talents and wants is best for this city?"

"If you had any talent, you wouldn't be a politician," Yue said from where she stood nearby, an amused smirk on her lips as she spoke.

But the councilman simply ignored her and paid attention to Korra, who had just joined them. "Well, Avatar Korra. Long time, no see," he greeted her. "Now that your little Pro-bending distractions are over, I look forward to your return to my task force."

She barked out a soft laugh and folded her arms. "Forget it!" she told him. "There's no way I'm joining your vanity project."

"That is unfortunate to hear, but I'm sure you'll come to your senses as you have in the past."

"Don't hold your breath, bub. You know, Tenzin's been right about you all along. You played me, you played Beifong, and now you're playing the new Chief too. Well, I got news for you." She got up in his face, making Yue pay more attention with alert eyes. "You need me, but I don't need you. I'm the Avatar."

He just looked at her with that same smirk he had on ever since he started talking. But now, it turned smug. "You are not, in fact, the Avatar," he said with scorn and mocking. "You are a merely a half-baked Avatar _in training_. Which reminds me, how is your Airbending going? Made any significant progress with that?" She had no answer because they both knew it. All she could do was look down and clench her teeth. "I didn't think so." He turned around to leave. "If you will not be a part of my task force, then you'd best stay out of my way."

Tenzin came forward to place a comforting hand on Korra's shoulder as they watched him walk away. Yue watched as well, with sadness in her eyes. _"You ice-crushed idiot,"_ she thought to herself.

* * *

"I don't understand what's wrong with me," Korra said, sitting in the saddle of Tenzin's sky bison. They were flying back to the island and at that moment, all they had was each other to talk to. "I've memorized nearly all of the practice forms, but I still can't produce a single measly puff of air! I'm a failure," she declared with a downcast expression.

"No, you're not," Tenzin said while he held the reins. "You just need to work through this Airbending block."

"Amazing advice," she said completely sarcastic. "I'll get right on that."

"I wasn't finished yet. You see, Aang not only had his Bending teachers, but also his past lives to call upon for guidance. Have you ever made contact with your past lives?" he asked.

"No, of course I haven't. Didn't you get the memo from the White Lotus? I'm a spiritual failure too." Her tone was still sarcastic but now also had an undercurrent of bitterness to it as well.

"You may have made a connection without realizing it. Perhaps something you mistook for a dream?"

She thought that over for a moment and then answered with, "Maybe. I had a few weird hallucinations, but I hardly even remember them." They were like dreams, always vanishing once she awoke.

"And did you see any past Avatars in these visions?" Tenzin asked, turning his head to look at her.

"I saw Aang. It seemed like he was in trouble. What do you think it means?"

"Hmm, I don't know," he admitted, turning his head back to where they were flying. "But I urge you to mediate on these visions. I believe that Aang's spirit must be trying to tell you something." The rest of the flight was spent in silence as they drew closer to the island.

(Location: Air Temple Island)

During dinner, Korra could see how stiff Asami sat at the table. _"She must have had a rough time with the gates,"_ she thought to herself. So she leaned in and whispered, "How are you holding up?"

"I'm sore, but alive," she whispered back. "He kept making me go through the gates after they sent me flying out. I had thought that once they stopped moving, he would stop. But he just had one of the kids keep them going."

"If you want, I can tell you how to get through them."

"There will be no telling anyone anything, Korra," Naruto said from the other side of the table, making the two girls all but leap away from each other. "Asami will learn this on her own. She's gets no help."

She wanted to argue the point, but faltered in view of his look. So she said nothing. But Arashi didn't. "Why not help, Jiji?" he asked. He was sitting next to his grandfather and was picking at his food.

"She's not going to have a helping hand all the time. She has to learn how to figure things out by herself, she might as well learn it now," his grandfather declared. There was enough wisdom in those words to make anyone who wanted to disagree with him hold their tongues.

But still, there was one person who spoke against him. "Nonetheless, Lord Naruto, a helping hand is always good to have," Pema said to him. "I am sure that you have had at least one in your life."

He didn't say anything at first, mostly because he was in the middle of chewing food. But once he had swallowed it, he spoke again. "I have never denied that, but it also helps to learn how to work through something without one." He looked at Pema. "I'm sure I've said this many times, but I'm going to say it once again: there are days I find it very hard to believe that your mother is Ty Lee."

That surprised those who did not know that, mainly Mako, his brother, his girlfriend, and Korra. "Really?" asked the Firebender. "She's Ty Lee's daughter?"

The Fire Paragon looked over at him. "Did you think that Ikki came by that personality on her own?" he asked back, gesturing to the Airbending girl with his chopsticks. "Trust me, Ty Lee was so energetic and bouncy, if we held her in one spot she'd vibrate."

"You're kidding," Korra stated.

"No, I'm not. We actually did that once, just to see if it actually happened."

"Uh, excuse me, Mr. Fire Paragon, sir?" Bolin said from his seat.

He turned his head to look at the young Earthbender. "Yes?"

"I heard that you lived with a shirshu that kept trying to kill. Is that true and if it is, _why_ were you living with a shirshu that kept trying to kill you?" he asked.

To his surprise, a reminiscent smile appeared on the Paragon's face. "Ah, yes. Nyla, the mangy excuse of bad fur that crawled out from underneath a rotten log," he said with a tone of fondness. "It's true, he did live with me. Perhaps ironically because his owner and partner thought that I would be able to take care of him the best after she had died. Once he stopped trying to kill me five times a day, Azula and I became concerned that something was wrong. We soon discovered that he would pass on soon. Actually, I kinda miss him now," he remarked with a weird reminiscent tone in his voice.

"You miss a shirshu that tried to kill you five times a day?" Asami asked her teacher, hardly believing what she heard.

"I could say that it was how he expressed his love, but I would be lying. He hated me and I detested him."

"You live with interesting people," Mako said.

To that, he scoffed. "That's because you've never met them. When Sokka first created Pro-bending, we all thought he was bored and feeling creative. There were few things as dangerous as Sokka when he was feeling creative and bored."

"My grandfather created Pro-bending?" Korra repeated, surprised to hear that. "But he wasn't a Bender."

"And that disqualifies him from being able to create a sport?" he asked, rising an eyebrow at her.

"Um, no," she replied having caught herself before she said something worse. "I had always thought that it had been created by a Bender, that's all."

"How did it get created in the first place?" Mako asked.

"He was watching his sister, Zuko, and Toph train some students in a mock battle exercise and had a fit of inspiration. Next thing we knew, he was drawing schematics and asking random questions. We all thought he was designing some kind of weapon until he came out with the first draft of the game and its rules."

"Wow, that must have been amazing to watch unfold," Bolin said with a voice of awe in his voice.

"Yeah, it was," the Paragon agreed and then continued with, "If you didn't count the hurdles and the arguments and the fights that came along with it."

Everyone at the table just stared at him, with the one exception being Arashi who continued to pick at his food. "Arguments?" said Mako.

"Fights?" asked Asami.

Naruto just nodded his head. "There were some things that some of us didn't like about the stuff and asked Sokka to change it. He disagreed with some of the things and got stubborn about it. Those earth discs you use, that was the result of an argument between him and Toph. She used to use the earth itself as her weapon during practices and matches, but she kept getting overexcited and tearing up large chunks of the ground, making a mess of it all."

"Whoa. So cool," Bolin said. If people looked hard enough, they would've sworn that they saw stars in his eyes.

"Exasperating is more like it," he replied before sticking a small piece of fruit in his mouth.

"Lord Naruto," Jinora said to him. "I've read all the books on the Hundred Year War. Could you tell me what it was like working beside my grandfather?"

He looked at her with a quietness that unnerved her a little. "Do you really want my opinion about what it was like working with Aang?" he asked after swallowing the piece of fruit.

"Yes," she answered, nodding.

"You're sure?"

"Of course I'm sure," she said, unaware of the uneasiness that appeared on her parents' faces.

"Are you sure you're sure? Because you may not like what I could tell you, even when what I tell you is the truth," he told her.

"Yes I am sure," she replied, beginning to sound annoyed with him. "Please, tell me what Grandfather Aang was like."

For a moment, he didn't say anything. All he did was reach for the cup of water in front of him and took a long drink from it. The sound of the cup hitting the table seemed inconsequential at that moment, but those who were at the table would later remember it as a sound that hung in their ears before he spoke. "He was an idiot."

"…Huh?" said Jinora, making it sound like she didn't really understand what he had just said.

"You heard me, girl. Your grandfather was an idiot. Don't bother trying to correct me," he told her just as she was about to open her mouth. "You never knew him. I did and I can say he was an idiot."

"But, but what about the things he did?" she asked him. "He ended the war and helped bring peace back to the countries."

"I will not deny that he had his moments, but it still didn't change the fact that he was an idiot. When we first met to discuss what would happen to the Fire Nation colonies, he was of the opinion that they should go, despite the families that had been living there ever since they were established. And your grandmother wasn't exactly helpful with him. Sometimes, she even encouraged his idiocy."

"Our Gran-Gran?" the eldest of Tenzin's children repeated, her face taking on a look of shock. "You must be mistaken."

"Kid, there were times your grandmother had an inflated sense of herself, believing that there was no way she could be wrong. You would not believe how much of a pain in the ass it was to drag her down off that pedestal she put herself up on. Fortunately, I managed to figure out one word that would knock her off right away."

"What's the word?" Mako asked him, curious to know.

He swung his head to look at the Firebender. "If you want to know that, go talk to Katara. I'd be having too much fun describing what it means to actually describe to you."

"You're a horrible person to say such mean thing about our grandparents," Ikki said, pointing a finger at the Paragon.

"Ikki, manners!" said Pema sharply to her daughter.

"It's alright, Pema," Naruto said to her before looking at her child. "I asked if your sister was sure, kid. She said she was and I told her the truth. You think I'm the only one who has that opinion of your grandfather?" She didn't answer him, so he continued. "Let me ask you this: if you were in the position your Grandfather was in when he awoke from the ice, what would you do?"

"I would help end the war," she answered promptly.

"And how would you do that?"

"I would learn how to master the other elements."

"By doing what?" he asked.

She frowned a little as she tried to think of a good answer. The frown disappeared and was replaced with a big grin. "I would go to the North Pole to learn Waterbending."

"You would go straight there?"

"Yeah, I would."

"All of you would do the same?" he asked the rest of the table, looking at all of them there.

"Of course we would," Jinora answered him. "Just like Grandfather did. He knew how urgent it was to get there."

"Then tell me, why exactly did he decide to treat this urgent mission to get to the North Pole to learn Waterbending like he was on a vacation?" Nobody had an answer, let alone a good one, to that. "That's what I thought."

* * *

Later that night, Korra was sitting on the rocky cliff of the island that faced the city and the statue of Aang. She didn't know what she was getting from looking at her predecessor, with the exception of feeling really insignificant. Despite what Lord Naruto had said about Aang, the man was still a legend who had done great many things and could probably handle the Equalists with both hands tied behind his back. He was a man who managed to learn each and every one of the four Bending arts within the space of a year while ending a war.

Yet here she was, unable to even begin to Airbend and barely have a grasp on a problem plaguing one city. _"I'm pathetic,"_ she thought to herself with resignation as tears began to leak out from her eyes.

"Korra?" called out Mako from a ways away. "You out here?"

She didn't answer, not even when Bolin shouted, "Korraaa!" However, when Pabu found her, she didn't shoo him away, even when he climbed up onto her and began licking her tears dry.

"There you are," Bolin said as he, Mako, Asami, and Arashi came onto the cliff. Pabu leapt off of Korra and quickly climbed up onto his shoulder.

"Everything okay?" asked Arashi with a look of concern on his face.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Korra answered, trying to sound normal.

The other four shared a look. They weren't buying it. "Come on, what's wrong?" Mako asked her. "You can tell us."

She sighed heavily, but told them anyway. "How am I supposed to save this city when I can't even learn Airbending?" She asked, turning her head to look at them all. "I'm the worst Avatar ever!"

"No, I'm pretty sure you're not," Arashi said to her. "In fact, I don't think you even qualify."

He was trying to be a little humorous to lighten the mood but it didn't work. She turned her head back out to the sea and hung it in shame. "I just feel…alone," she admitted.

"No, that's nonsense!" Asami told her. "You're amazing!"

"And you're not alone, just like Avatar Aang wasn't alone," Bolin said. "He had his friends to help him. Look, the Arena might be shut down, but we're still a team. The _new_ Team Avatar!"

"We got your back Korra, and we can save this city," Mako told her. He, Bolin, Arashi, and Asami came together and placed their hands on top of one another. There was a space open for Korra, they were waiting on her.

She stood and faced them. "Yeah, let's do it!" she said, placing her hand on the pile.

What felt like a truly epic moment for the five of them was ruined when Meelo landed on their hands with an Airbending fart. "Yeah, let's do it!" he agreed loudly. Then he stopped and asked, "What are we doing?" That question made everyone laugh.

* * *

"Get ready, Republic City," Bolin said in a deep dramatic voice as he, Korra, and Mako stood at the entranceway to the temple. "You are about to be patrolled by Team Avatar."

"You know, if this doesn't work out, you could always find work as a radio voice, Bo," Arashi said to the Earthbender as he joined them. "The kids are asleep and the adults are taking tea and talking. If we want to get out into the city, now's the time to do it." An unsure look crossed the three Benders' faces which made him concerned. "What? What is it?"

Before they could answer, Asami appeared before them. "Asami, you always know how to accessorize your outfits," Mako said as he took in the appearance of his girlfriend in her Future Industries suit with the electric glove on her hand.

"I figure one way to fight Equalists is to use an Equalist weapon," she replied, discharging the glove to prove her point.

"Very nice," Arashi complimented her. "Now let's get this show on the road." This time, the unsure look was on all four of their faces. "What? What is with the looks?" he asked them.

"Look, Arashi, it's nothing personal," Mako began to say, really unsure of how to say it. "But you're just a kid and—"

"No, no, no," the blonde cut him angrily but with an upset look on his face. "You are not leaving me behind, alright? You're not doing it. I'm put my hand on the pile; I'm a part of this Team Avatar!"

"You're still a kid."

"So was the original Team Avatar and they fought a war!" He wasn't going to be left behind. There was more he could offer to them. Being left behind was not all he could do.

"Arashi, there's nothing personal about it," Korra said to him. "But we're going to fighting people who still think you're a Firebender. You heard Amon when he caught us on the memorial island. You're as much as a target as I am and we don't want to see you get hurt."

"But I want to help out! I'm part of this team!"

"Maybe there's a way you could help us," Asami said, getting his attention. "You could be our support person. If we each had a radio and you had a map of the city, you could help guide us as we patrolled."

It was a good idea, they could all see that. But the blonde saw a flaw. "And how exactly are you planning to handle a radio while riding Naga?" he asked. "In fact, how will Naga be able to carry all four of you? It'd be heavy." The only time she had managed it was when he had been the fourth person and even then she had sounded a bit winded at the end.

The others paused, thinking what he said over. "He does have a point," Korra said.

"Thank you for the observation," he said with biting sarcasm.

She threw him a look and he quieted down. "Does anyone have any ideas on how to get around other than Naga?"

"Hmm," muttered Asami as she thought. "I think I have one, but we're going to have to go off the island for it."

"We might as well, least before the adults find out what we're doing."

* * *

Once they were off the island, Asami took them to one of Future Industries' warehouse district where she disappeared into one of the warehouses. They had no idea what she was doing. But when the garage near the front of the warehouse opened and lights blinded their eyes, some of them had a suspicion.

It was confirmed when a Satomobile raced out of the garage and stopped right in front of them. It wasn't the usual kind of Satomobile one would see on the street, essentially a designed box on wheels. The Satomobile in front of them was more like the race cars Future Industries were testing: low, long, lean, and just oozed power. The black, white, and deep red used as the paint and seat colors just accented the feeling.

"You think this'll do?" Asami asked from the driver's seat, a pair of driving goggles on her forehead.

They all just smiled at her. "Asami, when I'm older, I want this bad boy," Arashi said, staring at the Satomobile with utter reverence.

"Easy there, Arashi," Korra said to him. "You're about to drool all over the place."

"Like that matters."

The driver just laughed. "Arashi, inside the warehouse will be a room where they work deliveries. You'll find a radio and maps inside that room. Go through the garage and take a left to go up a flight of stairs. It's right there at the top."

"And how will I contact you guys?"

"My dad had police scanners and radios installed in all of his cars." A brief look of sadness passed over her face. "I guess I know why now."

An awkward pause followed those words. "Alright, I'll head in," the blonde amongst them said, cutting the moment off. "I'll contact you guys once I'm there."

"I left the frequency by the radio," Asami told him as he raced inside.

"Got it!" he shouted back at her, vanishing inside the warehouse. As they waited for him to call in through the radio, Korra, Mako, and Bolin climbed into the car, Mako in the front and the rest in the back.

"I gotta say, I like the new Team Avatar's style," Mako said with a grin.

"Ditto," Korra agreed.

"This is nice," Bolin chimed in, extending it out like he was singing.

"I'm glad you all approve," Asami said to them all.

"Prowlin' Wolves, this is the Shadowman. Do you read me, over?" Aarashi's voice asked through the radio.

For a moment, they just stared at the radio like they were surprised that a voice actually came out of it. Then the driver picked up the mike. "What's with the names, Arashi?" she asked.

"Hey, I'm the Shadowman while on the air!"

"You didn't answer my question."

"I don't know if we're the only ones who know this frequency and its better to be safe then to be sorry, right?"

"Hmm, fair point."

"But what's with the Bloody Ground reference?" Korra asked the radio, only to not hear a reply. "Arashi, can you hear me?"

"Sorry, forgot to mention that only the one with the mic can respond," Asami said to the Tribeswoman. "Arashi, Korra wants to know what's with the Bloody Ground reference," she said into the mike.

"I do read my Jiji's books," he replied. "And I thought that since this is Team Avatar, it was appropriate."

"Then why not use Naga for our code name?" Bolin asked.

"Bolin wants to know why you didn't use Naga for the code name," Asami passed the question on.

"Because Prowlin' Wolves is better and easier to get out of the mouth then Prowlin' Polar Bear Dogs," Arashi answered. "Now are you guys to patrol or just sit there?"

"Roger that, we're heading out, over." She put the car into gear and drove out of the district, into the city proper.

For the first hour or so, there was nothing that got their attention. They had the radio set to the police scanner so they could what was coming in, but it was usually nothing. "Unit two sixteen, cancel that 10-58 at Harmony Tower. Come back to the station, over," the scanner said at one point.

"Ooh, that sounds interesting!" Bolin said, perking up at the sound.

Unfortunately for him, Arashi chimed in. "This is Shadowman, disregard that last transmission. 10-58 means direct traffic, over."

"Acknowledged, Shadowman," Asami said into the mike. "We'll keep patrolling, over."

"Why is he calling himself the Shadowman?" Mako asked as she put down the mike. "Am I the only one who finds that to be a little ostentatious for him?"

"Maybe he thought it sounded cool?" Bolin suggested.

"Or maybe it he thought it sounded mysterious," Korra added. "He's twelve; they're impressed by things like that."

"Speaking from experience?" Asami asked her.

"Yep," she admitted without any shame.

"Calling all units, Level Four Alert," the scanner announced. "Jailbreak at headquarters. Officers down, electrocuted. Chi blockers and Equalists convicts are still at large, armed and dangerous. Last seen heading east. I repeat, Level Four Alert. Equalist jailbreak!"

When the scanner went dead, Asami picked up the mike. "Shadowman, did you catch that last transmission, over?"

"This is Shadowman, I caught it and I'm looking at the map now. What's your 20?"

"Our 20?" repeated a confused Bolin. "Does he want money or something?"

"No, he's asking for our position."

"Then why doesn't he just say that?"

She didn't bother answering him, just the radio. "We're heading south on Hard Stone Street."

"Alright, give me a minute, over." It didn't even take him a minute to call back. "There's only one real way out of Police HQ going and that's taking 23rd street. If you hang a right at the corner of Hard Stone and 22nd and then cross over onto 23rd, you should reach them just as they pass you, over."

"Acknowledged, Shadowman," she replied. "Wolves are on the hunt, over and out." She dropped the mike and spun the wheel, turning the car at the corner like she was told and gunned it down the next street.

For the next few minutes, no one said a word. They did not if they would meet the fleeing Equalists or if Arashi's reading of the map would be wrong and they would miss them. All they could do was just watch as the buildings flew by as Asami drove the car. Fortunately for them, their blonde's information proved to be correct. Just as they came onto 23rd Street, a convoy of Equalist motorcycles leading and guarding a police truck raced past them.

"Chi-blockers!" shouted Bolin.

"That's them!" Mako shouted as well.

"Let's get'em!" declared Korra.

"Hold onto your butts!" Asami told them, turning the corner and going after the convoy. It wasn't easy going after them as they were on a one way street and going in the opposite direction of actual traffic. The convoy forced normal drivers to jerk their Satomobiles out of the way to avoid getting it, leaving Team Avatar to drive their way around them.

As they drove through another intersection, the Equalist convoy was blocked off by a truck that was going in the different direction. "Korra! Bolin! Give me a ramp!" Asami said to them both as the car sped towards the truck. They stood up and bent the street in front of them to rise up in the form of a ramp, letting the car hit it and flying over the truck with them screaming all the way through the air.

But once they landed on the other side, there was nothing between them and the convoy. Realizing this, Asami pushed down harder on the gas pedal and got the car closer. Once they were close enough, Mako leaned out and shot lightning at one of the rear motorcycles. It hit and the vehicle spun out of control, falling away from the convoy.

Bolin stood up again and went after the other rear motorcycle, bending the street at it in a rain of hail. He was successful too and took it out. But because of the sudden loss, the motorcycles leading the truck fell back to see what the problem was. When they saw that they were being chased, a smoke screen began to emit from their motorcycles.

Soon, all Team Avatar could see was the smoke screen before. Asami moved the goggles down onto her eyes, which barely allowed her to see well. She could barely make out the motorcycles and the truck ahead of them. "Help me out!" she shouted at Bolin and Korra while watching the Equalist convoy turn a corner. "We gotta make this turn!"

They heard her and bent a giant ramp up from the street that curved into the street they needed. She drove up onto it, following it to the end. When she was done with that, they were still behind the convoy. The smoke screen was still there, but they also had an advantage. "They don't know we've made the turn," Asami said to the rest of the team. "Okay, get ready…"

She punched the car forward, coming out of the smoke screen and striking the two motorcycles, crushing them underneath the wheels. But the Equalists riding them leapt into the air the second they felt the car strike. With an ease that they all got from practice, they flipped themselves in mid-air and landed on the car.

Mako went after the one on the right, throwing short streams of fire at him. The Equalist dodged them and threw bola ropes at his arms, entangling them from preventing more fire. But now they were at a standstill. Mako couldn't bend fire and he couldn't let go of the ropes.

The other Equalist leapt into the seats and Bolin rose to meet him, throwing a punch. The Equalist brushed the attack aside and struck his arm with rapid jabs. The Earthbender fell back into his seat with a cry of pain, his arm numb to all except the pain.

But while the Equalist stood over him in triumph, Asami reached and grabbed hold of his leg with her armed hand. It was needless to say that everyone in the car felt a small measure of satisfaction as the Equalist screamed from electricity-induced pain. Once she was done with him, he fell into the back seat, unconscious.

Meanwhile, the other Equalist tried to pull Mako forward out of the car. Korra came to her teammate's aid by grabbing hold and pulling him back down into the back seat. The added effect of that was that she brought the Equalist with them, hitting the window on his stomach and staying there long enough for Asami to shock him.

"Well, that takes care of them," she remarked as she turned her attention back to driving.

Mako stood up and got back into his own seat while tossing the second Equalist into the back. "Can you get in closer?" he asked Asami.

"Of course I can."

"Then go around to the passenger side. I don't want the driver to see us coming up." He moved his hands into the starting position to generate lightning and waited for her to get in closer. Once the car was in the proper place, he quickly generated the lightning and unleashed on the truck driver.

The truck immediately went out of control, falling to its side and then skidding right into a light pole. The car drew up behind it and everyone got out. Korra went over to the back door of the truck and opened to see that the prisoners were still there as well as a few Equalists. "Good evening everyone," she told them cheerfully. "I regret to inform you that your plan to escape jail tonight. Instead, you'll be going right back." She slammed the door close before anyone of them could make a move.

It wasn't until a couple of news reporters caught wind of what happened and came over that the back door opened again. The prisoners were hauled out and forced to seat on the ground while their captors stood behind them so a couple of pictures could be taken for the next day's news.

As the reporters finished up, sirens began to echo in the air and police cars showed up on the street behind the team. But it wasn't cops who got out of the cars. "Avatar Korra, what do you think you are doing?" Tarrlok demanded as he approached her while his task force took care of the prisoners.

"Oh, hey, Tarrlok, nice of you to show up finally," she greeted him casually and mockingly. "Here, we captured the escaped convicts for you."

He looked briefly at the convicts being walked away before looking back at her with an angry expression. "What you did was tear up the city and impede the real authorities in pursuit of these criminals," he told her.

"Hmm, that's funny," she remarked with a raised eyebrow. "I didn't see your little task force or the cops the whole time. If it wasn't for Team Avatar, they would've gotten away."

"This is your last warning," he told her with an angry finger. "Stay out of my _way_!" He turned around and went back to the police cars.

Korra watched with satisfaction as they drove away, knowing full well that she had scored a hit against the councilman. Once everything was said and done, she joined the rest of the team in the car. "That was a job well done," she declared as the car sped away.

"Yeah, it was," Asami said. But while she spoke and drove, she cast a suspicious look at the Tribeswoman, remembering how she went to Mako's aid instantly. "Hang on, I'll let Arashi know." She reached down for the mike and picked up. "Shadowman, this is the Prowlin' Wolves. We've had a good hunt. I repeat we've had a good hunt, over."

"This is the Shadowman, I hear you, over," Arashi replied.

Before he could continue, another voice came onto the radio. "This is the Old Fox calling the four knuckleheaded teenagers in the car racing through the city streets," the voice announced. Everyone in the car looked at one another with surprise. They didn't know that name, but they knew that voice. It was Naruto. They were in trouble.

"Uh, hello, sir," Asami said, still holding the mike.

"I have only one question for you right now and depending on your answer, I will not maim and/or kill you. Where is my grandson?"

"Not with us," she quickly assured him. "We made sure that he stayed behind at the warehouse and manned the radio."

For a long second, they didn't hear a reply and the silence just made their apprehension worse. "Was that his idea or yours?" he finally asked.

"Ours, sir," she answered. "We didn't want him anywhere near what we were going to do but he didn't want to be left out."

"…You will live."

There was an audible sigh of relief in the car at those words. "Are we in anymore trouble?" Bolin asked Asami.

Before she could relay the question, Naruto spoke again. "No, you're not in trouble. In fact, I was a little disappointed to find out that you haven't already done this by the time I got back."

"Sir, how could you hear what Bolin was going to say?" she asked.

"I didn't. Let me guess, you guys are Team Avatar, right?"

"Um, yes," she answered with small hesitation.

There was a chuckle on the other end. "And Katara said it was not going to catch on."

(Location: City Hall)

"Republic City stands as a beacon of freedom, but the Equalists are using that freedom to tear it down," Tarrlok declared as he stood before the Council. "The law I have proposed would make it illegal for anyone to be a member of the Equalists or even be associated with them. It also puts into effect a curfew, ensuring all Nonbenders are in their own homes by nightfall."

"This is going too far, Tarrlok!" Tenzin declared as he stood from his seat. "You can't punish all Nonbenders for the actions of a few!"

"That kind of cowardice will cause our city to fall into Amon's hands," he retaliated. "We must pass this law." He looked at the rest of the Council. "All in favor?" he asked them all. Only Tenzin didn't raise his hand in agreeing and it was obvious that he didn't like what had just happened. But Tarrlok didn't care. He had what he wanted.

(Location: Team Avatar)

As it turned out, they hadn't gotten into much trouble as they originally thought they would be. All they really got was a stern lecturing from Tenzin about how they should've let him knew about what they were doing. But aside from that, they had been pretty much off the hook to go out patrolling again (which made Korra secretly wonder if Tenzin had just given up on trying to stop her).

So far, they had been patrolling the city for three nights now and while they didn't have any successes that were as big as the first night, they had some small ones, mostly scaring any Equalists away from doing whatever they were going to do.

At that moment, they were taking a small break from patrolling, lounging around the car while eating a quick dinner outside a diner that Bolin knew. They didn't say anything to one another as they ate. They were enjoying their meal, for the meal was surprisingly good (when they had mentioned this to Bolin, he felt and looked rather insulted that they thought he would take them to a bad one).

"All available units, please responds to the fifty six hundred block of Dragon Flats borough," the police scanner squawked to life, getting their attention. "Equalists have taken to the streets, consider them armed and dangerous. Proceed with caution."

That was all they needed to get going. "I call front!" Bolin said as he hopped into the passenger seat beside Asami.

"After you," Mako said to Korra, letting her get into the back seat of the car first.

"What a gentleman, thanks," she replied, taking his offered hand to get up in.

Asami readjusted the rearview mirror to get a better look of behind her and also to get a look at Korra and Mako, who looked rather cozy in the back. But now wasn't the time to think about it. They had to get to the Dragon Flats borough. She started the car up and drove it away from the diner.

As she drove, the radio came to life. "Prowlin' Wolves, this is the Shadowman, over," Arashi said.

She picked the mike up. "Here are the Wolves, Shadowman. We heard the call out and we're heading to the borough now, over."

"Yeah, about that, I think something might be up, over."

Everyone in the car shared a look at those words. What did he mean? "Say that again, Shadowman, over."

"I think something might be up. I'm looking at the map Jiji gave us." The map had Equalists areas highlighted, such as warehouses, manufactories, and training grounds ("If you're going to do this, you might as well do it with good information," Naruto said to them when he gave them the map).

"Shadowman, are you referring to the Old Fox, over?" Asami asked, stopping him before he went any further.

There was an annoyed sound on the other end of the radio. "Yes, I was referring to the Old Fox, sheesh. Anyway, I'm looking over it now and there aren't any Equalist sites in the borough."

She frowned as she frowned. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, I'm sure about it. The only Equalist site that was ever active there was the training camp the Avatar and Tarrlok shut down. Now, if you were looking for triad activity that would be something else completely."

"Well, we're about to find out if what the cops said was true," she told him as the car crested a hill. "We're about to enter the borough. Prowlin' Wolves over and out," she said as she put the mike down.

The Dragon Flats borough stretched out before them, lacking any of the opulence people first think of when they think of Republic City. The buildings there barely topped three floors and more than most needed some kind of repair. But there was something even more disturbing about the borough. "Why is the power out?" Korra asked as they drove through. The only light that they could see was from the police blimps in the air above. Every single building was dark.

No one had answer for her but they could hear the noise of a crowd off in the distance. Asami drove toward the noise, letting it grow louder. When she finally stopped the car and everyone stood up to get a good look, they saw a crowd. But it was a crowd penned in by a blockade and Metalbending police. "Wait a second," she said. "These people aren't armed or dangerous."

"Sure doesn't look that way," Korra replied as they came closer. She could see the angry faces in the crowds and hear the protests they were making.

"All Nonbenders, return to your homes immediately," Saikhan announced through a megaphone from where he stood atop a police truck.

"Yeah, as soon as you turn our power back on!" one of the protesters shouted at him, getting a chorus of agreement.

"Disperse, or you will all be arrested."

"You Benders can't treat us like this!" a woman in the crowd shouted. It was obvious that she was a mother from the baby in her arms and the child by her side.

It was the child who noticed that there were more than just cops blocking them. "Mommy, look!" she said to her parent, looking at Korra. "It's the Avatar!"

All eyes swung to the Avatar as they realized that she was there. "Please, help us!" the mother pleaded. "You're our Avatar too!"

Korra looked at the crowd. She saw that even though there were angry people, there were also people who were scared and confused, looking to her for help. And if they wanted her help, she would give it. She strode forward to the crowd, pushing two cops out of her way. "Everyone, please stay calm," she told the crowd. "I'm gonna put a stop to this."

She turned around and walked away with her team behind her. She was intent on finding the person in charge of this debacle because there was no chance Saikhan thought of it first. She had a feeling she knew who it was and it was confirmed when she saw Tarrlok standing at a nearby command tent, talking to one of his task force members. "Tarrlok!" she shouted at him as she came closer. "You need to turn the power back on and leave these people alone."

"Avatar Korra, you and your playmates have no business here," he told her in reply with a stern look.

"We're not going anywhere. You don't have the right to treat these innocent people like criminals."

"This is an Equalist rally," he said to her, lifting his hand to gesture at the crowd. "There is nothing innocent about it."

"They're not Equalists, they're just normal people who want their rights back," Asami told him.

That just made him angrier than he already was. "They are the _enemy_!" He turned to look at the police. "Round up all these Equalists!"

The cops moved forward to the blockade. They bent the legs from the barriers and then coiled them around large groups of the protesters. There were shouts of surprise as the Nonbenders were forced to back up amongst themselves as the coils grew tighter and tighter. The cops took it one step more and bent the earth beneath the coiled protesters out of the ground and up into the air. What few who weren't caught by the coil ran away, screaming in panic.

Korra and her team raced forward to see what was happening. "Stop!" the Avatar cried out, running forward and Earthbending the floating boulders back into the ground, letting those who had been caught get free.

Tarrlok ran forward as well with his taskforce behind him. His eyes burned with fury at the sight of the Avatar freeing the supposed Equalists. But then his eyes turned to her team and saw an opportunity to rein her in.

Asami, Bolin, and Mako just watched as the people went free. Then Asami felt something cold and wet grasp her arm and when she looked down, she saw a whip of water coiled around it, being bent by Tarrlok. "Hey! Let me go!" she protested, getting the attention of the rest of her team.

"You're under arrest!" Tarrlok told her.

"What? You can't do that!" Mako protested, pointing an accusing finger at the councilman.

"Actually, I can," he said, pulling Asami forward so his men could grab hold of her. "She's a Nonbender out past curfew and her father is a known Equalist conspirator."

"Let her go!" he demanded.

"Arrest him and his brother!" the Northern Tribesman instead said to nearby cops, who put the cables on them quicker than they could blink and dragged them over to their side.

"Tarrlok!" Korra shouted before bending the earth around her up into two giant boulders.

But before she could do anything with them, another voice rang out. "Okay, this farce has gone on long enough!" All eyes turned to Yue as she marched up to them. "Korra, put those things down right now," she ordered the Avatar, pointing at the boulders.

"But—"

"Now!" she shouted, surprising Korra. In front of her was not her aunt, in front of her was the Paragon of the Water Tribes and she heard the authority in her voice. So, she did as she was told.

"What, what are you doing out here?" Tarrlok demanded of Yue, a strangled tone to his voice and a tinge of surprise in his eyes.

"I happened to have an apartment in the borough and I was enjoying a nice meal when some asshole decided to turn the power off," she replied, turning her attention to him. "And when I go to find out what had happened, I find out that said asshole is also a dumbass." She gestured widely to the people still standing before the police. "If your plan was to drive people into the arms of Amon and the Equalists even faster, then congratulations," she told Tarrlok.

"I'm doing my duty as a Councilman of this city," he replied in a tight voice.

"Do you fancy yourself to be the new Aang, or the new Sokka?" she asked him. "It's more likely that you're the new Long Feng or Yakone?" He flinched slightly at that last word, as she had expected him. Now it was time for the killing stroke. "Well, go ahead." She held up her wrists to him. "Arrest me."

"What? Aunty Yue!" Korra shouted in surprise.

Even Tarrlok was surprised. He kept looking down at her hands and then back up at her face. "Arrest me," she repeated. "Since I'm not a Bender, I must obviously be an Equalist. So do your duty, _Councilman_."

He didn't move or do anything. She had landed him in a difficult position with what he was trying to do and her words and they both knew it. Yes, what she said was true, she was a Nonbender and by the definition he had just given, she was to be arrested on the spot. But she wasn't just any Nonbender, she was a Paragon. Arresting her could have serious repercussions on his career, especially if it wasn't even a decent charge.

So he decided to take the path of less damage. "We're done here," he told the police at his side without taking his eyes off of Yue. "Take what prisoners you have."

"Hang on! You've still got my friends, Tarrlok!" Korra shouted at his retreating backside. She started to go after him, only to be grabbed by Yue and all but dragged away. "Let me go!"

"Kid, sometimes its best to take what you can get," Yue said in a whisper as they walked back to the car, out of Tarrlok's way. "If you keep trying to push for more, you're likely to wind in more trouble."

"But they're my friends!"

"I know that. Trust me; it will all be taken care of in the morning. Now, go back to the island and get some sleep," she ordered the Avatar, leaving her at the car and walked back into the borough, whose occupants where already dispersing. Korra looked back to see her team being put into the cop truck and taken away.

* * *

Later that night, as snow fell from the sky, she rode Naga in silence up to City Hall. She had gone back to the temple like she had been told but she felt like she could still do something. Now, she was going to do something. She looked up at City Hall and saw lights coming from Tarrlok's office.

"Wait for me here, girl," she told Naga as she dismounted. The polar bear dog pressed her head against the Tribeswoman, which she returned with a comforting hug. "Don't worry, I'll be alright."

She left the polar bear dog behind as she walked up towards the building. There were enough ledges and windowsills for her to grab hold of and start climbing up, making her way to the lights at the top. It didn't take her long to reach a window that was at Tarrlok's office. She kicked it open, letting the wind blow through into the office. She saw Tarrlok sitting at the desk in front of a waterfall encompassing the whole wall. "You and I need to talk," she announced before hopping down from the windowsill and striding towards the desk.

Tarrlok did not say anything at first as she came to a stop. "Are any of the other Council members here?" he asked the page who had been helping him with the paperwork.

"I believe everyone has gone home for the night," the page answered from where he stood behind his chair.

"Then you should do the same."

"Are you sure, sir?" he asked, feeling a little uncertain about it.

"Leave us," Tarrlok commanded. The page did as he was told and quickly left the room, not even bothering to pick up the papers that had fallen onto the ground. Once he left, Tarrlok was alone in the room with Korra. "You obviously have something on your mind? Spit it out," he told the Avatar.

"Don't you see?" she asked him. "You're doing what Amon says is wrong with Benders. You're using your power to oppress and intimidate people."

"If you're going to repeat what I've already heard from Yue, you shouldn't have bothered to show yourself," he remarked. "Besides, aren't you doing the same thing?"

She was caught off guard by that question and it showed in her reply. "Of- of course not!" she protested.

"Isn't that what you came here to do? Intimidate me into releasing your friends?" he asked her, getting a glare in response. "See, that's what I admire about you, Korra: your willingness to go to extremes in order to get what you want. It is a quality that we both share."

"You and I are nothing alike!"

"Look, I'll make you a deal. You fall in line and do what I say and I'll release your friends," he offered her.

"That's why you arrested them? To get to me?" she asked, a little shocked.

"I need your answer."

She might've been shocked, but she knew her answer. "No. You might be able to manipulate Chief Saikhan into following you, but it won't work on me."

In silence, he stood up from his chair and looked at the waterfall. "You will regret that decision," he promised her.

"And you need to be stopped," she replied. "You're just as bad as Amon."

He didn't seem to hear the threat, keeping his back turned to her. "I've tried to work with you, Korra, but you've made it impossible." He whipped around, bending a water slice at her that cut his desk in half.

She managed to roll out of the way, losing only a few hairs in the process. Once she got her footing back, she bent the floor up to throw him off his and then bent two streams of fire at him. But like her, he recovered quickly and once he saw the fire coming, he bent the waterfall to cover him in an orb of water, protecting him from the fire.

Once they were done, he started bending ice shrapnel from the orb at Korra, forcing her back up against the wall. She tried to dodge and punch the shrapnel away only to get a cut in her side. Realizing that she couldn't keep doing that, she bent the floor in front of her up into a shield to protect her. Then she bent the waterfall-covered wall to tear out of place and fall on Tarrlok.

The Councilman saw it coming towards him and tried to get out of the way. But he was a second too slow and the wall, knocked him out of the office and into the council chambers. He fell backwards off the balcony rail but managed to grab hold of it.

When he looked up, he saw Korra standing in the hole he made. "Still think I'm a half-baked Avatar?" she shouted at him before bending the balcony to shatter and send him crashing down to the ground level. He landed hard and she hit him harder by jumping down after him and creating a crater in the landing, making him land on his back.

"What are you going to do now?" she challenged as she walked towards him, making him back away. "You're all out of water, pal." She bent two flames in her hands and moved to strike him down.

But then Tarrlok did something unexpected. He stood back up and moved into a Waterbending stance when there was no water. However, Korra went still and the fires dissipated. She stared at her arms in surprise. She had not extinguished those flames. Surprise turned to horror when the arms began to move against her will. Then her body followed as she was forced to kneel down on the ground, filling her with pain.

"You're in my way, Avatar, and you need to be removed," Tarrlok told her with a look that bordered on absolute fury.

She tried to regain control of her own body but it would not obey. It seemed like her very blood refused to listen. Then it struck her. "You're, you're a Bloodbender?" she asked him in shock. Bloodbending was a technique that had been forbidden almost since it was conceived by a mad Waterbender hiding in the Fire Nation. Korra knew that since Katara had been the one to make it illegal.

"Very observant," he remarked drily.

"It's not a full moon!" she protested whilst still in pain. That was the thing about Bloodbending; it could only be done on the night of a full moon. "How- how are you doing this?!" she asked.

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me," he told her. He bent off of the ground and then threw her at the wall, watching in satisfaction as she hit and fell to the ground.

"KORRA!" shouted a boy's voice, making him swing around to see Arashi Uzumaki standing at the entrance to the chambers.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

Arashi had heard from Korra about what happened to the team from Korra and had gone after her when he figured that she wouldn't wait until the morning like the adults had told her to. He had arrived at the hall just as he heard something loud crashing and had raced in. "What did you do to her?" he asked of Tarrlok.

"The same thing I'm going to do to you!" The Councilman bent the blonde's blood to lift him off the ground and slammed him into the nearby wall, knocking him unconscious. Now he had two witnesses to his abilities and that had to be rectified. Fortunately, he knew just who to blame but priorities had to come first.

He bent the two unconscious bodies up into the air and went to the garage level, where his personal Satomobile was parked. Once there, he dropped the bodies to the ground and opened the back of the car, where he kept some robe in hand. After tying the two up, he lifted one of them at a time and all but hurled them into the back.

Korra was the first to come to and the first thing she saw was Arashi lying next to her, unconscious and bleeding slightly from the head. "Arashi!" she cried at the sight of him. Then she saw Tarrlok standing at the car doors. "Where are you taking us?"

"Somewhere no one will find you," he answered. "Say goodbye to Republic City, Avatar Korra. You and your little boy toy will never see it again!" He closed the doors just in time to avoid gout of flame from her. Ignoring her banging, he went for the wheel and started the Satomobile up.

"You can't do this!" Korra screamed as she felt the car start to move. "Let us out of here!"

"Korra…?" Arashi asked in a whisper as he started to come to.

She swung her head over to him. "Thank the moon, you're okay."

"What's going on?" he asked, rapidly blinking his eyes to try and register where he was.

"We've been kidnapped by Tarrlok," she told him. "He's a Bloodbender!" She turned her attention back to the front of the Satomobile. "Let us out, Tarrlok!" She got no reply and she screamed in frustration (and also because she was frightened).

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

I hadn't realized my mistake with the dormitories until this chapter, hence the explanation from Ikki about why Arashi was living there.

I know that people who've read the prequel already know what the Paragons are for. Naruto's explanation was for the people who've just read this story. Plus, it gave me a chance to put in a little Paragon history. The original idea was for Avatar Fong to be Kyoshi's Earth Kingdom predecessor but after seeing he was an old guy, I had to make an adjustment.

By the way, if there's anyone who knows how to properly speak radio talk and read a street map, let me know if and where I did anything wrong.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	9. Truths and lies

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 9: Truths and lies

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Tarrlok)

He drove far out of the city and deep into the mountains, where he had bought and maintained a hunting lodge for problems such as this. Korra and Arashi had stopped banging in the back which meant no more noise for him. That also meant they were either tired or unconscious again. It really didn't matter to him, so long as they didn't make any more trouble.

Once he reached the lodge, he parked the car, stepped out, and went for the back doors. He opened them and bent the blood of his prisoners before they could do anything to get free. Whilst still holding them against their will, he undid the ropes binding them.

When they were off, he bent the two of them up into the air and walked them into the lodge. There wasn't much in the way of furniture inside but that wasn't the point of having the lodge. The point lay in the basement, where he was going now.

As he reached the basement door, he had Korra reach out and opened it, revealing a flight of stairs. There was nothing she or Arashi could do to not go down, they were floating in midair and their own blood would not let move except on the command of Tarrlok. They moved down the stairs and saw in the center of the basement was a tall metal box that had an open door.

"What are you doing?" Korra demanded as she was placed in the box.

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked back scathingly as he released control of her and slammed the door shut.

"Tarrlok!" she shouted as she tried to lunge at him, only to have the door slammed in her face.

"You're not going to get away with this," she heard Arashi say from outside the box. He was still with her.

"And do you think that I'm scared of a Firebender so pathetic that he would be better off as a Nonbender or dead?" Tarrlok asked with complete sarcasm with a hint of arrogance and disdain.

"Won't matter if I'm a Bender or not when I kick your ass," she heard the blonde reply.

"Hmph, cocky little brat, aren't you? You should learn to respect your betters. I know how to make you do that."

_SNAP!_

"…AHHHHHHHHHHH!" Arashi suddenly screamed with pain so loud that he made Korra jump back a little inside the box.

"Arashi, Arashi, what happened?!" the Avatar asked, fearful of what might've happened. "Arashi, talk to me!"

But all she heard screaming and she could not get a reply. That is, until the sound of a fist hitting flesh echoed out from beyond the box and the screaming stopped. "If you want it to happen again, keep screaming," Tarrlok said.

She heard no reply and she became worried that the Bloodbender had killed her friend. But when she heard Tarrlok begin walking away up the stairs, she also heard a muffled sob. "Arashi, what happened? Talked to me," she urged the blonde, looking at the side of the box she thought he was facing.

"My arm," he sobbed with a voice still full of pain. "He broke my arm."

(Location: Air Temple Island)

The sound of a telephone ringing woke Meelo up. He had been sleeping in the same bed as his parents, right in the middle, making him climb over his dad (which woke him up as well) to reach for the phone. "Who is this?" he asked into the telephone. "It's six in the morning! This better be important!"

Tenzin got up from the bed and took the phone away from his son as his wife woke up as well. "Councilman Tenzin here," she heard him say. There was a pause as he listened to the other end of the phone. "…What?!" he suddenly shouted. After listening a little more, he put the phone down and raced for the closet.

"Tenzin, what's wrong?" Pema asked him.

"I have to get to City Hall," he told her as he hurriedly dressed. "Korra was there along with Arashi and now they're missing!"

* * *

He didn't bother taking a sky bison to the mainland, instead opting to fly via glider staff. By the time he reached City Hall, it was already being looked over as a crime scene by the police. It was the sight of a battle that much was certain, as was the Equalist glove on the ground and the bola rope around the column.

On the steps leading to the table were Tarrlok, Saikhan, and a medic tending to Tarrlok's arm. The man himself looked like he had been attacked. "What happened?" Tenzin demanded, going right for them. "Why were Korra and Arashi doing at City Hall?"

The medic was pretty much done with Tarrlok and withdrew his water before walking away. "As I told Chief Saikhan," Tarrlok began as he stood up and rolled down his sleeve. "Korra came to my office late last night with Arashi. They were upset that I had arrested their friends. Korra asked me to release them and…" He took a moment to breathe. "That's when the Equalists attacked. I think they might've been lying in wait in for me, but the chance of getting the Avatar was probably better. I tried to protect Korra, but we were outnumbered. Then, I was electrocuted. When I came to, the police had arrived. But Korra and Arashi were gone. I'm so sorry." He turned his head to look at Saikhan. "Chief Saikhan, mobilize the entire police force. We have to find the Avatar."

(Location: Asami)

She hadn't slept the entire night. She was still having a hard time believing that she was being treated as an Equalist because of her father. She was trying to help and they had treated her like she was no better than a common criminal! _"What's the point of helping if I'm to be treated like that?"_ she wondered many times during the night.

But now morning had come and with it, the opening of the door to her cell. "Come on, get up," the cop standing in front of the door told her. "You're getting out."

"What?" she said in surprise, standing up from the bed. "Why?"

"Perhaps you can save the question for when you are actually out of the cell?" her teacher's voice came from just outside the cell. "I am not above keeping you in there."

"Sir?" she called out. "Is that you?"

"Are you coming or not?"

"Coming, sir, coming," she answered, walking quickly out of the cell and past the cop to see her teacher standing there like nothing was wrong. Yue was nearby as well, her arms folded while she leaned against the wall.

"Good," he said before turning his attention to the cop. "The next cell, if you would."

"Yes, Lord Naruto," the cop replied as he turned and walked down the hall whilst everyone followed him in silence. He stopped before another cell door and opened it, revealing Mako and Bolin inside.

"Asami!" the Firebender cried as she rushed in to hug and kiss him.

Bolin, who was standing in the back facing the wall turned bright red and yelped a high pitch yelp. "A little privacy, please!" he said to them all.

"No such thing in a prison, kid," Naruto told him. "Just finish peeing." Feeling a little more than embarrassed about the situation, he did as he was told.

"Are you alright?" Mako asked Asami once they were done kissing.

"I'm fine!" she assured him. "It's so good to see you."

"You might want to hurry this along," Yue told the two of them. "But Korra and Arashi got captured by Amon."

All three of the teenagers looked at her in sudden horror. "No. No, she can't be gone!" Mako protested.

"If she wasn't, would we be having this rapidly redundant conversation?" Naruto asked. "Come on, we've got people to find. Move it." He turned around and began walking away, leaving the others with no choice but to follow him. "Kid, your fly's down," he said without turning his head.

Bolin went bright red again and quickly fixed the problem. "Thanks for catching that," he mumbled.

"Sir, I was wondering," Asami said to her teacher as she came quickly up to his side. "How were you able to get us out so quickly? It was only one night."

"It's very simple," he replied. "I went up to the front desk in the lobby and told the cop there that you and your friends were to be released immediately. When he tried to protest, I told him that it wasn't a request."

(Location: Korra)

She had been banging against the metal door of the box, using her shoulder, her foot, anything that would make a sound. "Somebody! Help! Please!" she screamed as she pounded away. But as she kept pounding, her energy began to drain away, leaving her tired. "Please," she said once more as she finally stopped and fell to the floor, her back against the door.

She felt alone in that moment. She knew that Arashi was outside the box but aside from the fact that he had a broken arm, she didn't how he was or where he was. His muffled crying had vanished a while back and she had a feeling that he was either unconscious or asleep.

Weirdly enough, as she sat there, Tenzin's words came back to her.

"_I urge you to mediate on these visions. I believe Aang's spirit is trying to tell you something."_

Those visions were confusing to say the least. She had a flash of them after Tarrlok had knocked her unconscious in City Hall and they didn't make any more sense than the others had. But it wasn't like she had any better options at the moment.

She settled herself into the lotus position, placed her fists against one another, closed her eyes, took a breath, and began to concentrate, focusing on what little she could remember of the visions. Her breathing settled and slowed and she suddenly could see an image of Republic City.

But it wasn't like the Republic City she knew, it was different somehow. Younger and less technological were the words she was probably looking for. There were no Satomobiles or cars of any kind in the streets and there were no airships in the air.

As she brought her attention down from the sky, she saw a man standing nearby with his back turned to her. He was dressed in the robes of the Air Nomads and she first thought that she was looking at Tenzin. She tried to walk towards him but found that she could not move from her spot. When they both heard the sound of multiple feet marching towards him, the Air Nomad turned around and Korra realized that she wasn't looking at Tenzin, but at Aang. He looked exactly like the statue of him out in the bay, with the exception of having a stronger jaw and a beard.

As Aang turned, so did Korra. They both saw a woman with dark hair leading a small squad of Metalbending police officers straight towards Aang. Even though she didn't know the woman, Korra knew that she was looking at Lin and Gāng's mother. "What are you doing here, Aang?" Toph asked the previous Avatar with a mildly annoyed tone. "I told Sokka, I told Katara, I told Naruto, and I told you that I have this under control."

"Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't get involved," Aang told her. "But if what those victims said is true, we're not dealing with a normal criminal. Besides, if it was Naruto or any of the other Paragons here, you'd be taking out a corpse and you know it."

"Fine," she conceded with a small smile. "Follow me, Twinkletoes." She turned to the nearby building Aang was originally looking at and started walking towards it.

"Toph, I'm 40 years old," he protested slightly. "You think you could stop with the nicknames?"

"'Fraid not," she answered with a smirk on her lips. "I'll stop calling you Twinkletoes the same day Naruto stops calling you an idiot."

He shook his head and followed her, walking past the cops so he was by her side. "I still wish he would stop calling me an idiot," he grumbled somewhat. "I'm not a kid anymore. I've changed."

"He and the other Paragons had to sit on you when Katara was giving birth to your first kid. I think that gives him the right to call you an idiot." After that, they fell silent and walked through the building.

It turned out to be a restaurant and a fancy one at that. The waiter in the lobby tried to step in to impede their path, but Aang just gave him a look. "Son, just don't."

The waiter looked at the cops and then at him, recognition showing in his eyes. He stepped back and allowed them to walk through into the restaurant. They made their way over to the far wall, where a well-dressed man was sitting in a booth eating food. Two men stood just outside the booth, obviously acting as security. If Korra was visible, they would've seen her lurch in surprise. She had seen the eating man before, in her past visions.

"It's over!" Toph declared, pointing her finger at the man in the booth. "You're under arrest, Yakone!"

An amused smirked appeared on the man's lips at those words. "What is Republic City coming to these days?" he asked aloud, looking at the cops and the Avatar. "Used to be a man could enjoy his lunch in peace." He reached down to pick up another piece of food to eat, only to have his hands tied together by a cable from Toph, who pulled him out of the booth. "What's the big idea?" he demanded as one of the cops grabbed his arms and put them behind his back. His men were also being handled like that.

"We have dozens of witnesses and your daughters, Yakone," Aang told him. "We know what you are." Disgust was in his voice as he looked at the man.

"Take him away," Toph ordered her men.

"I've beaten every trumped-up charge you yahoos have brought against me!" he shouted as he was led away. "And I'll beat this one, too," he declared with a confidence and an arrogance that seemed natural.

"You'd better hope not," Aang said to him. "Otherwise, we'll let Naruto go at you." If Yakone had been fazed by the remark, he didn't show it.

Korra opened her eyes. "Whoa," she breathed out before looking up at the box's ceiling. "I've finally connected with you, Aang. But what are you trying to tell me?" she asked with more than a note of confusion. "A way out of this box and how to help Arashi would be nice."

"Are you talking to yourself?" Arashi's quieted voice asked from outside the box.

"Arashi, thank the Spirits you're still with me," she said, swinging her head to the direction of his voice.

"I'm pretty sure that talking to yourself is one of the first signs of insanity," he continued like he hadn't heard her.

She couldn't help but chuckle. "Technically, I was talking to myself. I was talking to Aang."

For a moment, there was silence. "I was joking, but you sound serious. I'll let you get back to it."

(Location: Tenzin's office)

He had been on the phone when Lin, Yue, and Korra's friends walked through the door, taking him completely by surprise. "I have to go," he said into the phone. "Call me the minute you find anything." He hung the phone and stood up from his desk to talk to them. "Lin? Wh-wh-what are y- What are you- You should be in the hospital! And you three!" he said, pointing at Mako, his brother, and his girlfriend. "You should be in prison!"

"Lord Naruto got us out," Asami told him. They had met Lin in the lobby of Police HQ and her teacher promptly handed them over to her.

"And I figured you could use our help finding Korra and Arashi," Lin said with a flat tone. She was wearing her police armor with a trench coat over it.

"Then why isn't Naruto with you? It is his grandson that is missing."

"It's because Arashi is his grandson that he's not here," Yue answered. "The way he put it was 'we want to keep any prisoners you take alive for interrogation.'" As she fell silent, there was a small chill in the air. The implications in his words were clear.

"Do you have any leads?" Mako asked the Air Nomad.

"I've been on the phone all morning, but nothing yet," he answered, coming around the desk.

"We need Naga! She can track Korra and where Korra is, Arashi is too."

"I'm afraid her polar bear dog is missing as well."

"Then where do we start?" Bolin asked. To him, it seemed like a big problem with no leads, period.

"My guess is that the Equalists are hiding underground in the maze of tunnels beneath the city," Lin said after giving the problem some thought.

"Underground…just like my father's secret factory. Figures," Asami said darkly whilst staring at the floor. _"Just how much did they share?"_ she asked herself.

"Yeah! Yeah, that makes sense!" Bolin agreed, remembering when he got kidnapped alongside the majority of the Triple Threat Triad. "When those chi-blockers had me in their truck, it sounded like we drove through a tunnel!"

As he listened to his brother, Mako remembered that night as well. "I know where to start looking!" he declared. "Come on!"

He, Bolin, and Asami raced out of the room, leading the adults there alone. "Wherever Amon is keeping Korra and Arashi, I bet that's where my officers are too," Lin said to Tenzin and Yue.

"Let's bring them all home, Lin," Tenzin said to her.

"And we might want to be quick about it," Yue said. "Naruto might not be here, but that doesn't mean he has a good grip on his temper right now. If this goes on too long, we may have a repeat of that day on our hands." That thought made their feet move quickly as they hurried out of the office.

* * *

They took Tenzin's sky bison to where Mako and Korra had first encountered chi-blockers. It looked a little different in the daylight and covered in snow but that didn't matter to Mako. "The truck with took off this alley," he told everyone, pointing at the alley in question.

They started down it, only to quickly find that it lead into a four way intersection. "Which way?" asked Asami.

"Hmm. This way kinda…smells familiar," Bolin said, looking straight ahead and sniffing the air.

Lin simply raised her foot, closed her eyes, and slammed it into the ground. Everyone stayed still as she felt the vibrations of the surrounding ground. "There's a tunnel nearby," she declared, opening her eyes and pointing to their left.

They went down that alley to a large sewer ditch that had metal grates at the end. "There!" cried Mako, looking at the grate with tracks in front of it.

They all went down into the ditch and Lin inspected the tracks. "Motorcycle tracks," she declared after a quiet second.

"Korra has to be in there," Mako said. "…Somewhere." The tunnel looked like a gaping hole into nothing, making him feel like they could get lost in there.

Lin bent the grate open. "Come on," she said to them all, heading into the tunnel with them by her side. As the darkness began to surround them, Mako bent a flame in his hand to serve as a light.

They kept walking until they came to a junction of tunnels. Five separate tunnels went different directions and darkness prevented them from seeing any further. "Let's go this way," Mako said, moving towards the center tunnel.

"And what if Korra or Arashi are not down there?" Asami asked him.

"Then we pick another tunnel until we find her!" He moved forward, missing the hurt expression on her face.

As they went down the tunnel, going with the curve of it, Asami fell to the back of the group alongside Bolin. "Hey, is Mako alright?" she asked. "He seems really worried about Korra."

"Yeah, we all are!" Bolin agreed, trying to keep his voice down.

"I know, but, he's your brother. Do you think that he likes Korra as more than just a friend?"

He saw the question coming when she put her hand up to the side of her mouth. But when she asked it, he laughed awkwardly. "W-What? No! That's, just gossip, where'd you hear that? Crazy talk is coming out of your mouth right now," he told her with a finger pointing at her. She didn't buy and he found that he couldn't hold her gaze, so he turned his eyes away.

"What do you know, Bolin?" she asked, placing her hand on his shoulder (to prevent him from running away). "Come on, spill it."

"Nothing!" he instantly protested. He should've stopped there, but his mouth kept running. "I mean, there was this one time during the memorial tournament when Mako and Korra kissed, but—"

"They kissed?" she repeated in a shocked voice, cutting him off. She turned her head to look at Mako's back.

"Believe me, I was upset too, but, I'm over it," he told her. "I don't think it meant anything."

"I doubt that."

"You guys want to stop talking and keep moving now?" Yue asked the two of them pointedly, getting their attention. She had been the only one to stop for them. Tenzin, Lin, and Mako had just kept walking.

Both of them started walking again, only to stop when they heard the sound of a motorcycle getting louder. The others heard it too, coming from behind them. When they turned to look, they saw a light further down the tunnel getting brighter. "Hide!" Lin ordered everyone.

They all ran to the side and hid behind one of the support pillars against the wall, just in time to avoid two Equalist motorcycles driving fast towards them. But just as they were about to see the intruders, the Equalists veered off to their left. A part of the tunnel wall flapped upwards to reveal a new tunnel, which they promptly disappeared into.

Once the section came down, the rescuers went over to it immediately. Lin closed her eyes and placed her hand on it, feeling through the vibrations to find the opening mechanism. Once she found it, she bent it to open the wall. It did and they all went further in, ignoring the fact that the wall closed behind them.

What they found looked to be some kind of supply station for the Equalists. There were various kinds of supplies there, ranging from simple things, like food and clothing, to trucks and motorcycles. There were more tunnels in the station. Metal rails went into the various tunnels and they all originated from a central point in the station. But there was one question remaining. "What are the rails for?" Bolin asked.

"They look like something my dad came up with," Asami told him quietly. "I could've sworn they were part of a plan for an underground train system."

"Why would you want an underground train system?"

She thought about it for a moment. "I guess it would be so that mobility and space wouldn't be a problem."

Meanwhile, an Equalist was placing supplies on a tram-like car while one waited for him to finish onboard and another stood before it with clipboard in his hands. "That tram goes to the training camp," the Equalist with the clipboard said. The two onboard nodded in acknowledgement. One went for the controls and the tram sped away into the tunnel.

Out of another tunnel came another tram with only one Equalist onboard. "Everything was delivered to the prison, sir," she told the clipboard-holding one, who nodded in acknowledgement. The two of them walked off, leaving the tram just sitting there.

The rescuers had perked up their ears at the sound of the word "Prison." "That's where they must be holding Korra and Arashi," Tenzin declared quietly.

"We need to get down that tunnel," Lin said.

"Then let's not look a gift ostrich horse in the mouth," Yue remarked, looking pointedly at the tram right in front of their eyes.

"If we take the tram, they'll see us coming," Asami objected.

"No, they won't," Lin told her. She signaled the group to move out to the tram. They boarded it quickly and Yue manned the controls. The tram started down the rail into the tunnel, moving quite fast.

It was only a minute later that Tenzin said, "Alright, everyone hang on." Without another word, he bent the air to carry them off the tram and onto the tunnel ground, letting the tram go on without them.

They followed close enough to see the tram stopping at the end of the tunnel and the two Equalists looking over it. "It's empty!" one Equalist said.

"Yeah, I can see that," the other replied sarcastically.

Yue laughed, making it echo through the tunnel and around them. "Now, boys, there's no need to be rude," she said, making her voice echo too.

The Equalists swung around, arms up in defensive positions. "What the hell was that?" the second demanded.

"Does it look like I know?" the first one replied, returning the sarcasm.

Before there was a reply, Lin bent her cables at them, grabbing hold and pulling them into the tunnel. They landed hard on the ground, right in front of Yue. "What did I just say?" she asked them. She didn't bother to wait for a reply. She struck and the two fell unconscious.

Lin dragged them out of the tunnel and into the stop. She tied them up and threw them against the wall. "You two, keep an eye on them," she told Bolin and Asami as she ascended the nearby staircase, close to Mako. Again, she struck the earth with her foot to sense the vibrations of the area. "My officers are inside," she declared as she opened her eyes.

"What about Korra?" Mako asked then added, "And Arashi?"

"I don't see them yet." She, along with the Firebender, Tenzin, and Yue, climbed the rest of the stairs and walked into the prison. It was unnerving to so many prison cells that stretched out before them as they walked. What was truly also unnerving was a question in their heads: were these cells, or pens to keep the Benders Amon had gotten to yet?

As they turned the corner, they saw two Equalists at the same time the Equalists saw them. The masked men quickly drew bola ropes, swung them into throwing speed, and promptly threw them. Tenzin bent the air to repel the bolas, sending back to their owners and knocking them down against the far wall.

While Lin walked past them, Mako ran up to one of them, grabbed him by the shoulders, slammed him against the wall, and ripped off his mask. "Avatar Korra, where are you keeping her?" he demanded.

Yue reached his side and placed a strong hand on his shoulder. "Ease off, kid," she told him. "He can't tell us if he dies."

"I don't plan on killing him."

"Could've fooled me," she remarked drily.

He ignored her, focusing his attention back on the Equalist. "I'll ask you one last time," he said before slamming the guy higher up on the wall, pulling a fist back and bending fire onto, the threat clear and obvious. "Where are they?"

"We don't have the Avatar or the son of Sozin Uzumaki," the Equalist groaned out. "And the Equalists didn't attack City Hall. Tarrlok's lying."

"What?" he demanded, letting him fall back down so his feet could touch ground.

"What the hell are you saying?" Yue suddenly said, an unwell look appearing on her face.

Lin came back with her officers in tow. The fact that they were alive and had a defeated look in their eyes must've meant that Amon had already gotten to them. "I scanned the entire prison," Lin told them. "Neither Korra or Arashi are here."

Mako let go of the Equalist and put the fire out. "Why would Tarrlok make up a story about being attacked?"

Tenzin came to the important conclusion first. "Because _he_ has Korra and Arashi," he said. "He fooled us all!"

"_Oh, Tarrlok,"_ Yue thought to herself. _"You are an idiot, a complete and utter idiot. Are you trying to get yourself killed?"_

A siren began to wail and a red light began flashing, signaling everyone that they've been found out. They ran out of the prison and back to the tram, where Asami was already manning the controls. "Let's go, people!" Bolin shouted at them as they came down the stairs, urging them on.

They all quickly climbed aboard the tram and it began zipping down the rail the way they came. For a moment, they relaxed, thinking that they were safe. But then Mako and Bolin saw a light fast approaching from behind them. It was another tram filled with chi-blockers intent on boarding them.

Bolin raised his arms and bent the walls to break and collapse, halting their pursers. "Try to chi-block that, fools!" he called challenging.

"We've got more company!" Lin shouted from the front, where she was seeing the Lieutenant was waiting with chi-blockers and mecha-tanks. Looking up at the railing overhead, she bent it to split apart and angle the side they were on upwards to the ceiling. "Hang on!" As the tram flew up at the ceiling, she bent a hole in it large enough for the tram car to fly through.

They sailed through the air in the upper tunnel for a few seconds before landing on the floor with a hard bump, skidding the last few feet. When it stopped, they stepped off, a little dazed but alive. Now came the hard part: getting the truth out of Tarrlok.

(Location: Korra)

She mediated once again and this time, an image of the City Hall council chambers came to her. Like the image before, there was something different about the chamber. But that hardly mattered now. What did matter was the fact that the five members of the Council (including her own grandfather) sat before Yakone, whose hands were in chains. Behind him sat Aang and an audience that filled every chair in the chamber. Korra knew what this was. It was a trial.

"Yakone has ruled Republic City's criminal empire for years," a woman lawyer said to the Council. "Yet he has always stayed out of the law's reach, until now. You will hear testimony from dozens of his victims, and they will tell you, Yakone has maintained his grip on the underworld by using an ability that has been illegal for years: Bloodbending."

A small gasp echoed through the audience at those words. Korra saw his grandfather's eyes hardened and despite the fact that she knew Aang had a look of calmness on his face, he was feeling the same things the Water Paragon was feeling. They had been there when Bloodbending had first been revealed and it left no pleasant memory for them. She saw her grandfather clench and unclench his right hand yet he did not seem aware of it. It almost seemed like he instinctively reaching for a sword that he did not bring with him.

When the woman lawyer sat down, the lawyer by Yakone's stood up. "The prosecution's entire case is built upon the make-believe notion that my client is able to Bloodbend at will, at any time on any day," he began as he paced before the Council. "I remind the Council that Bloodbending is an incredibly _rare_ skill and it can only be done during a full moon."

"_You don't need to tell my grandfather that, you moron,"_ she thought to herself while rolling her eyes. He had lived through it.

"Yet, the witnesses will claim that my client used Bloodbending at every other time, _except_ during a full moon," the lawyer continued. "It would be a mockery of justice to convict a man of a crime that is impossible to commit."

"No, what would be a mockery of justice is if his head is still attached to his body after we're done here," Lord Naruto's familiar voice called out from the audience. Only a few people turned to look at him, Korra being one of them. His hair was less grey and he had no wrinkles on his face, but there was no doubt that was the Paragon of the Fire Nation.

People in the audience began to call out in agreement, before her grandfather banged his gavel. "Order in the court!" he shouted, quieting them all. He turned his head to look at the prosecuting lawyer. "Call your first witness."

"_I don't need to watch all of this,"_ Korra thought to herself. As if what she was seeing heard her, everything began to speed up to the point that all she saw of people moving were blurs acting very animated.

Everything returned to normal speed when the people of the Council were going back to their chairs. She knew that they had left to discuss what they had heard. "Councilman Sokka will now deliver the verdict," a man standing close to the Council table announced, making all eyes focus on her grandfather.

"In my years, I have encountered people born with rare and unique Bending abilities," he began, his tone light and easy. "I once bested a man with my trusty boomerang who was able to Firebend with his mind. Why, even Metalbending was considered impossible for all of history until our esteemed Chief of Police, Toph Beifong, singlehandedly developed the skill." He gestured over at Toph, who was standing by the side with two of her men. He turned back to face the audience and the defendant and when he spoke, his voice lost the light and easy tone. Now it was hard and serious. "The overwhelming amount of testimony and evidence has convinced this Council that Yakone is one of these Benders and he exploited his ability to commit these heinous crimes. We find Yakone guilty of all charges and sentence him to life in prison pending a decision on his execution." He banged the gavel again, making it sound final.

The audience began to speak amongst themselves as the echo faded. Aang had a look of slight surprise on his face while Naruto looked satisfied. Obviously something had happened that the Paragon had expected that the Avatar did not. Perhaps it was the announcement of the execution decision.

While all this had happened, Yakone had sat in his chair with a smug little grin on his face, like he was going to get out no matter what was thrown at him. The grin stayed on his face even after the verdict was delivered. In silence, he stood up from his chair, looking at the Council.

His eyes suddenly bulged in their sockets and Sokka screamed in pain as his body rebelled against him. A second of shocked surprise followed before the rest of the Council followed suit. Toph saw what was happening and moved to get a cable around Yakone, only to fall under his control when he turned his eyes on her.

She and the Council weren't the only ones he was bending; he had the entire audience too. Neither Aang nor Naruto could move from their spots, even though they were trying to do. And while this all happened, Yakone was laughing.

(Location: City Hall)

"Thank you all for meeting us on such short notice," Tenzin said to the other three Council members. He had asked them to meet him at City Hall so he, Lin, and Yue could turn the tables on Tarrlok and get him to reveal where Korra and Arashi were. Mako, Asami, and Bolin had come with them, wanting to get answers too (some more than others).

"Chief," Lin said coldly to Saikhan, who stood next to the Council members.

"Lin," he replied just as coldly.

"Yue," Yue added with a little grin.

"Bolin!" exclaimed the Earthbender loudly.

Everyone just looked at him. "Way to kill the mood, bro," Mako said to him.

"Have you news of Avatar Korra and Arashi?" Tarrlok asked as he approached the group from the chamber doors.

"We do," Tenzin said before an accusing finger at him. "You kidnapped them, Tarrlok!"

He reacted with a look of innocent surprise. "I am shocked you would accuse me of such an evil act! I already explained: Equalists attacked us took them!"

"But there were no chi-blockers here last night. You planted the evidence, didn't you?"

"That is a _ridiculous_ accusation!" he said angrily.

"It's true! He took her!" a voice shouted up from the balcony above. All heads to see who it was and Tarrlok recognized the page that had been with him last night cowering behind a column. "I was here when Avatar Korra arrive alone last night, not with Mr. Arashi. Councilman ordered me to leave. I was on my way out when I saw Tarrlok bring her and Mr. Arashi down to the garage."

"That is nonsense!" Tarrlok shouted. "Everyone knows you're nothing but a squeaky-faced liar!"

Lin ignored the enraged councilman and looked up at the page. "Why did you wait until now to 'fess up?" she asked him.

"I was terrified to tell because…because Tarrlok is a Bloodbender! He Bloodbent Avatar Korra and Mr. Arashi!" he shouted for all to hear, only to turn and run when he was done.

A shot gasp of shock rippled through the group facing Tarrlok. At the front was Yue with a look of horror on her face. "You didn't," she said to Tarrlok, her voice taking on a pleading tone.

He didn't say anything and that just made him even guiltier. "Don't make this worse for yourself," Tenzin told him. "Tell us where you have Korra and Arashi." Both he and Lin slipped into attack stances despite his words.

Tarrlok just stood there with a look of outrage and shock on his face. Suddenly, he moved and raised his hands up. Tenzin and Lin tried to stop him, but their wind and cable fell short as their control of their bodies was taken away from them. They weren't the only ones. He had taken control of all of them.

Once they were in his grasp, he used their blood to knock them unconscious, letting them fall to the ground. The last person who was still conscious was Yue, who looked like she was trying to fight free. "How…could you…sink…so low?" she grated out from between clenched teeth. He didn't bother to answer, he just knocked her out.

* * *

When she came to, she saw Naruto standing over her. The next thing she heard was Lin shouting, "Wake up!" and the sound of a palm hitting a cheek. If she had to guess, she was smacking Tenzin awake.

"What happened?" Naruto asked her. Two words that made her feel like if she answered wrong, she would not like the outcome.

Fortunately for her, Bolin took care of that when he stood up with a small groan. "Man! I had this awful dream that Korra and Arashi were taken by this evil Bloodbender. So weird," he remarked.

"Bolin, that actually happened," Asami said to him from where she knelt on the ground, Mako by her side. "He knocked us out."

"Are you serious?" he demanded before he started looking around rapidly. "Where is he? Is he here right now?"

"Tarrlok is long gone," Saikhan said, answering the Earthbender and addressing everyone else there. "I'll alert the whole force."

As he the three remaining Council members left, Lin turned to look at the others. "We've only been out a little while," she said. "Maybe we can still pick up Tarrlok's trail."

"It could lead us to Korra and Arashi!" Tenzin said in agreement. "Let's go."

"Wait," Naruto said, making them all stop in their tracks. "I still haven't been told what happened here."

"Come on, is it really that important?" Mako asked, impatience coloring his voice and tone.

"I wasn't here. I was lead to believe that it was Equalists who had my grandson. Was I wrong?"

"Yes. It was Tarrlok who took them," Lin answered him. "Worse, he's a Bloodbender. He knocked us all out before escaping."

He didn't say anything. Instead, after having a small look of surprise on his face, he turned to look at Yue, who couldn't quite meet his eyes. "Alright," he finally said. "Let's go."

(Location: Korra)

She stood there helplessly as Yakone held everyone there under the control of his Bloodbending with a smug grin on his face. He turned his attention onto Toph and bent her into taking the keys off of her fellow cop. Once she had them in her hands, he forced her to float over to him and unlock the cuffs around his hands.

They fell to the floor with a sound that couldn't be heard. Yakone shook his hands like he was trying to get blood back into them. When he was done, he raised his hands and caused everyone to collapse to the ground, with one exception. After watching Sokka collapsed at the table, he turned and lifted Aang out of his seat.

"Yakone, you won't get away with this," the Avatar promised him as he felt his arms being twisted around his back without his consent.

The Bloodbender just laughed at him. "Republic City is mine, Avatar," he declared. "I'll be back one day to claim it." He threw Aang at the stairs, knocking him unconscious, and ran out of the chambers.

Korra watched him go, unable to move from her spot. She turned to Aang, who had fallen to the ground. _"Aang, get up! He's getting away!"_ she silently shouted at him.

She didn't know whether it was because he heard or not, but his cloak began to flap in the air rather rapidly and his arrow tattoo began to glow a bright white. His head snapped up and his eyes opened, revealing that they glowed with the same white as his tattoo. For a brief moment, his face took on an ageless quality as he went into the Avatar State. Then it disappeared and he was left with a hard look on his face.

He got back up onto his feet and ran for the chamber doors, bursting through them with a blast of air. He leap into the air and bent it into the shape of a large sphere, riding it out of City Hall and after Yakone. The Bloodbender was getting away by a carriage pulled by an ostrich-horse.

To the master Airbender and Avatar, he was easy to catch up to. Rather than attack right from behind, Aang moved his enhanced air scooter (Korra had read her history. That ball he was riding could only be an air scooter) up onto the sides of the buildings. He moved ahead far enough to look like he could cut Yakone off. Instead, he bent a small and thin stream of air at the reins.

They were cut apart and the ostrich-horse broke free, running off. The carriage, on the other hand, crashed and tipped over onto its side, causing a lot of dust from the road. But Yakone was nowhere in sight. It was like he had vanished.

Aang floated down from the buildings and onto the street. He circled the carriage looking for Yakone. The Bloodbender burst out of the carriage door and bent the Avatar's blood, knocking him off of the air scooter and bringing him down to the ground. He himself leapt off the carriage onto the ground.

"This time I'm gonna put you to sleep for good!" he declared, raising Aang up into the air. He began bending the blood to twist and contort the Air Nomad's limbs, causing him great pain.

Aang screamed as his body and limbs started twisting in ways that they shouldn't be twisting. Yakone was sweating as he kept the pressure on. Clearly, he had never gone this far in attacking his victims. As Aang's head pushed backwards, trying to break his neck, it snapped forward showing that he was in the Avatar State again.

Yakone lost control of him. He landed back on the ground and bent the earth to reach up and hold the Bloodbender, leaving his upper chest and head free. He walked towards the Bloodbender, coming out of the Avatar State, placed his hands on his head and chest. "I'm taking away your Bending, for good," he declared.

As Yakone struggled and shouted, Aang returned to the Avatar State again. It was for a moment and a moment only. But in that moment, Yakone lost the power to Bend. It wasn't like how Amon did it, Korra could see that. It was quicker and less painful, but he slumped forward like Amon's victims, still incased in the earth.

"It's over," Aang declared.

As soon as he said those words, Korra found herself back inside the box. The dots connected in her head and she found herself feeling a little like an idiot. "Aang, all this time, you were trying to warn me about Tarrlok," she said to herself.

"Korra, are you done talking with yourself" Arashi's voice asked from outside the box.

"Yeah, I'm done," she answered. "I've figured out what Aang was showing me."

"Oh, good," he said, falling silent for a moment. "…Hey, Korra, since we're here alone and I can't think of any time or place to say these words, can I ask you a question?"

Before she could answer, they both heard a door opening and feet coming down stairs. "My life is a disaster now!" Tarrlok's voice said in anger. "Thanks to you two."

"So your little Bloodbending secret's out?" Korra asked him, standing up in the box. He just grunted in annoyance, so she pressed on. "And I know how you Bloodbent me without a full moon. You're Yakone's son."

"What?" Arashi asked quietly, obvious surprised by what he had just heard.

Tarrlok ignored the blonde. "I _was_ his son," he corrected Korra. "But in order to win Republic City, I had to become someone else. My father failed because he tried to rule the city from its rotten underbelly. My plan was perfect. I was to be the city's savior. But you, you ruined everything!" he accused her.

"Tarrlok, the jig is up and you have nowhere to go," she told him.

"Oh no," he said in rejection. "No, I'll escape and start a new life. And you're coming with me as my hostage. As for your boy toy, perhaps I'll just leave his corpse here for his grandfather to find."

Horrified by his answer, she began banging on the box again. "You think I'm just gonna let that happen?" she demanded. "You're never going to get away with this!"

She didn't seem to get an answer from him. The only thing she heard outside of her banging was his feet going up the stairs. But oddly enough, she heard the pacing begin to falter before coming to complete stop. Then she heard Tarrlok say, "Amon!"

Even though she could not see what lay beyond the box, she looked up through the grill on the roof to try and see. "It is time for you to be equalized," she heard Amon declare.

"You fool," the Councilman said with a laugh. "You've never faced Bending like mine." She heard several bodies hitting the ground but she also heard footsteps above her. They faltered for a moment but kept moving.

"Arashi, what's happening up there?" she asked the blonde, turning her head to his general direction.

"I don't know. I can't really see from here," he replied.

Suddenly, they heard Tarrlok grunt in surprise, like he had been attacked without warning. Then he screamed in great pain, making Korra look up again. There was a final thumping sound, which to her meant that Tarrlok had fallen to the ground. Amon had gotten to him.

What she heard next were grunts and groans of people coming back to consciousness and getting back onto their feet, most likely the Equalists who came with Amon. "I'll take care of him," their leader said, most likely talking about Tarrlok. "You four retrieve the Avatar. Do not underestimate her. Electrocute the box to knock her out before you open it."

"What about the other one?" a voice that could only belong to the Lieutenant asked.

"Bring him too. He will be a message to his grandfather."

"I understand." Several footsteps came down the stairs into the basement, getting louder as they came closer. Korra began to panic as they came closer. She wasn't sure of what to do. She looked around, trying to find an answer. When she looked down at the band on her arm, she had it.

The footsteps stopped, making her go still as she was pulling the band off. "It's payback time," she heard the Lieutenant declare.

What came next she would later claim she felt first before hearing it. Just as she pulled the band off of her arm, she felt the balance of the box tip over, making it and her fall to the ground. She didn't know why that had happened until she heard it.

_BOOM!_

It had been like some kind of mixture between lightning and explosives had gone off right beside her. Even though she was in the box the sound was as loud as it could've been outside. What's more was that she heard the Equalists be thrown against the wall, so whatever it was must've been a force as well as a sound.

But that had been later when she thought about it. At the moment of happening, all she was concerned with was how her ears were ringing from the sound and how her side hurt from the fall. The next thing she knew, the door to the box was torn off.

"Korra, we have to go!" Arashi shouted down at her from where he stood outside the box, grabbing hold of her hand and pulling her out of the box.

She stumbled on the first step but quickly regained her balance and started running, pulling Arashi along just as much as he was her. Things quickly turned blurry in her vision as they raced up the stairs and out of the house, escape being paramount in her mind.

It wasn't until they burst out the door into the freezing cold that was the outside world that things cleared up for the Avatar and also seemed to slow down too. The first thing she saw was Amon standing at the back of a truck with its doors opened, Tarrlok's body already tossed in. The masked man turned at the noise they made and saw them.

Both she and Arashi went still but for different reasons. She went into a panic at the sight of Amon, remembering when he had ambushed them at Avatar Aang Memorial Island. Arashi turned angry and felt the question bubble up in his mind again. _"Where is she? Where is she? Where is she?"_ it repeated itself again and again, urging him on.

When Amon took a step towards them, Korra acted. She bent the snow around her (little as there was, which was odd considering how hard it was snowing) into water and then into ice before throwing them at Amon. None of them struck him and he moved through them with ease.

Knowing full well that she had missed, she turned and ran, pulling Arashi with her before he could have a chance to protest. When she came to the edge of the plateau the house was placed on, she swung the blonde onto her back and jumped down the side, bending the snow to carry them.

"Hold onto me!" she shouted at Arashi as she surfed the snow. But as she finished saying those words, her feet hit a tree branch half-buried in the snow. It sent her flying forward off her feet and landing on her back while Arashi let go and landed in the snow. Her momentum kept her going, sliding down the hill until she hit a tree. The branches shook with her impact, causing the snow they held to fall on her.

She laid there, barely conscious beneath the cold snow. Then she felt a warm hand on her, pulling her out of the snow. "Hey, come on, Korra," she heard Arashi say to her. "Stay awake."

She cracked open an eye as he set her against the tree and saw something odd about him. "Arashi, you're on fire," she remarked groggily. "You're on _blue_ fire."

"That's not important. You need to stay awake. Spirits, it's cold out here. We're…" He blushed before continuing. "We're going to have to share body heat."

She couldn't object because she felt the cold too. She nodded her head weakly. He took that as an invitation and snuggled up next to her. For a moment there, she was afraid that she would be burned. But from her still groggy sight, the blue fire all but vanished. He was still warm and she leaned on him to get the warmth. "Hey, Arashi, what was that question?" she asked.

He blushed harder and averted his eyes. "Never mind, it was a stupid question."

"Tell me."

"Forget about it."

"Arashi, tell me."

He didn't say anything at first, trying to hold onto his silence. But after a long moment, he finally spoke. "If I was older, would you date me?" He didn't hear an answer and he didn't look at her to see her face, knowing that he might see the answer on her face.

They sat there, in the cold and the wind, waiting for it to die so they could move. Neither of them was sure how long they sat against that tree. Korra came falling into unconsciousness, only to be woken back up by Arashi's firm but gentle shaking. But last time she lost conscious, a gentle and dry tongue licking her face woke her.

She knew who the tongue belonged to, having felt it many times before, and when she looked up, she was relieved. "Naga," she said to the polar bear dog. "You came looking for me. Good girl." She patted Naga's head, glad to see her. Arashi helped her onto her feet and then got her onto the saddle. Together, the three of them started walking. This time, Korra fell unconscious and was sure that she would be safe.

(Location: Republic City)

They flew through the night sky on Tenzin's sky bison, trying to find where Tarrlok had gone to. They had been at it for a lot longer than they had expected (hence, why they were flying around at night) and no one wanted to look at Naruto. He sat at the back of the saddle with a supposed air of calmness, but there was something about the way he held his sword that made them feel very, very nervous.

From out of nowhere, they heard a howl echo through the night sky. "That sounds like Naga!" Mako said from where he leaned over the saddle. Tenzin turned his sky bison in the direction of the howl, going down closer to the street. "Down there!" the Firebender shouted when he saw Naga going down the street with Korra in her saddle and Arashi by her side, holding onto her reins.

Both human and animal came to a stop as the sky bison landed on the ground. "Korra!" said Tenzin as he and the rest of everyone climbed down, waking her up.

"Oh good," Arashi said as he took in the sight of everyone there, taking his hand off Naga's reins. "The cavalry is here." He suddenly fell to his knees like the very strength holding them up had been stolen from him. While the others there had surprised to see him collapse like that, they were shocked when he emptied the contents of his stomach onto the street before falling to his side, twitching every two seconds or so.

"Arashi!" shouted a worried Naruto, pushing everyone out of the way to get to his grandson. Those who didn't get pushed quickly stepped out of the way and watched as the Fire Paragon stood over his grandson and picked him up in his arms.

"Jiji…arm move…shouldn't…broken…" Arashi told his grandfather, barely able to see him with his vision growing darker.

"You'll be fine, Arashi," he replied, holding him in his arms like he was a newborn baby as he walked back to the sky bison. "Jiji is right here." Mako walked alongside him, carrying Korra in his arms.

"How…arm…Korra…something…blue fire…" Those were the last words his grandson said before he finally fell into unconsciousness, going limp in his grandfather's arms.

No one saw anything different in how Naruto looked or moved after those words. To them, he looked like the worried grandfather that he should be. But now, there was a small seed of confusion which quickly turned into realization, doubt, suspicion, and fear deep inside him when he heard those strange and almost incoherent words.

It also didn't help that the voice in his mind he had been carrying for 87 years had something to say about it. **"Well, this is interesting."**

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

I know that we've seen Bloodbending has only been show to take control of people and twist their limbs around. But I don't think that it's a far off assumption that it could also be used to break bones. That's probably a method Yakone used when he was running the city.

Considering what they've been through in their lives, I don't think it would be far off to say that Sokka and Naruto would be for the death penalty regarding Yakone. A man that dangerous, you don't want to keep alive. And if you're wondering since I think that, why are we currently in this story, that will be explained by Naruto when he gives his side of the story.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	10. Strikes and turnabouts

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 10: Strikes and turnabouts

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Air Temple Island)

As the morning light shined faintly through the windows, Tenzin walked into his bedroom. His wife and children were asleep in the bed. He sat down in the chair next to the bed and placed his hand on Pema's stomach, feeling the life inside it. _"May the world that you see be better than the one I see,"_ he silently prayed.

Pema and Jinora were the first to awake and see him sitting there. "Daddy, you're home," Jinora said. "We waited up for you. Are Korra and Arashi okay?"

"Yes, they're fine, sweetie," he answered, trying to suppress a look of worry. He noticed that Ikki was waking up as well so he picked her up and hugged her.

Normally, she might've refused such a thing if other people were around. But this time, she just returned it. "I was scared," she confessed. "I thought they weren't coming back." She liked having Korra around and despite the fact that he kept calling her a runt; it was the same for Arashi.

"I'm sorry you were scared, but everything is going to be fine now. I promise."

"Did Naruto take Arashi back to the apartment?" Pema asked him, carefully sitting up on the bed.

He shook his head. "I thought that he would have, but he brought him here saying that he would want to know about his friend once he woke up."

She didn't argue or protest the fact. But she did notice the worried look. "What's the matter, Tenzin?"

He looked down at Ikki, who had dozed off again, and saw that the rest of his children had done the same. "When we found Arashi, he suddenly lost strength in his legs and became violently sick. The last time I've seen him that ill before was when he was barely a toddler, when Sozin and Xiu were worried that he would die."

She remembered those days. They were not good ones and she wasn't the only one who had been glad to see Arashi get better. "Is Lord Naruto still here?"

He nodded. "He hasn't left his grandson's side."

She smiled gently. "Then he's in good hands." The man might disappear for months on end, but once he was there, he would not leave Arashi's side in times like this. Not unless he had to.

* * *

By the time both Korra and Arashi had woken up, they were starving like there was no tomorrow. Thankfully for them, breakfast was quickly made for them and they fell on the food like a pack of wolves. "The food tastes amazing, Pema," Korra said as she swallowed the food in her mouth. "I'm finally starting to feel like myself again."

"Yeah, same here," Arashi agreed from where he sat next to the Avatar. But even though he said the words, the rest of the people at the table had a hard time believing him. His skin was paler then it should be and while he could move his arm, it was very stiff and sore.

"We're so thankful that the two of you are home safe again," Pema said to the two of them as she stood up from the table to take away the finished plates from Korra.

"Let me help," Asami offered her, standing up as well and taking the plates from Arashi.

As the two of them walked away, Tenzin, Lin, Yue, and Naruto turned their attention back to Korra and Arashi. "I know the two of you have been through a lot," Tenzin began. "But I need to know everything that happened."

Both Korra and Arashi shared a look. Arashi lowered his head and turned back to his food, silently telling Korra to take the lead. "Well, first off, Tarrlok isn't who he says he is," she began. "He's Yakone's son."

That news floated through the room and out of all the people still there, only Yue and Naruto didn't look surprised. In fact, Yue looked like a great burden had been taken off her shoulders. "Well, that owl-cat is out of the bag," she said with resignation.

Both Tenzin and Lin looked at her. "You knew?" Lin asked her.

"That he was Yakone's son? From the second I first met him in City Hall," she answered. "That he was a Bloodbender? Not until that page shouted it down at us."

"Why is it so shocking that she knew?" Arashi asked the obvious question.

The Water Paragon shared a look with the Fire Paragon, a whole silent conversation passing in a single second. She turned her head back to the young blonde and answered him with, "Because I'm his older sister."

Korra stared at her aunt-figure in shock. Of all the things she thought she might hear about her, never once was that one of them. "You're…you're Yakone's daughter?" she couldn't help but ask.

She nodded gravely. "Yeah, I was born back during the days he was in charge of the underground. But since I wasn't a Bender, I was worth next to nothing, barely worth a name." A faint look of disgust crawled across her face as she talked. "And I care nothing about the man either. As far as I'm concerned, my life started when Sokka saved me and took me in as his apprentice."

"_We have dozens of witnesses and your daughters, Yakone,"_ Aang's words repeated themselves in the Avatar's head, prompting her to look at Yue.

"You weren't the only one he had, right?" she asked, finally getting a look of surprise from Yue and Naruto. "I mean, Yakone did have other children, right?"

"…I had a twin sister, if that's what you mean," Yue answered. "She tried to recreate Yakone's empire when she grew up, but I…took care of her."

"How do you know that Tarrlok is Yakone's son and that Yakone had more than one daughter?" Naruto demanded, look at the Avatar.

"Um, well, I got visions from Aang," she explained. "He showed me the arrest, the trial, and him taking away Yakone's Bending."

He didn't look impressed by the answer. He just looked at her more intently. "At what point did he stop the visions?"

"After he took away Yakone's Bending and said, 'It's over.'"

He slapped the table with his hand, making everyone almost jump. "Knew it, I knew it!" he said before lifting his head up to the ceiling. "I don't care if you're dead, Aang. You are still a fucking idiot! Why didn't you show her the rest of it? Or is it because of the fact that you were proven wrong, _again_?"

With the exception of Yue and Arashi, everyone stared at him like he had lost his mind. "I take it something else happened?" Arashi asked quietly.

He lowered his head back to the table, his eyes finding his grandson. "Yeah, Sokka and I managed to wake ourselves back and go after Aang and Yakone, getting there just after Aang had taken his Bending. We both wanted to take his head off right then and there. But being the idiot that he was, Aang stopped us, saying that he was harmless now that his Bending was gone. We argued and tried to get it into his head that wasn't the case but he refused to see it. I told him that it would come back to bite him and us in the ass. He assured me that it wouldn't. Lo and behold."

"Um, technically, I don't think it came back to bite Avatar Aang's ass," Bolin ventured.

"Really?" asked the Fire Paragon. "He's sitting right there." He pointed at Korra.

"Oh," the Earthbender said in defeat. It was a valid point.

"You know, it all makes sense now," Lin remarked as she thought it over. "That's how Tarrlok was able to Bloodbend us without a full moon."

"But did you two escape?" Tenzin asked Korra and Arashi. "And where's Tarrlok?"

Again, they shared a look and Korra spoke. "Amon captured him and took his Bending."

"What?"

"Yeah, he showed up out of nowhere. If it wasn't for Arashi, he would've gotten us too."

"I think you mean if it wasn't for you," Arashi replied, not looking her in the eye. He kept his focus on the food in front of him, moving his arm slowly. He felt like he hadn't done enough that night.

"No, I didn't."

"This is very disturbing news," Tenzin remarked. "Amon is becoming emboldened. Taking out a Councilman, almost capturing the Avatar…I fear that Amon is entering his endgame." That was a troubling thought and he wasn't the only one who was thinking it. The thought showed on everyone's face.

"Good," Arashi said, his face being the exception in the group. "Let him come. It's been too long and I want answers from him."

"And what exactly do you plan on doing to him, Arashi?" his grandfather asked him. "He's a fully grown man and you've barely reached adolescence. What are you going to do to make him talk?"

"I don't know, but I will figure something out. He knows what happened to Natsumi and I will make him tell me."

He closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them again, a mute sadness in them. "Arashi, your sister is dead."

"No, no she's not," his grandson replied, shaking his head.

"Yes, she is. It pains me to say it, but she is dead."

"Natsumi isn't dead!" he shouted, banging his fist on the table, making plates rattle. "I pulled her away from the house. She was with me when I ran!"

"But she wasn't with you when I found you. I know you, Arashi; you are not the kind of person who would leave someone behind."

The implication was clear and hung over everyone's head. But his grandson still shook his head. "She's not dead. I refuse to believe that she's dead. Maybe if you looked harder, she might've been found," he told his grandfather, throwing him a very nasty look. He stood up from the table and stomped away, rubbing his sore arm as he went.

Korra watched him as he left. She could still remember the question he had asked the night before and she still hadn't answered him. When he slammed the door shut, she turned to look at Naruto. "Sorry," she couldn't help but apologize.

"Why are you apologizing?" he asked her. "He comes by that temper naturally." He would know. He had it.

"Oh." She stayed silent for a moment, trying to think of something else to say. Thinking of the conversation moments ago, she decided to defend her friend. "Perhaps Arashi is right. Maybe you should look harder."

He stared at her, his eyes hard and angry. "Tell me, oh wise and all-seeing Avatar, do you think that I disappear from my grandson's life for shits and giggles?" he asked, saying her title with all the sarcasm he could throw at her.

She didn't respond. She didn't know why he disappeared or for what, so she couldn't call him out on it. But the way he said it made it sound like he hadn't given up on looking for his granddaughter either. "Does anyone else want any more tea?" she asked, looking around the table. She looked at the kettle and remembered that it was all but empty. "Oh, right, my bad."

"I'll take care of it," Mako said, quickly standing up, taking the kettle, and walking to the kitchen. There, he found Pema and Asami washing the dishes. "Can I get some hot water? Korra needs more tea."

"You're a Firebender," Asami told him angrily. "Boil it yourself." She turned her attention back to the dish she was washing.

Pema and Mako stared at her in confusion. Pema caught on quicker than Mako did and decided to beat a hasty retreat. "I'm just gonna step out in case you two want to talk," she said to them, already walking out of the kitchen.

Once she was gone, Mako turned to Asami. "Is there something we need to talk about?" he asked her, putting the kettle down.

"I've noticed how you treat Korra. How you acted when she was missing," she told him, remembering the night before. While all other eyes had been on Naruto and Arashi, she had watched him carry Korra back to the sky bison. "You have feelings for her, don't you?" she demanded as she put the plate down.

"What? No! She was taken by a crazy Bloodbender! How did you expect me to act?"

"You always forgot to mention Arashi when we were looking for them," she pointed out. "I like Korra. But you've been keeping the truth from me this whole time."

"The truth? About what?" he asked in confusion.

"You're really going to make me say it?" she asked angrily.

"Yes! Because I don't know what you're talking about!" he replied.

"The kiss, Mako," she told him. "I know."

To say he was shocked would've been an understatement. "I, well, I…" he tried to say while avoiding eye contact with her. Finally, he took an irritated breath and looked at her. "Bolin told you, didn't he?!"

"Don't blame your brother for what _you_ did," she retorted. "Do you have feelings for Korra or not?"

"Look, things are crazy right now. Can we deal with our relationship problems later?"

He moved forward and put his hand on hers, but she whipped it out of his grip. "Well there might not be any relationship to worry about later." She walked out of the kitchen.

"Asami!" he called after her, but she ignored him.

* * *

Two hours after breakfast, both Tenzin and Naruto stood in the temple courtyard. "Are you sure you must go?" Tenzin asked the older man. "Arashi still needs you."

"I know that and you know that," the Fire Paragon replied, looking out at the city. "But he doesn't and I do not want to fight with my own grandson about Natsumi, not when it looks like the city is going to tear itself apart. Besides, there is something in the apartment that I want to go over. It shouldn't take me long. An hour maybe, perhaps two or three," he said.

"Is this really important?"

He looked at the Air Nomad. "Would I be leaving my grandson like this if it wasn't?" Tenzin didn't say anything in reply. "I'll be back." He began walking to the courtyard exit, where he would go down to the dock.

"Wait, Lord Naruto," Tenzin said, making him stop. "Korra wanted me to ask you something for her and I confess I am interested in the answer."

He turned back around. "What?"

The Airbending master felt a little more than embarrassed that he was going to be asking this question, but he also really wanted to know the answer. "Did you really sit on my father when Bumi was being born?"

He did not know why but those words made the Fire Paragon groan an exasperated sound. "Oh Spirits, yes," he answered. "The man was going spastic while Katara was giving birth to your brother. We had to do something drastic."

"So you sat on him?" Tenzin couldn't help but ask him.

"It was either that or let Toph shove him in a hole and close the earth over his head and quite frankly, we knew that he would be able to get out of that."

"But still, to do something that…odd," he said, not able to find any other word to describe what he was hearing.

"Hey, have you ever tried sitting on an Avatar that was originally an Air Nomad?" Naruto asked him. "It's not as easy as it sounds. I lost count of the number of times he nearly threw us off. We even had to cut him off from the Avatar State when he tried to use it to get free."

"Really?" asked Tenzin.

"Yeah, really," he answered. "That was why we decided that if Katara ever got pregnant and gave birth again, Aang would be in a different country."

"_That would explain the supposed crises Dad had to deal with when Mom was pregnant,"_ Aang's son remarked silently to himself. "Thank you," he said out loud.

"Don't mention it." He turned back around and left the courtyard, the sound of his feet on the ground growing fainter quickly.

Tenzin turned to find someone, only to see that the person he was looking for was already coming up towards him. Suddenly he felt nervous and a little unsure. "Lin, um, I, I-I need to ask you a favor," he began, already stumbling over his words. "It would mean the world to me…but I-I know it could be a-a potentially awkward situation, furthermore—"

"Spit it out already!" Lin told him, cutting him off.

So he did. "Will you stay here and watch over Pema and the children while I meet with the Council?" he asked of her. "With everything that's happened lately, I want to be sure my family is in safe hands."

Her gaze softened with a smile and she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Of course I'll help, old friend."

"I didn't realize you two were out here," Pema remarked as she came into view with Meelo in her arms. Lin turned to look at her, whipping her hand off Tenzin almost quicker than someone could see it.

"Pema!" her husband said in short surprise at the sight of her coming down the steps. But he recovered, somewhat. "Yes- yes- yes, Lin has agreed to help out around here and keep an eye on things while I'm away."

"Thank you!" she said to Lin. "I could use the extra pair of hands." She handed Meelo over to her. "Could you give him a bath? He's filthy."

Caught off guard by the move, Lin could do nothing but hold the kid while both mother and father walked away. "This is not what I signed on for!" she shouted at Tenzin as he climbed aboard his sky bison.

"Thank you, Lin!" he said in reply. "Oogi, yip yip," he told the sky bison, who took off into the air at the command.

She watched as it flew off into the city. Then she turned her attention to Meelo, who had just finished picking his nose. "I gotta poo! Really bad!" he declared with a smile. Then his face contorted into one of struggling to hold his bladder with all the sounds that came with it. Lin bent a cable around him and held him away from her whist running to look for a bathroom. This was really not what she signed on for!

(Location: Tenzin)

He flew Oogi to City Hall and landed on the roof like he had done many times before. He hopped down from Oogi and began making his way to the rooftop door, barely taking any notice of the cleaners on the glass dome. Everything seemed normal.

And yet, there was something in the back of his head that was telling him that it wasn't. Something told him to be on guard and watch for enemies. He would've brushed that thought aside if he did not hear lightning crackle behind him and felt his beard tingle (he learned a long time ago to trust his beard when it tingled).

He ducked his head just in time to see an electrified rope disk flew over his head. He then did a one-hand handstand to avoid two more such objects as they flew at him, one of them barely missing his face.

As he landed back on his feet, he turned and saw the three cleaners jump down from the glass dome and stand against him ready for a fight. It became clear to him that they were Equalists. He bent a gust of air at them but they dodged it. Two of them threw ropes at him, grabbing hold of his hands.

They pulled the rope taut, pulling him forward to throw him off balance. The third Equalist ran at him and leapt into a flying kick, going for his head. But while the Equalist chi-blockers may have had a good track record in taking down any different Benders, they were facing an Airbender now and a mast at that too.

Tenzin easily leaned his head out of the way of the kick and the follow up punches when the man landed on his feet. He took control of the fight by bending an air column beneath his feet, sending him and the two Equalists holding the ropes up into the air. He rotated in place as he bent the column, sending the two swinging around and around. With great force that made them release their grips on the ropes, they were sent flying over to a nearby building, knocked out cold when they landed. The third had been hit by the winds at the base and flew backwards into the nearby wall, knocking him out too.

Tenzin freed his hands of the ropes and landed with a grace that only came from years of practice. From behind him, the rooftop door opened and the page that told them about Tarrlok stood there. He shouted a little in surprise at the fierce wind blowing in his face but once it died away, he could see Tenzin. "I'm so relieved to see you!" he said, running towards him.

"The other council members," the Air Nomad said to him. "Are they alright?"

"I'm afraid not! I just received a call from Chief Saikhan. They've all been captured!"

To say he was shocked would've been an understatement. "This can't be happening!" He could understand if the Equalists tried to take him out (he was a Bender after all), but if all of the council members were targeted, then what he feared was coming true. Amon had started his endgame.

"The leadership of Repulic City is in your hands now," the page told him, stating the obvious.

An explosion went off in the distance, but they could hear it well enough from their vantage point. They heard more and it prompted them to look over the roof and out into the city. They saw more explosions ripping out of buildings, going farther down the street as they continued. From the air, airships flew into the city, all bearing the crest of the Equalists.

"_Spirits take me, I was right,"_ Tenzin thought to himself as he watched them fly closer.

"It is a tragic day indeed!" the page cried dramatically while clutching his head, again stating the obvious. Tenzin ignored him and went for the rooftop door. There were things that had to been done.

(Location: Air Temple Island)

Lin and Tenzin's kids were standing out in the courtyard when the faint sound of explosions reached their ears. When they turned to look at the city, they also saw airships moving in. _"Tenzin was right,"_ Lin thought to herself. "All right, kids, time to get inside," she told Meelo and his sisters.

As they ran back inside, Korra and her team ran out. "We heard explosions. What's going on?" the Avatar asked.

"Republic City is under attack," the former Chief of Police answered her.

They all stared at her with shock obvious on their faces for a moment. They knew it could've happened but it had remained a possibility in their heads, not really likely to succeed much less occur. Yet now, it was occurring and from the looks of it, it was off to a great start. "We need to help," Bolin declared.

"Yeah we do," Arashi agreed. He started walking forward, only to notice that the others hadn't moved from where they were standing. "Come on, guys. We need to help them. This shouldn't be up for debate."

"It isn't," Korra assured him. "And neither is this: you're not coming with us."

He stared at her like she had just slapped him across his face. "What? What do you mean I'm not coming? I live here, damn it! I'm not going to stay behind."

"Arashi, you can barely move your arm right now," Asami reminded him.

"Agni take my arm! I'm not staying behind!"

"I'm not telling you this because I want to," Korra told the blonde, stepping towards him and placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "But you have to. Besides, we'll need you on the horn, Shadowman."

He glared at her. "We both know that's bullshit since I don't have the maps here on the island."

"Kid, you're staying here, no argument," Lin declared with authority in her voice.

Arashi swung his head over to look at her. He saw the folded arms and the no nonsense look on her face. She would make him stay on the island if she had to and she wouldn't be gentle about it. He knew that she wasn't above using her cables on him (she had done it before). "Fine," he said in defeat. Inside, he felt angry and bitter. Staying behind wasn't all he was good for. Surely there was more he could do?

* * *

Once they had that issue settled, the rest of Team Avatar took a boat to the mainland, hopping off at the docks as soon as they reached it. The smell of something burning hung in the air and they saw police cars driving fast down the street in front of them. They couldn't see the burning buildings from right there but they knew it was happening and it just made them want to move faster.

But there was one thing they needed to get first. "Where did you say you parked the car?" Asami asked Korra as they started looking up and down the docks for the car.

"It's right around here somewhere," Korra replied, still looking for it. She found it quickly enough, right where she left it. "There it is."

She ran over to the car and the others followed her to a stop in front of it. "Wow. Nice parking job," Asami said with complete and utter sarcasm as she stared at it. It was halfway up onto the sidewalk and had crashed into a pole.

"Hey, you guys got arrested and left me with the car!" the Tribeswoman said defensively. "I made it very clear I don't know how to drive."

Bolin stared at the state of the car. "All things considered you did a great job!" he told her after a moment of thought. He reached out to the windowsill and pulled out the large cluster of tickets. "But how are we going to pay for all these parking tickets?"

His brother solved that problem by taking the tickets from him and setting them ablaze, vaporizing them into nothingness in a second. "Relax," Mako said to him after he gasped in shock at the action. "The city is under attack. The police have more important things to worry about."

Asami walked around to the trunk and opened it, pulling out the electric glove she had left in there. "This'll come in handy," she said as she put it on. She walked back around to the front and opened the driver side door, sitting down at the wheel. "Why don't you sit in the back? With _Korra_," she said to Mako, who was getting in the shotgun seat beside her.

"I think I will," he replied after a paused moment. He hopped into the back seat beside Korra while Asami started the car and Bolin sat in the shotgun seat.

"Everything all right?" asked Korra.

"Yeah, everything is terrific," he replied sarcastically, turning his head away from her. Ignoring them both, Asami started up the car and pulled it into reverse.

"Car!" shouted Bolin as he saw another coming up behind them, only to have Asami serve out of its way. "Oh, we're good."

(Location: Police HQ)

Tenzin opened the door and ran into the communication room. "Chief Saikhan!" he said when he saw the man he was looking for. He was standing at the main table, looking over various reports and directing the radio operators who were sitting nearby. Other cops were at a map of the city hanging on the nearby wall, tacking pins to places of events.

"Tenzin, am I glad to see you," the chief said with relief in his voice. "I was afraid you'd been captured too."

"I'm the only Council member left. What's the status?"

"Amon has launched simultaneous attacks across the boroughs," he explained. "The police are trying to regain control but we're spread too thin." And the Equalists knew that would be the case. Amon had planned well.

Tenzin was quiet for a second before speaking again. "I need to send a wire," he said to the raidio people.

"To whom, Councilman?" one of the male radio operators asked him.

"The general of the United Forces," he answered.

To his surprise, the operators looked at one another. "Uh, sir, that wire has already been sent," the other male operator told him.

"What? By whom?" he asked, surprised by that. He had thought that calling in the United Forces was desperate enough but someone had already called them?

"Lord Naruto, sir," the woman operator answered. "He called in just as the first explosion went off and ordered us to send a wire to the United Forces requesting reinforcements."

"But…how…" He was at a loss for words

"He also had us write down some things for you, Councilman," the first operator man said, handing a nearby cop a piece of paper. "He instructed us to give you that when you were told about what he did." The cop handed the piece of paper to his chief, who then handed it to Tenzin who opened it and read the contents.

I had a feeling that Amon would pull this kind of move for a while now, so I took action.

Naruto

"…Well, that was certainly…far-sighted of him," the Air Nomad finally said.

"He told us to give you this one after you said something like that," the operator said, holding out another piece of paper. Once Tenzin got it, he read it.

Now isn't the time for you to be surprised by the fact that I can anticipate what Amon's thinks, Tenzin. You need to coordinate with the police and make sure that everything goes as smoothly as possible from your end. Once I'm done here, I'll join up with you.

Naruto

"Then what about Yue?" he asked aloud.

"Lord Naruto told us to give you this when you asked that question," the woman operator said, holding out another piece of paper. This time, Tenzin walked over to her and took it from her.

Yue is staying at the temple at the moment to keep an eye over your kids to make sure they don't drive their mother and Lin crazy. You know how she is about kids and mothers.

Naruto

"How does he do that?" he demanded.

This time, none of the operators said anything. The one closest to him just handed him a piece of paper, which he took without a word spoken.

Your wife's mother has asked me that question far longer then you've been in this world. I've never told her, what makes you think that I would tell you?

Naruto

"Well, for one thing, I am a Councilman of this city," he began to say.

"Here you go," the operator to his left said, holding out a piece of paper for him again. He took it with a small frown which deepened as he read the paper.

Don't try pulling rank with me, Tenzin. You might be the Air Nomad Councilman for Republic City, but I distinctly remember the times I babysat you and changed your diaper!

Naruto

After that, he just gave up. There was really no point trying to argue about this (especially when Naruto did something like this). "Alright, what can we do?" Tenzin said to Saikhan, turning to face him.

But he didn't answer because new problems arose. "Chief, the phones just went dead!" the woman operator declared.

Both Tenzin and Saikhan stared at one another in surprise. Then the alarms started going off, only to die with a strange winding down sound to them. As it died, so did the lights, leaving them in darkness.

Saikhan didn't leave them like that for long. He turned on his flashlight, letting a beam of light pierce the darkness. "Catch," he told Tenzin, tossing him the spare flashlight. The Air Nomad caught it and turned it on, letting two beams light the dark.

Tenzin swung his flashlight around, trying to see what it was that had happened. But as he looked, he saw something strange in the corner and became instantly concerned. "Saikhan, the vents!" he told the chief.

Smoke was pouring out of the vents and flooding into the room. Saikhan managed to close it in time to prevent any harm but enough had come in to make everyone close to it start to cough. When Tenzin turned to look at the door, hearing the same sound he had heard from the vents, he saw smoke coming in from the crack under the door. "We need to evacuate immediately," he declared to the room. "Everyone stay close to me."

Everyone gathered up behind him as he bent a sphere of clean air around them. He opened the door and walked out into the hallway, which was covered in smoke and darkness. The only light that didn't come from the flashlights was from the windows, which were muted and actually made the darkness worse.

"Uh, Chief?" one of the cops said to Saikhan.

"What is it?" Saikhan said back.

"Where is everyone?" Everyone took a closer look at the hallway when that question was asked. They were the only people there, which shouldn't have been the case. Tenzin remembered passing a lot of cops while on his way to the communication room. They had been running every which way but now, there wasn't even one of them on the ground or nearby.

"Just keep it moving, people," the Chief of Police ordered everyone, keeping his eyes forward on the hallway. They followed his example and Tenzin led them out of the building, letting the smoke evaporate in the open air.

But as the Airbender amongst them let the sphere disappear, they all saw what had been lying in wait for them and they gasped in surprise. "Not these mecha tanks again!" Tenzin said in a tone one could've called complaining in any other situation.

Three of the tanks lifted the right arms, with ended in a square of metal. A high pitch began to whine from the tanks as they pointed those arms at the group. To said group's shock, the cops who were wearing metal armor were lifted off of the ground and flew to the arms. The purpose of the arms became all too clear to them. They were giant magnets!

Tenzin tried to grab hold of Saikhan with a rope of air, beginning a tug-of-war with the mecha tank trying to capture him. The tank won the war and pulled Saikhan onto the magnet. With the three cops attached to their magnets, the tank carried them to a nearby truck and deposited them in the back.

One of the other tanks went after Tenzin, firing its claw at him. He blasted the claw away with a gust of air and then went after the tank itself, pushing it back with his Bending. The other tanks took notice and went after him as well.

The rest of the group stepped back onto the steps of the HQ, leaving Tenzin out there alone to fend off the claws. He was doing well until he saw that one of the tanks was about to charge him. He leapt back into the air to avoid it. The tank had a claw at the ready and fired it at him. It struck him in the torso, sending him right against the HQ building.

The claw retracted itself, letting him to be caught by gravity. He was able to land safely through a pillow of air he bent moments before hitting the ground. But as he lay there, he felt like he couldn't move. His body was heavy and his vision was a little blurry.

As he lifted his eyes from the ground, he saw the truck holding the Metalbenders drive away. "Saikhan, no!" he groaned as it vanished from sight. When he looked to the sky, he saw a police airship come crashing to the ground. A shout of surprise made him turn his head to see the rest of the group being caught in bola ropes with Equalists grabbing hold of them. His vision began to darken as he saw the tanks closing in around him. Then he fell into the darkness of unconsciousness.

Fortunately for him, that was the moment Team Avatar arrived from a nearby street, driving right for the HQ. Asami saw the situation before them and immediately had an attack in mind. "Bolin, I need a ramp!" she shouted over the roar of the engine.

"What?" he shouted more surprised than curious.

"Just do it!" He did as he was told and bent the ramp right in front of them. "Jump!" screamed Asami as the car hit the bottom of the ramp. They all did just that and let the car hit the ramp, fly through the air, and smash one of the tanks all but dead center, sending it and the tank closest to it crashing down to the ground.

The other four tanks turned to them and battle was joined. The tanks rushed the Bender, crossing the courtyard in seconds. Bolin and Mako fought together like they had done many times before against different opponents, both inside and outside the ring. Mako took the lead and threw fire at the tanks. While he did that, Bolin bent a large chunk of rock out of the ground and threw it at a tank, sending it crashing to the ground.

The other tank threw a claw at the brothers but missed both of them. Then it threw the second claw and got Mako right in the middle. The claw became electrified, shocking him as he stood in its grasp. But the Equalist in the tank made the mistake of pulling that move on a Firebender who could direct lightning.

Mako grabbed hold of the cable, took the lightning into him, and redirected it all at the tank. It was very likely that he had electrocuted the Equalist inside the tank to death. But at that moment, he was just glad that the tank itself had shut down, letting the claw's grip on him slacken.

"You good?" asked Bolin, passing a quick look at his brother.

"Yeah," he answered, rejoining the fight.

Meanwhile, Korra was having a somewhat easier time in her fight. She bent water out of two snow piles behind whilst running for the ramp. The tank she was staring down fired a claw at her and she dodged it. She ran right up the ramp and took a flying leap, sailing through the air over the tank. Whilst in the air, she threw the globes of water she had into the tank's exhaust pipes.

Almost as soon as it went in, it came out along with rapidly-thickening steam. The tank rattled and shook, trying to get control of itself again, only to slump forward. Bolin knocked that down by bending the ground beneath it.

While all this was happening, the Equalists who were on foot had gotten hold of the group from the building and had tossed them in the nearest truck. The last one they had gotten a hold of was Tenzin and were hurrying to get him away. But even as they were hurrying, they were confident that the tanks would keep the Benders away from them.

But they had forgotten (or had not seen) Asami. When the fighting had begun, she swung wide around the battle to the truck and laid in wait. Once they were close, she struck with her glove. She took out the first Equalist with surprise in her favor but as soon as he fell, the others took notice of her and ran to attack.

Maybe it was because her teacher had made her run into those gates again and again, maybe it was because of her self-defense training, but she was able to evade all the strikes thrown at her by the chi-blockers and take them down with ease. As she fell the last one, she saw that Tenzin was coming around and standing up on his own two legs. "Are you okay?" she asked him.

"Yes. Thank you," he said to her, hopping out of the truck. Once his feet were on the ground, he ran right into battle. He went for the last mecha tank, which was currently trying to catch Mako. While the Firebender dodged its claws, the Airbender got right underneath it and blasted it skyward with a large gust of air right beneath it. They all watched in silence as the tank went upwards into the air and then came back down on the HQ roof, black smoke belching out from it when it landed.

Once the fight was done, they went over to the truck and made sure that the people who'd been caught but not taken were still unharmed. Once they were sure of that, they woke them up and got them out of the truck, urging them to run and find safety.

Once those people had run away to safety, they all paused a moment to catch their breath. As they did that, Korra went over to Tenzin. "Are you alright?" she asked him.

"I'm fine. Thank you, kids," he said to them all. "Another moment later and I would've been on my way to Amon." That was something he didn't wish to happen.

"Uh, guys?" Mako said from where he stood, getting everyone's attention. "Look." They had a clear line of sight of the street leading to the docks and bay, which also included the sight of Air Temple Island. But now, an Equalist airship was making its way quickly toward the island.

"Oh no," the Air Nomad said in horror, realizing what was about to happen. He getting caught and being taken to Amon was just one plan the masked man had. And if that didn't work, there was the plan to take his family.

"They're after Pema and the kids!" Korra shouted with horror in her voice as she realized the same thing that he had. "We have to get back there now!"

"Quick, everyone to the roof!" ordered Tenzin, already turning back to the HQ. "I left Oogi up there!" He ran into the building and they followed him.

(Location: Air Temple Island)

Lin, Yue, and Arashi, along with Pema and her children, all saw the airship come flying in from the dormitories courtyard. It launched a line down to the temple staircase leading up from the docks, making their intentions clear. The White Lotus guards all ran for the stairs. They would be the first line of defense.

That meant Lin and Yue would have to be the second line. Thankfully, Lin knew that Yue would be able to handle her own in a fight and could even match a Bender. But the rest of them had to be taken care of. "Everyone, hide inside and remain calm," Lin told Pema, her children, and Arashi whilst keeping her eyes on the airship. When she heard Pema scream, she turned back around to look at her. "Pull it together, Pema! Didn't I just say to 'remain calm'?"

But then she noticed that Tenzin's wife was clutching her swollen belly and using the rail for support. "Mommy, what's wrong?" Ikki asked her, also seeing that something was happening to her.

"The baby's coming," she answered amidst pain. All who looked at her looked with surprise in their eyes.

"Oh no!" said Jinora, putting her hand to her mouth.

"Not now, baby!" Meelo shouted at his mother's stomach, but it didn't do any good.

Two women Acolytes came to Pema's aid, helping her back into the temple. "I have to help them," Yue said to Lin. In addition to being the Paragon of the Water Tribes, she was also a mid-wife.

Lin understood. "Go."

The Tribeswoman smiled briefly and turned to the temple. "Arashi, with me!" she said to the blonde.

"But I can help out here!" he protested. His arm was feeling less sore and Lin was going to need all the help she could get. They all knew that.

But Yue was adamant. "And I need your help in here. Now move it!"

He followed her into the temple, having been on the receiving end of that tone before and knew it was pointless to argue. "You too, kids," Lin said to Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo in a gentle but firm voice. They didn't argue with her like Arashi had with Yue. They just went inside.

(Location: Naruto)

He stood at his desk, going over his journal during the time Arashi had been a baby. If it was a different time, he would've been sitting in the chair but looking through the pages no less intently. His eyes scanned the pages quickly, trying to find what it was he was looking for. When he did finally find it, he slowed himself down and read everything that he had wrote.

"**So, is it what you think it is?"** the fox asked him.

He put the book down on the table, took a deep breath, and pulled out his pipe, an ornate little thing he had taken from his sensei as a memento. "Yeah, it is," he replied as he lit his pipe and took a drag of smoke.

"**It's not a onetime thing then?"**

"Not anymore it's not, Kurama." He had learned the Kyubi's name about thirty years ago, when he asked and got a straight answer (after some difficulty, but it was still worth it).

"**Well then this is quite the predicament."**

He restrained the urge to snort. "Thanks for stating the obvious, furball." But even as he had said it, worry washed over him. He had seen this before and it had felt to everyone that Arashi would die. Now it was cropping up again after twelve years? It was cause for concern, even more so when his hypothesis about what had happened was being proven true.

"**Look at the bright side,"** the fox began.

"What exactly is the bright side of what's happening?" he demanded as he turned from the desk and walked out of the study.

"**He's not sick or on the verge of dying this time around."**

"With the shape the city's in at the moment that is hardly a bright side."

"**Sheesh, you're cynical about this. Besides, if you're worried about the shape of the city, why didn't you take care of Amon beforehand?"**

"You know the reason why," he replied as he went for the apartment door, going through it into the hall and closing it behind him. The hall was silent as most people in the building were either hiding in their own apartments or had fled. He was the only one who went about his business as normal.

"**Because it's none of your damned business now that the Avatar is here?"** the fox asked him as he started going down the stairs.

"Partly that but not quite," he replied as he took a drag from his pipe.

"**Then why don't you enlighten me?"**

"I've found that in my years the higher people build themselves up, the easier it is to knock them down with the right truths. All you really have to do is wait."

"**Huh, who knew that you would become such a lazy person in your old age?"**

He rolled his eyes at those words. "This is coming from the fox that's been around much longer than I have? Why don't you go take a nap, you old fart?"

"**I will when you do, old man."** There was no venom in their insults at one another. They had been together for so long, they were just that used to each other. Azula had once remarked that Naruto was married to the fox before he had married her, a fact that after thirty seven years of denial, both could see as of a truth, somewhat (they preferred to see themselves as old buddies then married, less weird and creepy).

As they came down to the building lobby and went for the main door, Naruto put his hand on the doorknob to push it open only to have a warning bell go off in his head. **"We have company outside,"** Kurama remarked.

"_Again, thanks for stating the obvious there,"_ the Fire Paragon silently replied. _"I had already noticed."_

"**So, what are you going to do? Give them a spanking and send them to bed without dinner?"**

"_I'm not dealing with children or my son here."_

"**The second I agree with, the first is debatable considering that no one really looks under those masks."**

"_Still, not what I'm going to do."_ He opened the door and stepped outside to see Equalist chi-blockers standing in his way. "Good day to you," he said to them conversationally. "Do you mind getting out of my way? I have places to be."

"Amon wants you. You are to come with us," the chi-blocker at the front and middle of the group declared, pointing a finger at him.

"And what if I don't feel like coming with you all?" he said as he took a drag from his pipe. As he did, he put his sword against the nearby wall, leaving his hands free.

"You will be coming with us. There will be no other decision. By all means, resist if you want to. It'll just make things easier and more entertaining for us." The rest of the Equalists chuckled at those words, sharing the sentiment.

"Why would Amon want me anyway?" Naruto asked, pretending to be innocent about the reason. "I'm a Nonbender, just like you guys and you know it."

"That may be, but you're also the Avatar's guard dog. You might as well be a Bender," the chi-blocker said with audible contempt and a sneer that could be seen even when he was wearing a mask. "Now, are you going to come with peacefully or are we going to enjoy kicking you to the ground."

Naruto didn't say anything at that moment. He just closed his eyes and enjoyed his pipe, blowing the smoke out into the air. "Kid," he began, opening his eyes again and showing there was hardness in them. "You are about three decades too young to even consider challenging me. So don't you and your friends do yourselves a favor and turn around and walk away with your lives?"

Instead of doing what they were told, the chi-blockers laughed. "You're a senile old man who's outnumbered and outmatched," the leader said, still with contempt.

"You sure about that?" he asked, taking the pipe out of his mouth. With his other hand, he formed one handseal. **"Fūton: Shinkūha **(Wind Style: Vacuum Wave)**!"** A thin wave of wind flew out of his mouth towards the Equalists, slicing through the neck of the leader.

The rest of them watched as the head flew up into the air and then landed on the ground, the body falling down next to it with a _Thump!_ They stared at them both for a few seconds more and then looked at him.

"You're…you're a…Airbender?" one of them asked in shocked horror.

He laughed and said, "No, of course not. Good grief, I couldn't be a Paragon if I was a Bender now, could I? Besides, no Airbender I've ever known has been able to do this." He lifted his hand and formed it into another handseal. **"Katon: Haisekishō** (Fire Style: Ash Pile Burning)**!"**

Ash flew out of his mouth and rapidly engulfed the Equalists in a thick cloud. He didn't take the next step right away. He decided to wait a little bit and listen to their confusion.

"What in the name of…?"

"What is this?!"

"I don't know!"

"Do you?"

"No!"

"I can't see a damn thing!"

"Hang on; I think this is…ash."

"Why would he throw ash at us?"

"Is he some kind of…Firebender?"

"I already told you that I couldn't be a Paragon if I was a Bender," Naruto called into the cloud as he dug into his coat and pulled out a small match box. "As for the cloud you're in, that is a cloud of highly volatile ash that could explode from a single spark, making you all go ka-boom."

"Really?" one of the chi-blockers asked from inside the cloud.

"We need to get out of here!" another shouted.

"Is he even serious?" a third asked.

"Of course I'm serious," the Paragon of the Fire Nation said, striking the match against his pipe, lighting it up. "Oh, and by the way," he said, flicking the match at the cloud, "Ka-boom."

The Equalists didn't have enough time to scream before it hit the ash. The explosion that followed was loud, bright, and sudden. The air itself was drawn into it like a vortex, tugging Naruto's coat up against his legs. If he hadn't been expecting it, the explosion might've very well knocked him to the ground and pulled him into it.

But he had been expecting it and so had a strong stance to keep him still. Once it was done and all that was left of the Equalists were their charred remains, he put his pipe away, grabbed hold of his sword, and started walking again, stepping over the dead bodies with ease.

(Location: Air Temple Island)

Lin waited in the courtyard of the dormitories. While she had the greatest respect for the White Lotus, she did not expect the guards to be able to hold off of all the Equalists once that second line was fired from the airship. She knew that they would be coming; it was only a matter of seconds.

And they didn't disappoint, charging right up the steps with the Lieutenant in the front. She attacked before they could, bending her cables at the two chi-blockers on either side of the Lieutenant. She pulled them towards her, banged them together, and then tossed them away like they were yesterday's trash.

The rest of the attackers charged at her. She was used to fighting multiple opponents, having been trained to do that by her mother (when she was able to train her daughter). As one chi-blocker came at her, she bent the earth to jut a short and squat column right under him, catching him right in the chin.

She turned to see another chi-blocker coming at her, swinging a bola rope very rapidly. She bent a cable at him, catching him around the midsection and started swinging him around, using him to hit other Equalists like he was a mallet. He got a few of them and Lin released the cable, sending him flying off into the air and then landing in the pond, causing no small splash.

Two chi-blockers attacked simultaneously, trying to take her out. But since she was able to fight multiple opponents, she knew how to fend off two attackers at the same time. It was just a matter of proper coordination of hands and feet. But as she fended them off again and again, they kept pushing her back.

She didn't know what was behind her and quite frankly, she didn't want to find out. So when one attacked a second before the other did, she grabbed hold of his arm, locked it in her grip, and then tossed him into his partner, sending them both crashing to the ground. She bent the column she had created to break off a piece and sent it right at the next Equalist coming at her.

Feeling confident, she faced the rest of them. "Is that all?" she challenged. That prompted the Equalists to attack en masse. _"You know better than to taunt the enemy, Lin!"_ she mentally chastised herself as she fended off the first attack and kicked back the second and third. Her mother had all but beaten that habit out of her back when she was young. Really, she should've known better.

But she was able to beat all back, giving her a clean line of sight on the Lieutenant. She took it, bending her cables at him. But instead of catching him, he caught them with his clubs. He discharged his stored electricity down the cables and onto her, making her scream as she was shocked, falling to the ground on her hands and knees.

As the Lieutenant stood over her, he raised his clubs to attack her once more. "Stay away from my dad's ex-girlfriend!" Jinora shouted at him as she flew in via glider staff. She landed right in front of him and sent him flying over the rooftops via Airbending.

"Jinora!" shouted Lin as she recognized the fact that Tenzin's eldest was outside. "You shouldn't be out here!"

But she wasn't the only one. "Get off our island!" Ikki bellowed as she came charging in on an air scooter, knocking down Equalists like they were pins in a bowling lane.

"Girls, you need to go back inside this instant!" Lin ordered the two of them as she stood back up on her own feet.

But they hadn't been the only ones who had come out. "Taste my fury!" Meelo screamed as he jumped from the roof onto an Equalist, using his Airbending-enhanced farting to send him to the ground.

"Meelo, be careful!" Lin began to tell him. But after she saw him take down five Equalists, the only thing she could say was, "Never mind."

* * *

Once the White Lotus had come back to help, taking down and chaining the remaining Equalists was quite simple, as most had already been knocked out. "Take these Equalists and lock them in the temple's basement!" she ordered the head sentry. As he and his men did as they were ordered, she looked at Tenzin's children. "Nice work, kids."

They smiled at her and those smiles turned to joy when they saw Oogi land nearby. "Dad!" cried Jinora as she led the charge to her father.

He leapt down and caught them all in an embrace. "Oh, thank goodness you're alright," he told them all while the rest of the passengers hopped down from the saddle.

"We caught the bad guys!" Meelo declared from atop his head.

He looked briefly at his son and then at Lin. "You let them fight?" he asked her. "Do you realize what could've happened?"

Lin was used to Tenzin when he was like this, so she answered calmly. "I would have been toast if it weren't for your kids. You should be proud. You trained them well." A moment was spent in silence as he looked at his children. "Go on," she said to him, stepping out of his way. "Be with your wife."

He smiled and walked into the dormitory. When he heard the cry of a baby, he quickened his pace. "Pema!" he cried, heading for their shared room. He slowed down when he reached the door and saw her sitting in the bed with Yue and the Air Acolytes nearby. In her arms was a baby wrapped in a blanket.

"Tenzin," she said when she saw him, her face lighting up with love and joy at the sight of him.

He went to her side and sat down next to her, placing his hands on her shoulders in comforts. "I'm here, Pema."

She smiled and looked at the baby in her arms, who began to fuss. "Our new son," she said in wonder.

He offered his open hands and she gave the baby to him. He placed a finger on the baby's chin, making him coo and open his grey eyes, looking up at him. "Hello," he said to his newborn son. The sound of feet stopping alerted him and Pema to their other children standing at the door. "Come, meet your new brother."

"A brother?" repeated Meelo as he followed his sisters into the room. "It's about time!"

They all hopped onto the bed and gathered around their brother. Meanwhile, Korra, her friends, and Lin followed in and watched from a distance. "Welcome," Ikki said to the newborn. "I'm Ikki, this is Jinora and Meelo. We have a super great family and we're so happy that you're a part of it."

"What're you gonna name him?" Jinora asked her parents. "Can I pick?"

"We already chosen a name," Pema told her daughter.

"Rohan," Tenzin said, looking down at his son while his wife leaned her head on his shoulder. The baby cooed happily at the name, showing that he approved of it.

It was a happy moment, no one could deny that. But Lin noticed something that was caused for concern. "Where's Arashi?" she asked, getting the attention of everyone in the room.

"I don't know," Yue said with a frown. "I sent him to get water but he hasn't come back yet." She had been so focused on Pema that she had forgotten about him.

"I'm right here," Arashi's voice said from the door, barely reaching their ears. When they turned to look at him, Tenzin and Pema instantly covered the eyes of their children, for they didn't need to see him like that.

The rest of the people there just stared at the blonde. His hands were covered in blood and more than a few drops had somehow landed on his face and hair, which made him look all the more off-setting. "What happened?" Lin asked him.

He looked at her like he didn't know who or what she was for a moment. "Two Equalists managed to get past you," he finally answered. "I came across them when I was coming back with the water. Caught them by surprise when I hit them with my shoulder and pushed them into a room," he remarked, looking down at his hands like he couldn't believe that there was blood on them. "I don't think that bucket will be usable again."

"Why?" Bolin asked before anyone could stop him.

"Because I used it to bash that first Equalist's face in," the blood-stained blonde told him. "I fought the second with my knife. I was able to slit his throat." He looked up from his hands and at the bed. "Is that the new kid?" he asked Pema, looking at the baby.

"Yes, he is," she told him.

He smiled a little. "Looks like I'm going to be a babysitter in a few years." There was something strained about him in the way he smiled and spoke. Korra couldn't put her finger on it and that just made her more concerned for him.

Lin, on the other hand, knew exactly what had happened to him and immediately felt sorry for him. He hadn't just killed his first man, but also his second in rapid succession, and at the tender age of twelve too. In that moment, she saw him for the age he was. _"Spirits, he's just a kid,"_ she thought to herself.

The smile fell from Arashi's face soon afterwards. "I don't want to disrupt this moment for you guys," he said to Tenzin and his family. "But I think that more airships are coming in."

That was the kind of news that made everyone there uneasy. "Everything's _not_ going to be fine, is it, Daddy?" Ikki asked him. He looked at his family and they all knew the answer. Even Rohan felt something was wrong and began crying.

* * *

As they came out of the building and into the courtyard, they all saw that there were indeed more airship coming towards the island. They could barely hold off one airship attack and now more were coming. "What do you want to do, Tenzin?" Korra asked her Airbending teacher, standing by his side.

"I need to protect my family and get them as far away from this conflict as possible," he answered. "If Amon got his hands on my children…I hate to even think of it."

"If you're leaving, then I'm going with you," Lin told him.

"But—"

"No arguments," she cut him off before he could even begin. "You and your family are the last Airbenders. There's no way in the world I'm letting Amon take your Bending away."

"Thank you, Lin." He turned his attention to the Avatar amongst them. "Korra, I want you to leave this island and hide for the time being."

She frowned the instant she heard those words. "I'm not giving up," she said to him.

"I'm not asking you to. Word has been sent to the United Forces. They will be here soon. And once my family is safe, I will return. With the reinforcements, we can turn the tide in this war."

She understood what he was saying, even if she didn't like it. "What you're saying is, we need to be patient."

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're learning well." She smiled a little at those words.

"I'm going with Korra," Arashi said from behind them.

Both Tenzin and Korra turned to look at the blonde, taking notice that the blood had been cleaned off of him but that look was still in his eyes. His washing must've been quick for there was still water on his hands and face. "Arashi," Korra began to say.

"I'm going with you," he repeated himself. "I'm a part of Team Avatar. You're not leaving me behind this time. I don't care what you say, I'm going with you."

Even though he had that look in his eyes, there was now a defiant light to them, making him seem more alive than he was a few seconds before. Korra looked at those eyes, realizing that if she was in his position, she would've said the same thing. "Alright, you're coming with us."

Soon, they all managed to get Tenzin's family aboard his sky bison. Two other bison held the Air Acolytes, standing ready to move out. As they were ready to leave, Korra embraced her teacher in a hug, which he returned. "Stay safe, Korra," he said to her.

"You too," she replied.

"Tenzin, if we're leaving, we'd better do it now," Lin told him from atop Oogi. His family and Yue were in the saddle as well.

He broke the hug with Korra and hopped atop his bison's head. "Oogi, yip yip!" he commanded as he snapped the reins. The sky bison lifted off into the air and the other two quickly followed. They flew away from the island, only to have two airships go after them. The rest gather upon over the island and fired down lines.

As more Equalists zipped down the lines to land on the temple, the White Lotus stepped to stop them. "Go!" their leader ordered Korra. "We'll hold them off."

Despite her instincts telling her to stay and fight, she got on Naga. "Everyone climb aboard," she told her team.

They did so quickly, with Asami and Arashi on the back off the saddle. "This might be a little uncomfortable," Asami commented to the blonde behind her.

"I'll deal," he said shortly.

"Let's go, girl," Korra said to Naga, prompting the polar bear dog to start running out of the back of the temple as the Equalists began to encircle the White Lotus. The idea was to head down to the other side of the island where a small beach was. Once there, Naga could swim back around and head for the city.

But things didn't go exactly as planned for them. "Why isn't Naga running at full speed?" Mako asked Korra as the polar bear dog in question ran down the trail. He had been in the saddle before and he knew what the top speed was. The speed they were going at was maybe half or less.

"She's carrying too many people," the Tribeswoman answered her.

"Should some of us get off?" Asami asked her.

"No, we're close to the beach. Just hang on for a few more minutes."

"Look out! Moustache guy!" shouted Bolin, pointing up at the nearby rocks.

The Lieutenant was sliding down them, going straight for the polar bear dog and her riders. He leapt off the rocks and sailed through the air to them. Normally, Naga would've leapt into the air to meet an enemy like that with her paw. But there were too many people on her back keeping her down. All she could do was keeping moving.

"Duck!" ordered Korra as the Lieutenant came towards, his clubs at the ready. They all ducked their heads to avoid his attack, letting swing harmlessly overhead. When they pulled their heads back up, the Lieutenant was standing on the path's ground but he wasn't alone. As he had sailed through the air and swung at them all with one club, he used the other club to knock Arashi off the polar bear dog.

Korra pulled the reins on Naga back, trying to make her stop and turn. Arashi saw what she was trying to do. "Go!" he shouted at the Avatar as he struggled to get free of the Lieutenant's grasp. "Get out of—" A club struck his head, knocking him unconscious before he could finish.

"We have to keep going!" Mako said. Korra wanted to do otherwise but she knew that he was right. The Equalists were both after her and Arashi. As much as it pained her, it was better to let them have one of them rather than both.

"Go, Naga," she told her friend. The polar bear dog kept running, leaving their friend behind. Without the extra weight, she could move quicker and reached the beach faster. Once she was in deep enough, she dived underwater and Korra bent a giant globe of air around her and the others. She swam through the darkness of the water towards the city.

No one was sure how long they were down there in the darkness of the water. Even though they had air, it still felt cold and wet around them. The air bubble almost looked like it would break at any moment despite the fact that Korra was continually bending it. No one spoke for fear of wasting air, which was already beginning to feel a little stale. When Naga finally broke the surface of the water and leapt into a sewage drain pipe, the first thing they all did was breathe a sigh of relief.

But as that sigh stopped and they climbed down from Naga, they couldn't help but look back at the island. The sun was setting, which would've been a pretty backdrop at that moment. But the three Equalists airships hovering over the island and their clear implication ruined the sight. It also didn't help that Korra didn't know if Tenzin had gotten away with his family safely and that she had left Arashi behind. Some Avatar she was.

"Korra," Mako said, coming to her side. "We should get moving." She nodded quietly and let him guide her deeper into the tunnels, their feet splashing against the water. Asami watched them go like for a moment with disdain in her eyes but said nothing. She only followed them along with Bolin, Pabu, and Naga. As they went into the tunnel, they all hoped that Tenzin and his family had gotten away safely.

(Location: Air Temple Island)

Night had fallen and so was the rain, making everyone wet and cold. But the Equalists did not care about that, for they had captured quite the prize in the form of Lin Beifong. When two of their airships had turned and gone in pursuit of the last Airbenders, she had thrown herself off the sky bison and onto one of the airship, intent on stopping them. She had been successful with the first by tearing the metal skin off but when she had tried to do the same to the second, they had been waiting for her and promptly took her down.

And now, she was bound in ropes and on her knees before Amon, waiting his judgement. "Tell me where the Avatar is and I'll let you keep your Bending," he told her.

"I won't tell you anything, you monster," she spat in his face.

"Very well," he said calmly. He walked behind her and raised his hand up. To her credit, she did not protest or try to fight. All she did was close her eyes and wait. It was commendable, but pointless in the end. He lowered his hand onto her head and took her Bending away, her eyes opening again in shock.

He took his hand away and she fell to the ground unconscious. "Take her to the basement where she had put our comrades," he ordered his men. "Lieutenant, walk with me."

"What do you need, Amon?" the Lieutenant asked him as they walked away from the former Chief of Police.

"It is time for us to meet with your prize." They both walked in silence up to the temple dormitories. The Equalists they passed saluted him and he nodded in their direction, giving respect as much as he was receiving it. The guards at the dormitory doors nodded at his approach and opened it. He and the Lieutenant walked down the hall until they reached the last room, where Arashi Uzumaki was chained.

The boy was on his knees with his hands above his head, held by chains attached to the ceiling. Yet he still looked defiant when he saw them walk in. "You," he said in a growl at the sight of Amon.

"Arashi Uzumaki," the masked leader of the Equalists said. "I told you before that I would let you find what you were looking before I destroyed you. I am glad that you had heeded my words."

"I haven't done a damn thing you told me," Arashi said. "I haven't found what I was looking for but I know that you have the answer I want. Where is my sister?"

For a moment, Amon didn't say anything and the blonde was afraid that he would not answer. "…I do not know," he finally said.

Anger coursed through the blonde's veins and he rose to his feet. "Don't lie to me! Where is she!? You know where she is!"

"I do not. If I did, I would not stay silent about. Having the prodigy daughter of Sozin Uzumaki in my control is something that should be told to those who know what it meant. But as I have seen with my own eyes, you have surpassed your sister."

His anger vanished just as quickly as it had appeared. Natsumi wasn't here? That simple statement made him sagged forward. The only thing preventing him from falling to the ground were the chains. "No, I'm not," he said shaking his head. "I can't Bend."

"You are lying to me. I saw it with myself the night I equalized Councilman Tarrlok. You wielded the blue fire of your grandmother when you escaped with the Avatar."

He shook his head again. It wasn't possible. How could he have bent blue flames when he can't Bend? It could not happen. "You're wrong."

"I am not. Now, show me it."

"I can't Bend. You took that away from me," he accused Amon, hoping to hear the truth from him.

"I have not and I will not equalize you until the entire world knows that you are a Firebender the likes of which haven't been seen since your grandmother. Once the people know, then I will take away your Bending and I will make your grandfather watch as I do it. Now, show me the blue flame."

Anger filled him again at those words. He looked the masked man of the Equalists straight in the eye. "Go kiss the Face Stealer," he spat.

He saw no emotions in the eyes behind the mask. "If you think that your defiance will stop me from having you show your talents, you are mistaken. There are ways of making you do what I want." He turned away from the blonde and walked to the door. "Lieutenant, make him Bend."

"With pleasure," the Lieutenant said with a grin, drawing his clubs as he passed his leader. Amon walked back into the hall and to the door, ignoring the flashes of light illuminating the hallway before him, the sounds of lightning striking flesh, and the screams of pain from a twelve year old boy echoing behind him.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

Well, Yue's past has been revealed, or at least some of it. In case some of you were wondering, Yue is not actually her name; it was the one Sokka gave her when he rescued her. As for her twin sister, that will be later and no, I won't tell anyone who it is beforehand.

When I started thinking about this story, I kept having this image of a grown-up Aang panicking while Katara giving birth and the Paragons being forced to sit on him. I kept laughing every time I thought about it and so I put it in the chapter.

Naruto would've picked up a few more tricks from the fox during his years alive, like the jutsus he had seen in combat, hence why Naruto was able to use a **Katon** jutsu. Also, it was to show you guys that he could still fight; he just got better at it.

The original idea had been for those two Equalists to appear in the birthing room while Arashi was still in there and he would push them out, taking him with them and fighting them in a separate room. But when I put Yue in there as well, I realized if that would happen she would try to take care of them herself and I wanted Arashi to have his first two kills in that scenario. So I changed it around.

Some of you have already guessed that Arashi was bending blue fire when he escaped with Korra. But if you're wondering how can that be if he can't Bend, don't bother asking me, I'm not gonna tell. For now, try and come up with your own ideas about it. I could say that things aren't what they seemed to be, but odds are you already guessed that when Amon said he wasn't the one who took Arashi's Bending.

Recently, I have been invited to and joined a new community called "Dreamers." Please feel free to take a look it and see what the other authors have to share with everyone. If you like my stuff, you may like theirs as well.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	11. Problems and backstory

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 11: Problems and backstory

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Republic City)

"It is a glorious day, my Equalists brothers and sisters!" Hiroshi declared from a podium in the park before a large crowd with a banner of Amon behind him. "Amon has torn down the tyrannical Bending government! He has declared Bending to be illegal and he has the Avatar and her guard dogs on the run! Our great leader has a vision for the future. One day soon, Bending will no longer exist and we will live in a world where everyone is finally equal! The United Forces are on their way right now to try and stop that dream. But we will prevail!"

The crowd before him cheered wildly at those words. Even the Equalists who stood guard joined in the cheering. But as they cheered, no one noticed how two of the uniformed Equalists at the back turned around and walked. They quickly made their way through the bushes to where a large boulder was. The smaller of the two took a stance and quickly bent the boulder aside, revealing a hole. They hopped down into the hole and the boulder was bent back over it.

The hole led to the sewer passages beneath that connected everywhere in the city. The two Equalists took off their masks as they walked, revealing themselves to be Korra and Mako. "Can you believe Hiroshi?!" an angry Korra demanded. "'The Avatar is on the run.' I'm not running from anyone! Let's go back there and knock some head; they'll never know what hit 'em." She turned around to do just that.

"Relax," Mako said to her, making her stop in her tracks. "General Iroh's coming with an entire fleet of battleships. Then Amon will be the one running."

She could see his point but that didn't mean she had to like it. "I hate this 'being patient' stuff," she all but growled as she turned back around to and kept walking. It was in her nature but this time, she had reasons to be impatient.

In the week since Amon had taken control of the city, the presence of the Equalists was felt practically everywhere in the city. One couldn't go a block without seeing at least an airship, a mecha tank, or a chi-blocker. To add insult to injury, they placed a giant mask of Amon on the face of Avatar Aang's statue and hung banners bearing their symbol on his staff. But what was the worst was that she had no idea what was happening to Arashi. It gnawed at her that she had been forced to leave him behind.

They walked back through the sewer passages to what the people living there called the under-city. They had been living there for the past week and it was still as strange as the first time they laid eyes on it (but they had been assured they would get used to it in time).

Bolin was sitting on a box near the entrance they were coming in from, keeping Pabu entertained. Asami sat nearby, looking visibly tired, watching the Earthbender play with the fire ferret. The slightly amused look on her face vanished when she saw Mako and Korra return. She and Bolin stood up and walked over to them. "You two were gone awhile," she said with suspicion.

"We were doing reconnaissance," Mako told her.

"Whatever," she replied shortly and irritably.

"Um…you okay, Asami?" Korra asked her, wanting to change the subject. "It seems like you've been training hard."

"I would hope so," Naruto said as he joined the four of them. "Otherwise we're going to have to do more." They had found the Fire Paragon waiting for them in the sewers and had led them to the under-city. He had also expected Arashi to be with them and was angered to find that he wasn't, even more so when he was told what happened to his grandson (thankfully, he didn't take his anger out on them but there were some passageways that had been filled in now suspiciously cleaned out).

"I am training hard, sir," his apprentice assured him. "I've just never done anything like that before."

"It's just the baby steps compared to the rest of it." He had been training her to go over and under a beam of wood in a variety of different ways. And like he said, that was only the first step to that kind of learning. "Now, tell me about that person." He pointed at a bearded man nearby who was tending to a fire.

Caught off guard, she didn't have a good answer. "Well…um, I think he's…uh." Instead of continuing to make a fool of herself, she turned and frowned at him. "That's unfair, sir. You only started teaching me how to watch people yesterday."

"Granted but your failure to tell me about him shows you another lesson," he said to her.

"And what's that?"

"You must be ready for anything at the drop of a hat."

"Indeed you should!" the vagabond Korra had met in the park said as he appeared right beside them all. "That's what they taught us in the military."

While the kids all jumped a little at the sight of him, Naruto just smiled. "I probably should never have taught you that trick, Gommu," he said good-naturedly.

"What can I say? It works," the vagabond said, returning the grin before looking at Korra and Mako. "Welcome back! Hope you worked up an appetite, 'cause dinner is served." Their stomachs were growling a little, so they had no complaints.

They followed him through the under-city to a petrified tree stump that also served as a table made obvious by the fact that there were stools placed all around it. As they took a stool and sat down, Gommu brought over a large pot. Inside it was some kind of stew (although it probably would've been safer to call it sludge) that was of a sickly brown color and had chunks of mystery meat in it.

"Thanks so much for letting us hide out here for the past week," Korra told him as he poured some stew into a cracked plate and offered it to her. She took it without any objections and began eating.

"Honored to oblige," he told her as he kept handing out plates, some in better condition than others. "My associates and I heartily oppose Amon's so-called "Equalists" policies. We got Benders and Nonbenders living together down here, but do you see us fightin'? No siree; we've figured out how to harmoniously co-exist."

"You are a wise and noble hobo," Bolin said to him.

"Wise and noble?" repeated an amused Naruto. "Kid, you are talking to the Lord of the Hobos. There's not a thing happening in Republic City that he doesn't know about."

"You flatter me, sir," Gommu said with a smile and a bowed head.

The others just stared at the two of them. "Is that really a thing?" Mako finally asked them.

"Considering I was the one who appointed him to the title after killing the previous lord, yes," the Fire Paragon said with complete serious.

"Why did you kill the last one?"

"He was corrupt and had gotten into something he shouldn't have."

He said those words in such a way that the kids all felt a small chill crawl up their spines. They wondered if what he said had anything to do with that day all the adults refuse to talk about directly (as indirectly just made them more confused).

They all looked at one another, silently wondering if they should ask him the question "What had happened?" But a small voice in their heads warned them not to ask. It told them that they were too young to hear such things and they something more important to worry about then what had happened in the past.

So Bolin did as he was silently instructed to do by his own head and went back to eating the food in front of him. "This is the best-tasting street gruel I've ever had. Seriously!" he told Gommu.

"I culled it from the finest dumpsters the city has to offer!" the Lord of the Hobos said with a big grin on his face.

Asami, who was just then braving a taste of the food, turned green and spat the food in her mouth back out. "Something the matter, Asami?" asked Naruto. He did not speak aloud, just in a quiet whisper that only she could hear.

"I just wished he hadn't said where it was from," she answered back in the same quiet whisper. "I thought it was food."

"It is food and compared to some of the stuff I've eaten in my life, it is cuisine."

She would've made a face if she had either been younger or they weren't surrounded by people eating it. "Sir, even you must have standards about food."

"I do," he answered. "But I have recognized the fact that those standards will have to be abandoned when things truly get desperate. If that doesn't happen, you will likely die of starvation."

She stared at him for a long moment, trying to find if he was lying or not in his eyes. But she could see it and she wondered if that was because she didn't know how to do it. "Are you serious?" she finally asked him.

"Pray that you will never have to fall to such levels that a rat would be considered a delicacy," he told her.

Her stomach quivered at the thought. "You're joking, right?"

He looked at her again. "If I didn't know how it felt, why would I be telling you not to go there?"

"…Fair point, sir." Feeling like she had no argument left, she turned her attention back to the food in front of her and began to gingerly eat it. As the food went down her throat, she resisted the urge to shudder and gag. She was going to have to get used to this.

* * *

As night fell over the under-city, everyone had pretty much fallen asleep. Everyone with the exception of Korra, that is. She leaned against Naga's side, her eyes wide open and staring at the ceiling. "Can't sleep either?" Mako asked her as he approached, sitting down next to her.

"No, I have this awful pit in my stomach," she told him.

"Me too," he agreed.

"It's so crazy," she said with a shrug of her shoulders. "A few months ago I was in the South Pole practicing for my Firebending test, and now I'm in the middle of an all-out war."

"I know. We didn't even know each other then. And now, I can't imagine my life without you in it." His words surprised her, it showed on her face. "You're the most loyal, brave, and selfless person I've ever known."

Now she couldn't help but blush too. "I think you're pretty incredible too, but…you already knew that." They stared at one another for a long second, just taking in all the details of the other's face. But then reality came back and Korra remembered why they were down there in the first place. "I should probably get some sleep," she said as she turned her head away.

"Me too," he agreed. "Good night."

"Good night." She watched silently as he walked away. She leaned back against Naga once more, trying to find sleep. As she tried, she took notice of the sight of Naruto getting up from where he was sleeping. On silent feet, he walked out to one of the under-city's entrances.

Curious to know what he was doing, she stood up and followed him. While she couldn't walk as silently as he could, she could get close enough to it to follow him without being noticed. He walked forward into the entrance, looking almost like the darkness was about to swallow him, when he came to a stop. Korra did the same thing and hid herself behind a pipe.

"Korra," he said without turning his head back to look at her, even though she was surprised that she had been seen. "It's late. Go to bed." He walked forward into the darkness, disappearing into it.

She came out from behind the pipe and looked at the entrance. A part of her wanted to follow him to see where he was going but she knew that he was right. She needed to get some sleep. If push came to shove, she could always ask him where he was going in the morning.

* * *

The next morning came with a fog settling over the bay. From the giant sewer pipe where Mako was looking out at the bay, he could barely see Air Temple Island. But there was an added bonus to the fog. "Coast is clear," he announced to the rest of the team, having seen no Equalists nearby.

They came out of the sewer pipe and headed the staircase nearby that led up to an observation deck adjacent to the street. It would give them a good view of the bay and the upcoming battle. "Once the United Forces arrive, we need to be ready to help in any way we can," Korra told the others.

"They're here!" Mako announced making them all turned their attention back to the bay.

From out of the fog came the United Forces, all in a fleet of battleships. Korra had seen one when she had been a child in the South Pole. Back then, she had thought that the twin dragon heads at the bow of the ship looked scary. Now, they just looked intimidating to her. Even though she couldn't see them personally, she knew that there were guns on the deck for Firebending, turrets for Earthbending on the sides, and ramps extending over the water for Waterbending.

But as they sailed into the bay, she took notice of something that made her feel uneasy. "Wait a second…where are the Equalist airships?" she asked, looking up at the sky and seeing nothing there.

Mako saw the same thing and something more. To be sure, he grabbed the telescope his brother held and ran to the side, looking through the telescope at the docks. "I don't see any mecha tanks, either," he announced.

"Then…where are they all?" Bolin asked them both. They all stayed silent because they did not have an answer. They had all expected the Equalists to be there, waiting to attack the United Forces as soon as they got there. But instead, there was nothing.

But as soon as they came to that thought, an explosion went off in the bay, right beneath one of the battleships. It was soon followed by more explosions as they came closer and closer to the harbor. More than a few of the ships had hit them and were taking in water.

"By Yue's light, there are mines in the water!" Korra swore as she realized the fact. That had been the Equalists plan! Let the ships tears themselves to pieces as they tried to get to the harbor. But that wouldn't work now. She was there and she could help. Without warning to the others, she took a flying leap over the edge and into the water, diving smoothly and then swimming hard for the ships.

The ships themselves came to a stop. The rest of the team still on land could hear a faint voice speaking on a loudspeaker. "Water and Earthbenders, detonate those mines!" the voice commanded.

"Well, at least someone knows what to do over there," Asami remarked from where she stood and observed the battle.

Then a sound began to emerge from the sound, gaining the attention of all who heard it (even Korra, who surfaced to make sure she wasn't hearing things). It sounded like it belonged to a hive of angry buzzard-wasps but there were no buzzard-wasps anywhere near the city. All the while, the noise got louder and louder.

"What now?" Mako asked as he looked at the city through the telescope, unsure of what was coming towards them.

"Do you see anything?" Bolin asked his brother.

"No."

"…How about now?" he asked after a couple of seconds

"No," he answered, only to followed that word, "Wait! I see something!"

They were coming out from behind the city skyline and they were coming in fast. It was two groups of what looked to be some kind of aircraft. But these were slow, hulking behemoths that were the airships. No, these things were smaller, a lot faster, and a lot louder. As they flew out of the city, they headed straight for the bay.

"Where does Hiroshi find the time to keep inventing new evil machines?" Bolin asked with a confused (and a little annoyed) tone in his voice. Then he and his brother both turned their attentions onto Asami.

"Hey, don't look at me," she said with an annoyed look, knowing full what those looks meant. "I've no idea that he had come up with something like that. For all I know, he made them in that secret factory he had."

"But what exactly do they do?" Mako wondered. "The United Forces doesn't have anything like that."

A whistling sound filled their eyes amidst the buzzing, making them all turn back to the bay. The aircrafts were now over the battleships and were now dropping things on them. They had no clue what those things, short and cylindrical in shape, were supposed to be until they hit the ships and created explosions.

"Those are bombs!" Bolin said in recognition and horror.

Some of the planes weren't dropping bombs, but rather long thin versions straight into the water away from the ships. As Korra swam through the water, she had to avoid two such things. But in her avoidance, they struck the nearby ship, causing an explosion and a shockwave sending her tumbling through the water.

Once she managed to get a hold of her swimming ability again, she had to swim to the surface for more air. What she saw on the surface was disheartening. The fleet of battleships that had come to send Amon and the Equalists packing was practically destroyed. What ships that weren't sunk were on the verge of being so.

The aircrafts circled the ships like a pack of buzzard-wasps over a pile of dead corpses. The United Forces were able to send a few of them down, but it wasn't enough. The aircrafts were destroying the ships faster than the ships could destroy the aircrafts.

Seeing that she needed to take action, Korra dived under the water again. But this time, she started twisting around and around whilst underwater, gathering up force as she moved. She suddenly shot upwards; taking the force she had made and used it into bending a water column beneath her feet as she broke the surface of the water.

Once she had reached her height, she started bending the water around the column to freeze up and jut out as spikes. Her plan was to take out any aircraft that were trying to avoid fire from the battleships by flying in low. She got one aircraft like that, but as it crashed along the bay's surface, it hit her column, making her fall back down into the water.

She recovered as she struck the water and saw one of those underwater bombs coming by her. Not one to let the same thing happen again, she bent water around her to grab hold of the bomb. Then she twisted it around to throw it right back at the aircraft that had launched it.

She broke surface once more and began swimming for the nearest battleship, trying to figure something to do to help. As she swam, she saw an explosion go off in the tower of the ship, an explosion that sent a body flying through the air and into the water. She dived after the person, hoping that they were still alive.

She found herself grabbing hold of a man in a Firebender's uniform that had a sleeve missing and a bad burn mark on his left arm. His eyes were closed but she could probably guess that they would be of golden color. His hair was black and if it weren't for the water messing it up, it would've probably been neat and orderly.

To her relief, he started gasping for air as they both broke the surface. "It's all right, I've got you," she said to the solider as they started trending water.

He coughed, getting the rest of the water out of his lungs. "Avatar Korra?" he asked, getting a small nod of recognition from her. "You saved my life. Thank you."

"No problem," she said in reply. "You got a name yourself?"

"Yes, I am General Iroh."

If that had been any other time, she might've stopped in her tracks. When she had first heard that General Iroh was coming, she had pictured a man with grey hair and closer to Tenzin's age. Instead, he turned about to be someone who could look like he was her brother (if she was from the Fire Nation or he the Southern Water Tribe, that is). "Well, I guess I grabbed the right guy," she finally said.

She swam back to the sewer entrance, where her team was waiting for her. Mako and Bolin helped her and Iroh get out of the water. "I've got ya," Bolin said as he pulled Iroh out.

"My thanks," the older man said.

"No problem. Who are you?" he asked with a smile.

"He's General Iroh," Korra said to the Earthbender as she stood up on her own two legs.

"Oh, right, sure. I knew that."

"Of course you did," Mako said with a roll of his eyes.

"What do we do now?" Asami asked everyone, her eyes still looking out at the bay.

Everyone now stared at the bay as well. The fleet that had come to liberate the city from the grip of the Equalists was now nothing more than a big flaming wreck in the middle of the bay. The aircrafts still flew over it them, waiting for anyone still alive out there to make a move. That way, they could most likely bomb them back to the Spirit World.

"We should retreat," Iroh said, clutching his arm. "Do you have a base of operations?" he asked Korra.

She looked at the rest of her team and then back at him. "I don't know about that, but we do have a place to hide. It's in the under-city, straight through this sewer pipe." She gestured to said pipe behind them.

"Then lead on."

They entered the tunnel without a moment's hesitation. As they walked, Korra bent the water out of her clothes, making them dry again. "Want a hand?" she offered Iroh, looking at his sodden clothing.

"Please," he said with a grateful smile. Without further prompting, she bent the water out of his clothes as well. "Thanks."

"Not a problem."

They kept walking; the light of the pipe exit growing dimmer until it vanished completely, being replaced by the lights wired into the walls. The sounds of the aircrafts buzzing also faded away, which was a relief because it had gotten quite annoying. But even though the sounds and natural lights had faded away, what happened still hung over their heads.

"I take it that you guys didn't have much luck either," said Naruto as he leaned against the entrance to the under-city, his hands clutching his sword like it was a lifeline. Whatever it was that he had done in the night, he had failed.

"Yeah," Korra said in reply. "But what were you doing?"

He frowned slightly. "I've been looking for my grandson."

"Oh." Suddenly, his disappearing made a lot more sense now. "So…no luck?" she asked, feeling like she had to ask it.

"If I had any luck, would Arashi not be at my side?" he asked back. He had spent the previous week trying to find where they had been keeping his grandson, but they always kept moving him around. He had no idea where Arashi and he was quite angry and annoyed (among other things) about it.

"Sorry."

"Lord Naruto," Iroh said to the Fire Paragon, bowing his head in respect to him.

But he didn't take it. "Get your head up, Iroh," he told the younger man, losing some of the anger and annoyance he was carrying with himself. "And don't call me a lord."

"But that would be disrespectful," the General said in protest.

"We're family, Iroh. If you're going to call me anything, I would rather have it be great-uncle Naruto."

"Would that be because you're just that great?" Bolin asked him. He wasn't saying it in a spiteful or nasty way. He wasn't even being sarcastic about it. He genuinely wanted to know the answer.

Naruto looked over at the Earthbender and held out one of his hands. "Hi there, the name's Naruto Uzumaki," he said in sarcastic greeting.

"You walked right into that one, bro," Mako told Bolin.

"Hey, can we get a move on?" Korra asked all of them. "I've got an injured patient here and I want to treat him ASAP."

The Fire Paragon chuckled at those words. "You are definitely Katara's student."

Still, they kept walking, heading right into the under-city. The other residents kept their distance from them, having known what they had left for and for seeing the defeated air they carried themselves with.

Korra sat Iroh down on a crate near a fire so they could keep warm. She bent water out of a nearby bucket and held it against the man's burn, healing it. "So, how bad was it?" Naruto asked them all as he stood near the fire.

"I was prepared to deal with Sato's mecha tanks, but not these high-speed aircraft," Iroh said in answer.

"I know," Korra agreed with him. "Every time we think we have an advantage, Amon outsmarts us."

"It is annoying, especially when he copies me and does this," Naruto agreed as he reached into his coat.

"Does what?" Asami asked him, curious to know.

He pulled out a small piece of paper and handed it to her. "I found that where they were supposedly keeping Arashi, only that."

She took it and opened it up, reading for everyone there.

You're not the only one who can think ahead. And I will say what I like as well as do what I like.

She didn't say anything in reply for there was nothing she could think of to say to her teacher. All she could do was hand the paper back to him. He took it and threw it into the fire with one smooth movement of his hand. "Like I said, annoying," he remarked.

"**And now you know how the others feel when you do it to them,"** Kurama remarked right back at him.

"_Shut up,"_ he told the fox. _"I still have that ace up my sleeve."_ No matter what happened, Amon was not going to win.

"Man, no matter what our plan is, Amon always has the better one," Bolin said, letting the ugly truth hang in the air over them.

But Iroh was quick to throw it out. "Amon is winning so far, but we're not out of the fight yet."

"I like this man's confidence!" the Earthbender said with a grin, which disappeared quickly and was replaced with a questioning look. "So, how are we not out of the fight yet?"

"A second wave of reinforcements is on the way, but I need to warn them. Do you still have a way to get a message out?" he asked Korra and Naruto.

Both of them smiled. "We know just the guy for the job," Korra answered.

"My lord hobo!" shouted Naruto, getting Gommu's attention from the other side of the area.

"Yes sir?" he asked back.

"Start up the telegraph! We've got a message to send out!"

"How important is it?"

"Top secret!" the Fire Paragon answered.

That got the fire going in the vagabond. He raced over to a little room and the others followed, where they saw a makeshift telegraph machine standing alongside the wall. "A telegraph?" repeated Iroh. "Those haven't been used in years. They were replaced with radios."

"Well, he knows how to use one," Asami answered as they all circled around the vagabond, watching him as he set up the final pieces of the makeshift telegraph in front of him.

"And who is the recipient of this top secret message?" the Lord of the Hobos asked the General of the United Forces.

"Commander Bumi, Second division of the United Forces," he answered.

"Tenzin's brother?" Korra asked him, having heard the name and met the man before.

"Yes," he said while Gommu warmed up his hand, shaking it to get the blood flowing. "A bit of a wild man, but the bravest commander you'll ever meet."

"Ready, sir," Gommu announced, the old military training coming back to him.

"Fleet ambushed and destroyed by Equalist aircraft," Iroh began. As he spoke, Gommu began tapping Morse code into the telegraph. "Retreat to Red Sand Island until my signal. Do not approach city until you receive the all clear."

Even though he had finished speaking, the Lord of the Hobos continued to tap away on the machine. He soon stopped done. "Message sent, sir," he said to Iroh.

"Thank you, Gommu," the General said, only to pause. "Wait, Gommu? As in Sergeant Gommu, the one who held the fleet together in the Battle of the Red Typhoon?"

"Yep, that's me."

Iroh instantly snapped to attention, saluting him. "Sir, it's an honor."

He just laughed. "Kid, you're making it sound like I did something noteworthy. All I did was man the telegraph machine."

"You did more than that, sir. You led the fleet out of the verge of defeat by the rogue warlord and into victory. You should've been honored."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Well, they started replacing telegraphs with radios soon after that and I was quickly out of a job. What can you do?"

"Hey, not to ruin the chat you guys have going, but let's focus on the pressing issue here," Naruto told them both.

"Understood, sir," Gommu said.

"Uncle, did you know that he was here?" Iroh asked.

"Yes and if June hadn't already had an apprentice back then, she would've snatched him up like Nyla on a piece of meat. But like I said, let's focus on the pressing issue."

"Yes, of course." They all walked over to a table. Iroh pulled out a roll of paper and laid it on the table, rolling it out to reveal a map of the city. "Now comes the hard part. We need to ground those aircrafts. Otherwise, Bumi's fleet would never be able to retake the city."

"They flew in from this direction," Mako declared as he pointed to the north-east portion of the map. "The airfield must be somewhere over this mountain range."

"That is good to know," the General said to his fellow Firebender, acknowledging him with a nod of his head. Then he turned his attention to everyone else. "Everyone get ready, we leave at dawn."

"It's time to take down my father," Asami said, mostly to herself and with more than a hint of bitterness.

"**What? You're not going to say anything?"** Kurama asked his host.

"_Why should I?"_ he asked in return.

He and the others began to leave the room. But Korra fell to the back of the group and lingered in the doorway. "Wait," she said, making the others stop and look back at her. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going with you tomorrow."

"What?" Mako said.

"Why not?" asked Asami.

"I'm sick and tired of hiding from Amon," she said in answer. "It's time I faced him."

"That's not a good plan," Iroh told her. "We need to stick together."

"I'm not waiting for him to hunt me down. My guts tell me it's time to end this, on _my_ terms."

"**Huh, what do you know?"** the Kyūbi remarked to his Jinchūriki. **"You were right all those years ago. She is a hothead."**

"_I know,"_ Naruto said silently in reply. _"And I knew back then it was going to be a refreshing change of pace."_

"Korra, this is not a mission you should be handling alone," Iroh told the Avatar. He might've protested a bit more vigorously against her, but she was the Avatar.

"She won't be," Mako said as he started walking forward to Korra. "I'm going with you," he told her.

"You don't have to do that," she told him with a slightly worried tone in her voice.

"Yes, I do." Neither of them wanted notice the look of shock, sadness, and resignation on Asami's face, but it was all they could see from the corner of their eyes.

As he listened to all of this, Iroh placed his hand on his chin and thought about it. "Hmmm…my grandfather would respect the Avatar's instincts. So will I," he finally declared.

That just made Naruto snort in laughter. "Your grandfather thought he was going to be dealing with a century old master of the elements when he was chasing down the Avatar," he told his great-nephew. "Instead, he found a twelve year old kid who wanted to go on a vacation rather than deal with the war. This is not the same thing."

"I am aware, Uncle," he said to the older man.

"Just making sure," he replied. "Also, I won't be joining you either."

That got people's attention. "Sir, you're abandoning us?" Asami asked him.

He looked at her. "You make it sound like I'm running away from the city. All I said was that I wouldn't be joining you in stopping the aircraft."

"But if we don't stop them, the reinforcements won't be able to come in," Bolin said in protest.

He looked over at the Earthbender. "Kid, at this point, I don't give a damn if the Equalists come up with a bomb that could wipe out the entire city. My concern right now is finding my grandson and making sure that he is safe. Got a problem with that?"

Not one of them did.

* * *

When the dawn came the next morning, Naruto had vanished again and Korra and Mako were already dressed in their stolen Equalist uniforms. As Mako did a last check to make sure that everything was in place, Bolin came forward. They shared a hug with one another. "Love ya, little bro," Mako said.

"Love ya back, big bro," Bolin said. They broke the hug and the Earthbender went over to Korra, who was standing by Naga. "Korra, Amon is a nasty dude. Be careful."

"I will," she replied before hugging him. "Good luck." As they broke the hug, a thought came to her. "If you're going into the mountains, you should bring Naga." The polar bear dog lifted her head up at her name and the Tribeswoman hugged her. "Take good care of Bolin for me," she said, prompting Naga to lick him.

Mako also had some business to take care of before he left and it was a personal matter. "Asami," he said to daughter of Hiroshi Sato, coming behind her. She turned to face him. "I'm sorry that things got so messed up between us, but whatever happens today, I want you to know how much I care about you."

"I care about you, too," she replied, giving him a kiss on the cheek. The fact that she did that instead of on the mouth spoke volumes. Before he could say anything in return, she turned and walked towards where Iroh, Bolin, and Naga were waiting. The three of them climbed aboard the polar bear dog while Korra came over to him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He took there for a second, allowing himself to feel the hand, before turning away.

The two groups went down two different tunnels, with only Gommu and a small group of under-city residents seeing them off. "Good fortune and success to you, valiant heroes," the Lord of the Hobos declared to their retreating backsides.

* * *

The first place that Korra and Mako had decided to go to was the Air Temple Island and they went via Waterbending. Korra bent an air bubble around them both as they walked along the bottom of the bay. She had to be careful in maintain the bubble. One wrong mistake and they would be breathing water quicker than they could blink. She also had to make sure that they were walking in the right direction; otherwise she might end up leading the two of them out into sea.

Fortunately, she knew where she was going and she knew how to handle the air bubble. What really concerned her was the long walk they had. By the time they had reached the island, dawn had long since passed and morning was in effect.

When they reached the island shore, they hopped onto a large rock and took a moment to put on their masks. Once done, they started to make their way stealthy up the shoreline to the temple proper. They reached the boundary quickly but came to a stop when they saw an Equalist airship in the air above the tower.

"There's Amon," Korra said as she saw the masked leader of the Equalists ascend to the ship on pole and then enter it. The two Equalists standing as a guard turned and followed him into the ship, letting the hatch close.

"We need to get into the temple," Mako told her as they watched the ship fly away from the island. "Then, when he returns…"

He left it hanging, but Korra knew what he was talking about. "We ambush him," she finished.

Once they were sure that the coast is clear, they came out onto the courtyard. They walked towards the temple, acting like they were just Equalists doing their jobs. "What are you two doing here?" the voice of the Lieutenant asked them just as they reached the steps, making them freeze and then turn around to look at the man.

"Uh, we were just transferred," Mako said quickly, hoping that it would work.

"Well, you're getting transferred again. Amon wants extra security at the arena today."

"The arena? For what?" the masked Firebender asked.

"The rally," the Lieutenant told them. His eyes narrowed in small suspicion. "You should've been brief about this."

"We'll be there, sir," Korra said to him with a slight bow of her head, Mako following her example. The Lieutenant didn't say anything in reply; he just turned around and walked away. Still facing him, Korra nudged Mako. "I know another way in," she said quietly.

They walked away and down the slope, like they were heading to the docks to leave for the city. However, at the third step down, she hung a right into the bush. She went through it all and ended up right beneath the walls of the dormitories. "What's here?" Mako asked her quietly.

"Wait," she replied just as quietly. She looked along the base of the wall until she saw the wooden plank. Arashi had shown it to her when she had first explored the island. Behind the plank was a secret way into the dormitories. She lifted it up and herself and Mako go through, letting it close down behind her.

The tunnel was short and led to a closet that wasn't really used (probably because of the tunnel). They climbed up into the closet and then out of it, finding themselves in the basement. "Time to head up," Mako remarked, heading for the nearby stairs.

Korra followed him. At the top of the stairs, they found themselves in the dining room. It was empty, which were both a good thing and a bad thing. The good was that they were still undetected, the bad was that they had no idea if anyone was going to be coming in at any moment.

"Let's hide in the attic," the Tribeswoman said to her friend, pointing at the nearby ladder. She was betting that the Equalists didn't really use it. She ran over to the ladder and started climbing up it, with Mako right behind her.

She reached the hatch at the top and opened it with a small push of her hand. As she thought, there wasn't really anything in the attic, which meant it was safe for them to come up. They did so but in the moment they took to take a breath, Mako noticed something. "Uh, we're not alone up here," he told her.

She looked over at where he was staring and took notice of the makeshift prison that was on the other side of the attic. Then she took notice of the person inside the prison. "Tarrlok?" she said to the Councilman of the Northern Water Tribe. He didn't look well. His usually clean and well-kept hair was a mess, sticking up in the hair as well as sticking to the sides of his face. His clothes were ragged and dirty. They were also loose, which meant he wasn't getting three meals a day.

"I don't suppose you're here to rescue me," he said to them both as they removed their masks and came forward to stand on the opposite side of the bars.

"We had no idea you were here," the Avatar told him. "Are there other prisoners on the island?"

"Perhaps, but as far as they tell me, I'm the only one."

"And what makes you so special?" He was a Bloodbender. She would've thought that the Equalists would not just take away his Bending; they would take away his life as well.

But her answer came in the form of something she never would've expected. "I'm Amon's brother."

A shocked gasp came from both Mako and Korra. "You're kidding!" Mako said in a slightly accusing voice (it would've been more accusing if he hadn't been surprised).

Tarrlok shook his head in the negative. "Amon is from the Northern Water Tribe. He's a Waterbender and a Bloodbender, just like I was."

"What?" a still shocked Korra said. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. It had to be some kind of a joke.

Both she and Mako shared a look, trying to see if the other had figured out what was going on. "Did you know this all along?" Mako asked the imprisoned man. Korra had a similar question in her head but with a different person in mind.

"No, not until after he captured me."

"How did your brother end up becoming Amon?" Korra couldn't help but ask him.

"It all began with my father, Yakone. While the Council and Avatar Aang fought over whether to kill him or not, he escaped prison with the help of his former gang. He underwent surgery to change his appearance. Once he had done that, he got out of Republic City, assumed a new identity, and settled down in the Northern Water Tribe. That's where he met my mother, a warm, caring woman."

His face softened a little at the mention of her, although the lighting in the room still made it look harsh. "Before long, they started a family together. Amon was the firstborn, under the name Noatak. I was born three years later. Noatak was a good-natured kid, always looking out for me. Those were the good years. Before my brother and I discovered we were Waterbenders. At first, we were excited by our new abilities, but our training brought out a different side of my father." He could still hear his voice shouting at him.

"_Tarrlok, you'd better shape up or you'll be out here in the cold all night until you get it right!"_

"Even back then, my brother wanted everyone to be treated fairly and equally. When I was seven, my father took me and Noatak on a hunting trip far from home. He told us his true identity was Yakone, Republic City's most notorious crime boss, and the he was once a Bloodbender of rare skill." A scowl came upon his face. "The good days were behind us. Every full moon, our father took us on another supposed 'hunting trip,' where he secretly trained us in Bloodbending."

"Did your mother know about this?" Mako asked him.

He shook his head. "No, we kept it from her. A few years later, my father taught us to Bloodbend anytime, without the need of the full moon. We practiced constantly, and I hated every moment of it. I had no stomach for manipulating helpless animals. My brother, however, seemed to revel in this newfound power. He was a prodigy, mastering my father's physic Bloodbending techniques by the time he was fourteen.

"Even though Noatak was my father's favorite, it wasn't any easier for him. He carried the burden of all Yakone's expectations and demands. Something changed in Noatak over the years; the loving brother I once knew had become cold and detached."

"So, what happened?" Korra asked.

"I'm getting there," he told her. "My father pushed us to extremes, and one day, he made us Bloodbend each other." He could still remember that day with a clarity he wished he didn't have. That was the day everything changed.

(Flashback)

He stood across from his brother with their father observing just outside of the line of sight. The three of them stood in the midst of a storm that swirled and howled all around them and wasn't giving up any time soon.

"Noatak, go," Father ordered his brother.

Noatak breathed deeply and looked at him. In the moment his eyes fell upon him, Tarrlok could already feel his blood moving against him. It came with incredible pain, such pain that made him scream as his blood raged against him. With barely a flicker of his eyes, Noatak made him arch his back, adding to the pain.

Just as soon as his blood rebelled, it calmed itself and he found himself in control of his own body again. He leaned forward, pressing his hands against the snow to support himself from falling over. He breathed deep, ragged breaths that got more level with each breath, but it still hurt.

Father, however, looked pleased. "Excellent," he said to Noatak. "Tarrlok, your turn," he told his youngest son.

"No, I won't do it," he said, standing back up on his own feet.

Father's face became angry. "Bloodbend your brother, Tarrlok!" he ordered.

"That felt awful. I don't want to do that to anyone. I never want to Bloodbend again."

His face became furious. "You're a disgrace, a weakling. I'll teach you a lesson you insubordinate—" He didn't get any further than that. His body stiffened up and he lost control of it.

"Stay away from him," Noatak said to him as he stepped in front of his little brother.

"How dare you Bloodbend me!" he said through clenched teeth. He tried to get control of his body again, but there was no use.

"What're you gonna do about it? _You're_ the weak one," his son told him, forcing him to his knees and making him lean back farther then he normally could. "You always say that Bloodbending is the most powerful thing in the world, but it isn't. The Avatar is. He took your _Bending_ away. What could be more powerful than that?"

"I made you what you are. You're mine!"

"We're your sons, not your tools of revenge." Ignoring his father, he turned to look at his little brother. "Let's go. We can run away from him, forever."

That sounded like a good idea, but there was something in his eyes that stopped Tarrlok from agreeing. "Run away? But what about Mom?" he asked. "We can't just leave her."

Those eyes narrowed at him. "He was right about you. You _are_ a weakling." With a shove, he pushed his father away, sending him through the air and into a pile of snow. Then he turned and started running.

"Noatak!" called out Tarrlok. "Don't leave! Please! Noatak!" But he was already gone, disappeared into the storm.

(End Flashback)

"My father and I searched for days, but we never found a sign of Noatak," Tarrlok told the two of them. "We thought he perished in the storm. My mother was never the same after the loss of my brother. My father stopped training me. With Noatak gone, his hopes for revenge withered. And he passed away, a few years later."

Both Mako and Korra were silent as he finished his tale. For a moment, they didn't really know what to say to all that. "That's one of the saddest stories I've ever heard," Korra said, speaking honestly.

"Avatar Korra, I am truly sorry for all that I did to you. I thought I was better than my father, but his ghost still shaped me. I became a solider of revenge, just like he wanted me to be. And so did my brother. The revolution may be built on a lie, but I think Amon truly believes Bending is the source of all evil in the world."

"…Whether I forgive you or not, it doesn't change the fact that you are a dead man walking for what you did to Arashi," she said after a moment of silence.

"I know," he replied with a resigned nod of his head. He remembered that day when Naruto had leveled more than half of the city in his rage and during the chase (why those fools decided to run, he would never understand).

"How did you figure out Amon is your brother?" Mako asked him.

"When he took my Bending, the sensation was somehow familiar," he answered him. "I later recognized it as my brother's Bloodbending grip."

"So, he somehow uses Bloodbending to take people's Bending," Korra said, mostly to herself.

"I don't know _how_ he does it, but then again, I've never encountered a Bender as strong as Noatak."

"How in the world do we beat him?"

"We can't," Mako answered her bluntly. "Any attack we throw at him, he'll redirect with his mind. That's how he's been able to challenge any Bender."

"So much for our ambush," she grumbled as she began to pace. "If we stay here, we're toast." An idea came to her, making her stop and turn back around. "But there's another way to beat him."

"How?" asked her friend.

"This whole time, Amon has been one step ahead of us. But finally, we have the advantage. We know the truth about him. If we expose him as a Bender in front of all his supporters…"

"At the rally," he added, seeing where she was going with this.

"We could take away his true power!" she continued.

"And undermine this whole revolution!" he finished.

Both of them had victorious smiles on their faces at the plan they had just come up with. But as Korra slid her gaze back onto Tarrlok, the man who had caused her a lot of grief in the past few months, the smile came off. "Thank you," she told him. Those two words also carried a silent "I forgive you" as well. He didn't say anything; he only nodded his head and looked away. "We can't just leave him here," she said to Mako.

This time, Tarrlok did say something. "Go. Amon can't know anyone spoke to me," he told them both, coming forward and grabbing hold of the cell bars. "Defeat him. Put an end to this sad story."

Neither one of them said a word. All they did was nod silently and leave the attic, shutting the trap door behind them. But as they came down the ladder, they met up with another surprise. "Hey, short-stack," Yue greeted Korra from where she leaned against one of the tables.

"Aunty Yue, what are you doing here?" the Avatar asked her (after getting out the initial shock of seeing her). "I thought you left the city with Tenzin and his family."

"I did and once we got away, I circled back. Do you really think that I would leave the city like this? Especially after learning that Arashi had been captured?"

"You know about that?"

She nodded. "I got in contact with Naruto after getting back and learned about it. I've been helping him look for his grandson by keeping an eye out here."

"Then you know about the prisoner up there?" Mako asked, his eyes looking up at the ceiling for a brief moment.

"Of course I do."

"Aunty, there's something about him I don't think you know."

She frowned slightly. "Please remember who it was that told you I was his sister."

Korra shook her head. "It's not that. It's something completely different."

"You don't have time, Korra," she said to her. "Do you have a plan to stop Amon?"

"Yes, but about—"

"Korra, worry about Amon first," she cut the Avatar off. "If you have a plan, get going." The younger Tribeswoman wanted to protest, but the elder simply pointed to the stairs, saying nothing.

Korra and Mako took the hint and went for the stairs, leaving the Paragon of the Water Tribes behind. Korra wasn't worried about her aunt-figure being left like that. She knew she could handle herself. Now was the time to focus on Amon and bring him down.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

Personally, I think that if they added a little more character to Gommu, he would've been a lot more fun and interesting to have around in the show. Plus, it gives me the chance to reveal more back history throughout the story.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	12. Building up and knocking down

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 12: Building up and knocking down

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: outside Republic City)

While Korra and Mako had gone looking for Amon, the rest of the team followed the original plan of going after the Equalist airfield. The search led them outside of the city and to the mountains, just like Mako had pointed out on the map. But even as they kept moving, they didn't see anything.

"Are we there yet?" Bolin asked from the middle of the saddle. Pabu hung around his neck, looking quite comfortable.

"No, Bolin, we're not," Asami told him as she handled the reins in front.

"…How about now?" he asked after a moment of silence.

"No."

"…What about now?"

"No," she said, getting a little frustrated.

"…Are we—"

"Bolin, Agni help me, if you ask me that question one more time, I will—!"

"Look to the sky!" Iroh said suddenly from the back of the saddle, pointing upwards. The two civilians did look up. They saw an Equalist aircraft flying through the air, to a point just ahead of them.

"Follow it!" Bolin shouted.

"I know!" Asami shouted back, snapping the reins on Naga, urging her to go faster. The polar bear dog responded and quickened her pace, keeping the aircraft in sight as she followed it.

She soon came to a stop atop a cliff, allowing her riders to get off and down at what lay below them. "I think we've found our secret airfield," Iroh declared as he looked at the flattened space where the buildings and hangers were at. On the other end of the field were five different runways, going out until they reached the edge of another cliff.

The general saw the runways and knew instantly what to do about them. "Bolin, once we get down there, I need you to tear up those runways. We can't let those aircraft take off," he told the Earthbender.

"Aye aye, captain!" Bolin replied, saluting. Then he flinched, remembering who he was talking to. "Ooh, general, general," he said, more for his sake then Iroh's.

"Are you done?" Asami asked him.

"Yeah, pretty much," he said, lowering his hand from the saluting position.

"Then let's get moving."

There was a path nearby that led down to the airfield. They turned to go down it, only for Bolin to stop when he heard Pabu and Naga whine. "All right, you guys wait here until we get back, okay?" he said to them both. Naga raised a paw, ready to follow. "Uh-uh, stay," he commanded, holding a hand out to them. The polar bear dog lowered her paw and then sat down in the snow, with the fire ferret resting on her head.

"They're staying up there?" Iroh asked the Earthbender as he rejoined them in going down the path.

"Yeah," he answered. "Hey, look, there's a way in right there." He pointed down the side of the path to where an opening into the airfield.

"Good eye."

They carefully went down the slope to the opening, where all that stood in their way were some metal poles spaced in such a way that they looked like they made some kind of fence. And it didn't make much sense. "Why would there be fence posts, but no fence?" Asami asked the other two as they made their way to them.

"I'm not sure," Iroh answered.

"Should we try to find another way in?"

"We don't have the time to—" What he was about to say was cut off with a scream tearing itself out of his lungs. He wasn't alone; Bolin and Asami were doing the exact same thing. The reason that they were screaming was because as soon as they stepped between the poles, electricity leapt out and shocked them with great intensity. Once it was over, they fell to the ground, unconscious.

(Location: Republic City)

Even though it was still light outside, the crowds inside the Pro-bending Arena were big enough to make one think that a match was about to be played. There were still more people coming into the Arena, going pass some tight security (consisting of mecha tanks and chi-blockers every few feet).

Inside the stadium, the ringside seats were full to burst and the pool of water had been drained, giving people more room to stand before a raised platform that had a large banner of Amon hanging in the backdrop. The air hummed with people talking amongst themselves as they waited for the rally to begin, idly watching as smoke began to build on the platform. Masked members of the Equalists were standing guard at every opening and on the referees' balconies.

Mako and Korra were watching from one of those balconies, having managed to slip past security by first swimming to the side of the Arena and going through a window (much like how Korra did it the first time she came), and then using their disguises to get into positions. Once there, they shared a nod with one another and waited for the right moment to deliver the fatal blow.

Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long. Amon rose up out of the smoke on the platform with the Lieutenant and a handful of chi-blockers behind him. As the people saw him rise, they cheered loudly at the sight of him. To them, he was their savior, the man who knew them best.

"Thank you all for joining me on this historic occasion!" Amon said to them all, making them cheer louder. "When I was a boy, a Firebender struck down my entire family and left me scarred. That tragic event began my quest to equalize the world."

"That's a lie, Amon!" Korra shouted down from the balcony. She and Mako took their masks off, revealing themselves to the crowds. "Or should I call you Noatak?"

Among the gasps of surprise from the people at the sight of the Avatar, Amon did nothing. "You want her taken out?" the Lieutenant asked him quietly.

"No," he said, rising his hand to stop him from moving. "Everyone calm down," he told the crowd, stepping forward to them. "We have nothing to fear from the Avatar. Let's hear what she has to say."

The people quieted down a little and Korra took that open invitation. "Amon has been lying to you," she told them all. "The spirits didn't give him the power to take people's Bending away. He uses Bloodbending to do it. Amon is a Waterbender!" She pointed an accusing finger at him.

Again, people gasped in surprise and whispers began to stain the air. "What is this nonsense?" the Lieutenant asked his leader.

"You're desperate, Avatar," Amon told Korra. "Making up stories about me is a pathetic last resort."

"Your family wasn't killed by a Firebender," she replied before turning to look at the crowd once more. "His father was Yakone, his brother Councilman Tarrlok, and his sister is Yue, the Paragon of the Water Tribes."

Again, more gasps of surprise and more whispers began to arouse themselves as that news ingrained itself into the minds of the people. But Amon remained unfazed. In fact, he chuckled at what she said. "An amusing tale, but I will show the truth." He reached up and pulled down his hood and undid the string holding the mask on his face.

Everyone went silent as he reached up and pulled away the mask, revealing the large burn scar across his face. It was a bright red thing that stretched diagonally from his left cheek to his forehead and it had happened in such a way that his teeth were shown in a smile that shouldn't have been there. "_This _is what a Firebender did to me!" he declared, pointing at the scar.

"What?" Korra said at the sight of it. At that point, whatever suspicions the crowd had about Amon disappeared and they began shouting at her, calling her a liar. "I'm telling you, he's a Waterbender!" she cried, pointing at the leader of the Equalists, who was putting his mask back on. They ignored what she said and kept up with their shouting of her. She looked back at Mako. "They don't believe me. It didn't work!" That was the only tool they had to use against Amon and it didn't work!

"We said what we had to," he told her as he placed his back against the rail bringing his hands up into a fighting stance. "Let's get out of here." Already there were Equalists gathering at the entrance to the balcony and above it, bolas ready to be thrown. It would be tough but they could probably fight their way out.

"I wouldn't leave yet, Avatar," Amon said, keeping his face to the crowd. "You'll miss the main event." Those words and the sound of a platform rising up made Korra stop and turn back around to see what he was talking about.

There, chained and gagged on the platform and amidst loud booing from the crowd, were Tenzin, Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo. "No…they got away," she said in disbelief at the sight of the Air Nomads. "We saw them get away!"

(Location: Asami)

As she made her way back to consciousness, she could hear the sound of footsteps approaching. "Asami," she heard her father's voice. It made her come back faster, letting her senses tell her that her hands were bound behind her back and that she was lying on the floor. Bolin and Iroh were by her side, bound together by rope. She also saw that they were in a hanger and in a prison cell.

She got onto her knees and looked up at her father, who was standing on the other side of the prison bars. "Asami, I know that I have hurt…and I am sorry," he told her. "But I believe that one day, you will come to your senses and we can be a family again."

If that was meant to sooth her, it didn't work. It just made her angry. "Are you insane!?" she demanded. "How can we be a family after everything you've done!? Mom would hate you for what you've become."

That set him off. "How dare you!?" he demanded, leaning forward to grab the bars and get closer. "_I_ am avenging her death!"

"The airplanes are ready for takeoff, sir," an Equalist behind him said, standing at attention.

It was enough to draw his attention away from the prisoners. "Good, annihilate the fleet," he ordered. His words made Bolin and Iroh gasp and look at each other in surprise, making him look back at them. "That's right, General," he said to Iroh. "I intercepted your message to Commander Bumi. I know _exactly_ where they're hiding."

No one said a word as he turned around and walked away. But once he was gone, Asami looked at her fellow prisoners. "How are we going to get out of here?" she asked them, really hoping that they had some semblance of an idea.

"I don't suppose you know how to Metalbend?" Iroh asked Bolin.

"That's a negative, sir," he replied.

He had the strangest urge to pout but refused to do so. He was a general, he had his dignity! "Do you have any ideas to get out?" he asked Asami.

"No, that's why I was asking you guys."

"I thought my great uncle would've taught you at least how to get out from being bounded."

She couldn't help but frown at those words, feeling like they were both an accusation and an insult. "Your uncle isn't the most standard of teachers. He could be training me on one thing one day and then something completely different the next!"

"Guys, do you hear that?" Bolin suddenly asked them both.

While Iroh couldn't look at him, Asami could. "Yeah, we can hear it, Bolin," she told the Earthbender. The noise they heard was the sound of aircrafts starting up. It was the same noise they heard in the battle of bay, just louder.

But he shook his head. "No, not that," he said. "Listen."

"Bolin, all we can hear is the aircraft," Iroh told him.

"No, it's not that. It's something else."

"What?"

The answer came when the door to the hanger burst open with a loud crash and a roar. The crash came from the doors hanging on their hinges and the roar came from Naga, who came running into the hanger. "Naga!" cried Bolin. "Over here!"

The polar bear dog ran forward to the cell, allowing Pabu to hop down into the cell. There, she stood on her hind legs, going to her full height, and slammed her paws down on the bars. It only took two slams to completely break the bars down.

"Who needs a Metalbender?" Bolin asked the rhetorical but mandatory question as his fire ferret hopped into his lap. He also had the answer. "We've got Naga, yeah!"

Pabu was trying to get to the ropes but as his owner kept moving around, he had a hard time biting down on them. It was enough to make him hiss at the Earthbender. "I think Pabu is not happy with you, Bolin," Asami dryly commented at the sight.

"Whoops, sorry, Pabu," he said to the ferret, sitting still. Pabu was able to chew through the ropes in record time on both of them. Once their hands and feet were free, the former prisoners stood up and ran out of the hanger.

Once outside, they saw the airplanes were already taking off on the runways, some were already airborne. "I'm going after those airplanes!" Iroh shouted to the others, increasing his running speed.

Bolin was about to join him when Naga appeared by his side, used her head to flip him up onto her saddle, and then turn away to a different runway. Caught off-guard by the move, Bolin could only scream "No, Naga!" as she carried him away.

Asami took notice of some empty mecha tanks nearby and switched courses, turning to run towards them instead. She climbed up into the tank in the front and looked at everything before her. Going on a hunch, she twisted the red valve to her right and the tank began to start. "Huh, what do you know?" she remarked as she strapped herself in. "Just like a Future Industries forklift." The tank closed around her, leaving her with only the glass window to see.

As he got close enough to the airplane he was chasing, Iroh leapt into the air and bent fire to propel himself forward, grabbing hold of the tail of the plane. He got his footing back and then ran forward up to the cockpit. He took hold of the surprised pilot and threw out of the cockpit and the airplane. As the man's screams faded away in the air, the general took control of the plane, which was shaky at first.

(Location: Pro-bending Arena)

"Tonight, I rid the world of Airbending, forever!" Amon declared as he stood beside Tenzin and his children, raising his hands dramatically. The crowd was pleased at that declaration and applauded him.

But Korra was having none of that. "Amon, let them go!" she shouted down at him.

"You're welcome to come down and try to stop me," he told her in reply with a tone of mocking.

"He's trying to bait you," Mako warned his friend, grabbing hold of her arm.

"I don't care! We have to save them!" she said in reply whilst trying to get her arm free.

"The Avatar needs to be reminded of the power I possess," Amon stated for all to hear, turning around and beginning to walk towards his prisoners. From the direction he was going, it looked like he would go down the line, starting with Meelo.

That was enough for Mako to agree with Korra and attack. He generated lightning and threw it at the platform right at Amon, hoping to take him out with one strike. The masked leader of the Equalists leapt out of the lightning bolt in roll and coming back to his feet near the Lieutenant. It hit the platform and caused a loud explosion with a lot of smoke. The cheering crowds instantly turned to screaming, fleeing the stadium to get away from the danger.

Mako and Korra leapt off of the balcony and ran alongside the wall to the platform, using their Firebending as propulsion from their hands to keep them stable. Once they were near the platform, they leapt down and started throwing fire at the Equalists, knocking them back. Amon dodged any fire that came close to him, which would've been annoying if they were focused on him.

While Mako kept the streams of fire going, Korra ran over to Tenzin. She undid his gag and then turned her attention to the chains, bending a small point of fire on her finger to burn through them. "Where are Pema and the baby?" she asked him.

"In prison," he replied.

"Beifong?" she asked.

"I don't know." She had sacrificed herself to make sure they got away, but they ended up being caught anyway. If she had seen it, he was sure Lin would have either laughed or chastised him.

When he felt the last chain holding him break, he leapt forward to help Mako, adding air to the fight. The two remaining Equalists were easily dealt with but Amon kept dodging their Bending, twisting around and leaping over them all. It was only when Tenzin bent a low stream at him that he finally flew off the platform.

Meanwhile, Korra got the chains off the children. "Follow me, kids," she told them all. They all ran for the nearest exit, which was right behind the platform. They burst through the door and ran down the corridor, coming to a stop at an intersection. "Get them out of here," she said to Tenzin. "We'll create a diversion."

He nodded and looked to his children. "Let's go get your mother and brother," he said to them.

"Prison break!" shouted Meelo.

As they ran down one hallway, the sound of a door opening made Mako and Korra back around. They saw Amon at the door, looking right at them. That moment felt like an eternity and yet, passed all too quickly. He started running towards them. Korra bent a quick fire to distract him while she and Mako ran the opposite way of Tenzin.

"There!" Mako said, pointing at a nearby door, knowing that it led into a storage room. Both of them ran through the door and into the room, only to stop in their tracks.

"Arashi!" said Korra in a strangled whispered as she stared at the young blonde hanging a few inches off the ground by chains. His face was bruised all over with a mottle of colors and his chest had blood leaking from wounds, some of which were only healed. There were burn marks on his body as well, but they didn't come from any fire. Rather, they came from electricity. By the way he hung limp in the chains, his strength had given out.

But when he heard his name, his eyes found them both. "Mako, Korra," he said in a croak of a voice.

The Avatar instantly went to him, fire appearing in her hands. "Hang on, we'll get you out of there," she told him, going for the chains.

"We don't have time, we need to go," Mako said to her, coming up beside her.

She turned to look at him. "What are you saying? We can't just leave him hanging like this. I don't give a damn if Amon is after us!"

When he heard the name, a shudder passed through Arashi, making him swing slightly in the chains. "Idiots, run," he croaked.

"No, not until you're free."

"Korra, we don't have the time!" Mako told her. "I want to get him down just as much as you but Amon is coming." He could hear the footsteps getting closer.

"Run!" Arashi said, forcing his voice to be louder, going from a croak to a whisper. But by then, the sound of feet walking from the outside was too loud. They had no chance to escape.

So they did what they could only do, they hid. "Sorry," Korra said to Arashi before diving beneath a nearby table. It was covered by a cloth that would hide her from the obvious looker. She didn't know where Mako had hidden, but she knew that he was hiding.

She knelt there, waiting in painful and nerve-racking silence. When she heard the door open, she went still. Each footstep echoed in her ears, making her hear them far longer than she wanted to. "Ah, Arashi Uzumaki," she heard Amon speak. "Are you still defiant about refusing to show your Bending to me?"

"Fuck…you." Even though he said those words, there was no venom in them. It was like he said them with barely any strength.

It seemed like Amon had caught onto that as well. "You barely have any strength left, why bother wasting it on insulting me? I must commend you, though. You have lasted a full week of your torture without any results. My commanders are most irritated at you for that. They had a bet going to see how long it would take for you to break, with the latest being only two days. I, however, know that you are nearing the end. Perhaps it will only take one more round to finally break you." She watched as his shadow slowly faded away from her view. "But for now, I will show you something.

The sound of a key being pulled out of somewhere and then unlocking the clamps holding Arashi filled the air beneath the table. _"He's freeing him?"_ Korra thought to herself as she heard the blonde collapse to the floor.

"…Why…?" she heard Arashi croak out.

"Because I want you to know that even when you are free, you are still powerless," Amon told him. Then, all of a sudden, Korra felt her blood rebel against her, pulling her out from under the table and into the open before the masked Bloodbender.

She floated in the air and there was nothing she could as he pulled her closer. Amidst her pain, she could see Arashi trying to struggle to get up but with no success. The look on his face showed the horror and desperation he was feeling. But no matter how many times he tried, he could not get back up.

Mako, on the other hand, could do something about it all. He came out of his hiding place and started throwing fire at Amon. "Let her go!" he commanded.

The leader of the Equalists didn't even bother to move from the fires. He just leaned left and right to avoid them all. Once they were all past him, he stretched out his other hand and bent Mako's blood, forcing him to going skyward.

For a moment, he let them hang in the air, watching them struggle against the pain and the control. He watched as Arashi tried to get back on his feet but could not find the strength to even get on his knees. All was going well and perfect. Now was the time to deliver the final blow.

He sent the two Benders to the ground and held them there. He bent the Avatar up onto her knees and walked behind her. When he grabbed the back of her neck, she realized what he was going to do. "No!" she protested.

"Korra!" shouted Mako.

"Stop, please!" Arashi begged with a pleading whisper.

But Amon did not stop. He placed his other hand on her forehead and took her Bending away. She closed her eyes and opened her mouth to scream but no sound came out. When he let go, she didn't try to attack him. She just fell forward in a collapse. "I told you I would destroy you," he declared to her semi-conscious body.

(Location: Equalist Airfield)

After finally managing to get off of Naga's back, Bolin did as he was ordered to do and began tearing up the runways with his Earthbending. What made it hard (but not difficult) was the length of them, forcing him to bend up the earth every few feet. Once he was sure that it was pretty much ruined, however, he moved onto the next one.

He had already taken care of three of them and was working on the fourth right at that moment. That is, right until he saw the mecha tanks coming at him. If it had just been one, he would've thought it was Asami and think nothing of it. But there were three of them and the fact that they were firing cables at him pretty much convinced him otherwise.

Seeing nowhere to run, all he could do was flinch and hold his leg up in some sort of defense. But nothing touched him. Lowering his leg, he saw that Naga was holding all three cables in her mouth. She used her own strength and momentum to pull them down. They came crashing into the ground and rolled around as their momentum carried them.

When they finally came to a stop, the one closest to Bolin had one of its tracks a few scant inches from his face. "Whoa!" he said before turning his attention to the polar bear dog. "Thanks, Naga!" She shook the cables out of her mouth and wagged her tail happily.

Meanwhile, Asami was still in the mecha tank and had moved into the hanger where the aircrafts were waiting to be used. Without any prompting needed, she started smashing them into a state of brokenness. She threw her entire angry feelings about her father, Mako and Korra, everything and anything she felt mad at into destroying these machines and she would not deny that she had a satisfied feeling each time one of them broke.

"Asami, what do you think you're doing?" she heard her father's voice demand as she stood before one of the last aircrafts. She turned the tank around and saw another tank standing at the entrance. "You are aiding the very people who took your mother away!"

"You don't feel love for Mom anymore," she replied, still angry at him for everything he did in betrayal. "You're too full of hatred."

"Your ungrateful, insolent child!" he shouted at her. His mecha tank started forward at a ramming speed straight at her. She tried to stop him by firing cables but he dodged them all and then slammed into her tank, sending it crashing to the ground and destroying another airplane.

As it lay there, he moved over to it and swung his claw down, shattering the glass with one strike. "I now see there is no chance to save you!" he shouted down at his own daughter. He raised the tank's claw once more, only to be suddenly struck by a large rock in the side.

Caught off guard by the action, the tank stumbled somewhat. He managed to regain balance and look at where the rock had come from. It came from the front of the hanger and was thrown by Bolin from atop Naga. "Mr. Sato, you are a horrible father!" the Earthbender shouted, bending a large rock at him with each word spoken.

And while he shouldered the barrage of rocks, Hiroshi forgot about his daughter for a brief moment. That moment was all she needed to get her own tank back up and attack his. She pierced her claw into the opposing tank, cutting through important wiring, effectively killing it, and then threw him to the ground.

As his tank lay there, she was the one to move over to it. But instead of swinging her claws down upon it, she used them to pry open the tank so she could see her father sitting there. She saw him with the fear in his eyes, sacred of what she might do to him. She wanted to do a great many things to him. She wanted to hurt him, to make him suffer.

But despite all she wanted to do to him, the fact that he was still her father stopped her from doing it. He must've sensed her hesitation for he fired a cable at her, forcing her to have the tank lean away from it. That gave him the chance to climb out of his own tank and begin running for the hanger entrance.

"You really are a horrible father," she said to herself with regret and sadness. Taking aim, she fired an electric bola at him. It struck and he fell to the ground, being shocked into unconsciousness as he went.

(Location: Pro-bending Arena)

Arashi was angry and he tried to use that anger to get back on his feet. But he was so weak and hurt that it was taking longer than it should have. Because of that, Amon was able to get to Korra. Something like that shouldn't have happened! But it still did and there was nothing he could've done about it.

"Finally, you are powerless," Amon gloated as he stood over Korra, still controlling Mako with his Bloodbending. The Avatar got up onto her hands and knees to try and hit him, only to miss entirely and fall back to the ground. It was quite amusing, if he was being honest with himself.

"Amon!" the Lieutenant said from behind him. "Everything the Avatar said is true, isn't it? I just saw you Bloodbend her." The only thing he got for a reply was Amon slightly turning his head to look at him. He pulled off his mask and threw it to the ground, stepping on it hard enough to break the glass. "You traitor!" he shouted at Amon. "I dedicated my life to you, I did everything you asked, I…I tortured a twelve year old boy because of you!"

He drew his clubs and charged at the masked man, intent on beating him into a bloody corpse. But Amon stopped him with his Bloodbending, lifting him up into the air. "You've served me well, Lieutenant. But do not kid yourself. You found immense pleasure in torturing young Uzumaki here not because I told you, but because he was a Bender."

With barely any effort, he threw the man aside into a pile of lumber. It fell down all around him, obscuring him from sight. That business done, Amon turned his attention back to Mako, walking over to him and bending his blood to put him on his knees. What he wasn't aware of was that Mako had been separating his energies and bringing them back together, holding the energy that wanted to be released in his fingertips.

At the moment he bent up onto his knees, he forced his fingers to act against the control of his blood and point themselves at Amon. Once he was certain that they were in the right position, he struck. Lightning leapt from his fingertips and hit Amon with a force akin to a sledgehammer. He didn't scream in pain but he did grunt and the force of the lightning sent him flying through the air, hitting the wall near the door.

He fell to the ground and Mako threw quick fireballs at the stuff around him, causing it to fall and entrap him. Seeing that he was stuck there for the moment, he turned to Korra and Arashi, picking up the former so she would stand on her own two legs and grabbing the hand of the latter, forcing him to do the same.

"Come on, guys!" he said to them both as he ran/dragged them out of the storage room. Despite how much he wanted to sprint down the hallway, with the two of them all he could manage was a run. He kept looking behind him to make sure that Amon wasn't behind them yet.

"Mako…my Bending…" Korra groaned out as she forced herself to run alongside him. She couldn't feel any of them. She couldn't feel the water, the fire, or the earth. They weren't there.

"Everything will be alright!" he assured her. "We just need to get out of here." But then he suddenly stopped in mid-step forward, making the people he was carrying lurch out of his grasp and slide forward away from him.

They looked up and saw Amon standing behind the Firebender, looking none the worse for wear and controlling Mako's blood. He slammed the younger man into the walls and the ceiling for good measure before dropping him to the floor. "I'm impressed. No one has ever gotten the better of me like that." He bent Mako up onto his knees. "It's almost a shame to take away the Bending of someone so talented. Almost," he stated again, firm in his convictions.

When Korra looked up at the scene, she saw Amon standing behind Mako with his hand and she was horrified. "No!" she screamed, leaping up to her feet and swing her arm into a punch. In the moment between her cry and her action, she silently and unconsciously reached out to the one element she had never touched upon, asking for its aid, to help her save her friend.

It responded.

A howling gust of air roared out from her punch and hurtled its way down the corridor, slamming into Amon and driving him away from Mako. "Impossible!" he said in shock as he looked at the Avatar he had equalized.

After she had thrown the punch, Korra had to lean against the wall for support. But all eyes were on her after that. "Korra, what did you do?" Arashi asked her from where he sat on the ground.

She was stunned as well. "I…I can Airbend?" She had already answered that question and the answer gave her strength. "I can Airbend!" she declared, pushing off of the wall. She moved forward, throwing gusts of air from each punch she threw. Each gust knocked Amon around like he was a ragdoll.

He may have taught himself to defend against Benders without using Bending himself but none of those self-taught lessons dealt with Airbending. Add to the fact that he had been surprised and he could not maintain a proper defense. She pushed him back down the corridor until he was up against the window. Looking at her with anger in his eyes, he reached out with his hand and bent her blood to his will.

She went still from her rampage but she would not have any of it. She fought against the control, using every ounce and pound of her being to do it. "No….you…DON'T!" she grounded out, rising her foot into position and kicked it, bending one last gust of air that sent Amon through the window, over the Arena pier, and into the water.

No one said anything after he flew out of the building. Arashi finally found enough strength to get onto his feet but he still found that he had to use the wall to help him walk. He forced himself to join Mako and Korra at the hole in the wall, looking out at what happened. They saw Amon's mask floating on the water.

As it turned out, the pier was full of people who believed in what Amon preached. The three of them quickly got heckled with things like "Bending tyrant" and "Evil Avatar." But that quickly came to a stop when Amon burst of the bay. He must've fallen unconscious as he went underwater because he was gasping for breath. He also must've panicked, because he burst out of the bay atop a water column while the "burn scar" on his face quickly vanished in the air.

As they all stared at him, atop a twisting, rotating water column with no scar on his face, the people saw that Korra had been telling the truth about him. He looked around to find some support, only to see none. All he could see was the Avatar at the hole looking at him with no fear in her eyes.

Just as quickly as he arose from the water, he dropped back into it and used his Waterbending to escape. Mako tried to stop him by bending fireball at him but all he hit was the water. Sure enough, the outed leader of the Equalists got away.

(Location: Tarrlok)

When he saw his brother climb up into the attic and coming towards him, the Councilman of the Northern Water Tribe was surprised, but only for a moment. "Noatak," he said in greeting and recognition.

"It's over, brother," Noatak said in reply, lowering his hood to reveal his unmasked face. "I'm sorry for what I had to do to you."

He sighed and looked away. "Our father set us on this path. Fate caused us to collide." He looked up at his brother, remembering the day that it all changed. "I should have left with you when we were boys."

The elder of them pulled out the keys to the cell and unlocked the door. "Leave with me now," he offered. "We have a second chance. We can start over. Please, you're all I have left in the world."

Tarrlok didn't say anything for the longest time. But then he stood up and nodded quietly in agreement. He didn't say a word as he walked out of the cell nor did he say anything as they left the temple and made their way down to the dock, where a single speed boat was waiting for them.

But as they reached the dock, both brothers came to a complete stop. Standing in the way of their freedom was Yue. She did not have any weapons on her and she stood in a neutral stance but that did not mean she would not stop them. "Yue," Tarrlok said, finally breaking his silence.

"Tarrlok," she said in reply before turning her attention to Noatak. "I see you decided to get rid of the mask. Were you finally outed?"

"Yes," he said.

She sighed. "I much preferred you when you were on our side of the fight, Noatak."

His eyes widened at those words. "How did you know?"

"I've always known, just like I always knew with Tarrlok. I knew it the first time I saw you with Sozin."

"Then why didn't you say anything?" Tarrlok wondered the same thing about his sister. He had only learned about their relationship from an idle remark from his predecessor. When he confronted her about it, the only thing that she did was acknowledge the fact.

"What difference would it have make?" she asked back. "I was content to keep my past behind me."

"Now more so once you take us," Tarrlok said with a small hint of bitterness in his voice.

She didn't say anything in reply to that but she did look at hard at him. He couldn't hold her gaze and looked down at the dock. Whatever he might say about her, what happened to him was his own fault and he knew it. There was no point blaming someone that had done nothing to encourage him to do it, that had been his own ego and pride.

"Noatak, I just have one question," she said to him. "Were you involved with Sozin's death?"

"Absolutely not!" he replied instantly with a heat one wouldn't have expected from him. "I stood outside with the crowd as the house burned, filled with horror at the sight. I was one of the people who tried to extinguish the fire. I did not kill Sozin or his family! I tried to save them!" The heat died away just as soon as it had appeared. "He was trying to help make the world a better place. I thought the Equalists would do the same thing, just differently."

"…Alright." She heard the truth in his voice and saw it in his eyes as well. Given his previous history with Sozin and how faithfully he worked, she believed him. She walked towards them both until they were an arm's reach away. "Go. Get on the boat and run." She would've laughed at the looks of surprise on their faces if it was some other kind of time. But it wasn't. She had given them the way out.

"Why?" Tarrlok said to her.

"Why what?" she asked him, rising an eyebrow.

"Why are you doing this for us? You should be taking us in." It was what made sense and she wasn't doing that.

"You're right, I should take you two in," she agreed with a nod of her head. "I should tie you both up like a hog-monkey and deliver you to Naruto for what you both did to his grandson."

Both of the men felt the fear crawl down into their hearts at the thought of that happening. It would be a fate that would've been worse than death and would no doubt make them beg for that release. What made it worse was the fact that they deserved that fate (Noatak was certain that once Naruto got his hands on the Lieutenant, he would not live to see the end of the day, let alone the week).

"Then why don't you?" Noatak dared to ask.

That was when they both got a surprise from her. She reached out for their necks and pulled them both into a hug. "Because no matter what stupid, idiotic, or insane things you might do that'll definitely get you into trouble and will make people cry for your blood, the two of you are still my little brothers. And if I can't keep an eye out for my family, then I shouldn't be wearing this Medallion."

Both of her brothers heard the heart in her voice as she spoke those words. They could tell she meant it with them and the hug she held them in. It was a comfort; one they never had the pleasure of having. Suddenly, they found themselves wishing that they had known her when they had been younger so she could've actually been their big sister. _"Thank you,"_ they both thought.

"But it's going to be just this one time," she continued, breaking the hug. "The next time you're found, I won't be there to send you away. Odds are I'll be one of the people to bring you in. You may be my brothers, but that doesn't excuse the fact of what you've done." She walked past them up to the temple. "You'd better get going."

She didn't look back as she heard them climb aboard the speedboat and start the engine. She didn't look back as she listened to the sound of the boat roar away on the water of her namesake's bay. She kept looking forward as she walked, with no tears in her eyes.

* * *

It was a day later when the reinforcements began to sail into the bay of the city. As it turns out, Iroh had managed to take out the five aircrafts who had been sent to destroy Bumi's ships, so they were able to arrive safely. Tenzin and his family stood on the dock with Korra, her team, Arashi, Lin, Yue, and Naruto nearby, waiting for the lead ship to come sailing in.

Despite Amon having been outed, the city was still in Equalist control. It would be a fight to get it back and yet, the only person who was unconcerned about it was Naruto. Then again, given what he and his grandson had been through, no one called him on it. All they knew was that Naruto never let his grandson out of sight and that the Lieutenant hadn't been seen since yesterday (although, given the Paragon's temper over the past week that was probably for the best).

Lin stood before Korra with comforting hands on her shoulders. "I can't believe that Amon got you too," she said sadly.

"Hey, at least you unlocked your Airbending!" Bolin said brightly. But all that earned him was a glare from everyone who heard him.

"You have the worst timing, ever!" Arashi said from where he stood next to Asami, subtly leaning on her for support. Even though he was recovering from the torture that he was in, it had still only been a day. He felt twitchy and also felt like there was someone was nearby that would grab him.

"Seriously, bro, not the time," Mako said to Bolin.

"Right, right, I'll just stand over here, quietly, in silence," he said as he backed up and placed his hands over his mouth.

"Guys, there are more important things to worry about then me right now," Korra said to them all, taking Lin's hands off of her shoulders and then walking over to the edge of the dock to watch the ship come in.

"Korra, there can be no denying what you've done," Tenzin said to her, coming to her side. "You saved Republic City."

"But Amon got away," she replied with a hint of bitterness in her voice. "And the Equalists still hold the city. There's going to be a fight to take it back."

"No, there won't be," Naruto said from where he stood on the other side of her, his hand protectively holding Arashi's shoulder. "The ships are here to mop up what will remain of the Equalists."

"What do you mean?"

"I heard about what you try to tell the people in the Arena about Amon. It was a good effort but also a little blunt. The only real thing you succeeded in doing was taking out the figurehead, the structure still remains."

"Oh." She could see his point and it didn't cheer her up. "That means we're going to have an even bigger fight on our hands." Amon might be gone, but his ideals were still in place and could be used.

He sighed. "Oh great, the Avatar has gone deaf."

That made her glare half-heartedly at him. "No, I haven't."

"Then listen to what people are saying. There's not going to be a battle for the city. There's going to be a mop up but no battle."

"And what makes you say that?"

"Just listen to the radio later. Listen and learn."

As the lead ship got in closer, they all saw a man standing on one of the dragon heads. "Yay, Uncle Bumi's here!" Ikki cried happily at the sight of the man from atop Naga.

The man must've heard her because in the next moment, he let out a wild man scream and pounded his fists together. "Great, now I have to entertain my brother," Tenzin said with an air of resignation.

"Oh, it won't be that bad, Tenzin," Pema chided him gently while rocking Rohan.

"We are talking about Bumi here," he reminded her.

"Do you want me to take care of it?" Naruto asked him, looking over Korra to him.

The Air Nomad looked relieved at the question. "Please." If there was one person still alive who could rein his brother in, it would be Naruto.

"Alright then," he said, looking at the children amongst them all. "Kids, cover your ears. I'm about to bellow."

"Why?" Meelo asked him, curiosity coloring his voice.

"Because it's going to get loud," he answered. "I once sent Momo up ten feet in the air when I used this voice right next to him."

"Do as he says, children," Tenzin agreed with him. He had heard the voice a couple of times before in his life. There was a part of him that still believed that he used Airbending to do it.

Naruto watched as the kids did as they were told. He then turned his head out to the bay and to the ship. He cleared his throat a couple of times to warm it up. And then he bellowed. "BUMI, WHAT HAS JUNE TOLD YOU ABOUT GRANDSTANDING? I WANT YOUR ASS ON THIS DOCK IN TEN MINUTES OR I WILL MAKE YOU DO FIFTY LAPS AROUND THE ISLAND IN STORMY WEATHER!"

The man atop the dragon head visibly flinched and quickly dove into the water. As he swam frantically to the dock, Bolin looked over at the Fire Paragon. "You seriously weren't going to make him swim around the island, were you?" he asked.

"Of course I was serious," Naruto replied, his voice going back to its normal range.

"That's a little cruel."

"No, it's holding his hand. He used to do twice that number out in the open sea."

The splashing got louder as the man got closer and closer to the dock, making them all turn their attentions back to him. Finally, he practically leapt out of the water and onto the dock, panting like his life depended on it. "How'd I do?" he asked Naruto while water dripped out of his uniform.

"It's nice to know that you're still in shape," the Paragon replied.

"That doesn't answer the question."

"You were grandstanding, you don't get an answer."

He frowned. "I thought that was all done with that now that I'm no longer the student."

"When did she or the rest of us say that?"

He looked to say something in reply but stopped when he finally noticed that Tenzin was there. "Little brother!" he shouted, grabbing Tenzin and pulling him into a giant bear hug.

"Bumi, you are sopping wet!" the Airbender said while trying to get out of the hug. He would gladly hug his brother, just not when he had literally came out of the water. He could feel his clothes already getting wet from the water.

"Whoops, sorry," he said, putting his brother down. "Hey, kids!" he said to Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo with a big grin on his face. "I'd hug ya, but I don't think that your father would like it."

While the kids just grinned at him, Pema laughed lightly. "Bumi, come over here and meet your new nephew," she said to her brother-in-law, holding Rohan in her arms.

He perked up at that news and came over to her, looking down at the baby, the big grin morphing into a gentle smile. "Hello there, little man," he said to Rohan. "I'm your Uncle Bumi. It's nice to meet you." The baby gurgled happily at him, trying to reach up and grab his beard. But he chuckled and pulled away. "I don't think so, that's already been taken care of."

Turning away from Pema, he walked over to Korra. "Hey there, kiddo," he said to the Tribeswoman.

"Hey, Bumi," she said quietly.

He stopped and looked at her with a small frown. He had met her before, back when she was a kid, but she had been more loud and rambunctious and had been informed that she hadn't really changed as she grew up. To see her like this was something that didn't sit well with him. "I take it something happened?"

"You could say that," Bolin said, walking to the man and taking a protective step in front of Korra. "The name's Bolin, by the way. This here is Mako, my brother," he said gesturing at said brother, who joined him in protecting Korra.

But their actions just made Arashi laugh. "Guys, you do realize that this guy could kick both your asses without even blinking or breaking a sweat, right?" the blonde asked the two Benders.

"There's no need to come to my defense, Arashi," Bumi said to him. "I am perfectly capable of handling these kinds of things myself."

"I was trying to save them from an embarrassing beat-down."

"I'd say you succeeded," Asami said as she watched Mako and Bolin step away from Korra (but only after she had placed and hand on their shoulders and shook her head).

"Aha, and who is this little beauty?" the United Forces Commander said as he looked over at her.

"That would be Asami Sato, my apprentice," Naruto told him before his gaze could become any more than gazing.

"Really?" he asked, the gaze snapping over to the older man and coming alight with curiosity. "You finally got an apprentice?"

"Yes, I finally got an apprentice."

"It's about damn time, you old coot!" he said triumphantly. "And here the rest of us were getting worried you'd die first."

"You were the only who was worried about that, Bumi," Yue said to him. "I was confident that he would find someone."

"Hey, you nagged him too."

"In any case, Asami," Naruto said to his apprentice, getting her attention. "I would like you to meet Bumi, the Paragon of the Air Nomads."

Asami was a little surprised to hear that because she hadn't really thought he would be one. He might've looked quite dapper if his uniform wasn't sopping wet but now, he just looked a little like an animal that came out of an unwanted bath. The fact that his hair and beard looked like they belonged on a wet dog didn't really help either. He probably looked better when he cleaned up (and dried up) but for now, it wasn't a first impression.

"Nice to meet you," she said.

"Ha! She's a polite one," Bumi said with a loud laugh. "Are you going to break her of that?" he asked Naruto.

"Why would I? She's charming, unlike you."

"He's right about that. I'm the only charming person left in the Paragons," Yue said. "The rest of you guys are just plain old blunt."

"A fact I have never denied," Naruto told her. Then he turned his attention back to Bumi. "Anyway, Bumi, I don't want you to go town with your ships just yet."

"Why?" he asked, becoming serious. It was such a quick change that those who didn't know him were surprised to see his attitude change just like that. "The longer I wait, the longer they have a better grip on the city."

"I need some time on the radio. Give me that time and that grip will be nonexistent, I promise you that."

"I don't know, Naruto. I'm not sure whatever it is you've got cooking will make my fight any easier."

The Fire Paragon smiled at him. "When did you lose faith in me, Bumi? You should know by now that whatever it is I got planned, I always make it work."

The Air Paragon considered those words for a moment and then spoke again. "You're right. I'll give some time on a radio but that's it. After you're done, my division goes into fight."

"Thank you."

* * *

It was an hour later that they heard Naruto speak on a public radio channel. Everyone who was on the island sat in one of the dining room around a radio that was dialed into the specific channel.

"Good day, Republic City," the Fire Paragon began. "This is Naruto Uzumaki, the Paragon of the Fire Nation. I am speaking today to the Equalists. As you've no doubt been made aware of, yesterday your leader, Amon, was said to be a Waterbender as well as a Bloodbender and was a son of Yakone. I am sure there are many of you who are currently in denial, saying that it's all a lie made up by the government and/or the Avatar to discredit him.

"It's not. You see Amon, or rather Noatak as that was his actual name, was not just a Waterbender or Yakone's son. He was also the personal assistant to my son, Sozin Uzumaki, when he represented the Fire Nation on the United Council. He had been regarded as a good friend by my son and his wife and he felt the same way. In his own words, he had 'served under the greatest man who ever graced the Council table.' It's quite ironic and hypocritical that a person who claimed to hate Benders would say that of a Firebender.

"I'm sure that none of you have realized what kind of chaos your little group would've caused if you had won. First off, you would miss the Benders that you claim to hate rather quickly. Without the Firebenders, who would keep the lights on in the streets and buildings? Without the Waterbenders, who would ensure that the sewers don't back up in their tunnels? Without the Earthbenders, who would handle constructed in and around the city?

"Now granted, there really isn't anything I can say about the Airbenders when it comes to contribution to the city but that's because there are only four of them right now, three of which are _children_. And your leader was planning to take that away from them. And what were you doing about it? You were crying out for their blood as I heard it. I wonder if you would be the same if _you_ were tied to the pole about to be 'equalized.'

"Equality, ha! Such a useless word when applied to humans. You people all claim to want things to be equal but the truth is that once you would've won, you would have lorded it over the former Benders, screwing with them, making them work hard for little pay, humiliating them, and punishing them just because you're feeling cruel. You would probably claim that you're doing it because they deserve it but really, it doesn't make you any better. It just puts you at their level.

"Once you've done that enough times to them, they'll start forming their own little rebellion. There might be some that are half-baked and will die before they even try to make a serious move, but there will always be one that will make it. Perhaps it will be headed by the children of the Benders you 'equalized' because just because you took away the Bending of a person, doesn't mean that it will stick with their children. Once their rebellion takes place and they succeed in overthrowing you, they will treat you as you had treated them and now we're back to square one. It may have taken ten years or it may have taken a hundred, but it would've happened.

"But that's not what should stop you, this is: you don't understand what the word equality means. It means having everything be equal, to be the same thing, the same attitude, the same beliefs. You would have wanted to take the five countries down to the same level and keep them there. You know what happens then? Sterility. There will be no difference between one person and the next, no different thoughts or opinions. You might as well kill yourself at that point.

"The countries have grown this far in history _because they are different_. The difference in ideals, beliefs, and opinions is what set them apart. Having them clash against one another during war and then weave together in peace is what makes the future take place and be made in the present. Do you think that the city that you live in right would be here if that wasn't the case? It and the United Republic was made from the colonies of the Fire Nation from the Hundred Year War once Aang had defeated Ozai and ensured peace had been made. And despite what you think or might want to believe, Bending is a deeply ingrained part of the countries different cultures. Rip that away and you have a crippled country.

"I leave you with what I had just told you all. Think on them and on your actions. Once you do, ask yourself this question: is risking your life really worth such a flawed belief?"

The radio went to a piece of music but then Lin turned it off. No one said a word; they all just stared at the radio. "Well, I'd better get to mopping up," Bumi said as he walked out of the room, his boots barely making any noise on the wooden floor.

"Whoa, just…whoa," Bolin said his voice full of awe.

"Yeah, gonna have to agree with you on that, bro," Mako told him, his voice also full of awe.

"That was…something," Jinora said quietly.

Arashi just laughed. "It's okay, runt. You can say that it was awesome. You know it was." He personally loved it when his Jiji did something like this. It was always cool to hear him speak those kinds of words.

Meanwhile, Yue leaned close to Korra. "Remember when you were little and had just learned about the Paragons, short-stack? You had asked which one of us was the most dangerous and I didn't answer because I felt you were too young to be asking that kind of question." The younger Tribeswoman nodded silently. "To answer that question, Naruto is the most dangerous. And that's because he beat a person easily both with weapons and words."

She could believe it and she did. In just one speech on the radio, the Paragon of the Fire Nation had discredited Amon further as a hater of Benders, had laid out what would happen in the future if the Equalists had succeeded, and pointed the major flaw in their ideology. If people weren't giving up on the Equalists before, they would be now.

She felt a tap on her arm and saw Arashi by her side. In his hand was a piece of paper. "Jiji wanted you to read this," he said, handing the paper to her. She took it and read it.

_That's_ how you deliver a fatal blow.

Naruto

"I guess I'm not that good at telling people things," she said with a hint of sadness. All she was ever really good at was Bending and kicking butt, but she really couldn't the former and the latter was severely hindered now. All Arashi did was hand her another piece of paper.

You just need practice, that's all. For the love of Agni, you're only a teenager. You have time to grow.

Naruto

"How does he do that?" she almost demanded, getting a third piece in response.

You are not the first to ask that question. I'm still not telling.

Naruto

"Oh come on," she grumbled.

"In fairness, he does have a lot of that one," Arashi told her.

(Location: Southern Water Tribe compound)

It barely took three days for Bumi and his forces to take back control of the city, for Naruto's message to the public had done the trick. But there was still a question that remained: how to cure the people whose Bending was taken away? That question was paramount with Korra. The first solution that came to Tenzin's and the other adult's minds was to go back to the Southern Water Tribe and have his mother try to heal Korra. No one could find fault in that plan and they all went, including Mako, Bolin, and Asami.

It had been a relatively quiet and peaceful trip, except for one tense night between Naruto and Yue. That night, it was revealed to them that the Water Paragon had let her brothers go but they also learned that they were dead anyway, their boat exploding in the middle of the sea. When Asami had dared to ask Naruto how he knew, his reply was a cryptic "Someone you'll meet later." That made no sense (although she had seen them both freeze for a second before her teacher had started accusing Yue).

When they got to the compound where Korra had spent her life training to be the Avatar, they were met at the gate by Katara along with Tonraq and Senna, Korra's parents. Korra, who hadn't really said anything during the trip down south, almost seem to break as her parents held her. But she held and followed Katara into the main building to be healed.

They waited in the parlor of the building as Katara took Korra to a back room. The air in the room was tense and nerve-wracking. They didn't know if it would work or not. Most of them were awake, except for Meelo and Naruto. And while most of them could understand how the Airbender could fall asleep (as he had stayed up late the previous night to sit by his father), they couldn't say the same for the Fire Paragon. It was almost like he didn't care one way or the other about what would happen as he sat there in the chair with his eyes closed.

When the door to the back finally opened, everyone (even Naruto, who woke up at the sound of the door opening) turned to see Katara coming out with a sad look on her face. "I've tried everything in my power, but…" she told them all, her face becoming even sadder. "I cannot restore Korra's Bending."

"But you're the best healing in the world," Lin protested, knowing those words to be truth. "You have to keep trying."

"I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do," she replied. "There is someone who's as skilled as I am in healing, but she is on the other side of the planet."

"Then let's summon her and have her help!"

The old Waterbender looked like she would say something but she looked at Naruto. While his face was expressionless, she could see the hardness in his eyes at the prospect she was mentioning. Then she remembered the laws he had put through and remembered that he would not permit it to go through. So instead, she shook her head at Lin. "It'd probably be no use. Korra can still Airbend, but her connection to the other elements has been severed."

The door to the back opened again and Korra walked out. She stopped and looked at all the eyes on her at that moment, absently noticing that Meelo had woken up. "Everything's going to be alright, Korra," Tenzin told her.

But she wasn't having it. "No, it's not." She saw that Naruto had sat down and closed his eyes again, obviously dismissing what had happened. She probably would've felt angry at him if she was normal, but she wasn't. Staring at all the faces surrounding her, she never wanted to be more alone.

She instantly went to the door, grabbing her coat and putting it on just as she reached the door. The cold air that greeted her as she stepped outside was usually so refreshing. Just feeling it got her energized for the day. But now, it just felt…cold. And the grey clouds that she had seen so many times in her life and loved them now seemed…depressing. She went down the steps, past Oogi to where Naga was waiting.

"Korra, wait," she heard Mako call out from behind her on the steps.

She stopped in her tracks, letting him catch up with her. "Go away," she finally told him.

"I will, but I just want you to know, I'm here for you."

Those weren't the words she wanted to hear. So she turned to face him. "No, I mean go away, back to Republic City. Get on with your life."

"What are you talking about?" he asked her with confusion.

"I'm not the Avatar anymore. You don't need to do me any favors." She turned away and started walking towards Naga again.

But he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "I don't care if you're the Avatar or not." He removed her hand and she turned to face him. "Listen; when Tarrlok took you and Arashi I was losing my mind at the thought of never seeing you again. I realized…I love you, Korra." He leaned out and placed a hand on her cheek.

Those words, ones she had wanted to hear ever since she realized that she had liked Mako, did nothing for her. In fact, they just made her back away quickly. "I…I can't," she said, taking his hand off and running for Naga.

"Korra!" the Firebender called after her. But she just climbed aboard the polar bear dog and ran out the gate. Then she felt another pair of eyes on her and when she looked, she saw Arashi standing at the top of the stairs, watching her leave.

All of a sudden, his question came back to her and it felt like it had never left.

"_If I was older, would you date me?"_

It was a question that had one too many implications. She knew that he was asking about the future but she also knew that he was talking about the present. There was also the problem that she didn't really see Arashi like that. Maybe a little, but she saw him more like a friend or the little brother she never had. But still, there was that little piece…

Argh! Too many thoughts were crowding her head about Mako and Arashi. She tore her eyes away almost as soon as she looked back and kept riding Naga until the compound was well out of sight.

They rode to the nearby ice-cliffs. By then, the questions and thoughts about Mako, Arashi, and that question finally fell silent in Korra's head. The problem that was left was that what Amon had done to her still reign supreme. She climbed down off of Naga and walked to the edge of the cliffs.

She stared down at the sea below, thinking about what would happen now. She wasn't the Avatar anymore, Amon had seen to that. Now all she could be was an Airbender who wasn't even an Air Nomad. And she highly doubted that she was going to be a good Airbender. Sure, she managed to get in a few punches on Amon but they had been wild and only barely hit what she had been aiming at. And before that one time, she hadn't been able to Bend a breath of air.

All she wanted to be, ever since she had figured it out, was the best damn Avatar the world had ever seen. She was going to beat down any person who stood against her and she would make sure that peace would be kept. But she had been taken out by the leader of the first major problem of her Avatar life. She wasn't the best damn Avatar. If anything, she was the most pathetic.

That thought kept echoing in her head, again and again. _"I'm pathetic. I'm pathetic. I'm pathetic."_ A single tear escaped her eye, traveling down her cheek until it fell off her face and into the sea. Unable to take it anymore, she collapsed onto the snow and began to cry. She wrapped her arms around her legs and pulled them close, like she used to do as a child. The last time she had felt this bad was when she had lost Akela. Only this was worse, much worse. She wished that someone would be able to help her through this, but there was no one on this world that could.

She kept crying even as she heard the sound of footsteps in the snow, coming towards her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the orange and yellow of an Air Nomad's robe. And considering that there was only one person she knew of who was taller than her and wore that kind of robe, she made an assumption of who it was. "Not now, Tenzin," she told as she sniffled her tears away. "I just want to be left alone."

"**But you called me here,"** the voice of the Air Nomad replied, making her go still. That voice didn't belong to Tenzin. But she knew who it did belong to. She had heard him speak before.

She turned around to look at her predecessor. "Aang," she said his name with hope in her voice. He looked just like she had seen him in her visions.

He smiled gently and warmly at her. **"You have finally connected with your spiritual self."**

"How?" she asked, standing up before her. She didn't know, all she did was hit rock bottom.

But it seemed like he already knew that. **"When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change."** As sunlight broke through the grey clouds above, its light fell on her and him. From behind Aang, the rest of her predecessors appeared. She could see Roku, Kyoshi, Kuruk, Yangchen, and all the rest of them.

Water, Earth, Fire, and Air.

Earth, Fire, Air, and Water.

Fire, Air, Water, and Earth.

Air, Water, Earth, and Fire.

Back and back the cycle stretched, far enough into the distance where she could not see the faces, only the colors that showed where they had hailed from. But they were all there, right before her eyes.

Aang reached out and placed his hands on Korra's forehead and heart. She did not struggle against his hold; she accepted it gratefully, closing her eyes. Though beneath the lids of her eyes she saw darkness, it lit mutely, telling her that Aang and the others had begun to glow. Energy poured into her, coursing through her body and filling her to the brim. The depression she had felt vanished and she could feel the call of the other elements again. But there was something else too, something that was hers by right

Aang's hold vanished and she knew that he and the rest of the Avatars were gone. But there was a breath floating on the wind. It carried the breath to her ears and within the breath; there were words that spoke to her. **"We are here. We are yours."**

Letting those words engrave themselves into her mind, she reached inward and activated the power she always knew she had but could never find, the power of the Avatar State.

As her eyes glowed with the same white light that had been in every eye of her predecessor, her face took on an ageless quality that also looked serene. She bent the air beneath her to lift upwards in a small column so she could have a better look at the sea. Wanting to test the power she wielded, she bent out a ring of air, then fire, and finally earth. She wanted to see if there were limits. She wasn't finding any. Wanting to push even further, she reached out and bent the sea below. It rose up to meet the cliff with a splash of water, sprinkling the air with drops of water.

She wanted to do so much more with the power, but Katara's voice came to her, saying words she had heard when she was a child. _"Don't overextend yourself on something you've just learned. Take your time with it."_

She vaguely understood those words, but she understood them all the same. She bent the column to shrink until she was able to touch the ice with her feet. Once she was there, she released her hold on the Avatar State, letting the power and the glow drain away.

She felt a pair of eyes on her that weren't Naga's. When she turned, she saw Mako standing there, watching her. The surprised look on his face disappeared quickly and was replaced by a small smile, making her smile back.

As he came forward, she ran towards him, leaping into his arms. He caught her and spun her around a few times before putting her feet back on the ground. "I love you too," she told him, unafraid to say it now as she placed her own hand on his cheek. They pulled each other into a kiss.

* * *

Later, Korra had everyone meet her at a nearby shrine. There she told them about what had happened to her (which prompted Naruto to say "Dramatic much, Aang?") and then asked Lin to come up the shrine's steps to stand before her and kneel. The cop did as she was asked, trusting the woman before her.

The Avatar reached out and placed her hands on Lin's forehead and heart, just like Aang had done to her. She closed her eyes for a brief moment to concentrate and call on the Avatar State. Her eyes opened, revealing the glow they had. Feeling the power once more, she guided her own energy into Lin and undid what Amon had done to her. Her work done, she released the Avatar State and her hold on Lin.

Feeling that her power was back, Lin stood back up and bent the stone columns around the shrine up into the air, surprising everyone (even make Bolin look stunned). She bent them back down into the ground and look back at Korra. "Thank you," she said.

The Avatar only saluted and bowed to her. She turned to Tenzin, who was coming up the steps. "I am so proud of you, Avatar Korra," he said with a proud smile on his face.

She smiled too, for it was the first time that he had called her by her title. And she felt like she deserved it too. She looked at everyone and saw the same look in their eyes as Tenzin did, even Naruto. For the first time in her life, she truly felt like the Avatar.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

If you're wondering if Arashi was the Pro-bending Arena the entire time, why didn't Naruto didn't find him earlier, the answer to that is Amon wasn't stupid. Arashi was his hostage to keep the Paragon of the Fire Nation from going on a rampage. He loses the hostage, cue the rampage. So, he kept moving Arashi around.

Also, the information that Naruto unloaded in his speech on the radio was his ace in the hole. He could've spilled the beans at any time and completely discredit the Equalists. Now, I'm sure there are going to be some of you who are going to ask why he didn't do that, there are two good reasons. Number 1: Until they kidnapped and tortured Arashi, he really didn't see the Equalists as his problem. Number 2: We wouldn't be having this story arc if he had.

What he laid out for a future is quite true. Once a rebellion is successful and takes control of the country, they start focusing on ruling. Soon, they become the ruling class and forget where they come from, thus sowing the seeds for the next potential rebellion.

Personally, I believe that while war is an evil thing, it is a necessary evil. Let's face it; war has been an important part of our evolution as a species. Practically most of the stuff we get technology-wise has its roots in warfare. You don't believe me, look at Alan Turing and his work. His building a machine able to crack the Enigma machine essentially laid the foundation for computers and computer science as we know it today. If it wasn't for war, the world wouldn't know itself and we can thank those great conquerors we've learned about in history class for expanding the map.

Granted, not everything that comes out of war is good (we never would've created the atomic bomb if we didn't know war) but you have to take both sides of the problem. You can't just take one and ignore the other, that's what gets people into trouble.

As for the person Katara mentioned, I'll let you try to guess that one. It'd be no fun to spill all the beans at the same time.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	13. What's expected and what's not

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 13: What's expected and what's not

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Republic City)

"Hey, Zolt!" one of the guards shouted into the cell, rattling it with his baton and the attention of the prisoner lying on the bed. "You got a visitor so get your ass up!"

The former leader of the Triple Threats took his time in getting up, knowing full well that it pissed off the guard. First he would sit up slowly and then look over at the guard like it was the first time seeing him. Then he would throw one leg onto the floor in a leisurely manner. He would place his hand on both sides of the bed and pretend to have a hard time pushing up to stand, making it all the more obvious with his fake huffing and panting. When he did finally stand up, he stretched his body in such a manner that he was trying to show he was moving old bones around.

As he did all this, the guard's expression turned from annoyance to irritation and finally to outright anger. "Would you hurrying it up already?!" he finally shouted at the prisoner.

Zolt just smiled smugly at the guard. "Ya gotta learn to relax, Han. You're not going anywhere and neither am I. Ya might as well enjoy yourself here."

"Shut up and get moving you piece of shit."

"Ah, now you're trying to hurt my feelings," he said with that smug smile still on his face. "Ya know you do need to know how to control your temper, Han. How do ya think that ya got saddled with handling pieces of shit like me?"

The guard growled and reached for his baton, desperately wanting to beat the prisoner's head in. Even though he wasn't a Bender anymore, Lightning Bolt Zolt still had the arrogance and cockiness of one. According to the stories he had heard, the criminal had just walked up into the HQ lobby, held out his hands, and asked to be taken in.

When he was finally done, he walked to the cell's bars. "Alright, how about ya let me outta here and I go see who it is who wanted to come and see me, huh?" he asked the guard.

Han scowled at him but opened the door anyway with a key. "Come on, get moving!" he ordered, grabbing hold of Zolt and pushing him forward.

"There's no need to push, Han. I'm going." He strode out of the cellblock and into the hallway like he owned it. In fact, ever since he had gotten thrown in, he had worked on doing that such thing. Compared to handling the Triple Threat Triad on a daily basis, this was kid stuff. It barely took him two months to become king of the elephant rats in this prison. He even had some of the more inclined guards in his pocket.

As he was led into the visit room, which consisted of a room with two doors, two chairs, and a thin glass window right in the middle, he wondered who it was who decided to visit him. He wasn't the kind of person who would get gifts from people, much less visitors. "Hey, Han, who's visiting me?" he asked the guard as he was put in the chair on his side of the glass.

"Just stop talking," Han told him while he shackled him in. He may not have been a Bender anymore, but it was still procedure.

"Ah, come on. Ya can tell me. It's not like I'm not gonna know."

"Then there's really no point in telling you." Once he was done, he stood back up and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him with a slam that echoed loudly.

Zolt waited there in silence, wondering who it was that was coming to see him. For a moment, he wondered if it was going to be his father-in-law, but immediately threw that out the window. Naruto Uzumaki might've liked his sister, but him? Not so much. Hell, twenty yuans said that the man was happy that he was here.

Finally, the door on the other side of the glass opened and in walked his nephew. Arashi didn't say a word until he sat down in his own chair. "Hi, Uncle Zolt," he finally said.

"Hey, kid," he said back. "Where's that gramps of yours?"

"He's standing outside."

He scoffed. "What? The man won't lower himself to see scum like me?"

"Actually, he felt that I should just see you alone."

"Like I said," he remarked.

"Sorry I didn't come here to see you sooner," his nephew apologized. "Things had been hectic."

"I know. I caught your gramp's little speech on the rec room's radio. And the Triad always wondered why I never tried to extort money from him or bribe to look the other way on something." That would've been a death wish for certain. "Who's running it all now" he asked, curious to know.

"Um…I think it's either Viper or Shady Shin. I don't know, Uncle. I haven't back there recently."

"Good, I don't want ya anywhere the Triad anymore. You might've gotten along with some of them but the rest didn't really like you for how you kept interrupting their search for protection money and other stuff."

"Well then, they shouldn't have done it in front of me. I don't like bullies."

"Then what the hell am I, kid?" He didn't say anything in response, seeing the contradiction that lay before him. Despite what he might've wanted to think otherwise, his uncle was not a nice person. In fact, he was the very person he claimed that he didn't like.

"You're family," the little blonde finally said.

To that, he barked out a harsh laugh. "Nice try, Arashi. But I'm the kind of guy who you just claimed to dislike. Are you going to take back your words now?"

Arashi didn't say a word. He was struggling to find the right thing to say in this situation. But, he couldn't find it or anything that could help. There was only one thing to say. "No." He didn't like bullies and no matter how much he wanted it to be different, his uncle was a bully and a criminal.

"Good. Now like I said, stay away from the Triple Threat. With me out, ya won't have any protection," Zolt told him.

"But aren't you going to try and take it back once you get out?"

"Kid, I ain't ever getting out. Oh don't look so surprised," he remarked after seeing the look on his nephew's face. "You really think that the cops would just let me go after doing some time? Probably the only reason that my head's still attached to my body is because I turned myself in."

"But what about the Triad?" the blonde asked. "You're just going to let it slip away because you lost your Bending."

He laughed at the naivety in those words. "Kid, that Amon guy might've taken away my Bending but he didn't the most crucial thing about guys like me: we can adapt and reinvent ourselves at any time." In the long run, it didn't really matter if he still had his Bending or not (plus the only thing that had really been hit was his ego). But as he was inwardly smirking at the stupidity and short-sightedness of Amon, he saw that his nephew was looking down at the ground. "What's the matter?"

"…He got me," Arashi said in a barely audible whisper.

"Huh? What'd ya say, kid? I didn't hear you."

"I said he got me," he repeated, louder but still in a whisper. It was like he was afraid of what he was saying.

"Who? Who got you?"

"Amon, Uncle! He got me! He captured me and held me prisoner for the entire week the Equalists had control of the city!" This time, he shouted it out for him to hear.

The former Triad leader just sat there, a shocked expression. "But…you're not a Bender."

"He thought I was," he said back, a bitter and hurt tone in his voice as he spoke. "When I told I wasn't, he didn't believe me and thought I was simply refusing to show it. So he had me tortured."

"You were tortured!?" Zolt shouted, almost standing up from the chair (the "almost" coming from the fact that he was chained to it and couldn't get all the way. "Why wasn't I told?"

"Gee, Uncle Zolt, I don't know. Maybe it was because you were in the slammer and couldn't exactly help Jiji find me." A sarcastic tone added itself to the bitter and hurt in his voice.

"Tell me that bastard was caught. Tell me that he's here somewhere in this prison." If Amon was here, he could have someone pay him a visit and ensure that his stay wouldn't last long.

But Arashi dashed his hopes with a simple shake of his head. "No, Jiji got word. Amon is dead."

"Who's his source?"

"I don't know, Uncle. Someone he knew. For all I know, it could've been the Face Stealer."

While he wouldn't exactly put that idea pass his father-in-law, it was not something he was going to say to his face (he didn't get this far in life by being stupid). "Well, so long as that bastard is dead."

"Yeah," his nephew agreed, half-heartedly. There was a moment of silence, and then he spoke again. "Uncle, do you remember a man named Noatak? He used to work for Dad?"

"Noatak," he repeated, hearing the name through his own voice. As he thought about it, a memory came back to him. It was a memory of one time he went to City Hall to talk about something with his brother-in-law, finding the man at his desk with a Water Tribe kid standing by with papers in his hands. "Yeah, I remember him. Sozin praised him, called him a hard and tireless worker. I think he was readying the kid to try and enter politics on his own, maybe become the representative for one of the Water Tribes."

"How did they meet?"

"Huh? Why are you asking?"

"Do you know how they met or not, Uncle?" he asked again, sounding more insistent.

"Yeah, I knew how they met. It was a normal thing. I was meeting with Sozin for a lunch, asking about how my sister was, seeing as she was pregnant with Natsumi. While we ate, this kid came up to us and asked Sozin if he had a moment. When he said yes, the kid asked if it was possible for him to put in a good word for him to the assistants in City Hall. He wanted to get a job there.

"Sozin told him that there was a process for that kind of thing and he wasn't the person to ask. The kid replied with that if he was the person he wanted to assist, it was. He also said that he knew about the process but felt it would be better if he had just asked in person. Sozin said he liked his gutsiness and hired him on the spot. The rest of how he did, I just heard from Sozin and from watching him do his job the few times I was at City Hall."

"Oh." It wasn't exactly what Arashi had wanted to hear but it was the truth and there was nothing he could've done about it. "After…that night," he began, having trouble saying the words, "was he still an assistant?"

"Not that I was aware of. Then again, the last time I saw him was the day after the fire. He was just sitting on a bench staring at your house. I didn't say a word to him and he didn't say a word to me." Even though when it had been only a few hours earlier that they were working together with other people to try and quash the fire.

"Did he show you that he was a Waterbender?"

"Yeah, he did. I sparred against him one time for shits and giggles and the kid damn near knocked me on my rear. I told him that if he didn't like the politics, I would be happy to welcome him into the Triad." He looked at his nephew with a puzzled expression. "Why are you asking me these questions, kid?"

"Because Amon was Noatak," he answered.

"…What?" He hadn't heard that right. He couldn't have, right? "Say that again, Arashi."

"Amon was Noatak. Dad's assistant was the leader of the Eqaulists."

"Son of a bitch," he swore. He mentally tried to see Noatak as Amon but was having difficulty comparing the two. Noatak had been an earnest kid who wanted to do good work in the world, Amon was a person who wanted the world to see things his way and no way else. He could see it in their drive to do what they thought was best but that was it. He couldn't see how it was anyway else. "And we had thought that he had been responsible for the fire."

"Well, he's not anymore," Arashi told him, the bitterness returning to his voice.

Zolt paused, hearing the bitterness. Just from hearing, he knew that it wasn't about Amon being Noatak. It was from the night of the fire and the days afterward. "Kid, don't start. I had the Triad scouring the city for days looking for you two. If they didn't find your sister, it could only mean one thing."

"She's not dead, you didn't look hard enough," he said in an accusing voice, mix it with the bitterness.

"Damn it, Arashi, how many times are we going to do this? I had them go back and back three times looking for you guys. When I heard that your gramps had found you, I sent a couple of guys to make sure it was actually you and stay as a guard until Natsumi was found. We never found her."

"She was holding onto my hand, Uncle. I remember that clear as day. We were together when we fled the house."

"But you don't know what happened next. For all you know—"

"DON'T SAY IT!" he suddenly screamed, standing up from the chair. "SHE'S NOT DEAD!" Turning around, he kicked the chair hard. But all he got in return was the chair tipping over and a foot that now hurt. However, he refused to grasp it in his grip. He was too angry to do that, even when tears of pain appeared in his eyes. Too angry at everything that seemed to matter.

"…Kid, what's the matter?" Zolt asked his nephew, concern showing in his voice. He knew the blonde was still angry about what happened but he had never seen him explode like that.

"I…" He tried to find his voice amidst his anger and say a coherent sentence. "I…I just thought that Amon knew where she was, that he had my sister all this time. He let me think that, only to deny it when I demanded he tell me. He was only concerned with the fact that I might've been hiding my talents as a Bender. Some friend of Dad's if that's what he cared about," he remarked bitterly.

"Time will change a person, kid. Ya should've learned that by now." Just look at him. He had gone from a gutter rat to a king of the gutter, only to fall down again.

Arashi threw him a half-hearted glare. "I don't need you to start lecturing me, alright?"

"It's not like ya don't need it. I'd give you another piece of advice but then I'd been worried about the state of the glass."

The glare turned into a confused look. "What are you talking about, Uncle?" What could he possibly say that would endanger the glass? It not only sounded ridiculous, but stupid too.

"Never mind," he said with a shake of his head. "Look, I'm guessing that your gramps is waiting outside the room, right?"

"Yeah…how did you know that?"

He just smirked at that. "Kid, you're twelve years old. I really doubt that you're going to be here alone when it comes to visiting me. So why don't you step out and I can have a talk with him."

"About what?" Arashi asked, curious about it.

His uncle gave him a look. "Go get your gramps, Arashi." He frowned at the denial of an answer but there wasn't anything he could really do about it. He knew his uncle. There had been times when he was at the Triple Threat HQ when he had been put in a room and told not to come out. It was infuriating each and every time and the feeling never diminished with time. It just hung there.

So seeing that he had no other choice in the matter, he scowled at his uncle one last time and turned for the door. Zolt waited in silence as his nephew disappeared from sight and his father-in-law appeared. "Hey there, Naruto," he greeted the Fire Paragon cheerfully. "What do ya want?"

"You're the one who wanted to see me, Zolt," he replied as he closed the door and came to the glass. One hand hung by his side while the other held the scabbard of his sword, just above the hilt, holding it to his side at an angle. The former Triad leader had seen that positioning before and that it would take about two seconds for him to draw that sword and bisect someone. Why he had that kind of positioning with his sword, Zolt didn't know.

"Right, Arashi needs to get past what happened," he said to his father-in-law, being serious.

Naruto raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Do you really think it would that easy to do for him?"

"Spirits, no," he replied. "I know that's it will be difficult for him, but he has to move on."

"Then why didn't you tell him that?"

"He wouldn't have listened to me if I had said it. But if you say it, he'd probably would."

"We are talking about Arashi here, Zolt. No matter how many times we tell him, he will still believe that Natsumi is still alive."

"And you haven't?" he asked. "He gets that stubbornness from you and we both know that you haven't given up looking for Natsumi either."

"At this point, I'm looking for her corpse." He had looked everywhere in the Bending Countries and never found her. If he hadn't found Natsumi, it could only mean that she was dead.

"By the way, were ya surprised that Noatak was Amon?"

"I never really knew the man when he was working with Sozin, so I can't say that I was. I was more surprised by the fact that he had worked with Sozin, but not by much."

Zolt frowned. There was something off about his words. "You did learn about his identity after he fled the city, right?"

"No, I learned it long before the Avatar came to the city and the Equalists started moving."

"And you didn't do anything about it?" he demanded, his voice rising higher in anger.

"Why would I? It was obvious that the Equalists were going after Benders and since the Avatar _is_ the Bender, they would've gone after her too. It was a good way for her to gain some experience. Besides, I don't hold her hand or clean up her mess."

"They kidnapped Arashi, you arrogant bastard! They had him tortured!"

His shouting echoed in the room but Naruto didn't say anything right away to defend himself. He waited for the echoing to stop. "…I know. I should've seen that coming. I didn't and my grandson was hurt. Next time I will have to be more careful."

"Next time, he could end up dead!"

"That won't happen." That was a promise to himself, one he intended to keep.

But Zolt didn't look so impressed by his words. He snorted in disgust and look back at the door he came in from. "Hey, Han!" he shouted. "I'm done in here!"

Neither father nor son-in-law said anything else to the other as the prison guard came back in, unshackled Zolt from the chair, and walked out of the room. After a moment of silence, Naruto turned around and left himself.

(Location: Korra)

"Spirits help me, I am tired," Korra declared as she slumped against the table, not caring about who saw her at that moment as she sat at a table in an outside area of a restaurant. It was a fairly nice restaurant, not too cheap and not too expensive, but at that moment she didn't care. She felt like she could fall asleep right there. In fact, her eyes began to droop and she felt the beginnings of a snore start to come out through her nose.

"Are you thinking about sleeping right here, Korra?" Yue asked with an amused look on her face from where she sat at the table, leaning back far enough in her chair to make it tilt slightly backwards. "We're not going to have to go through the Earthbending training again, are we?"

That simple question snapped her right out of the drowsiness and back into the world of wakefulness. "I'm awake, I awake!" she cried on reflex, only to see and remember that Mako was sitting across from her and had seen everything. _"Talk about embarrassing!"_ she thought to herself. But then she heard Yue laugh and turned to glare at the Water Paragon. "It's not funny, Aunty Yue," she said.

"Watching you react like that? Yes it is," Yue replied with a big grin on her face.

"Why are you even here? This is supposed to be a date." It was supposed to mean alone time with Mako, with no one else there. Yet, here was her aunt sitting with them, acting like nothing was wrong.

"I know it's a date. That's why I'm chaperoning."

She groaned audibly, covering her eyes with her hands. "That's such an old-fashioned thing now. No one does that anymore!"

"Well somebody has to. Who knows what the two of you would do if you were left alone," Yue remarked with a suggestive and mischievous smirk on her lips. It just made them both blush harder and it made her laugh. "You two are too easy to tease."

"Please, Aunty Yue, I'm begging you. Leave us alone."

"No. If I leave, who's going to pass on information to your parents about your new boyfriend?"

The younger Tribeswoman froze at that question. She had forgotten about her mom and dad regarding Mako. "Can't they just meet him when I go back to the South Pole?" she asked.

"And when exactly are you planning to do that? Sometime in the next couple of weeks perhaps?" asked Yue in return. Korra didn't answer her. "That's what I thought. Now don't worry, I'm not going to say anything negative about Mako here, not unless he gives me a reason to." The Firebender shivered slightly at those words. "So enjoy yourselves."

"How can we do that with you right here?" Korra groused.

"You'll have to try, short-stack. I'm not going anywhere."

"Pleeeasssee," she begged.

"Nope, not leaving," the older Tribeswoman said with that smile still on her face.

"Mako, help me out here," the Avatar said to her boyfriend.

"I'm the one being judged here," he said, raising his hands in surrender. "I ask her to leave; she will tell your parents." At that moment, he was kinda glad that he didn't have parents. But then again, if he did, he was fairly certain that Korra wouldn't feel this nervous about meeting them.

"You heard him, Korra. You've been overruled," Yue said. She leaned back even further but still kept her balance. "Just go on with the date." It was a lunch date, something simple and straightforward. With any luck, it would stay like that.

"Can I ask a question?" the Firebender of the three asked, looking at his girlfriend. "What did she mean when she mentioned the Earthbending training?"

Yue chuckled. "Should I tell him?" she asked Korra.

"I thought chaperones were supposed to be silent observers," she was back with a bit of a bite in her voice.

"Hm, good point," she admitted, flicking her hands into a little salute. "Alright, I'll stay silent then."

Korra didn't believe her for a second, giving her one more look before turning back to her boyfriend. "She was talking about when I first started to properly Earthbend. My teacher was an old-school kind of teacher. The first thing that he made me do was stand in my horse stance for several hours, staying awake the entire time. Each time I began to nod off, a loud noise would always snapped me back" And the main problem she had with it was that it was never the same noise.

"Poor baby," he told her, placing a comforting hand on her own. When he smiled, Korra felt a lot better.

"Ah, it turned out to be nothing in the long run. I blew through the Earthbending training with ease after that," she told him, pride showing in her voice.

"I wonder if Bolin should learn to do that horse stance thing. It might just calm him down."

"Or it might make him go nuts," Korra pointed. They both knew that Bolin was not the kind of person who would stay put willingly.

"Pardon me, your food," the server declared as he carried the tray with their lunch to them and placed the food on the table.

"I took the liberty of ordering for you," Mako said to Korra. He had guess that she wanted something simple after the day she's gone through so far.

And he was right. He couldn't help but smile when he saw her look at the seaweed noodles placed in front of her, steam rising softly from them and vanishing into the air, and watching as her face lit up with joy. "I love you," she told him.

"I know," he replied, knowing that she was saying it for the food.

She wasted no time in breaking apart the chopsticks, picking up the noodles, and devouring them with great relish and glee. "So goooood," she practically sang out after swallowing the noodles in her mouth.

"Glad to see it," he told her as he ate his own food. He was feeling bold about food, so he had ordered a meal that was a mixture of Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom. It was pieces of meat that had been seasoned enough to give him a nice hot feeling in his mouth but had a crunchy feel to them.

"What? No food for me?" Yue asked them both with a fake hurt look on her face.

Korra turned her head and gave her a look. "About the chaperones staying quiet," she remarked pointedly.

"Sorry, Yue, I thought that Korra was only coming to meet me," Mako said, apologetic. If he had known that she was coming to, he would've something for her too. The danger there was that even though he knew what Korra liked, it wasn't the same for Yue.

"Ah, it's okay," she told him, waving it off. "I'll just order myself."

She signaled one of the waiters, a Tribesman who looked like he was young enough for this to be his first job, who quickly came over to her. "Yes, ma'am?" he asked her, a piece of paper and a pencil already in his hands.

"Hi, I'll take an arctic hen with some seaweed wraps," she told him.

"Thank you, ma'am," he replied, writing down the order and turning to the door that led inside the restaurant.

Mako frowned a little as he looked at the waiter vanished into the restaurant. "I know that kid," he suddenly declared. "That's Hasook's little brother."

"Really?" asked Korra, looking at the door, trying to see the waiter herself (with no luck).

"Yeah," he said. "I knew that he was working here, but I thought that he was a busser."

"Maybe they promoted him," Yue remarked. "Who's Hasook, by the way?"

"He was the Fire Ferret's Waterbender before I came along," Korra told her. "After he got promoted, he left the team." After that night, she had met him a couple of more times. Things had been a bit awkward at first, considering that he was the former Waterbender for the Ferrets and she was the current one. But after getting to know one another, the awkwardness quickly disappeared and they considered the other a friend.

Yue's food was delivered in a short time, making her lean forward and bringing the chair down to all four legs. She took one of the seaweed wraps and took a big bite out of it, chewing a couple of times and then swallowing. "Hmm, not bad," she mused. "But it needs a little salt, though." She reached out, grabbed the salt and sprinkled it on the wraps. She took another bite and this time, she was satisfied. "Ah, much better," she declared.

"So, Korra, how has your day been so far?" Mako asked his girlfriend. She had been at the Katara Memorial Hospital ever since that morning and she came here tired.

"You didn't see me slump down on the table when I sat down?" she asked him sarcastically.

"Yes, but I wanted to know the specifics," he answered with a straight face, making Yue smirk in restrained laughter.

Korra really had no point arguing that, so she didn't. "Like I said, it's tiring. I don't know how, but curing what Amon did to people is leaving me drained and wiped."

"Well, you are bending energy, Korra. That's not a field everyone knows about," her aunt figure said to her. "Perhaps you're tired because you're spending energy to bend energy. That's twice the energy and you've been doing it since this morning."

"It's not just that."

"What else is there?" Mako asked her.

"I know Amon only had the city for a week but I didn't know the number of people he had Bloodbent until I got to that hospital. I'm not sure I even scratched five percent, let alone ten." It was also the sight of them sitting on the beds, sheer hopelessness obvious in their eyes. That was a sight that scared her. She was half-afraid that her ability to bend energy would suddenly disappear at some point and she wouldn't be able to help anyone.

"Korra, seeing and healing those people isn't going to be the hard part," Yue told her, losing the amused smirk on her face and becoming serious. "It's when you're going to have to ask yourself this question: 'Should I give this person their Bending back?'"

"What do you mean by that? Of course I should!" she answered fiercely. What Amon had done was a crime and it was her duty to fix that.

"Should you?" the Paragon amongst them asked. "Despite what you may think otherwise, Noatak did ruin a lot of criminals of their power by taking away their Bending. Those same criminals are now waiting in the hospital for you to cure them. Should you do that favor for them, even when it is most likely that they'll go back to the way they were?"

"I…I, um…" She struggled to find a right answer, only to find that she couldn't even find an answer.

"It's okay, Korra. You don't need to answer it right now. Enjoy your date with Mako," she told the Avatar as she picked up another seaweed wrap, sprinkled some salt on it, and ate it. Then she turned her attention to the artic hen.

Both Korra and Mako stared at her for a long moment, taking in what she had said. It truly was a conundrum. On the one hand, these people had their Bending taken away from them by Amon and it should be given back to them. But on the other hand, they were people who had ruled with fear, terror, and the might of their Bending abilities. Now that was taken away from them, they didn't have anything to control people like they usually did. They had no power and probably should be kept like that.

It was something that should be thought over but not right now. Yue was right (even though Korra still wished that she wasn't there); they were here on a date. They should enjoy it and themselves, not ponder a big morality question.

(Location: City Hall)

"My fellow Councilmen, I believe that we have come to the point where the United Republic Council is no longer effective," Tenzin said to the other three members of the Council as they sat in the empty assembly hall. A new representative for the Northern Water Tribe hadn't been selected yet and the Air Nomad wanted to keep it like that. Not for any personal grabs for power, but to help what he had in mind go forward.

"What makes you say that, Tenzin?" the Earth Kingdom representative, Jīyán, asked him.

"Yes, I say that we are doing rather well now," the Fire Nation representative remarked. "I see no need to abolish the Council."

"Look to how well we responded to the Equalist threat and Amon, that should show you how well we're doing, Hui," the Southern Water Tribe representative told her. Tenzin had already talked to him and he agreed with the state they were in.

Hui frowned. "There's no need to be rude, Kang," she told him. "But I think we handled that minor crisis rather well."

"That 'minor crisis' had the city controlled by the city for a week and it was not handled well. The way Tarrlok had managed it just led to further incitement and drove more people into Amon's opened arms."

"You voted for his proposals too, Kang," Jīyán said to him.

"A fact I'm not denying. But look at where it got us. The power and the authority of the Council are at an all-time low right."

"Which is why I believe that now is the time to consider the future of the United Republic and Republic City as well," Tenzin said, looking at all of them.

"So we will step back and let new blood take over our chairs," Hui stated, sounding a little disappointed by where the conversation was going. She knew that she was not the strongest representative the Fire Nation ever had (certainly not compared to Sozin Uzumaki) but that was in her favor. She wanted to make sure that she stayed on the Council for as long as she could and outlast everyone else. "It will take some time for us to interview potential replacements and ensure that they are properly trained to handle the day-to-day business." Once her replacement was in office, she would make sure that person would come only to her for help and advice.

"That would only be the Council again with different people," Kang objected.

"But it wouldn't be us. It would be fresh faces to handle the city."

"What do you think we should do, Tenzin?" Jīyán asked the Air Nomad.

"I do not know," he answered honestly, earning a scoff from Hui. "I know that as a ruling body of government, the Council cannot go on. But how and what to replace it, I do not know. That is why I brought it among us, so that we may discuss options."

"Do you any ideas at all?" the Earth Kingdom representative asked him. He understood the man's reasoning, but he still wanted to know if he had any ideas.

"Well, I did have some vague thoughts about having the people of the Republic select leaders from each region to come to the capital and lead, but I did not think on any details to how to do it."

"Why am I not surprised by that?" Hui asked with a roll of her eyes and disdain in her voice. It seemed like Tenzin had plans but no details.

"It is grounds for discussion," Kang agreed with him.

"You really think that a Council of people from the regions would be any different from what the Council is now?" she asked the Tribesman.

"Yes, I do. The Council as it is was formed by sending representatives from the original four countries to watch and rule the forming Republic, like a parent watching over a child."

"It still does. If we give up power after one minor crisis, the Republic will be seen as weak."

"It's already seen as weak," he argued, scowling at his Fire Nation counterpart. "The Equalists were not a minor crisis, Hui."

"Well, I believe that the United Republic is not to be handed off to people who don't know how to handle it like we do. It's too soon."

"It's been over seventy years since the United Republic was created," Tenzin told her.

"And the original countries have stood for far longer than that. I say this thing takes time," she retorted.

"We're not the Fire Nation, the Air Nomads, the Earth Kingdom, or the Water Tribes," Kang said. "We're something new, we can be a bit faster in our decision making."

"We have to be sure about what it is we are doing," Tenzin cautioned them all.

"You're agreeing with her, Tenzin?" he asked the Air Nomad, his voice incredulous.

"On some things, Kang," he assured the Tribesman. "The idea of the region leaders taking the reins of the Republic is a good one, but it can't be the only one. There is also the danger of electing a full Bending group, which could lead to another Equalist formation."

"What if we discussed this in an open debate," Jīyán suggested, folding his hands together. It was a suggestion that got the attention of the other three Councilmen. "Despite what some of us might think, we are not alone in running Republic City and the Republic. There is an entire body of government that works with us on that. So, I propose that in the upcoming days, we hold a meeting with the entire city and Republic government to discuss going forward. All in favor?" he asked, rising his hand.

Both Kang's and Tenzin's hand rose, leaving Hui the sole person who kept hers down. "Then it is decided," Tenzin declared, relief flooding his face. They were getting somewhere with it, even if not all of them agreed with it. There was a niggling feeling that Hui would not be the only one who would disagree with what would happen.

(Location: Air Temple Island)

"Here you go," Pema said to Lin as she handed her a cup of tea. She sat down at the table in the small living room.

"Thank you," Lin replied, taking the cup and taking a small sip from it. "How is your new baby?"

"Up at all kinds of hours in the night and making us wake up too," she replied, looking tired but with a happy smile on her face. "Ikki, and Meelo keep wanting to play with him and I keep tell them no. Jinora insists that she can watch over him so we can sleep, but I have my doubts." She had let her eldest try it once with Meelo. That one room still smelt off.

The Chief of Police smiled at those words. "Sounds like my house when Gāng was a baby, except for the wanting to play with him," she amended. She had been thirteen when Gāng had been born and felt that she had been too old to be playing with a baby. That had been…anyway, she would babysit him but she wouldn't play with him (at first).

"Trust me; it's different as a mother then a sibling."

"…I'll take your word for it," she said after a moment of silence. Even though she had dated Tenzin back when they were younger, she had been more inclined to throw herself into the job. She had even less time to go out, let alone start a family when she became the Chief of Police. Her idea of downtime was what was happening right now; having tea with Tenzin's wife (she had considered the irony but ignored it after the first time).

"I've been meaning to ask, Lin. Has it been rough getting back into your old job?" Pema asked, sounding genuinely concerned for her.

She shook her head in the negative. "No. Actually, it feels like I had never left." Once Bumi had control of the city back in safe hands, Saikhan had relieved himself as Chief of Police and gave her the job back (sounding quite glad that she was back).

As she took a sip of her tea, she noticed something. "By the way, where's Bumi? I would've thought he'd come by to say hi." Tenzin's brother always did have the annoying habit of popping in on her and Tenzin when they were trying to get some time alone together. He kept it up even after they had broken up, popping in on her at the most unsuspecting moment whenever he could. At first, she had found it annoying but now, she was surprised when it didn't happen.

"He's taken Rohan's siblings out on an 'adventure,'" Tenzin's wife said, using air quotes to emphasize her point before she drank her tea.

To that, Lin couldn't help but smirk. "So a trip around the island pretending to find treasures and seeing unknown monsters?"

"I hope so. You know he has a different opinion on what an adventure is supposed to be." And with the way he told his stories, one would know what his opinion would be.

"I know. I think that's why he joined the military in the first place."

"I thought that his teacher made him join," she remarked with a slightly confused look on her face. That had been the story she had heard when she asked him.

Lin paused in her movement, making the tea cup rest her hand halfway to her mouth. She considered that and then shrugged her shoulders. "He probably told everyone a different story."

"Probably," Pema agreed. Bumi was like that and there were only two people in the world that could rein him when he went overboard. The first had been his teacher, June, who had unfortunately passed away, and Naruto.

"By the way, has Arashi been doing any better? I've been so busy that I forgot ask Naruto when we met yesterday."

"He has been looking fine every time I've seen him." Ever since the Equalist attack, the blonde had rarely left his grandfather's side, although she wasn't sure if his choice or not. He seemed better but now he was afraid of lightning. When Naruto had come to the island to train Asami one time, he had come along. It was in the middle of a thunderstorm and when the first flash appeared outside the temple windows, he had gone pale. When the thunder boomed, he dove under the table and trembled there as the storm went on outside.

When the others had heard of that story, they didn't blame him for being afraid. Some people might've found such a thing to be afraid of as a bit of an embarrassment. But Arashi had been held prisoner for over a week by the Equalists and they tortured him, using lightning as the primary method.

"I hope so." Lin had her Bending taken away by Amon, been tossed into a small cell, and had been treated like she was something worse than dirt for that entire week. She might've been raped too if she didn't know how to defend herself (and it gave her a good sense of satisfaction listening to that would-be rapist's arm break). But still, she had felt that between her and Arashi, she had gotten the break.

They fell silent as they thought about the blonde. He was still sarcastic and blunt as he always was but a small part of them felt that at least half of his attitude now was forced in order to maintain the appearance of normality. Even when his grandfather was around him, there were moments when he would fall silent and move his eyes around the room he was in like he was trying to find a way to run. Lin had seen his body as he was being checked up on in the hospital. He would have scars from some of the wounds he had gotten from his torture.

"Do you think that we should do anything for him?" Pema asked Lin, worry coloring her voice.

But the Chief of Police just shook her head. "No, I think we'll just make it worse for him," she replied. "Let him come to us if he wants help."

"Lin, we're talking about Arashi Uzumaki. The only people more stubborn then he are his father and his grandfather. He's not going to come to us unless we make him."

"Pema, we really can't do anything about it."

"We can try something to help," she said stubbornly. She was a mother and Spirits help her, she wasn't going to let a child suffer, especially if he refused help because of his stubbornness. But even as she said those words and thought those thoughts, she deflated. "But he would resist if we did, wouldn't he?"

"Yeah, and he might say something that he would regret and would never be able to take back." Both women were silent as they thought about what that something could be. The one they kept coming to was, "You're not my mom!"

"How about we talk about something else?" Pema suggested as she took another sip of her tea. "Has anything interesting happened at your job?"

"Not really, just a lot of people have come in and telling my men that they feel like they're being watched by something they can't see. Some of the more nervous ones think that it's the Equalists coming after them."

"Were they Benders?"

"Some. Others were just Non-benders who had sympathetic to the cause and had even been a part of it, but dropped and left it the moment Amon was discovered as a fraud."

"You think it is the Equalist remnants getting ready for some kind of payback to the city?"

The Chief of Police shrugged her shoulders, holding her tea in her hand. "I don't know what to think about it when there's not much to go on. I've been having cops keep a watch on the people who've come in, but they always say that they felt like they were being watched again when my men say that they didn't see anything." She took a sip of her tea and then put the cup on the table. "Maybe I should bring in Naruto and ask him for tips."

"He would probably want in on the watches too," Pema remarked. The Paragon of the Fire Nation had a knack for seeing through the shadows and finding the person who was hiding there. There was one time when a stalker had been following a prominent family of the city, always staying out of sight but always managing to make his presence felt. When asked for help, Naruto had stalked the stalker, following him back to where he lived, and brought him in to the cops. It had taken him only a day to end something that had been going on for the better half of a month.

"I have no doubt about that. At this point, I'd welcome it."

The door to the room open and Bolin walked in with a newspaper in his hands. There was also a serious expression on his face, one that surprised both Pema and Lin. The young Earthbender had always acted with such a personality that almost made him seem and look like a boy that would never grow up. But now, with that expression on his face, the way he looked at the paper so intently, and the fact that he wasn't saying anything, gave them a glimpse of the man he was growing into.

He sat down at the table, placing the newspaper on it. When he looked up and saw that they were there, he was surprised and went back to the boy they knew. "Whoops, sorry, didn't see you there!" he apologized instantly, looking quite embarrassed by his actions.

"It's alright, Bolin," Pema said to him. "You didn't make us spill anything. You can stay."

"Oh, okay. I'm not interrupting some super-secret, high-ultra, extremely important meeting, am I? Because if I am, I can always leave and let you continue talking about whatever it was."

Lin couldn't help but roll her eyes. "What you interrupted was us taking a small break from our day to enjoy a cup of tea and to talk with one another. We weren't planning to secretly control the city through our men if that's what you were thinking."

"What? No, no, no, nothing of the sort," he replied with a laugh that was so obviously faked. Apparently, he had been thinking that.

"If you wanted to control the city through your man, Lin, you would first need to get one," Pema pointed out with a straight face as she sipped her tea.

That remarked might've made Lin angry (and a little depressed) if she was younger. But now, she heard the humor in the words and raised her cup in a salute to Tenzin's wife. "That's a point to you," she said.

"Uh, what was that?" Bolin asked, looking confused as he looked back and forth between the two of them.

"What was what?" the cop of the two asked with a blank face as she sipped her tea.

"That."

"That what?" she asked.

"That thing you just did, that point thing. What was that all about?"

"Point thing?" she repeated, sounding like she didn't know what he was talking about. "What in a badgermole's name are you talking about, Bolin?"

"Lin, stop torturing him," Pema said with a slight chastising tone in her voice.

"I'm a cop; I don't get a lot of entertainment. Can't I enjoy this?"

"Just tell him. He looks like he's about to explode from all the questions in his head and I for one do not wish to clean up the mess."

"I thought that was what the kids were for."

She couldn't help but smile at that. "And that's a point to you."

"What is that?" Bolin practically cried out. "What is with the whole points thing? Is it some kind of secret message or code or something?" He would've jabbed wildly at them with his finger but he knew enough manners to know that was a bad idea (not to mention rude).

Both women shared a look before looking back at him. "Have you been reading Naruto's books?" Pema asked him.

"Only the first couple," he answered without any embarrassment or shame. He had never read the Shiro Ryū series before, only heard about them. When he told Korra that, she handed him the first book and told him to try it. Now he was on the third one.

"Well, it's nothing like that."

"Then what is it?"

"It's something that started between Naruto and Sokka when they were younger. They were always digging at one another and when one of them was successful, they got a point. It was something that the whole original Team Avatar started doing and we kind of got it from watching them." Well, she got it from watching Tenzin in the rare times he did it, but that was beside the point.

"So who won?"

"No one really," she replied.

"What?" He was a Pro-bender and as such, a little more than competitive. When he started something, he wanted to be sure that he could win. But hearing about a game like this and nobody wins? It sounded a little blasphemous to him.

Fortunately for him, Lin was there to explain it. "It wasn't something they took seriously and neither do we. It's just something that we do."

"Oh, alright then," he said to her. There was really nothing else he could say about it. So he turned his attention back to the newspaper, which they noted was opened to the ads section. "I don't suppose one of you has a pen I could borrow?"

While Pema didn't, Lin did. She pulled it out and handed it to him. "Here you go."

"Thanks." He took it and began crossing off ads or circling them. The serious look did not come back onto his face; instead he wore a small frown.

"What are you looking at, Bolin?" Pema asked him.

"At apartments and houses," he answered, still looking at the ads.

"Why?"

"Because Mako and I are looking for one that's affordable," he answered, crossing off one ad. He paused at the next, looking at it for the next few seconds. Then he put a question mark next to it.

She paused with the tea cup an inch off the table. "You're thinking of moving off the island?"

He looked up from the newspaper, the pen hovering over the next ad. "Well, yeah. We've been talking about it for a little while. We're supposed to be only guests here."

"That doesn't mean we don't like having you both here," she told him.

"Besides, why aren't you just moving back into your old home?" Lin asked.

"Our home was an attic in the Pro-bending Arena. We wanted to find an actual home this time." He looked back down at the paper. "But a lot of these things are so damn expensive!"

"Language, I don't want the children to hear you swear," Pema warned him with a frown on her face.

He looked around with a puzzled look on his face. "But they aren't here."

"Doesn't matter, don't talk like that in my house."

"But…" He started only to stop when he saw Lin shake her head slightly. He got the hint and stopped.

Lin looked over at the paper. "You're looking at the mansions and high-end apartments," she remarked. "It's no wonder they're expensive."

"Well, since the Ferrets won the championship pot, I figured that we could afford to live in the lap of luxury once more," he said with a big grin on his face. It was the same of smile that Ikki always wore and what gave him his boyish quality.

"Try aiming for something that you could actually live in for some time, not just a week."

"Alright, fine," he said with a pout. He went back to the top of the ads and started crossing off all the ones he had circled, the pout disappearing almost as soon as it had appeared. Once he reached where he stopped, he kept crossing them off until he got to the more reasonable ads. That's when the pen slowed and he started reading the information again.

(Location: Asami)

She never knew how much her sides could hurt just from doing this kind of stuff. It also didn't help the fact that Arashi, someone who was younger than her, was making it look incredibly easy. "Come on, Asami!" he called back to her as he vaulted effortlessly over a pipe. "Hurry up!"

"Hang…on!" she all but wheezed out as she tried to keep up. She tried to vault over the same pipe but stumbled when she landed, almost making her fall. Once she got her balance back, she saw that Arashi was even further ahead. "Agni help me!"

Ever since the Equalists had been taken care of, Naruto had poured on the training, barely giving her time to breathe, let alone think. Her nose was against the grindstone but she kept feeling that it was being held hostage there by the Fire Paragon. Every day, she was taught something and was made to do it again and again until Naruto told her that she was done for the day.

When she wasn't being trained into the ground, she was worrying about Future Industries. To say that its image, integrity, and stocks had taken more than a bit of dip after her father's alliance with the Equalists would've been the grossest of understatements. She had spent many of sleepless nights trying to think of a way to make the company stayed afloat and didn't crash and burn.

But right now, she had to catch up with Arashi. She kept running across the rooftops, glad that one of the things about this Naruto had made her learn was how to jump across to other roofs; otherwise she would've been stuck on the first roof.

She watched Arashi climb up onto a couple of boxes to leap up the side of a roof right in front of them. It was a quick two step move that look flawless in its execution. She made her to the roof side, but did not follow the same path. She saw a different way. There were pipes all around this rooftop. Some were lying against the ground; some were hung a few feet off the floor, and some hung overhead connecting to parts of the roof. One such pipe hung before the higher roof and she knew enough about gymnastics to use it properly for momentum.

She veered off Arashi's course, going to the left where the pipe hung. Directly before that was another pipe and this one was a few feet off the floor. She kept running towards it, place one foot on it, and leapt off towards the hanging pipe, her hands outstretched. She caught the pipe and used her feet to swing her momentum forward, throwing herself to the roof.

That was one part of the plan that didn't go as thought, as she hadn't properly measured the difference in height and was forced to grab the edge of the roof with her arms and shoulders. Her feet dangled in the air for a couple of moments and then found the side of the roof. She used that to stabilize her as she pulled herself onto the roof.

"You doing okay?" asked Arashi, waiting for her.

She would've thought that was gentlemanly of him, until he had told her once it was so she didn't get lost. "Do I look like I'm doing okay?" she asked back as she panted for air with her hands on her knees, silently thanking the Spirits for a chance to breathe.

"Actually, I'd say that you were doing better than before."

She looked up at the blonde. "What on this side of the planet are you talking about? Do you not realize how much of a lead you had on me?"

"Do you not realize how far you've gotten? The first time we did this, you couldn't run any further than a mile."

"That's because we did it nonstop!" She had felt like her heart was going to burst out of her chest from all that running, leaping, and rolling.

All he did was shrug his shoulders. "Well, in any case, let's keep running; otherwise Jiji's not going to be happy with us." He turned and started running again, this time to the other side and jumping down.

"Hey, wait up!" she said, standing back up and running to the edge. She jumped down just like he did. _"Remember to roll, Asami,"_ she told herself as she fell. _"Don't try landing it on your feet, roll when you touch the ground."_ That was one of the first things she was taught about this kind of thing: how to use falling and rolling as a way of dispersing your momentum. If you tried landing on their feet with the way they had been jumping and running, they might've gotten broken or locked up.

She hit the ground and immediately went to a roll, landing safely. As she came out of it, she quickly got back onto her feet and kept running, following the blonde and desperately trying to catch up with him. At that point, she really hated him for being able to move so fast and effortlessly.

He was supposed to be helping her with her running and moving, but she was certain that this was a cruel prank on Lord Naruto's part. He had brought Arashi with him every time they trained so he could keep an eye on his grandson. Ever since the Equalists, it was rare that the two of them were seen separate. He also taught Arashi a few things as well and the blonde was showing that he learned fast and learned well. The odd thing was that every time she told him so, he would shudder and deny it.

She kept running, making sure that Arashi stayed in sight. The buildings all started to blur together as she went after him. She didn't know if that was because they really were doing that or she was just that bone-dead tired. That didn't matter. All that did was that she had to keep going. She had to catch him.

"_Come on, girl,"_ she urged herself. _"Keep on running. You can reach him."_ Her feet felt like lead and her legs weren't far behind, but she would not give up. She would beat him. She knew that she would. So she urged her legs to run harder, go faster, and move quicker. Her lungs felt like they were about to implode but still she kept running after him. She vaulted, rolled, leapt, and swung her over, under, and sometimes even through obstacles to reach him.

But try as she might, she did not reach him nor did she get past him. In fact, by the time she had managed to reach him, he was already sitting on the edge of a roof next to his grandfather. "Arashi wins again," her teacher remarked as he saw her land on the roof they were on. "He leads by three."

"Agni take him and you," she cursed as she panted for her very existence.

"That's not very nice," Arashi said to her.

"Actually, that was pathetic," his grandfather corrected him. He looked over at his student. "You know, if you want to know how to properly curse, I can get you into the military. They'll have you swearing like a sailor in no time, especially in the navy."

"Well, that would be where the sailors are," she pointed out sarcastically as she kept panting.

Still, he wasn't impressed. "Never be sarcastic while panting, Asami. It doesn't work. Now come sit down." He tapped the floor next to him with his sword. She did as she was told, still getting her breath back. "Now, tell me what you see." He was looking down at the street below.

Even though they had just finished one training exercise, he just tossed her into another one. Fortunately, he had done this before to her and she figured out how to focus herself when he did it. "I see a street full of people," she told him. "The street is too narrow for a car, so there are none and people are walking down the street."

"What else?" he asked her.

"I see a couple of stands of merchants, who are trying to sell their wares to anyone passing by."

"What else?"

"I see people walking up to the stands, looking around, and either buying something or passing on by."

"What else?"

She frowned. "That's it."

"No, it isn't. What else?"

"I'm sorry, sir. But that's all I see. What else could I be missing?"

He wanted to roll his eyes at her, truly he did. _"How could she miss so much?"_ he asked himself.

"**If I remember correctly, you weren't a prodigy yourself when you started doing this,"** Kurama remarked drily. **"Or have you forgotten how many times we argued over the fact that you kept saying people were just walking? Give her some leeway, gaki, and help her out."**

It was annoying to have the damn furball point out the obvious thing, but he still went with it. "You're missing how the people are talking with the merchants. Look at that and tell me what you see?" He would help, but he would do it his way.

Asami did as she was told and looked back at the merchant stands and the people around them. She saw what he was talking about and felt like a fool for not seeing it earlier. Really, how hard was it to miss that? "Some are talking unsurely, their posture stiff. Others are more relaxed and actually talking to the merchants."

"And what does that tell you?"

"That some of the customers are new to this area and do not know how to talk to the merchants while others have probably known the merchants for much longer and are more comfortable with them to have a conversation with them."

"The reversal could also be true."

She paused, thinking about it. Yes, it was true. Some of the merchants could be new to the arena and thus would be strangers to the residents living here. "That's a fair point," she conceded.

"I would hope so," he said shortly. "Now, tell me what you see about the conditions of the stands themselves."

She turned her attention to the merchant stands, looking at each and every one of them. There were a few of them and at first, she didn't see any real difference in them (except for style and there, she kept her opinion to herself). But then she quickly began to see the small details that would've escaped her when she had started out. "Some of the clothes that act as shade have been torn and repaired by sewing the tear shut. They also have stains from where something had landed on them and they weren't completely clean."

"Which means…?"

"That they are either down on their luck and haven't had the chance to fix their stands, or they like it the way it is and haven't bother to fix them."

"Which one is it?"

Her focus evaporated at those words as that question threw her into confusion. "Why can't it be both?"

He looked over at her and raised a questioning eyebrow. "And how would you be able to back that claim?"

She floundered around for a moment. She knew that this was one of those things he did that started off with a trick question. But while she had been able to figure out when he asked said trick question most of the time, she still had trouble defending her claim. "I don't know," she finally confessed.

"Look at the merchants' faces and movements. See how they act within their stand, how they move within it if it has been damaged. The ones who are happy in their movements and actions are the ones who do not care whether their stand has been damaged or not. The ones who are not and keep looking at the damages in the stand are the ones who care about their stand's condition."

As he explained this to Asami, his eyes traveled down the entirety of the street, seeing that it was a straight shot to the docks and the bay beyond. His eyes locked onto the docks and stared at it in silence. His student and grandson took notice of this. They shared an uncertain look with one another before looking back at him. "Uh, Jiji?" said Arashi. "Is everything alright?"

His eyes broke away from the docks and found his grandson. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"Well for one, I have never known you to go into long silences and stare at something. And you've been like that for the past week. Did something happen?"

"…You could say that," he finally admitted, ending the silence.

"Are you going to tell us what it is?" Asami asked him.

He swung his head to look at both of them. "The cops found a body at the dock a week ago, one of the people who worked there. He was found murdered."

"That's horrible."

"That's the life we live in," he told his student.

"Not to sound blasé about the worker who died, but what does it matter?" Arashi asked. "Dock workers die there all the time." He knew enough from his time with the Triple Threat to know that the docks were one of the highly contested areas to control. Every crime gang wanted to control the docks and for a simple reason: whoever had control of the docks had choice selection over the merchandise that came in from sea.

Naruto didn't answer him, but he knew the answer. Arashi was about the dock workers getting caught in the crossfires between the gangs. But this one mattered to him because Lin had called him in on it to take a look at the body. How the man was killed, she had never the likes of it before. But he had and knew it was the second he saw it: the worker had not only been killed by a shinobi but tortured too.

"**Have you ever considered the fact that you might be a little high-strung and paranoid about this?"** the fox asked him.

"_The facts don't lie, furball,"_ he replied silently. _"You saw the body just as well as I did. There's a shinobi here in Republic City. The question is why now after all this time?"_

"**What are you talking about, gaki?"**

"_It's been well over seventy years since we left and _now_ they send a shinobi to try and get me? Were they hoping that I would forget and relax my guard?"_

"…**Hmm, you know you might watch the size of that ego you've got there. It's getting rather large."**

"_Huh? What are _you_ talking about, fox?"_

"**Have you ever considered the possibility that maybe the shinobi who's here isn't here for you. I understand that would be a concept difficult to accept for your ego, but please consider it."**

If he was alone, he might've started yelling and cursing out the Kyūbi with language that would've a sailor blush. But since he was sitting between his student and his grandson at the moment, it probably wasn't the best idea. _"Why else would a shinobi come to the Bending Countries after the laws expressly forbids them?"_

The Bijū rolled his eyes. **"Like laws would've stopped the shinobi from entering the Bending Countries."**

"_You and I both know that it would've been me that stopped them. That's why they haven't come."_

"**So the question remains, why now?"**

And to that, he did not have an answer.

"Hey, Jiji!" shouted Arashi, getting his attention back. "You didn't answer my question."

"You're right, I didn't," he said in reply.

His grandson fumed. "I'm not a little kid anymore, Jiji. You could just give me a straight answer."

"**He's right, you know,"** Kurama agreed.

"_I didn't ask for your opinion,"_ his Jinchūriki said to him.

"**Doesn't mean I can't give it,"** he replied. **"Just give him some information, not all."**

But before the Fire Paragon could even do that, a scream came from the far end of the street. All three of them whipped their heads to the sound as it was a scream of horror, shock, and fright. "MURDER!" screamed a woman.

Naruto was up on his feet before the word was even finished. "Come on!" he told his student and grandson, already running for the next building. Even though they were surprised by the scream and his command, Asami and Arashi both followed him instantly.

As they started running again, Asami came to a realization: while Arashi was good, his grandfather managed to make him look like an amateur. There was no falter in Naruto's technique as he vaulted over pipes and jumped across building gaps. At times, it almost seemed like he was flying rather than running. It was a little discouraging if she was being honest but instead of getting her down, it made her want to run harder and faster, wanting to catch him and beat him in this.

The scream hadn't that far away so the three of them managed to arrive at the scene while it was still fresh (relatively speaking). A fortunate thing about the street they were on was that it had been one of the stronger areas that the Equalists had control of. It was also suspected that there were remaining members hiding somewhere in the neighborhood so a police force was keeping watch. Thus, there were cops on the scene the second the scream was shouted.

When they reached a rooftop overlooking the scene of the crime, they saw a knocked down stand with a dead merchant in the street, his blood leaking out from him and into the earth. A cloaked and hooded person stood near his body, surrounded by Metalbending cops. Even though the person was cloaked and the face was hidden, Naruto could tell that it was a woman just by the way she was moving.

The cops were trying to take her down while shouting at her to put her hands up in the air. But she wasn't doing that. In fact, she was trying to get away. She evaded their cables easily and knocked out any cop who came close to grab her.

She was on the verge of being successful in her escape when Naruto struck. The Fire Paragon leapt down from the roof and attacked her the second his feet touched the ground. She was surprised by his appearance, it showed in her movements, and he used that surprise to knock her down to the ground with one swipe of his sheathed sword. When she landed on the ground, the hood fell off her head.

She tried to get back on her feet the second she hit the ground, but the cops all converged on her, bending their cables to wrap around her and ensure that she would not move. It was over quick, but for Naruto it was a moment that seemed to last longer, his eyes going wide at the sight of her.

He had realized three things about the woman. The first was that she had grey hair but was not old. The second was that she wore a mask that covered the lower half of her face. The third was that she wore a Konoha headband proudly around her forehead.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

Alright, so I'm obviously not going right into the next season. Why would I? I've got about six months in the timeline and I intend to use them to my best efforts. This is where things begin to change about my story. If you would like, consider the first season the introductions.

The question Yue gave Korra is a serious one that should be considered in real life. Just because someone lost something and you have the means to return it doesn't mean that you should, especially if the person is a criminal or tyrant. Granted, there might be a chance that said person has reformed, but there's also a chance they would go back to the way they were before. Plus, there are men like Zolt, who would only adapt and overcome what happened to them.

One of the things I can focus on is the dissolution of the United Council and the process of making it a presidency. It didn't just happen all at once and I'm willing to bet money that not everyone was happy with it.

More will be revealed about the mysterious kunoichi in the next chapter, but if you haven't guessed who she's is, either you haven't read _Naruto_ or you don't have good deductions skills (which is rather sad considering I laid it out for you).

Oh, and a shout out to the author NeonZangetsu, as we are both members of the Dreamers community. I've read quite a few of your stories and they always managed to make me laugh. But the one thing that always bugs me about your stories is that you never seem to focus on one. You just go from story to another whenever you feel like it and leave the other one hanging. And you've got a lot of stories. Would you kindly try staying to one of them?

I'll see you all next chapter!


	14. Interrogation and information

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 14: Interrogation and information

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Republic City)

"What have you found?" Naruto asked Lin as they stood in the observation room, staring through the window to look at the woman handcuffed to the table. The interrogation rooms had been designed and built in such a way to make sure that the person being interrogated did not know that they were being observed. The long piece of metal in front of them was actually a one-way mirror.

"Nothing," the Chief of Police answered the Fire Paragon.

"Are you sure?"

"Naruto, she's hasn't opened her mouth since you and the other officers brought her to HQ to be questioned. I've sent two of my best interrogators in there, playing as good cop/bad cop. They worked on her for two hours and they got nothing out of her. And she doesn't exist in our files. For all intents and purposes, she's a ghost."

"**Oh, I highly doubt that,"** Kurama remarked.

"_Not now, furball,"_ his Jinchūriki told him.

"**Lighten up, would ya?"**

He ignored the fox and kept his focus on Lin. "Are you sure about that?"

She scowled slightly in return. "Yes, I am sure. There is nothing in our files about her. And I don't think we are going to get anything out of her."

"You might be wrong there."

"What's makes you think that?"

"Give me a few minutes with her. I'll get some information out of her."

"No, absolutely not," she declared, folding her arms across her chest.

"And why not?" he asked her.

"For one thing, you're not a cop. You can't just go in there and interrogate anyone you feel like."

"My being a cop hasn't stopped you before, why should it now?"

He was right. She had used him when they had a tough nut to crack in that room or any other room just like it. He would either charm the information out of the nut or just terrify them enough to make them crack, all without lifting a finger. But she couldn't let him go in there now and she had a valid reason. "I saw the look on your face as she was brought, Naruto. You didn't expect her to be here. Do you know who she is?"

"No, but I know what she is. She's a kunoichi from Konohagakure, in the Elemental Countries." He was partially lying there, as he could tell who she was generally but not specifically.

Lin's eyes widen slightly. As a child, she was told some stories about the Elemental Countries and the warriors that lived there. She wasn't told a lot mostly because of the man standing in the room with her. Naruto had come from the Elemental Countries when he was thirteen years old and the only time he went back there was just after the Hundred Year War. He hadn't gone back since and he didn't talk about the place.

Now, a woman from that land was sitting in her interrogation room and Naruto wanted to talk to her. "Be that as it may, you're too close to this, Naruto," she told him. "I can tell that just by watching you stare at her." She saw anger and fury in those eyes as he had looked at the woman. But she also thought she saw a small bit of curiosity as well.

"Lin, she's not going to crack from your interrogators," he said to her in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. "She's tough enough to withstand them. But if I go there and I talk to her, I guarantee that she'll start talking. I've got a feeling that she's behind the death of the dock worker and the stalking. You really want a chance like this to slip past you?"

She really didn't but she also felt that she could not let him in there; it would lead to bad and dangerous things. But she wanted to find out what this woman was doing in her interrogation room and her city in general. She wanted to know and deep down, she knew that the only way she was going to find that out was if she let Naruto go in there. "No, I don't," she finally said in acknowledgement.

"So, what are you going to do?" he asked her.

She said in defeat and bent the door open. "You can talk to her."

"Thank you, Lin."

"However, I will be watching from in here." There would be no hiding what he will do from her.

If he was unhappy with her words, he did not say anything about it nor show it on his face. "Fine, but I don't want anyone trying to pull me out until I'm done," he said. He walked out of the observation room and took one step to the right, ignoring the sound of the door cloosing. He stood before the door to the interrogation room and tapped the tip of his Zanpakutō on the ground three times. The sound it made echoed loud enough for Lin to hear it.

The door to the interrogation room opened and he saw her just sitting there with her hands cuffed to the table. On his recommendation, they were cuffed an arm's reach away so she could not make handseals. The last thing he wanted to deal with at that moment was her escaping and him being forced to hunt her down and dragged her back to the HQ. He walked into the room and sat down at the table opposite of her, placing his weapon on the table. He stared at her, taking note that she looked like she could be anywhere from her mid to late thirties, possibly even early forties.

For a long second, they didn't say anything to each other. "…So, do you have a name or am I just going to have to put 'here lies a dumb Hatake' on your tombstone after I kill you?" he asked her, breaking the silence. She didn't move but her eyes widened slightly. "Right now, you're thinking 'He can't just kill me!' As a matter of fact, I can." He reached out and grabbed hold of his Zanpakutō, drawing the blade out a few inches. "Shinobi, let alone kunoichi, are forbidden to come to the Bending Countries. In seventy years, that law has not been broken. But now, you're in here in clear violation of that law. I should kill you and be done with it, but I am courteous enough to have your name before I do such a thing. Now, what is it?"

The woman just stared at him for the longest time, trying to see if he would do as he said he would. Finally, she spoke. "My name is Rin Hatake."

"Any relation to Kakashi Hatake?" he asked her, taking his hands off his weapon.

She nodded once. "I'm his youngest daughter."

He paused for a moment at those words, looking at her intently. "His youngest?" he repeated. She nodded but he ignored her. "Was he trying to be the next Jiraiya or something?"

"I'm sorry?" she asked with a confused look on her face.

"Never mind," he told her.

She fell silent for a moment but then chose to speak again. "Are you going to kill me?"

"Perhaps," he admitted quite bluntly.

"But you don't even know why I'm here!" she protested.

"That is true, but I really don't care. You're a shinobi in the Bending Countries." He reached out for his weapon again, pulling it free slowly. "I should kill you right now and get it over with."

"Wait! Just wait, would ya?" she demanded, panic and anger shining in her eyes.

"How nice, you're finally showing some emotion," he remarked drily, seeing the emotion in her eyes.

"**Naruto, you're enjoying this a little too much,"** Kurama told him warningly.

"_Can you blame me?"_ he asked silently back.

"**Would you just listen to what she has to say?"**

"Would you just listen to what I have to say?" Rin Hatake demanded.

"**See? She agrees with me."**

"_She can't even hear you,"_ the Fire Paragon told the fox.

"**Does it matter? Listen to what she has to say, gaki."**

He stopped pulling the blade out of its sheath, letting the air go quiet. "…Alright, tell me what you have to say," he finally said to the kunoichi. Even though she looked relieved to hear those words, he kept his fingers on the Zanpakutō's hilt, tapping them against it.

She noticed the fingers and the relief quickly vanished from her eyes. "I wouldn't have come here if I didn't have any choice," she began. "I've been tracking a series of kidnappings and they seemed to originate from this side of the planet."

He paused, unsure if he had heard those words right. He turned his head slightly to look at the one-way mirror, despite knowing that he would not be able to see Lin's face. He turned his head back around and took his fingers of the hilt. "Explain, from the beginning," he ordered her.

She composed herself and began. "For some time in the Elemental Countries, there have been children found that could wield three out of the five Nature Transformations without using handseals or any actual jutsus. I was ordered by the Seventh Hokage to find out about them and to end it if I could. What I found was that they were being sold off to the highest bidder to be soldiers or anything else."

"So you tracked down where they were being."

She shook her head. "No, I didn't. I never found where they were being held. But what I did find out was where they were coming from. They were coming from this side of the world," she finished.

"And so, you decided to board a ship and come here, in spite of the laws set down to prevent your kind of people from doing just that."

She scowled at him, anger and outrage at his tone in her eyes. "They were children that had been brainwashed into serving as soldiers and worse in a land that they don't know. If I couldn't stop it there, I could at least come here and stop it at the source."

"And what about the merchant and dock worker you killed?" he asked her, still keeping his tone even.

She blinked. "What dock worker?"

"Don't try that with me, woman. I know how a shinobi kills and it was all over that worker. And you were caught killing that merchant. So why did you kill them?"

"Because they were a part of what was going on!" she told him. "What scant information I had coming here gave me some names and places."

He didn't say anything. He stared at her for a long moment before placing his hand fully on the hilt. She looked down at the weapon and then at him but did not do anything in response. He closed the Zanpakutō and picked it up off the table while he stood up from the chair. Without saying a word, he walked out of the room.

He met Lin outside the room as she bent it close. "Well?" she asked him.

"You should dig into the two she's killed, see if what she's said is true," he answered.

"What about her?" She eyed the room behind him.

"I think we should just leave her there for now, let her stew. Finding out whether or not she's telling the truth is more important."

"She was talking about kids being kidnapped from the Bending Countries. Why would she lie about that?"

"It's best to take it with a grain of salt, Lin," he told the Chief of Police. "Just go dig on those guys and make sure about them." He strode past her, going down the corridor. His pace was quick, which enabled him to reach the lobby in the shortest amount of time. He didn't stop there, continuing to walk out of the building.

"**There, you see?"** Kurama said to him as he left the building behind. **"She wasn't here for you."**

"_She's still here."_

"**And as soon as you help her figure out what's going on here, she'll leave."**

"_Help?"_ he repeated as he walked down the street.

"**Don't even try that with me, gaki. We both know that you believe what she told you. That digging around bullshit is just you stalling for time."**

"…_Perhaps,"_ he conceded.

The Kyūbi barked out a harsh laugh at that word. **"Perhaps?"** he repeated. **"There's no perhaps here, Naruto. You're going to help her and maybe she can help you."**

At that, the human of the two scoffed. _"What she could help me with?"_

"**You know full well what she could help you with. A certain blonde relation of yours…?"**

The scoff vanished as his expression hardened into a scowl. It was a scowl that would've made anyone actually looking at him want to turn around and flee (it was fortunate that people in the street thought he was just another person walking). _"No, absolutely not,"_ he declared.

"**Kit, she could help you prove your theory."**

"_I said no and I meant it."_

(Location: Uzumaki apartment)

After that woman had been captured by the cops, Naruto had sent both his student and his grandson back to the apartment, telling them to wait there until he got back. So they sat in the middle of the living room (Asami would've sat on the sofa if Arashi hadn't told her not to do that).

"So, do you know what that was all about?" Asami asked Arashi.

"What makes you think I know?" he asked back.

"He's your grandfather. I would've thought that you'd know."

"I don't. What happened out there was a complete surprise for me." He had never seen his grandfather so quiet before in his life. The old man always had a remark or a quip to what was happening or being said. But there was none with that woman. He had done it all in complete silence. Personally, the young blonde felt it was a little unnerving.

She didn't know what else to say, so she looked around the living room. She had half expected the place to smell musty and look like it hadn't been cleaned for a long time. But that couldn't have been anymore wrong (in fact, it looked freshly cleaned). Due to her living in a mansion for most of her known life, she had thought the place was a little cramped. But as it turns out, it was actually moderately-sized and with a small amount of clutter all around the place.

Despite being the Paragon of the Fire Nation, the room was not done in the colors of the Fire Nation. Rather, it had a bit of each country. The rugs were a deep red that silhouetted the fire burning in the fireplace quite nicely. The walls were painted a deep sea blue that gave a somewhat illusion of movement when the fire moved. Where the floor wasn't hardwood, it was tiles colored in a rich earth brown color. The fans that spun lazily in the air had been painted with a subdued orange.

Asami had never really seen a place done like this and could admit that it was quite impressive. She was also certain that other rooms in the apartment were done in the same fashion. Remembering how Arashi had told her and the Fire Ferrets that strange and weird things happened in this apartment, she looked around to see if there was any indication of such a thing. But she didn't see anything out of the ordinary. It just looked like a normal apartment.

As she looked, she saw a brown bed in the corner of the room that looked like it hadn't gotten a good wash in some years. "Hey, what is that?" she asked Arashi, pointing at the bed.

He looked over at it. "That's the bed Nyla used to sleep in," he answered. "He always liked sleeping next to the fire."

She had heard of the shirshu before from both the blonde and his grandfather (although living with an animal that wanted to kill you never seemed like a good idea to her). "Did he ever try to kill you?"

He laughed at that. "Are you kidding? Nyla loved me. It was my Jiji he hated."

"You told me that before. You also told me that the shirshu kept trying to attack Lord Naruto."

He kept laughing like what she was saying was a joke. "You're right, and it usually started at breakfast. Jiji would come out of the bedroom and go into the kitchen. Nyla would be lying in wait to try and attack him, usually with his tongue. But once he struck and miss, Jiji would always say 'and good morning to you too, Nyla,' and go on with the routine like nothing was wrong. Sometimes, he would just insult the shirshu instead."

She couldn't help but frown at those words. "Why would anyone live with that kind of thing again and again?"

He stopped laughing. "I asked Jiji that same question after Nyla had died when he was sitting at that table over there." He gestured at the dinner table over to the right, next to the entrance to the kitchen. "He told me that it was just 'old habits dying hard.' After saying that, he pour a drink and toasted the shirshu, saying 'here's to you, you mangy excuse of a blind rat. Say hi to June for me.'"

She stared at the kid for a few seconds longer, trying to figure out what he had said about his own grandfather. It seemed like she was learning something new about her teacher every day. But it also seemed like half the stuff she learned wasn't true. So she turned her head to go back to look at the room.

"What are you doing?" Arashi asked her when he noticed what she was doing.

"Just trying to find the weird and odd stuff you told me about," she answered. So far, she wasn't having any luck.

"You won't find anything that'll stand out. It's all been cleaned up. All that's left are the stories."

"Like what?"

He thought it over; trying to think of one that would not freak her out right away. "Well, there was that one time when a spirit got stuck in our sink."

She looked at him, unsure if she had heard him right. "…Could you say that again?" she asked him. "I don't think I heard you right."

"No, you heard me right. We really did have a spirit stuck in our sink. It stayed with us for the better part of a week."

"Okay, how did the spirit get stuck in the sink?"

"That I don't know. It was just there one morning. It freaked the hell out of me when I go wash my plate. There I was, heading over to the sink to clean my plate when I see this spirit with one eye and a mouth wiggling around halfway in the drain."

"What did you do?"

"I was ten, what did you think I did?"

"I don't know," she replied, rolling her eyes somewhat. "That's why I'm asking."

She had a point there, so he told her the truth. "I screamed and promptly tried bashing it to death with my plate." Asami gave him one long before she started sniggering. "Hey, it wasn't funny. I thought a monster had gotten into the sink and wouldn't leave," he protested. He could see the humor now, but not then.

"So what happened next?" she asked, getting her sniggering under control.

"Jiji came out of the bedroom and calmed me down. When he tried to reach for the spirit, it hissed at him and almost bit off his fingers off. He just left it there after that."

"So you lived with a spirit stuck in the drain for the better of a week and your grandfather didn't do anything about it?"

"He had been busy with something at the time, so he wasn't really home a lot. It wasn't all that bad. The spirit ate any leftover food that I had on my plate gleefully." If he had to guess, it must've been some kind of hunger spirit or something.

"That would explain a few things about why you always had an empty plate that week," Naruto remarked as he came into the apartment, opening the door with barely a noise. Both his student and his grandson looked up at him with surprise on their faces, obviously having not expected him to come in at that moment.

"You noticed?" Arashi said to him.

"I may have been busy, gaki, but I was not blind."

"**Not to mention that spirit always looked rather satisfied whenever Arashi claimed to have finished dinner,"** Kurama added. His Jinchūriki didn't say anything in reply as he took his weapon off the floor and held it by the scabbard.

"So what happened to the spirit?" Asami asked them both, standing up now that her teacher was now there.

"When I came back and noticed that the thing was still here, I drew this," he held out the Zanpakutō for her to see, "and was ready to stab the thing. Fortunately for it, it got the idea and promptly disappeared."

"You threatened to stab a spirit?" she repeated with an incredulous tone in her voice.

"That's what I just said," he replied in complete deadpan.

"But…"

"But what?" he asked her with a slightly mocking tone in his voice.

"But you can't just attack a spirit."

"Why? Because it's sacrilegious?" he challenged her, losing the mocking and replacing it with a questioning tone.

She stopped and thought about his question. Truth be told, she hadn't really thought about it like that. It probably was a little sacrilegious to attack a spirit. But that wasn't her first thought. "I just thought that a normal weapon could harm a spirit."

At that, he chuckled. "What makes you think that this is a normal weapon?" he asked her, tapping a finger against his Zanpakutō. Her eyes widened slightly as she looked at the weapon, thoughts racing through her head. "And if you stick around, Asami, you might just get one of your own," Naruto told her. "But only if I think you deserve it."

She kept looking at the weapon, now wondering if he would make good on his promise. To wield a weapon like that would be something to be weary of, lest she lose control about it. But if she didn't lose control, she would be something to respect. And yet, she still had a question about it all. "Why would you attack a spirit?"

"Most of the spirits don't really like me and I've given up on trying to convince them all differently."

"Wait, you mean I'll have that problem too?" If she ever had to go into the Spirit World, that might cause a problem.

But to that, he barked out a short laugh. "I didn't say they had a problem with the Paragon of the Fire Nation, I said they had a problem with me. You'll be fine, Asami."

"Jiji, what happened at the Police HQ?" Arashi burst out. He had been waiting there impatiently as they kept talking about the spirit in the sink. He wanted to know about what had happened in the jail and he wanted to know now.

Whatever humor his grandfather had about the situation at hand, it promptly vanished at his words. "She was interrogated about what she was doing here. The cops are currently going over her information to see if it's true," he said shortly.

"But what about the woman herself?" his grandson asked, eager to sate his curiosity. "Who was she?"

"That's something you don't need to concern yourself with right now."

"Oh come on, Jiji! You have to tell me about her."

"I _have_ to?" he repeated with a raised eyebrow directed at his grandson.

Arashi blanched, realizing his mistake as soon as he saw the eyebrow. "I, I didn't mean it like that. I just wanted to know," he tried to explain.

"Arashi, leave it alone," Naruto all but ordered him. "It doesn't concern you."

He bowed his head, not wanting to look at the older man. But he still had a question. "Are you going to kill her?"

For a moment, all he heard was silence. "…What did I just say?" his grandfather finally asked him.

"To leave it alone," he answered. It was obvious that he wasn't going to get anywhere with this kind of questioning, not now at least.

"Good." A small smile came onto Naruto's lips. "How about we go up to the roof and I teach you a couple more things about how to use that kunai of yours?"

His grandson perked up almost instantly at that offer. "Really?" he asked with a hopeful gleam in his eyes.

"Of course, I may just teach you a few other things as well. Are you interested?"

"**Is he interested? Naruto, he's wiggling in place with joy and excitement,"** Kurama said to him. **"I'd say he's interested."**

"You bet I'm interested!" Arashi said with a great joy in his voice.

"**See? I told you."**

"_Did I deny the fact?"_ the Jinchūriki asked the Bijū. To his grandson he said, "Well, let's get a move on, shall we?"

Arashi practically bolted into his room to grab what few kunais he had been given. "What about me?" Asami asked her teacher. She was unsure of what he wanted her to do.

"Follow us up," he answered. "Watch how he learns. Think of it as training your observation and you might just pick up a few tricks yourself."

"Alright," she said, understanding what he wanted her to do.

(Location: Mako)

He left Korra after the lunch, he going his way and she going back to the hospital along with her aunt figure. He wasn't doing anything that important. Rather, it was something that he and his brother needed to do. Bolin was still searching through the newspapers to look for places that they might consider but he had a short list and was looking at the buildings on it.

That list rested in his pocket as he walked down the street to the second place. The first building had been a definite no. It had just been excuse for an Agni Kai hideout and neither he nor Bolin needed to deal with the gangs again. They had enough of that back when they were kids.

As he walked he heard snippets of conversations from the other people in the street. What he heard most was gossip and that he didn't pay attention to. Things like what someone was wearing or what a person did was really none of his business.

But he did hear a few things that were interesting, at least to him. "I heard that Avatar Korra was healing the people who had been Bloodbent by that terrorist Amon." That one he knew to be true.

"I know. I heard they were lining up around the block to get into the hospital."

"Do you think that she'll be able to heal them all?"

"Why of course she will. She is the Avatar."

"But the Equalists got to many people when they had control of the city."

"Maybe she could teach the technique to other people?"

"What? You mean to other Waterbenders?!"

"_That didn't sound promising at the end there,"_ he thought to himself as he turned a corner, his face lowered as he thought to himself. After Amon had been outed as a Waterbender and a Bloodbender, feelings towards Tribesmen weren't good at the moment. In fact, Mako had the suspicion that the only reason they hadn't come after Korra was because she was the Avatar. But he hoped that in the end, things would cool down.

"Hey, watch it!" a voice shouted at him, making him pause in mid-step and knocking him out of his train of thought.

He looked up and saw a policeman standing in front of him. "What? What did I do?" he asked, his old defensive nature coming up. It was something that came with him from his childhood, as most of his run-ins with the cops weren't good.

But the cop didn't try to accuse him of anything he didn't do. "You almost stepped onto a working crime scene, son," he said with a reprimanding tone in his voice.

"Oh," Mako said. He looked past the man. There were cops all around a merchant stand and they had cordoned off the area. It left the place looking exactly like it was when the crime had been committed (which had been the point). Flashes lit up the area as men took photographs of everything in sight.

There was just one problem with the entire thing. "Um, is there any chance you could let me through?" he asked. He wasn't the only one standing at the edge of the cordoned off area but he was probably the only one who actually needed to go through.

The cop looked at him. He was a big, beefy sort of man who had grey hairs in his black hair, which ended in a ponytail. He also had a bristling black beard that was obviously greyer then the rest of the hair on his head. His uniform didn't give any details of his nationality but the lack of dark skin meant he obviously wasn't a Tribesman. "You got someplace to be?"

"Yes, I do and the only way to get there is through here."

"Sorry, can't help. It's going to be like this for a while."

"_Agni take it,"_ the Firebender of the two swore to himself. It looks like he wouldn't be able to get to the second building right now. He would have to go to the other ones left on the list and hope that the path would be cleared up by the time he got back.

He was about to turn around and walk away but the activity of the crime made him pause. "What are they looking for?" he asked the beefy-looking cop.

"What's it to you?" the cop asked back.

"I'm just curious. It's the first time I've seen an actual crime scene."

The suspicious look he had disappeared at that and was replaced with one of knowing. "They're looking for clues and evidence about the victim."

"Any luck?"

"Are you a police officer?" he asked Mako.

"Uh…no?" he offered for an answered.

"Then why would I tell you?"

"Sorry, I was just asking." He raised his hands in surrender, not wanting to get into a fight about it.

"Well, now you know better." The cop frowned and looked more closely at him, leaning down to get a better look at him. "Hang on, I know you."

"If you've watch Pro-bending, I wouldn't doubt it," Mako replied easily enough.

"Oh yeah, you're that new hotshot with the Fire Ferrets. I've seen you play. You've got some nice moves out on the field, some I've never done."

"You used to play?" he asked.

"When I was younger, yes, back when lion-turtles roamed the planet," the cop replied, leaning back up with a small joking smile on his face.

"Why did you stop?"

"That's a young man's game and I am no young man. You want my advice? Get out of it and find an actual job before it's too late." The smile was gone as he spoke and his expression was as serious as his words.

Mako stared at him for a long moment, hearing those words again and again in his head. If the truth was being told, he hadn't really considered what came after Pro-bending. The matches and tournaments had always been first priority to him and Bolin before Korra had come into their lives. Once that happened, it took a second seat but it still felt important.

Now a veteran of the game was telling him quite bluntly to get out of the game and find something else to do with his life. That wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear at the moment (he _was_ a young man after all) but he couldn't deny the wisdom of it. But first things were first; he needed to find a new place for Bolin and himself.

"Thanks, I'll take that into consideration," he told the cop.

"Uh-huh, of course you will," he said with more than just a tone of disbelief.

Mako couldn't help but frown at him, having heard the tone. He was taking it into consideration. It was something to consider and consider he would. He began to turn around to leave but stopped again when he saw something burned into the stand itself. "That's a Triple Threat stand," he said in surprise. "What was this guy doing with that kind of stand?"

"What are you talking about, son?" the cop asked him. "That's a Cabbage Corp stand." He knew what those things looked like.

"Technically, yeah," he began.

"Technically?" the cop repeated, cutting him off. "That _is_ a Cabbage Corp stand. There's nothing technical about it."

"Then why is there a Triple Threat Triad insignia burned onto the side of the stand?" he asked, pointing at the insignia. It was partially hidden by the cloth hanging over the side above it but he still recognized it.

The beefy cop looked at him with a suspicious eye. "How do you know what the insignia looks like?"

"_Damn it,"_ he silently cursed. He really shouldn't have said it. Now he was going to have to think of a way out of his words.

"If you're thinking of a way to get out of your words, don't bother," the cop told him sharply.

He flinched at the words. "What makes you think I was trying to do that?"

"First off, I saw that flinch. Secondly, I know that face you were making. It was the 'trying-to-get-out-of-my-words' face."

"Um…I…damn." It was all he could really say about it. But he had to admit that what he did was impressive.

"So again, how do you know that's the Triple Threat insignia?"

There was no way out of this, not with the cop watching his every expression. All he could do was just answer honestly. "I used to run numbers for them when I was a kid and I lived on the street."

To his great surprise, the cop didn't look at him with distaste or even disgust at those words. "Alright then," were the only words he said.

"Wait, that's it?" the Firebender of the two asked him.

"You think you were the only kid who did numbers for one of the gangs in this city?"

"No." He wasn't that arrogant. He wasn't even one of the better runners, just average.

"Then there's no reason for you to be considered different any other. You're a street kid who ran numbers; there are plenty of those around." It was a hard and harsh fact but also true. If a kid stopped running numbers, another one could always be found. But he needed to focus on his priorities now. "Now why did you say that this was a Triple Threat stand when it's clearly made by Cabbage Corp?"

"_You mean besides the obvious?"_ Mako thought to himself. If he had more of an attitude, he might've said that out loud. But instead, he chose to focus on the question the man had given him. "I saw a couple Triad members add a secret compartment in one of those stands and then burn the insignia onto it. And there were a lot of stands in the warehouse they were in. I guess they bought them in bulk."

A frown appeared on the cop's face as he listened to the information. "Are you certain about that?" he asked.

"Yeah, I saw it happen. Where the insignia was the place was where the compartment was."

He looked at Mako for a second longer before turning his head. "Hey, Hui!" he shouted out.

One of the other cops turned his head to look over at him. Unlike the first cop, he was more chubby then beefy. "Yeah, Tóng?" he shouted, "whaddaya want?"

"Go look over at that stand, would ya?"

"What for?" he demanded.

"This kid says there's a Triple Threat insignia on the stand with a secret compartment or something in it!"

"Tóng, you're taking advice from a kid off the street? Are you going soft in the head? And how the hell would he know that anyway?"

"Would you just do it, Hui, and stop arguing with me?"

"Alright, alright, I'm going, you senile old man!"

"You're just as old as me, pal!" he shouted at him as he started going over to the stand.

Mako just watched the back-and-forth with wide-eyed awe. "Do you guys not like each other or something?"

Tóng laughed at that. "Me, not like Hui? We were partners back in our younger days. There's no one I would rather trust my back to in a pinch."

"I know the feeling."

The cop eyed him. "It's not the same thing in the ring, kid."

"I wasn't talking about the ring. I was talking about my brother." No matter what kind of arguments or fights they would get into, he and Bolin would always have each other's back.

"Hmph, with the way the two of you fight in the ring, I don't doubt it. But try finding someone who's not related to you."

"I've got that too." He had Korra and he was glad for it. But why did the cop tell him to find someone he could trust who wasn't related to him? That just made no sense.

"If you say so," Tóng said to him.

"Hey, Tóng!" shouted Hui from where he stood by the stand. "I ain't seeing any secret compartment!"

"Did you actually try looking?" he shouted back.

"No, I pretended to be blind and felt it up!"

"Well, that's the closest you'll get to a date nowadays!"

There was general rumble of laughter from each and every cop that was listening in on the shouting match (which was pretty much all of them). The only one who wasn't amused was Hui. "Ha ha, very funny," he said in a deadpan voice. "I still ain't seeing a secret compartment."

"Then try kicking it in!"

He rolled his eyes at the idea but did it anyway. He arced back his foot and slammed it into the insignia. The wood broke easily under the force of the kick, echoing in the street with a loud _SNAP!_ The panel fell apart in two halves, revealing a space behind it. "I'll be damn, there _is_ a secret compartment!" he shouted out for all to hear.

"Aren't you glad you did as I asked now?" Tóng asked from afar. The question got lost in the noises the rest of the cops were making as they descended onto the secret compartment. The beefy cop just rolled his eyes and looked at Mako. "Nice eyes, kid."

"Thanks," Mako said in reply, watching the cops at the stand. It was fascinating to watch them work.

"Don't you have a place to be?"

"Huh?" He tore his eyes away from the sight to look at the cop.

"I said, don't you have a place to be?"

"Yeah, but it can wait. This is too interesting to walk away now."

"Ha, if you think you find interesting, perhaps you should just join the police and try doing it yourself."

Even though he said with good humor in his voice, Mako looked at him and then thought over his words. There was something to what he said, the Firebender could admit that. Perhaps if he were to get out of Pro-bending now, he would be able to find a job with the cops. He would be on the other side of the law now.

(Location: Air Temple Island)

"Helllloooo, people!" shouted Bumi as he appeared in the room with a grandstanding entrance. "Or should I say hello brother?" he amended when he saw that there was only one person in there.

"Hello, Bumi," Tenzin said without even looking at his older brother. He was sitting at the table staring at the pieces of paper in front of him.

"You're going to go blind if you keep staring at those papers, little brother," the elder of Aang's son remarked as he strode into the room and draped his arm across Tenzin's shoulders.

"That's when you stare too long at the sun," the younger corrected.

"No, I'm pretty sure that it's looking at papers. You know, I'm surprised that you're not blind yet."

The Airbender groaned lightly and covered his eyes with his hand. "What do you want, Bumi?"

"What? I can't say hi to my little brother?" he protested.

"You already did. What do you want?"

"Loosen up, Tenzin, you're way too tense. You need to relax."

"I don't have time to relax. I have to focus on the work."

"Little brother, you've been focusing on the work of the Council ever since they put you up to be the representative of the Air Nomads. You just became a father again in the past couple of weeks. Take a break."

"I can't," he said with more than a hint off stubbornness.

Bumi groaned, knowing full well that Tenzin would not move from that spot until he worked through whatever was on the papers. He had been like that ever since they were kids and he was fairly certain he had been like that while he was training under June. It was hard to believe that they were related sometimes (despite their mom assuring them that they were)

So, there was only one thing that could help speed this along. "Alright, what exactly are you working on?" he asked his brother as he came around the table and sat down on the other side.

Tenzin looked up at him, surprise showing in his eyes. "Are you really asking me that?"

"Yes, I'm asking you about what you're working on. There's no need to act surprised, Tenzin. So what is so greatly important from the Council that requires you not to look after your family?"

"The potential dissolution of the Council and the replacing body of government," Tenzin told him.

He had asked with a somewhat sarcastic tone in his voice but his brother was completely serious. For a long moment, the Air Paragon stared at the Airbender with a slightly gaping expression. Then he shook it off. "Alright, how can I help?"

"…I'm sorry?"

"You heard me, Tenzin. How can I help?"

"Bumi, I don't mean to be rude," he began. "But this is a political matter and you're not a politician. You're a Commander in the United Republic Forces, not a part of the Council."

"This isn't just a political action you're talking about. It involves the military too and since General Iroh isn't here, I'll stand in for him. Plus, as a Paragon, I have the right to involve myself in the politics of Republic City."

Tenzin had honestly forgotten about that. When the United Republic had first been created, the temporary leaders had been the four Paragons. But once the Council had been set up, they had technically stepped down from their authority (even though Lord Sokka became the representative for the Southern Water Tribe). The word "technically" was used because the Paragons could still come in and take over again, if they felt the need to do so. Thankfully, they hadn't.

"Alright, you can help," he told his brother.

A big grin appeared on his face at that news. "Glad to hear that piece of news. I'm sure we can figure this out quicker than that time I—"

"You've told me that story before, Bumi," Tenzin cut him off before he could even begin.

He paused in mid-word, his mouth just hanging open. Then he closed it and frowned at the Airbender suspiciously. "Really?" he said. "I've told you about the time I was stuck on an island with only coconuts and a hog-monkey for company?"

"Yes, you have." As a point of fact, he hadn't but wasn't going to waste time listening to Bumi's stories. They were always complete exaggerations and impossible to believe. If he had let him continue, he probably would've listen to Bumi spinning a deal of getting into a fight to the death with the hog-monkey, only to come out of it the best of friends, use the coconuts to build a raft to get off the island and back to the mainland (he didn't even think Bumi had cracked open a coconut, let alone use some to make a raft).

The suspicious frown vanished and was replaced a frown of disappointment. "Oh alright," he conceded. He might not have able to tell one of his epic stories (something he always loved to do) but there was important to do. "So let's get—"

"Hey Tenzin, can I talk to you?" Korra's voice spoke from the other side of the door a second before she opened it and walked through. She paused in mid-step when she saw that he wasn't alone. "Oh sorry, Bumi," she apologized to the Paragon. "I didn't think you were here."

"Ah, never mind that," he told her with a smile. "Sometimes, I don't know that I am here either."

"I can't believe that," Tenzin muttered to himself.

"Huh? What was that, Tenzin?" his brother asked him, swinging his head to look at him.

"Nothing," he said shortly before turning his head to look at Korra. "What is it, Korra?" he asked.

"Oh no, you're not getting off that easily, Tenzin. What was that you said?" Bumi demanded of his brother, leaning in on the table to get a better look at him with a look of suspicion on his face.

"I didn't say anything, Bumi. You're imagining things. What is it, Korra?"

The Avatar looked at her teacher and the Paragon. "What are you talking about?" she asked them both.

"Nothing," her teacher said before the Paragon could speak.

"Oh, then what were you talking about before I walked in?"

That one question made them both look at one another. Should they tell her what was happening with the Council at the moment? Or should they wait until a more firmer action had taken place? She was the Avatar after all. But Bumi was a Paragon and he didn't know what was happening with the Council. And while that could be rectified quickly, Tenzin had made it a point to keep Korra out of Council politics as much as he could for now (especially after Tarrlok's taskforce).

"It is something that I'll tell you about later," Tenzin finally told her. Bumi didn't say anything, but he silently agreed.

Korra scowled somewhat at that answer. "I'm not a kid, Tenzin. You don't need to keep things from me."

"_The mere fact that she said that shows that she is a kid,"_ Bumi thought to himself. He didn't say it aloud nor did he roll his eyes at her words, as that just would've made it worse. _"See, June? I _do _know when to keep my mouth shut!"_ And his teacher didn't have any faith in him!

"We are not keeping things from you, Korra," his brother told the Avatar. "But what we are talking about is still developing and your aid in it is not required at the moment. Now, what do you need? I thought you were helping out at the hospital, restoring Lost Benders' abilities."

"I was," she replied as she came forward to the table. "May I sit down?" she asked, looking at the open spot between the two of them.

"Of course," Tenzin answered, gesturing towards said spot. As she sat down, he leaned in slightly to her and placed his arms on the table, also obscuring the sight of the papers from her. "So, why aren't you at the hospital?"

"Well, I went out to have lunch with Mako, only to find that Yue was there with him," she began.

"Was she chaperoning?" Bumi asked.

She groaned a little. "Yes. Why does she have to be so old-fashioned?"

That was an easy answer to those who knew it. Luckily for her, he did. 'It's because our mother was old-fashioned."

She looked over at him with a look on of confusion. "Katara?" she asked.

"I don't know any other mother." He shared a look with his brother. That had always been an odd thing back when their dad was alive. He would always say that he didn't have any parents, confusing his children until Mom explained that he was raised by monks, especially by Monk Gyatso.

"I don't remember her being like that."

"You weren't around when we were younger. When Tenzin here started dating Lin and then Pema, Mom would always make Uncle Sokka chaperone his dates and report to her once it was done. I was glad to have been in the military when that was happening." Granted how he got there wasn't orthodox, but he was still glad.

"Anyway," Tenzin said, wanting to move the conversation on. "What happened with Yue, Korra?"

"We started talking about what was going on at the hospital. She asked me whether I should give a person their Bending back or not. When I said that I should, she pointed out that some of the people coming to see had been criminals before Amon got to them and would likely go back to that if I restored their Bending."

Surprisingly, Bumi was the one to speak first instead of Tenzin like she had expected. "Oh, so she laid down the Should Question on you, huh?"

"I guess," she answered a little hesitantly, unsure of what he was saying.

But he just smiled and kept on talking. "Yeah, she did. I always thought that was a question Paragons laid on their students. Huh. I guess it can be used on other people too."

"What are you talking about?"

"It's a question our teachers passed onto us. And apparently, it can be used on Avatars as well."

"What is the question?" she practically demanded.

He gave her a look. "You already know it, Yue gave it to you. Were you not paying attention?"

"Of course I was!"

"Then you know it."

"Bumi, perhaps you could try explaining it to her?" Tenzin suggested to his brother.

But he refused. "Nope, she's already been told it and been given an example. It's up to her to figure it all out."

Korra scowled at the Paragon of the Air Nomads. "Fine, if you're going to be like that," she said standing up from the table.

"I am going to be like that. This is going to be one of those "sink or swim" moments in your life, Korra. You can't have any help with them."

She didn't know what was more annoying: the fact that he was denying her any help with the question or the fact that his words made sense. _"Him, he is definitely more annoying,"_ she decided.

The door opened again and a virtual hurricane blew through into the room. Of course, that's what Tenzin always called it when all three of his children came rushing into a room at the same time. "KorraKorraKorraKorraKorraKorraKorra!" shouted Ikki as she all but bounced over to the Avatar.

"Breathe, Ikki, breathe," Jinora told her sister while rolling her eyes at the antics.

Korra, on the other hand, couldn't help but smile. "What is it, Ikki?" she asked the hyperactive Airbender as she bounced in place.

She stopped and looked up at the older woman. "Let's go play!"

"…You know you could've just said my name once and then say that, right?"

"Who cares?" she asked with a careless shrug. "Let's go play!"

"Yes, let's go play command &amp; conquer!" Meelo shouted at the top of his voice, taking a dramatic pose which had his finger pointing forward. But it was ruined when he decided to fart, loudly.

His sisters began making gagging sounds while clasping their noses shut. Tenzin and his brother didn't even bat an eyelash at the action (having gone through a period of Airbending-enhanced flatulence themselves). Korra was in the middle of the two, not outright being grossed out by what had happened but wrinkling her nose at the smell. "Meelo, you're supposed to warn people when you're going to do that," she told the boy.

"Oh, sorry," he said without an ounce of apology in his voice.

"And we're not playing that stupid game," Ikki told her brother.

"It's not stupid, it's cool!" he told her in return with an angry scowl on his face.

"No it's not. Not when you're the commander!"

"Well, it's boring when you play commander. We just sit around playing with dollies!"

"That happened one time! One time!" she insisted, her cheeks turning red from either anger or embarrassment.

They looked like they were about to start fighting, until Korra stepped in to help. "Hey, I have an idea," she said to them. "Why don't we play a round of Airball? I could use the exercise."

Both Ikki and Meelo turned their attention away from one another and looked at her. "But Korra, you stink at Airball," Meelo said to her.

"Yeah, you stink worse than Meelo," his sister said.

Her brother began nodding in agreement, until he realized what she had said. "Hey!" he shouted at her, turning to face her with an angry expression on his face.

"Meelo, inside voice," Tenzin told his son before anything else got out of hand.

"How about we try teaching the air scooter to Korra?" Jinora suggested to her siblings, making peace between them.

It worked. They both swung their heads to look at Korra, mischievous (and possible cruel) grins already forming on their faces. The Tribeswoman felt a little more than uneasy at the sight of those grins. "Uh, I don't know," she said. "It didn't exactly work out last time."

"We know," Ikki said. "But practice makes perfect, right?"

"I…guess?"

"You guess? What is with this guessing? There is no such thing here!" Meelo declared with an attempted authoritative voice. It didn't work because his voice went high at the end of it.

"He's right!" Ikki agreed.

"Come on, Korra," Jinora said, joining them in cornering the Avatar, so to speak. "You know you have to learn it."

"Fine," she said with a sigh of defeat. "Just don't laugh too hard this time, okay? It hurts flying off that ball of air."

"We shall make no promises!" Meelo declared.

"That's not what I wanted to hear, Meelo."

"I do not care. We are going!" He marched out of the room and his sisters followed, rolling their eyes at his antics. Having no choice in the matter, Korra could only follow them out of the room.

Both Bumi and Tenzin watched in silence as the kids left the room. "How's she doing with Airbending?" Bumi finally asked his brother.

"She has the basics but is still working on the advanced moves," he answered.

"Sounds like she's having trouble with the Air scooter," he remarked. "Kinda weird when you think about it."

"What makes you think that?"

"Oh come on, Tenzin. That's basically Dad in a Tribeswoman's body."

The Airbender of the two frown at the remark. Even though it was technically true, he didn't think it needed to be said like that. "Korra is her own person, not our father. Please remember that, Bumi."

The Paragon scowled at him. "I know that, Tenzin. You don't need to remind me."

"Sorry."

The scowl lessened until it was replaced with the same kind of grin he had just seen on his children. "Besides, if my memory serves me correctly, and it usually does, you had some problems with the Air scooter yourself when Dad was training you."

Tenzin knew what he was talking about. When Aang had first started teaching him how to use the Air Scooter, it had taken him at least eight tries before he finally got the hang of it. He always felt that his dad had been disappointed in him for not getting it right away. "Could we please return to the matter at hand, Bumi?" he asked his brother.

"Hey, you'll hear no complaints from me," the military man said in reply.

"Please, this is serious."

"I know. You have my attention."

"I hope so."

"You do." They turned their attention back to the papers on the table.

* * *

"What are you saying, bro?" Bolin asked his brother, looking at him like he couldn't believe what he had just heard (which he couldn't).

"I'm saying that we should probably be looking for different careers then Pro-bending," Mako told him, repeating what he had just said.

His brother just looked at him with a stunned expression. Then he looked over at Korra. "Tell me that you're listening to this."

"I'm a little surprised," she admitted before turning to look at her boyfriend. "Why are you thinking about this? We've still got some years left playing Pro-bending."

"I know that," Mako admitted. "But what happens when those years are up? What are we going to do then?"

"Well, I'm the Avatar," she answered his question. "I'll be doing whatever needs my attention."

"I was talking about us mere mortals, Korra."

"Hey, I'm mortal," she protested.

"You know what I mean."

"Of course I do. It's one of the reasons I love you." Both of them shared a smile and leaned in to kiss one another.

It was met with loud complaints and retching sounds from the other side of the table, mostly from the kids. "Come on, guys!" Arashi shouted at them. "We're trying to eat dinner here!"

"Then don't look, genius," the Avatar of the two told the blonde before grabbing hold of her boyfriend and pulled him into a deep kiss.

The complaining got louder at the sight of them kissing. That is, until Pema rapped the table sharply with a wooden ladle, getting everyone's attention. "Children, if you wish to not have dessert, keep that up," she warned Meelo and Ikki (Jinora hadn't joined, having been reading). "Arashi, I know you have sat at this table longer than either Mako or Korra, but you're still a guest in this house. Kindly compose yourself as one."

Both of her children went still and silent at the threat of no dessert (Jinora giggled at the sight, but fell silent when it looked like her mother's eye would fall on her). Arashi, on the other hand, just mumbled in reply, "Yeah, yeah, I got it." Even though he said those words, he didn't make eye contact with her.

"Good. Mako and Korra," she said as she turned her head to look at the two of them. "Please, focus on your dinner."

"Alright, Pema," Korra assured her quickly. Like Arashi, she didn't want to get on her bad side.

"Thank you." She put the ladle down and returned to her food, making her targets breathe a small sigh of relief. They have seen her use it. In her hands, it was a deadly weapon. In fact, some of them were certain that if she hadn't been pregnant with Rohan or giving birth to him, she would've been able to end the Equalists by picking up that ladle and going after Amon.

"I don't see what the problem is here, Pema," Bumi said from where he sat on the other side of Tenzin. "They're young, let them enjoy themselves."

"I do," she told him. "But we are here to enjoy dinner."

"I wasn't talking about those two." He gestured at Mako and Korra. "I was talking about your kids."

"My kids?" she repeated with a slightly confused tone to her voice.

"Yeah, let them heckle the lovebirds. I never got that chance when I was young."

"You most certainly did," Tenzin said to his brother. "I remember your antics when I brought Lin over dinner."

"Well, um…uh…" He tried to find an answer and grabbed onto the first one he could think of. "I was just a kid!"

"You were twenty-seven," his Airbender of a brother said in complete deadpan. "And you had been on leave from the military."

A mass amount of giggling came from the younger people in the room as they took in the sight of their very flustered uncle. "Silence from the peanut gallery!" Bumi shouted at them with an almost hysterical tone in his voice.

"Bumi, do not shout at my children," Pema warned him, her hand going for the ladle.

He saw the action and instantly shut up. While his teacher might've been the scariest woman he had ever met, Pema was a close second. And if there was one thing he knew for a fact, it was do not make scary women angry. He wouldn't have time to regret it.

Arashi was laughing quietly as he took in the sight of everything going on around him. This was just a normal night with the Air Nomad family and he was glad for it. He needed a good dose of normalcy after everything that had happened. As he ate his food, he noticed that Asami was picking at her food. Nowadays, she usually ate like she was about to die (and considering how Jiji trained her, that wasn't far off). "What's the matter, Asami?" he asked, getting her attention and the attention of everyone else.

She looked up at him. "It's nothing," she replied easily enough.

That just made him more concerned. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She turned her attention back to the food in front of her.

This time, Korra looked at her. Personally, the Avatar thought that she was like this because she had snagged her boyfriend from her. Ever since, she was half-afraid to go near her and talk to her. But she also realized that this fear of hers couldn't stay there forever. "Is everything alright, Asami?" she asked the girl sitting next to Arashi.

She looked up at the Tribeswoman. "I am fine," she replied. Her green eyes took on a look of coolness that sent a small shiver down the Avatar's spine.

"Uh, okay."

"No, it's not," Arashi said, getting stubborn. "What's going on with you, Asami? Is it Jiji?"

"No, it's not your grandfather."

"Where is Naruto, by the way?" Bumi asked, looking around the table. His brother's family was there, along with the Fire Ferrets, Naruto's student and his grandson. But there was no Naruto. "Wasn't he supposed to come over?"

"Yes, he was," Tenzin agreed. During their discussions over what should happen with the government, both brothers agreed that the Paragon of the Fire Nation needed to be called in. He had been there at the beginning of Republic City and the United Republic itself. They would need his advice in how to proceed. Tenzin had made the call and invited the man over for dinner tonight so they could discuss the situation afterwards. But while his student and his grandson had shown, he hadn't. It was puzzling.

Fortunately, Arashi had the answer. "He was leaving with me and Asami when the phone rang. When he put it down, he told us to go on ahead; he had some business to take care of."

"What kind of business?" Mako asked.

"We don't know. Just business," he answered with a shrug of his shoulders. He was used to his Jiji just going off like that. At least he had the courtesy to tell him that he was going somewhere this time around.

"Will he be joining us?" Pema asked him.

"I don't know." As much as it irked him, he did not know the whereabouts of his Jiji every second of every minute of every day.

"Could we please get back to the main focus here?" Bolin practically demanded as he stared quite hard at his brother.

"Come on, Bo," Mako said to him, knowing full well what he was talking about. "You had to have thought about it."

"As a matter of fact, I did not." He had always thought they would keep Pro-bending until they were grey-haired and old, winning each and every season. "We're good at Pro-bending. Why would we need to find something else to do?"

"We don't have to be good at just one thing in our lives. We can find something else to do well. And besides, we're not going to be young forever."

"But we're young now!"

The door to the dinner room suddenly opened, making everyone turn their heads to look at it. They saw Naruto standing with a look of mild irritation. "Jiji, you're here," Arashi said, standing up from the floor.

"I said I would be," his grandfather replied. "But something came up that required my attention."

"Was it that phone call?" Asami asked, also standing up.

"Yeah," he answered shortly before walking into the room. Like a shadow following him, another person entered the room with him.

At the sight of the second person, both Arashi and Asami reacted with surprise. "You?" said Arashi, pointing at the woman he had last seen three days ago.

"Good evening, my name is Rin Hatake," she said with a small dip of her head. Her appearance and clothing were a surprise to those who had not seen her before. There was no doubt in their minds that she did not hail from any one of the Bending Countries.

"I thought she was arrested by the cops," Asami said. She distinctly remembered her teacher helping them take her in.

"She was. Now she's been released into my custody," Naruto told his student. "And we'll be working to finish her mission here in Republic City."

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

One of the things that bothered me was that they never explained why Mako decided to stop Pro-bending and joined the police. It was just one of those "he did it" things with zero explanation. Why did he join the cops and Bolin didn't? Why did he leave the sport and Bolin stayed with it? Those are questions that could've been answered.

If any of you are wondering about Naruto's comparison remark about Jiraiya, I refer to the prequel story for the explanation (provided you haven't already read it).

The dissolution of the Council would require a military view on it and since Bumi's there, he's a good candidate. I know he's a bit out there but I think when the cards are done, he can pull through. Plus, it adds to his backstory for the next season.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	15. Show and tell

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 15: Show and tell

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Police HQ)

If it wasn't for the lack of actual lighting and no table, Rin would've sworn that they had been keeping her in the same room for the past three days. She might've thought that covering her head with a dark bag when they moved her was a trick to confuse her. But it wasn't and she knew that this was a prison cell.

The problem she had right now was trying to figure out a way to break free. She had been in quite a few prisons in her years as a kunoichi and she had always managed to get out of them relatively scot-free (there had been a few close calls). But what made this place different was that there was no obvious exit or entrance. It honestly looked like they had put her in a giant metal box.

It seemed like the only way in or out was to be able to move the metal like she had seen the police members do for a brief second. She might've thought that it was some Kekkei Genkai if it wasn't for the fact that none of the cops looked like they were related to one another. Also, this was the Bending Countries, a place where the mere concept of a Kekkei Genkai did not exist.

"_It also didn't help that my information was outdated,"_ she thought to herself as she lay on the bed, observing everything without making it obvious. She conceded the fact that the information that she had looked up had been from over 70 years ago. But would it have hurt to have updated that information? A lot can happen in 70 years, like this fifth country. She would have to have a talk with some people when she got back to Konoha.

But really, she could only blame herself for getting into this predicament. She had been watching that merchant for the past day before going down to confront him with what little she knew. The minute she started confronting him, he tried to attack. It was so sudden that she didn't even think to try and stop him, she went straight to kill (guess that was what happened when one spent too many years in ANBU).

Being able to get away and evade those cops had been almost laughably easy. It must've been all that armor that slowed them down. Even when they had surrounded her, she could easily handle them. All she had to do was just avoid all of their cables and she was fine. It wasn't until that old man joined the fight and took her down in two moves.

She sat up on the bed. To those who knew, they would've been able to notice that there was a slight frown on her face. There was something about that old man, she knew that much. He had hauled her into the headquarters of the police and all the policemen treated him with respect and obedience. But he was not a policeman himself. She saw that in how he had no armor on or anything that even remotely looked like a police badge on him.

But it was something about him that made her think about him. He had been able to take her down when the police couldn't and she was certain that he was the reason her hands were chained to her sides. The only kind of people who could do that was other shinobi. But he didn't bear any recognizable marks of a shinobi from another village. That could just have meant that he was a missing-nin that had come here and stayed.

But it couldn't be that. He had made it a point to threaten her with death when he sat before her in that interrogation and letting her know about the law she had broken. He also knew that she was a Hatake and judging by the comment about her father, he had known him and the Toad Sannin Jiraiya. But how could that be when he expressed a dislike for shinobi and didn't want them here? What was even more troubling was that somehow, he looked familiar. She couldn't place it, though. It was like she had seen his face one vaguely a long time ago, but she couldn't place him.

A loud banging echoed into her cell, getting her attention. "Hey, you alive in there?" someone from the other side shouted. She chose not to answer, hoping to irritate them a little. "Well, if you're alive or not, you've got a visitor."

The metal plating to the left of her bed slid open, allowing more light to shine in. To her surprise, the very man she had been thinking about walked in and looked at her. "Welcome back," she said to him, not moving from her spot. "What took you so long to get back to me?"

"I was waiting for the cops to dig into the two men you murdered," he answered. "I wanted to see if what you said was true."

"And?" she asked.

He glared at her slightly. "You are very lucky that dock worker had kept a journal about what he was doing. It seems that he was the last checkpoint before the children were shipped out."

Now she was interested in what he had to say. "What about the merchant? Was he in on it?"

"The cops don't know that definitively. All they have is a list of names and locations that they found in a compartment in the man's stand."

"So? What does that mean for me?"

His face morphed into a small frown before he spoke the next words. "It means that you aren't here for the hell of it. You came with a mission." He looked her right in the eyes. "Are you sure that children capable of Bending are being taken and sold in the Elemental Countries?"

"I've seen it myself," she told him.

"What elements have you seen them use?"

"Fire, water, and earth," was her answer. "That only leaves two Nature Transformations left."

"No, that means there's only one element they haven't gotten to yet."

"**You think you should Tenzin to keep a close watch on his children?"** Kurama said to him inside his head.

"_There's no thinking about that one, fox,"_ he replied.

"What are you talking about?" Rin said to him. "I haven't seen any of the kidnapped children wielding wind or lightning in such a manner."

"That's because here, lightning is an ability only the truly skilled Firebenders can utilized and because right now there are only four known Airbenders in the world." He looked right at her again. "As for you, it's been agreed that you'll be released into my custody. I'll help you with your mission and once it's done, I will make sure that you go back home."

At that she scoffed. "I don't need any help. I can manage just fine."

"Do you know this city?" he asked.

She hesitated. "…No."

"Do you know the people you would have to talk to in order to get some headway and learn new information about who or what you are looking for?"

"…No."

"Do you know when you've gone from one borough of the city to another and what kind of culture is in each of them?"

"No." This time she said it with a slight exasperation.

"Do you know which gangs and triads are to be somewhat relied on and which are not to go near unless they require a beating?"

"No."

"Do you—?"

"No, alright!?" she suddenly shouted, losing her temper. "I don't know these things, okay!? Would you stop lording it over me?" Good Kami, it was irritating! She had thought that only older siblings were like that!

He stared at her for a long second after her outburst. "…With that kind of temper, I find it hard that you're a child of Kakashi Hatake. Perhaps you get it from your mother."

"No, I get it from being the youngest in a very big family."

"So he did sleep around," he remarked, mostly to himself. "Who knew that he would've able to tear himself from those books?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" she demanded, getting angry.

"It's nothing of importance," he said, waving it off with a flick of his hand. "What's important right now is that if left to your own devices, you will probably end up in this cell again, provided you don't get killed first. But under my supervision, you'll have a little more leeway and more of a chance to get to the bottom of what's going on."

As much as she wanted to deny the facts lay out before her, they were laid out in such a way that she couldn't. Hell, the facts alone were enough to make her stop and realize the truth of what he said. "Fine, I'm under your command until my mission is complete."

"Good." He turned to the opened door. "You bend her restraints off now." A police officer stepped into the room, bowing once to the older man. He moved his hands in a sharp gesture and Rin felt the cuffs on her hands go slack and fall on the bed. The policeman bowed once more to the older man and left.

"Thanks," Rin said as she rubbed her wrists, trying to get feeling back into them. She said it with a slightly sarcastic edge in her voice that she didn't even bother to try and hide.

If he had noticed it, he didn't say anything about it. "We'll get your stuff and head out. We start tomorrow."

"Why tomorrow?"

"There's a dinner I need to attend tonight and unfortunately, that means you will have to come along." He turned to the door. "Shall we get a move on?"

"Oh well, when you put it like that," she said with more obvious sarcasm as she stood up from the bed.

"I see you have more of your mother in you then your father," he remarked shortly before walking out the door of the cell.

She went after him in a furious pace. "Like you knew them," she said back.

"No to one, unfortunately yes to the other." He didn't bother to turn around and look at her as he walked down the corridor, his sword tapping the ground as he walked.

His lack of an actual reply just made her irritated. "Who the hell are you anyway?"

"Does it matter?"

"Considering I'm being forced to work under your command for the duration of this mission? Yes. Who are you?" she repeated herself.

"The name is Naruto."

She stopped in midstride and looked at his back with widening eyes. "As in…Naruto Uzumaki?" she dared to ask.

"Yes," he said without looking back at her. He only stopped when it sounded like her body had fallen to the ground. But when he turned around, he saw that she was kneeling like she was speaking to the Hokage. "What are you doing?"

"Forgive my attitude and my ignorance, Lord Naruto," she said with a bowed head. "I did not know."

"What are you going on about?"

"You are Naruto Uzumaki, the Shinobi Kikan! The man who ended the Akatsuki threat! The slayer of Orochimaru! The last of the Konoha Twelve!"

Her head was still bowed so he couldn't see her face. But if he to bet money, he would bet that she had a face of awe on her face. _"Oh good grief,"_ he thought to himself.

Meanwhile, the Kyūbi was laughing. **"Of all the outcomes we had guessed over the years, you never thought of this!"** he declared while still laughing. **"She's a fan! You're being hero-worshiped by a fan!"**

"_Would you stop already?"_ his Jinchūriki asked him.

"**Are you kidding? I don't think I'm ever going to stop!"** This time, he fell to the floor and rolled around on his back, still laughing at the supposed hilarity of it all.

To the blonde, however, it wasn't that funny. In fact, it bordered on the disturbing side of things. Fortunately, he knew just how to correct that. "You seem to have forgotten two of my titles," he told the Konoha kunoichi.

She finally raised her head. "I did?"

He nodded curtly. "Yes. You forgot to mention the Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi and the village's all-time favorite, the Kyūbi Brat." He eyed her as he spoke, wondering what her reaction would be.

She couldn't meet his gaze which showed that she knew what those titles meant. "Ah…of course, sir," she finally said.

"Get up already. You look ridiculous kneeling like that." She did as she was told and got up off the ground. They stood there in silence for a moment. "So, your father told you about me."

By the way he said it; she knew that it wasn't a question but rather a statement. "Yes, he and my sensei," she said in reply.

"And do I know your sensei?" he asked.

She nodded and said, "Sakura Haruno."

While that sent Kurama off into more gales of laughter, Naruto did not say anything in reply to it. "We have a dinner to go to." That was the only thing he said before turning around and walking again. She followed, watching his back with a new eye.

(Location: Uzumaki apartment)

The morning after the dinner on Air Temple Island, Arashi saw the foreigner training on the roof of the apartment building. He watched from the barely opened doorway, hoping that she didn't see him. She had been quiet all through the evening last night, not even touching her food. But she had been interesting to him and now, his interest was doubled as he watched her.

She was keeping her focus on the training dummies that Jiji had set up a long time ago on the roof, using a kunai just like he had. But she was using it in ways that he had never been shown. The way it cut through the air as she fought imaginary enemies, it kinda reminded him of water flowing. And the way that she flipped it from one hand to the other whilst also using shuriken (which he had seen in Jiji's study but never allowed to touch) was simply fascinating to watch.

"_Wow, I wish I could fight like that,"_ he thought to himself as he watched her deliver a kick that surely would've shattered her opponent's jaw. Then she suddenly spun around, crouching low and throwing a kunai at one of the dummies. She threw another at the first, knocking it off course and making them both tumbling through the air. Her hand dipped into a pouch on her back and she pulled out a shuriken, throwing at the dummy right in the middle. It struck home just as the kunai did to the dummies on either side of it.

"Agni's flaming ball sack," he whispered. That was amazing; there was no other word to describe it. He would've never have thought to do something like that if he had shuriken!

The woman, who was the midst of folding her hands into some kind of weird gesture, suddenly froze. Then she whipped around, her hands blurring with amazing speed. **"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"** she spoke aloud before breathing out an incredibly large fireball. It looked like it was flying right at the door leading into the building.

Arashi let out an unmanly yelp and shut the door close. He fell down on his butt and did not move from the spot. He could've sworn that the door felt really hot for a brief second. He also felt sweat on his forehead. "Alright, whoever is behind that door, come out right now," he heard the woman order. "That was a warning shot. The next one won't be!"

"_You mean you missed on purpose?"_ he silently asked. The door didn't feel so hot now but the sweat was still on his head. She could be telling the truth or she could be lying. Then again, it was possible that the sweat was just him, not the fireball.

"I'm going to start to counting," she called out.

It was probably a very good idea not to let that even start. "Wait, I'm coming out!" he shouted through the door. He stood back up on his feet and pushed it opened, quickly walking out to onto the roof. "Sorry, sorry," he apologized as he walked across the gravel, feeling crunch beneath his feet.

She had her hands in that strange gesture again but she didn't move them. She actually looked surprised to see him. "Lord Naruto's grandson?" she said.

"Just call me Arashi," he insisted. What she said made it sound way too formal for his liking.

"What are you doing up here?"

"I didn't see you when I woke up and I was curious about you," he answered honestly. "I saw you train. That was awesome! I've never seen anything like that!"

Oddly enough, instead of being flattered, she looked a little confused. "Really?" she asked. "Surely, your grandfather has taught you."

"Well, yeah. I mean, he's taught me how to use a kunai but nothing like you just did. Man, I wish I could that stuff. And I didn't know you were a Firebender too." Now it was his turn to be confused. "Aren't you from a place that doesn't have Benders?"

"You're right. What I was doing wasn't Bending, it was a jutsu."

"A jutsu?" he repeated, testing the word out on his own tongue. It sounded strange and yet at the same, familiar. "What is that?"

"It is the art of utilizing one's chakra to use in battle. By using molding my chakra and using a series of handseals," she held the gesture he had seen, "I am able to use a jutsu."

"Huh, that's sounds…kinda cool. Is that all to it?"

"No, that would only be the basics."

"There's more?"

He sounded quite interested by her words and she had to smile. "Yes, there is more."

"Any chance you can tell me what it is?"

"Of course I can. There are three main categories of jutsu I can use. They are Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, and Taijutsu."

"And what are they? Was that fireball one of them?"

"Yes, it was. That was a Katon, or Fire Style, jutsu, which is one of the main elements for Ninjutsu."

He began to think about what she had told him, going over the words in his head "Hmm, so if fire is a part of Ninjutsu, then that must mean it is not the only elements that can be used." He looked up at her. "That must mean that the other three elements, Earth, Water, and Air, are used through Ninjutsu. Since you're not a Bender that could possibly mean that you could use more than one element."

"_He's a smart kid. I only told him about one element that could be used for Ninjutsu and already he's theorizing that there are more,"_ Rin thought to herself. "Not bad, Arashi," she told him. "But you are wrong on two points, minor as they are."

"What are they?" He didn't sound disappointed that he had gotten something wrong, instead he sounded interested. It was a rare thing for the kunoichi of her experience to hear.

"With Ninjutsu, there are five elements not four. We have Lightning as the fifth. And for us, it is not Air but rather Wind," she explained.

"Oh, okay." The name difference of Air and Wind made sense to him but the Lightning one might take some time to wrap his head around. They have five elements instead of four? It sounded a bit backwards to him. But what was he going to do about it? It was just best to move on. "So, what's the next one you were talking about?"

"You mean Genjutsu. It's different then Ninjutsu in that it doesn't use the elements to attack. Instead, it utilizes chakra to make illusions and to distract the senses," she explained.

"So, you could make me go blind or deaf or something like that?" he asked, wanting to be sure.

"Yes, I could. With Genjutsu, I could also make you believe that you're currently standing in a meadow with clear blue skies overhead and a beaming sun shining down on you."

He looked at her for a moment longer and then looked around. They were by no means in a meadow (in fact, there wasn't a blade of grass in sight) and the sky overhead was a cloudy grey that seemed to say it would rain later. _"So Genjutsu would be the subtle one,"_ he thought while he saw all this and considered her description. "And the third?" he asked Rin, bringing his attention back to her.

"That would be Taijutsu or simply, martial arts,"

"You mean like what you were doing just now?"

"Yes."

"Do you think you could teach me how to do some of that stuff?" he asked eagerly and with an interested gleam in his eyes.

Now she was hesitant about it. He might be the grandson of the Shinobi Kikan, but from what she had just heard it didn't sound like he had been trained to be a shinobi. "I'm not so sure about that."

"Come on, please? I just want to do some of the things you did with the kunai. I know how to handle one, but I've never seen anything like what you did with it."

She eyed him. "You know how to use a kunai?"

"Yeah, Jiji taught me some things. Want me to show you?"

"…Sure, why not?" she finally said. She watched in silence as he pulled out his kunai and began showing her what he knew. _"He does know how to handle it properly,"_ she silently noted. He only knew the basic motions, but he knew them well enough to be at ease with the motions. What had her interest was his face. He was solely concentrated on the kunai on his hand. He wasn't showing off like she had seen Genin his age do. He knew that what he held was a deadly weapon and treated it so.

"Well?" he asked after delivering the last thrust, letting the kunai-bearing arm fall to his side.

"Not bad, kid, for an amateur," she finally told him. "You got some skill with it. Not a lot, but some."

"Thanks." He paused and then looked down at the kunai in his hand. For a long second, he just looked at it. "Hey, that thing you did with the two kunai," he finally said, gesturing towards the dummies and the weaponry buried in them. "Is it just about timing or is it how you move your wrist?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "I don't think you have enough skill to do that now."

He scowled at her. "I'm not trying to show it to you. I'm asking you how you did it."

"Fair enough," she conceded. "It's a combination of timing and where you hit it. Get either of those wrong and the kunais will not be going where you want them to."

"What if you get neither of them right?"

"You're either a Genin, or you should not be a shinobi."

"A Genin?" he repeated. "What's that?"

"The lowest rank of a shinobi," she promptly told him.

"Okay." That word really didn't mean anything to him. "What's this chakra you were talking about, by the way?"

She looked at him again with a surprised expression on her face. "You mean to say that Lord Naruto hasn't taught you about chakra?"

He could've come back with a snarky and sarcastic reply but then he remembered that this was a woman who could easily kill him without even actually trying. It was probably for the best to answer honestly. "No, I haven't heard it until you first said the word. What is it?"

Now this was truly a surprise. She would've thought a grandson of Naruto Uzumaki would already be trained as a shinobi by the man himself. But the kid didn't even know about chakra. Well, if he wanted to know, she would let him know. "Chakra is what a shinobi gets when he molds their physical and spiritual energies together and makes a complete new kind of energy. And before you ask," she said when she saw the questioning look on his face, "Physical energy comes from your body's cells and spiritual energy comes from your mind and its consciousness."

"So in order to increase your capacity to have chakra, you would have to work on those two things," he said to himself, thinking it over. "You would probably have to keep active to increase your physical energy and study or meditate to work on your spiritual. Wait, hang on," he said before she could answer him. "There's most likely a second option, which is just keeping using your chakra again and again."

Rin was impressed. She had only explained what chakra was and he was already guessing on ways to amplify and increase said chakra. _"I think that I've got a genius on my hands,"_ she thought to herself. The question now was whether she should try and train him to be a shinobi? She didn't even know if he had chakra or not. Then again, that had never stopped Might Guy or Rock Lee, if she had heard the stories right (and she had, since they came from her father).

Well, it couldn't hurt to show him a few basic things. "Hey, kid," she said to Arashi, getting his attention. "How would you like to learn how to throw one of these things?" She held up one of her shuriken.

"Really?" he asked with interest obvious in his voice.

"Of course," she answered.

"Then here, take one." She held the shuriken out for him to take and he took it.

That was how Naruto found them both an hour later. He watched from where his grandson had first watched, from behind the door. The way the two of them acted together as she taught Arashi how to throw a shuriken was such a familiar sight that he had to blink to make sure he wasn't looking at the past.

He wasn't the only one. **"Well isn't that a sight to see?"** Kurama asked rhetorically. **"Having Déjà** **vu already, gaki?"**

"_Yes,"_ he replied shortly.

But that didn't stop him. In fact, it seemed to encourage him. **"I can't blame you for it. Watching them is like looking at the past, albeit with more brains on the blonde's part."**

"_How many times are you going to remind me of that?"_

"**Kit, there is no denying the fact that you were an idiot when you started training under Kakashi. Sure, you got smarter as you learned, but I had to practically beat it out of you when you started learning from me."**

The blonde didn't say anything in reply, so the fox didn't continue with the line of thought. The two of them stood there in silence, watching his grandson handle a shuriken with ease. _"He's good,"_ Naruto admitted.

"**Yeah, he is,"** the Kyūbi agreed. **"Perhaps once this is all over, he should go with her back to Konoha."**

"_And why would I let that happen?"_ It was a rhetorical question but one that demanded an answer, because there was no way he would willingly let Arashi travel to the Elemental Countries.

"**So he can be trained as a shinobi. He's got the skill to be one."**

"_In case you haven't noticed, he can't use chakra."_

"**First off, that never stopped the two green weirdos and you and I both know it."** He briefly shuddered at the memory of the two.** "Secondly, whether he can or can't use chakra is unknown because you refuse to test him on it."**

"_And what would happen if he had chakra?"_ He knew the answer, but he hoped it would be something else.

It wouldn't. **"You would realize that he had it and would promptly start to train him as a shinobi. Actually, let me rephrase that, train him **_**more**_** as a shinobi. You're already doing it."**

He would've liked to argue that point, except for the fact that it was true. It was something that he had only recognized the days after Amon, when he was thinking of stepping up the training. He had already taught Arashi the basic stances and moves that he had learned from the Academy as well as teaching him how to use a kunai, both of which he learned easily.

Now, there was a kunoichi from Konoha teaching him how to throw a shuriken on the roof of the apartment complex. And it looked like he was handling them easily. The fox was right; his grandson did have the skill to be a shinobi, but not if he had anything to say about it. With a push from his Zanpakutō, he opened the door and walked out onto the roof.

(Location: Republic City Memorial Hospital)

"Okay, there you go," Korra told the Earthbender as she withdrew her hands from his head and shoulder.

"My thanks, Avatar Korra," he said as he stood up from his chair, feeling whole again. "I'll be able to get my job back at the quarry again now that my Bending's back."

She smiled. "I'm glad for you." He walked out of the room she was sitting in, a small room where patients would meet with the doctor. As he walked out, a nurse walked in. "Send in the next one."

"Do you need a break?" the nurse asked.

She moved her shoulders around. "No, I'm good."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," she said.

The nurse nodded and turned to leave, only to pause. "Avatar Korra," she said, turning back to look at her, "forgive me if I go too far."

The Tribeswoman looked at her. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, are you sure that you are the only one who could do this?"

"You mean this healing?" The nurse nodded. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure that I am. Only the Avatar has been able to wield this kind of power." And a good thing that was too. Who knew what would happen if anyone could wield it?

"It can't be taught?"

At that, Korra paused. Could it be taught? She didn't really learn it herself. Aang had just passed the knowledge onto her and she knew it instantly. The thing was that she knew that if she had tried to learn it any other, she would've struggled and probably would have just give up. So it was very likely that any potential student would be the same as her.

"Even if it could, it's best not to do so," she finally said to the nurse.

"Oh, I see." Even though she said those words, it didn't really sound like she meant it. She probably thought that the Avatar was lying.

"Why are you even wondering about this kind of thing anyway?" said Avatar asked her.

"I just hope to help you ease the burden of your task. You've seen how many people are waiting out there for you to heal them. Surely you don't have to be the only one who can do it. And perhaps…" She trailed off at the end, uncertainty overriding the eagerness in her voice.

"Perhaps what?" Korra asked, looking at her with a slight frown.

"Perhaps if Bloodbending took their Bending away, it might also be able to…restore them?" she finally offered.

The Avatar stood up from her chair in such a move that she sent the chair crashing to the ground. The sound it made echoed in the room and beyond but she didn't hear it. "Are you seriously telling me that you think if those people have their blood bent again, they might have their Bending restored?" she all but shouted.

"It, it was just a theory!" the nurse protested, cowering at the sight of an angry Avatar.

"Do you have any idea what it's like to have your blood bent? To have your control over your own body be ripped away from you!?" she demanded. "I am not going to put those people through that feeling again, do you understand me!? It's not going to happen!"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to overstep my bounds!"

Before she would do something that she might regret, Korra forced herself to calm down even when she wanted to punch the nurse for her stupidity. "Just send in the next one," she said between clenched teeth, almost growling the sentence.

"O-of course, Avatar Korra."

She stared intently at the nurse's backside as she left, still angry at the mere suggestion of Bloodbending being used again. This was why Katara and the others had made sure that once knowledge of it got out (as it always did); it would be known as forbidden. To have control over someone's body like that was something no person should ever have. It was just wrong.

Also, it cast suspicions on the Waterbenders in the city. She knew that they tried to hide it when she was near, but she had seen the looks of disgust and hate directed at Waterbenders, both Bloodbent and not. That kind of thing couldn't afford to happen.

She bent down to pick up her fallen chair just as the door was opening. The first thing she heard after that was, "Now that is a fine ass."

She stood up and whipped around to look at a man who was old enough to be her father standing at the door. "Excuse me?" she asked.

"Whoa, hang on," he said, rising his hands up. "It was just a compliment. I'm sure you've gotten several about it."

"No, I haven't." She had gotten some small compliments about her looks from some of the younger men but they didn't go any further than that. They were much more interested in getting what was lost back. It didn't help that not only was this man old enough to be her father; he also seemed to scream "creep."

He was an Earthbender, going by the color of his clothing. Unlike the patient before him, he was shorter and smaller but his clothing was richer (if not dirty). He also had a shifty look on him that made Korra feel uneasy and a gaze in his eyes that made her feel really uncomfortable. There was something about this guy that made her feel like she needed to take a bath, more so since he said that.

But he needed healing and she would provide the healing. She just didn't need to be polite about it now. He lost that nicety with his comment. "Come in and sit down," she told him.

"You got it, doll," he replied with a grin that made her want to gag as he slammed the door closed with his foot. He strode into the room with a confidence she could tell was forced almost immediately. He sat down and turned his back to her. "Make it snappy, will ya? I got a lunch meeting to get to."

"Lunch was over two hours ago."

"Come on, doll. I don't have all day here." He snapped his fingers at her without even looking.

She had a very strong urge to strangle the guy but stopped himself. What would be the point? He wasn't the first one to treat this like it was a normal medical procedure. Others had done it and she thought it helped them get through it, or something like that. He was, however, the first to treat like she was some kind of cigarette girl. Now that was just insulting but it also told her that he probably didn't really respect women that much.

She stifled a growl and just moved towards him, ready to bring back his Bending. But as she got closer to him, the feeling of needing to take a bath changed into one that told her what she was doing was a bad idea. As she stopped, Yue's question back to her.

"_Should I give this person their Bending back?"_

It was a question that she still wasn't sure about. But now seemed like the best place to see if she could answer it. "Hey come on, woman. I got places to be," the man snapped at her. "I know that you're slow and all, but this is not something that should take this long!"

Settling herself with a determined mind, she walked up to his back and turned him around with a firm hand. "Listen up, pal," she said to him as he looked at her with surprised eyes. "You want to walk out of here without getting your Bending back, keep up with that attitude."

He didn't look threatened by her words. In fact, he didn't look like he cared. "Yeah, yeah, can we please move this along now?" he asked as he yawned right in front of her face.

"_Nice try, but I'm in control of this situation,"_ Korra thought to herself. And if he didn't know it, he was an idiot. She stepped back and then sat down in her chair. "First off, we're going to talk a little," she told him.

"What the hell is this?" he demanded.

"This is me making sure that you deserve to get your Bending back. Now, tell me what you do for a living."

"Woman, I ain't got time to be fooling around with you."

"I'm not fooling around. Tell me what it is that you do."

He rolled his eyes, obviously finding this to be completely worthless. But what could he do? She was the one who could restore his Bending, not him. So, might as well go with her suggestion. "I run a protection service in the boroughs." That was a safe answer he thought. Most broads bought it.

"Oh really?" she asked him.

"_Ha, she bought it. What an idiot,"_ he silently declared with triumph. Now all he had to do was lay it on thick. "Oh yeah, I was well known in the streets. People knew me and fe…respected me when I walked past. I was on my way to making my business bigger and better when those terrible Equalists got me and dragged me to Amon. I fought the bastards every step of the way but Amon still took my Bending away." He sent her a pitiful look. "I've heard that the Avatar has the power to cure those who were attacked by Amon."

"Yeah, I do."

"Then please, help me, dollface." He placed his hand on her knee. "Give me back my Bending. Let me go back to what I do best."

She leveled him with a hard glare as she jerked the hand off her knee. "You mean extorting innocent civilians for protection money and then ruining their lives when they don't pay up?"

At that he laughed, but it sounded a little forced. "Oh come, babe. Don't go thinking that you know things that you don't. I already told you—"

"Save it. I didn't get off the boat yesterday," she snapped, cutting him off. "I ran into the same thing you were doing the day I _did_ get off the boat!" It also helped that Mako had taught her some choice words to look out for when dealing with the criminal side of the city. "I might be young, but I'm not an idiot. Once you lost your Bending, you lost your power, didn't you?"

His smile slipped off his face and was replaced with a frown. "Now listen here, doll—"

"My name isn't doll or dollface or woman. It's _Korra_. And you're really not giving yourself points for thinking that just because I'm a woman, you're better than me. Please remember, pal, that I am the _Avatar_!" She stood up from the chair. "Get out."

"What?" he said caught off-guard by those words.

"You heard me. Get out of here." She walked over to the door.

"But…but my Bending!"

"You're not getting it back."

"I need it!"

"Tough, you're not getting it." She opened the door and looked out. "Hey, you can send the next one in!"

A hand grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her away, throwing her into the chair. She smashed it to pieces as she fell to the ground, surprised and caught-off guard by the sudden attack. Before she could even get back up, the man was on top of her with his hands around her neck. His grip started tightening and she began to lose air.

"You bitch!" he shouted, spitting on her face. "You think that just because you're the Avatar, you're better than me? You're nothing but a Water Tribe whore! You should be honored that I bothered to come down here to receive your healing!" He kept tightening his grip on her, intent on ending her. His mind did make the observation that without her, he would be able to get his Bending back but he didn't care. She had disrespected him and he would make her see her place.

Korra struggled, trying to get him off her. But he was an Earthbender, which meant that he had plenty of strength to hold her down and keep her there. As she lost more and more air, she started to panic. _"Is this it?"_ she asked herself as her vision began to darken. But even as she asked herself that question, she knew the answer and it burned a new resolve into her. _"Like hell it is!"_

Clenching her hand into a fist, she slammed it into the floor, bending it to her will. It wasn't proper earth but it would have to do for the moment if she wanted to get him off of her. The floor jutted up at an angle, hitting him in the side with a column.

It worked. He hadn't expected it so he took it where it was supposed to hit and fell off of her. Korra didn't waste any time. She leapt for the door and pulled it open. But then he recovered just as quickly and slammed into her, closing the door loudly. He grabbed hold of her and threw her against the wall left of him.

"Oh no, you don't, bitch," he told her. "I told you, you're going to learn your place and give me the proper respect." He then looked up and down her body, his face becoming more and more lecherous as he took in her curves, hips, breasts, everything. "And I know just how to do it."

"Let me go!" she shouted, trying to break free of his grip. But he had them pinned against the wall and his knee was right in between her legs, stopping her from going anywhere.

He slapped her hard across the face. "Shut up, whore! Consider yourself lucky for what's about to happen!" His free hand went to the belt on his pants. She knew what was about to happen in his mind and began struggling even more, only to get another slap across the face. "I said stop moving!"

The door to the room burst open and the man was pulled off of her. She sank to the floor and instantly folded her legs up close to her body. "Get him out of here!" she heard one of the nurses yell faintly, like she was in the distance rather than right in front of her.

"Let me go! Do you know who I am?!" the man demanded as he fought to get out the grip two burly nurses had him in. He wasn't successful and they all but dragged him out of the room.

Korra just sat there, focusing on breathing in and out and going over what had just happened in her head. He was going to rape her. He was going to do that to her, because she was a woman and he felt that she was beneath him. She was the Avatar and he was going to rape her because she was a woman! _"Oh Spirits, I think I'm going to be sick."_ Already she could feel bile rising up in her stomach.

"Avatar Korra, are you okay?" one of the nurses asked, kneeling down beside her.

She looked up to see that it was the same nurse that had asked her about Bloodbending. "What do you think?" she snapped at her. "Do you think I'm okay?!"

She flinched back, realizing that it was a stupid question. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

The Avatar wanted to be angry at her but she could not keep it up. She kept coming back to what happened. The bile was still in her stomach and she felt like she was going to hurl at any second. It was all she could to keep down there. "I, I…I'm done for the day," she finally said.

Thankfully, the nurse didn't bother to ask anymore stupid sounding questions. She only nodded and stood back. "Tell the rest of people who're waiting to go home. The Avatar is done for the day." The rest of them left the room quickly. "Do you need help?"

"No, I…I can managed." She stood back up onto her own feet. She walked out of the room and into the hallway. It was painted a light blue, both to signify that it had been built by Tribesmen and to give patients a happy feeling. But it wasn't working for her.

She walked down the hallway in the other direction she had originally come from. She didn't want to face the men and women who had come to be healed by her. She knew it would take longer to go this way and get down to the lobby, but she still didn't want them to see her. She just wanted to get out of there.

When she finally reached the lobby she forced herself not to run out the doors to find the nearest safe place and hide. Those were all too far away (there was Lord Naruto's apartment, but she still felt nervous around the man). She opened the doors slowly and stepped outside. The day went on without really noticing her. To the casual glance, she was just another woman coming out of the hospital.

She took the steps down onto the street. The first thing she saw was some kind of new contraption. It was a telephone that could be used by anyone. Some rich inventor guy heard of the phone and developed even further. He claimed that it would help the city grow even farther.

But she didn't care about that. It wasn't important. She stepped into the booth and picked up the receiver. She heard the dial tone as she began flicking in the number she wanted to call. _"Come on, come on,"_ she thought as she kept hearing the dial tone. Then she noticed the small slot next to the phone, big enough to put coins in, and the writing next to it.

"_Are you serious? I have to _pay_ to call someone?"_ That was completely ridiculous! But as the dial tone kept ringing in her ear and she kept staring at the slot, she realized that there wasn't really anything she could to do protest. She dug into her pockets, looking around for some kind of change.

She was lucky enough to find some and she pulled them out. With a hand that began to shake, the coins disappeared into the slot. Then she started dialing again. This time, the phone began ringing. _"Please pick up. Please pick up. Please pick up."_

"Councilman Tenzin's office, Councilman Tenzin speaking," the voice of her Airbending teacher spoke through the receiver. She was never so glad to hear it.

"Tenzin, it's me," she said in reply.

"Korra?" he repeated, sounding surprised.

"Yeah, I'm at the hospital. Can you pick me up please?"

There was a tired sigh at the other end. "Korra, I am about to go into the Council chambers and begin the meeting that will affect the United Republic. I'm sorry, but I can't come and get you now. Besides, I'm sure that you are able to get back to the island on your own."

That last sentence was a gentle reminder and a rebuke. She knew that. But she still wanted him to come and get her. "Tenzin, please come and get me?" She didn't mean to make it sound like a question. It just came out that way and she cursed herself for sounding so weak.

"Korra, I can't. You know what's happening, you were told at the dinner."

"I know, I know. But I wouldn't be calling you like this if I wasn't serious. Please, come pick me up." Her voice trembled at the end there.

He must've heard it. "Did something happen at the hospital?"

"…Yes."

"What happened, Korra?" His voice was still gentle but now it had taken a tone of urgency.

"A-a criminal came in to be healing. When I told him no and said to go away, he got angry. And then he," she swallowed a gulp of air before continuing, "he tried to force himself o-on me."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone and she was half-afraid that he would hang up on her. "Bumi and I coming over right now on Oogi," he finally said. "You stay right there until we get there and take you back to the island."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you," she said into the phone before putting it back on the receiver. A part of her wanted to just stay in the booth until they got there. But the rest of her knew that wasn't a good idea. So she got out of the booth and made her way back to the hospital lobby.

(Location: Triple Threat Triad)

Viper was not a man who was not scared by a lot of things. In fact, it was a very short list, something that he was quite proud of. But as he sat before his former boss's father-in-law and trying to act calmly, he was becoming quite scared. He was one of the few who understood why Zolt never tried extorting the man (how could they when he could destroy the triad without even flinching?).

"So, what does the Paragon of the Fire Nation, his grandson, and a lovely lady want to do with the Triple Threat?" he asked as he pretended to eat his lunch. The lady was indeed lovely. She was also foreign and exotic but dangerous too. He could just feel it.

The little brat of the three just rolled his eyes. "We all know you're not really eating lunch, Viper. You can stop pretending now," he said.

He paused before putting his chopsticks down. "Watch your mouth, kid. Your uncle ain't in charge of the Triad anymore."

"Was that a threat against my grandson?" Naruto asked with a calm tone voice while drawing his weapon an inch from the scabbard.

A trickle of fear slid down his backside at the question and the sight of steel, but he forced himself to stay calm. "I was making a simple statement. You can't fault me for that." The old guy conceded the point (thankfully) and slid his sword home. "Now, what do you guys want?"

"We want to know who you sold those stands you modified to," the woman demanded.

To that, he scoffed. "What stands? In case you haven't noticed, sweetheart, we're not a factory here."

"Viper, we know that the Triad has bought a lot of stands from Cabbage Corp and installed a secret compartment in them," Naruto said to him.

"So? There's nothing illegal with that."

"That would depend on what is put in the compartments."

He snorted. "If you wanted to arrest me, you'd have the cops with you."

"I'm not here to arrest you, Viper. We just want the information of who you sold the stands to."

"And why should I give it to you?"

"Because right now, I'm asking nicely," the Paragon answered curtly. "And for all I know, the Triad might be involved in child-kidnapping and brainwashing."

"…What?" he demanded after a shocked moment of pause. "What did you just say?" The entire restaurant (full of Triad members) was staring at them now.

"Someone has been kidnapping children, brainwashing them, and then shipping them out to the other side of the planet to be sold. Now, I have to wonder if the Triple Threat Triad has anything to do with this."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on a minute!" He stood up from the table angrily. "The Triad is many things, I will admit to that. But we do not, nor will we ever, stoop to kidnapping children. Any that comes to us is of their volition." They may be criminals, but they had standards!

The old guy smiled at that. "Then you won't have any trouble giving us the information on the stands you sold and who to."

He had a point there, as much as Viper didn't want to concede it. "Fine, I'll give you the info. Ping!"

"On it, boss!" shouted Two-toed Ping as he leapt from his seat and ran for the stairs. It didn't take long for him to come running back with a stack of papers that was thick enough to qualify for a book. He reached his boss's side and the stack out.

Arashi took it from him without saying a word, only a look from his grandfather. "We'll be going now," Naruto told Viper. "Thank you for the help." They turned to leave the restaurant. At the door, the Fire Paragon looked back at the Triad. "I would appreciate it if you guys made a nuisance of yourselves to whoever is doing this. It will probably end this whole thing faster."

No one said a word after he left. No one said a word for ten minutes after he was gone. "Quick-draw! Hard-top! Crack-shot!" shouted Viper.

"Boss!" shouted the respective Firebender, Earthbender, and Waterbender.

"Get your asses out there and spread the word around the Triad. Tell them to keep a lookout for any kids getting snatched and prevent them from happening at all costs! This ends now!"

* * *

"Are you sure you can trust those criminals?" Rin asked Naruto as they stood in his apartment in front of a large board. The board already had information about the discovered names and locations tacked on, spread all around a large map of Republic City.

"That incarnation of the Triple Threat Triad?" he asked in return, "about as far as I could throw them. But they know the story of the Triad's beginning, so I can trust in the fact that they will keep watch for any attempted kidnappings."

"Hang on; there was an original incarnation of the Triad?" Arashi asked from where he sat on the floor with his back to the sofa.

"Yeah, it came out of a war in the early days of the Republic," his grandfather said shortly, more focused on the board. "Alright, I've got clones scouting the names and places the police found as I speak."

"What have they learned?" Rin asked him.

"The names are from all levels of society in this city, from people working for the Council and people who live on the streets."

"There were only twenty five names on that list."

"Well, it covers a lot of levels."

"What's the connection between all of them and the kidnapped children?"

"Aside from being on the merchant's list, I don't know." And that was a little frustrating for him.

"What about the locations?" Arashi asked, making them both turn to look at him. "Well, you said that you've got clones watching both the people and the locations."

"Indeed, I did," his grandfather said.

"He knows about the **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**?" Rin said to him with surprise.

"Of course he does. I don't hide what I can do from my grandson."

She didn't reply to that, mainly because she didn't have a response to it. He used his abilities but his grandson did not have any, let alone chakra? She doubted that, she doubted it very much. She was brought of her musing when Arashi asked, "Then what about the locations?"

"They're spread out all over the city and they seemed to be the only place where even a few of those names congregate. One of them was at the docks."

"That's right," Rin said, nodding her head in agreement. "I remember seeing people meet with the dock worker." She had been hiding on the roof of a nearby container, watching the dock worker going about his second business.

"A lot of people meet with dock workers," Arashi told her. He had seen it plenty of times whenever he went down to the docks.

"Not a lot of people meet with him after his shift, which was during the day. He stayed at the docks 'til the early hours of night, meeting a few people."

"And I'm guess that after killing him, you followed them?" Naruto asked.

"Yes," she answered without shame. She had done what she had to do; there was no shame in it.

"Did you learn anything?"

"Not a lot. The only good lead I had was the merchant. He met most with the dock worker, he was on my list and he was on the dock worker's list."

"And after following the merchant, you killed him. I can't say I'm impressed by your self-restraint."

"I had no choice," she protested.

"Right," he replied with obvious sarcasm, drawing out the word.

To his surprise, Arashi came to her defense. "Jiji, that's a little unfair to her."

He turned and looked at his grandson. "And what makes you say that?"

"Well, we didn't exactly see the crime ourselves. I mean, she could've tried to talk to him about what happened and he might have tried killing her with a knife or something, so she reacted first."

"Ironically enough that is _exactly_ what happened," Rin said.

While the fox snickered in his head, Naruto just turned his attention back onto the board. There was a lot of information here and probably a lot of it was going to be useless. There was no doubt that this wasn't going to be take care of in a matter of days. It was more likely that it was going to be weeks.

"**Didn't think you would be a complainer,"** the Kyūbi remarked, knowing what his host was thinking.

"_I'm not,"_ he replied. He just knew that things were not going to be short and easy. Then again, they weren't like that since the Academy. Things were certainly simpler then. All he wanted was to be Hokage and be respected. Now he was respected (and feared in some places) and he wanted nothing to do with Konoha, let alone being Hokage.

"**And yet, you're working with a Konoha kunoichi."**

"_Thank you for the obvious statement there, furball."_

"**You're welcome."**

As he kept staring at the board, a rush of information entered his head. One of the clones had dispelled itself and its memories were now his. "Hm, that's interesting."

"What is it?" Arashi asked him.

"One of the clones passed on information. We've got two people on the lists, a banker and a janitor." Between the two, the dock worker's list was more fleshed out then Rin's. Hers just had names and places, with no details attached. His had descriptions and job details of each person he had met with. "They're meeting outside one of the locations, a warehouse in the Twin Fish borough."

"Shouldn't we get going?"

"No, the clone followed them in but they vanished. Considering they went into a warehouse wide enough for two two-storied houses and tall enough to add in another on top, it's going to take time to search the place to find out where they went. We shouldn't focus on one thing, but keep an eye on all things." Then he turned around to fully look at Arashi. "And what's with this we?"

"Isn't it the plural form of I?" his grandson asked with a completely straight.

Rin was able to stop the snigger from coming out of her mouth. But she could admit that it was funny. "…You've spent too much time with me," the Fire Paragon finally said.

"I am your grandson."

He sighed, conceding the point. "Alright, at this point, there's nothing we can do. So, if you'll excuse me, I have to go train my student."

"I will keep an eye on your grandson, Lord Naruto," Rin said with a respectful bow of her head as he turned from the board and began walking to the door. "I want to see if he can learn any new things."

"Don't go overboard. If I get anything, I'll contact you."

"Uh…my lord, you don't have my phone number."

"Yes I do. I stole it off you."

She was surprised and it showed. "But…when?"

"When you weren't looking, obviously," he answered as he opened the door to the apartment and walked out.

"Don't worry," Arashi told her as the door closed with a _SLAM!_ "A lot of people have that kind of reaction with Jiji."

"You sound impressed," she noted, regaining her coolness and calm.

"Are you kidding? I want to do that when I grow up."

(Location: Air Temple Island)

Both Mako and Bolin burst through the door, causing a loud ruckus as they did. "We're here, we're here!" Bolin shouted looking around frantically, trying to find his friend. He only saw Tenzin and Bumi in the room, clearly waiting for them.

"Where is she?" Mako asked Tenzin. They had come as soon they had been contacted, running from the apartment they had been looking at to catch the boat to the island.

"She's back there," the Airbender said, looking briefly at the door behind him.

The Firebender didn't need any more incentive. He walked past the two of them and opened the door. "Korra?" he said, stepping inside. The Avatar looked up from the bed she was sitting on and saw him coming. She did nothing in response. It was only when he sat down next to her that she leaned on him.

"Hey," she said quietly.

He looked at her sharply. That wasn't the response that he was expecting to hear. "What happened?"

"They didn't tell you?"

He shook his head. "No. All Tenzin said that a man tried to…rape you at the hospital." He didn't know if it was a safe thing to use the word but he didn't know how else to say it.

But she didn't freak out on him for it, which made him even more nervous. "A guy came in, looking to get his Bending back," she began to tell him. "I didn't like the way he was acting with me and something felt off about him. So I made him tell me what it was he did."

"What was it?"

"He ran a protection racket, although he tried to tell me that it was a protection service instead. But I knew he was lying and I called him on it. So I told him to leave."

She didn't say anything more. He felt her head lean into his shoulder and felt it go damp as she hugged him. There was no need to ask where the dampness came from or why she was holding him so tightly. He knew. The only thing he did in response was hold her just as tightly.

Bolin watched his brother and Korra hold onto one another. "I will be standing guard in the hospital from now on," he declared with a serious face. "I will be in the room with Korra as she heals them. I will protect her."

Both Tenzin and Bumi looked at him as he spoke those words. They caught a glimpse of the future. For in that moment, they did not see the Bolin they knew, a fun-loving, always-excited, sometimes-odd-and-weird-but-still lovable kind of boy. No, they saw the promise of the man he would grow up to be in the serious way he held his gaze at them and the way he set his jaw. He would hold that promise, they both knew it instantly.

"You will not be alone, Bolin," Tenzin said to him. "There's going to be changes at the hospital now."

"Patients are going to tell the nurses what and who they are to the nurses before they are even allowed to go near Korra," Bumi explained. That was one of the first things he and his brother agreed on after bringing Korra back.

"That's not good enough. I'm going to be there."

"We're not saying that you can't, kid."

The door opened again and Yue walked in. Without saying a word to Tenzin or Bumi, she walked right past them and into the next room. She knelt before Korra. "I heard what happened," she said to the Avatar. At that moment, she wasn't the Paragon of the Water Tribes. She was Korra's auntie.

The younger Tribeswoman lifted her head up from Mako's shoulder to look at her. She wasn't crying anymore but there were tear-stains on her cheeks. "I remembered your question," she told Yue. "I didn't think that it'd end like that."

She winced at those words. Korra didn't say them in an accusing manner, but it sure felt like it to her. "I know, but it did." She paused for a moment before speaking again. "Do you want me to call Tonraq and Senna?"

The Avatar shook her head rapidly. "No, I don't want them to know about this!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

"Alright then," she agreed. Then she threw a look back at Tenzin and Bumi, silencing any protests they might've had about this idea of hers. "Just remember, Korra, that you aren't alone. You have family here in Republic City."

She nodded in agreement even though she didn't look like she believed it. "…Do I have to go back to the hospital right away?" she asked.

"Not if you don't want to, Korra," Tenzin assured her. "And if you don't want to return at all, I understand."

"But I have to go back, Tenzin. All those people are waiting for me to heal them. I can't leave their hopes fall because of me." But she still kept seeing the guy holding her there, catching her so by surprise that she didn't even think to Bend.

"Why don't you take just a couple of days off?" Mako suggested to her. She could relax with him before going back.

She looked at him and smiled a little. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea."

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

I know that Naruto has a somewhat checkered past with Konoha and he wouldn't want anything to do with them, but that doesn't mean the same for them. In fact, I would say that on some level, the remaining members of the Konoha Eleven want him back. Since they can't that, they compensate by telling the better stories of him to their children.

Some of you are going to tell me that I shouldn't have put in that hospital scene because I didn't need it or the shock value of it. That is not the case, I didn't even think of it as a shock value while I wrote it. I am trying to make Korra grow as a character. I know that I'm basing this story off a cartoon but the cartoon had serious elements in it already. Why not expand and explore them?

The original idea I had for Arashi when I first came up with this sequel was that he was already being trained by Naruto to be a shinobi, chakra and all. But as I thought it over, I realized that it would've been too linear and I could change it. So I did and got Arashi a chance to be his own man in the process. Like the Kyūbi said, it's Déjà vu (but with some differences).

I'll see you all next chapter!


	16. Decisions and choices

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 16: Decisions and choices

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Arashi)

_Swish!_

_Thud!_

The hilt of the kunai vibrated from the aftereffects of being thrown at a training dummy. It hadn't stopped vibrating when Arashi grabbed hold and pulled it out to do it again. It wasn't the only one he pulled out of a dummy, collecting the second one as well before walking back to where he started.

"_Okay, you threw too early,"_ he told himself as he took his stance, eyeing the target in front of him. _"Wait just a few more seconds and you should be getting what you want."_ Of course, it was easier said than done. Already he could feel Rin's eyes on his back, watching everything he did.

Rin was watching him and everything he did, but with a sense of impressed amazement. She had been here only a week and had shown him the move twice before. Now already he was getting closer and closer to the sweet spot and she had no doubt that he would get it in a matter of days (if not that day itself).

"Do you want to try something else, Arashi?" she asked him before he threw the kunai again.

"Like what?" he asked back, turning to face her and lowering the kunai.

"How to throw kunai and shuriken in rapid-fire," the kunoichi told him. "Are you interested?"

"Yeah," he answered instantly.

She couldn't help but smile at that enthusiasm. The kid was soaking everything she taught him like a sponge. "Alright, here's what you do," she began. "First off, you need to keep your arms nice and loose, so you can move them at a faster pace. Hold them like this." She loosened up her shoulders and he mimicked her motions. "Well done. The next thing you want to do is keep your hands over the pouches that hold your weaponry." Hers was on her hips, one for each side.

"Time was that the weapons were kept in one pouch," Naruto remarked from where he stood off to the side with Asami beside him. They were both watching the blonde and the foreign train together. Asami was doing it as a learning experience. Her teacher, on the other hand, was watching to see how his grandson learned.

Rin looked over at the older man. "Things have changed since you've been in the Elemental Countries, my lord, especially after the Fourth Shinobi World War," she told him.

"Fair enough," he conceded. "Continue with your lesson."

She turned her head to look back at Arashi, who kept his shoulders loose. "Okay, I don't have any pouches," he said to her.

She just laughed lightly. "That can be easily fixed. But for now, just watch." She faced the target dummies, going silent. She swung her arms lightly once, and then went to work. To those who were not used to seeing such feats, her arms became a blur. Kunai and shuriken came flying out of her pouches and thrown at the targets incredibly fast. It looked like a hail of metal going from her hands to the dummies.

When she was done, there were enough kunai and shuriken in the dummies that if they were alive, they would be dead, no question about it. "Holy shit," Arashi said as he stared at the sight.

"Language," his grandfather told him. Then he turned to look at Asami. "So how did she do that?"

"She moved her arms very fast," she replied. She must be getting used to his out-of-nowhere questions because she wasn't caught off guard by it this time around.

"How?" he asked her.

"I…am not sure. Weights, I guess?" If she used weights, it might've worked. She had seen new workers in her father's workshop hauling heavy equipment around. They're able to do it more easily after a few months on the job then when they first come on.

"Plausible, but how would she apply them?"

"Could you please not talk about me like I'm some kind of experiment while I'm right here?" Rin asked them pointedly.

While Asami looked a little embarrassed to be called out like that, her teacher wasn't. "It's a training method I picked up. It helps keep one on their toes and makes them pay attention to details."

"Okay…" That was a method she had never heard of, so she really couldn't call him out on it. For all she knew, he was telling the truth.

"Hey, Jiji!" cut in Arashi. "What did you think about that?" He waved his arm at the dummies.

Naruto looked over at the dummies and every piece of weaponry imbedded in them. "Not bad. Could be better, but not bad," he finally commented.

"Not bad? Jiji, come on! Can you not see what she did?"

"Yes, I can. And it still needs work. Some of those throws were a bit wild and hit places that wouldn't do a lot of damage or pain," he explained as he gestured at the dummies. "Your aim needs works still," he told Rin. "It's not at the level it should be."

"Compared to whose? Yours?" she challenged him.

"No, compared to Tenten's." Even though he did not want to think about Konoha and its shinobi, he could (and would) admit that out of all of them, Tenten had the best aim. So she was the standard he held other people to.

"…Oh," she said, now feeling like an idiot. She had heard of Tenten as she grew up in the village and of her abilities with any kind of weapon. She had thought that he was using himself as basis of how she should but instead he was using someone he had not seen in a long time.

"Now, I'm not saying that it's all bad." He walked over to the dummies and began tapping the weapons with his Zanpakutō. "The point I made earlier only accounts to about ten to twelve percent of the weapons you've thrown. Considering how many kunai and shuriken that is in the dummies at the moment that is a small number. You could do worse."

"Well, how about you, Jiji?" Arashi asked him. "Could you do something like that?"

"No."

"Why not?" asked Asami, looking at her teacher curiously.

"That kind of thing is a young person's move and I am not that young anymore." He walked away from the dummies, lighting his pipe as he went. "Fortunately, I've figured out a way that helps with that."

"What is that?" Rin said to him.

He walked past her and Arashi, still puffing away at his pipe, heading for the rooftop door. He stopped about halfway and turned to face them both, having them be between him and the dummies. "Throw a kunai at me," he ordered.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"Wait, are you sure about that?" It wasn't something she had been expecting to hear.

He frowned slightly. "Are you doubting my skills?"

"Um…a little," she admitted. He made it sound like he wanted to get killed by a kunai and she knew that would not be something Arashi would forgive her for.

He rolled his eyes. "Just throw the damn kunai already."

"Alright, it's your funeral." Her hand fell to her kunai pouch, barely touching the flap.

"I doubt it. Now throw."

Her hand blurred again as she whipped out a kunai and threw it at him. He surprised them all by leaning his body out of the way of it just enough for it to skim pass. Then he reached out and grabbed it by the handle. He spun his body in the opposite direction and threw it right back at Rin. She saw it coming and quickly got out of the way, letting it travel unopposed to the middle dummy, which it struck right between the eyes.

As Rin, Arashi, and Asami all stared at the kunai, Naruto went back to puffing on his pipe. "That's what I can do," he said simply.

"Whoa," both Arashi and Rin said.

He ignored them both and looked over at his student. "Alright Asami, how did I do that?"

She thought about what she saw, playing it back in her mind. "I think…you grabbed it and redirected its momentum by inducing your own via spinning in that little circle." She replayed the spin again and again, going over it in her mind until she figured out what it was that he had done. "You redirected it by using a Waterbending stance."

"Very good," he told her with a small smile on his lips. "And that will be one thing you learn how to do by fighting in Waterbending style."

(Location: City Hall)

"Where in the name of Agni were you yesterday, Tenzin?" Hui demanded of her fellow Councilman as he stepped into the room. "You did not appear in the debate." She sounded satisfied that he had not shown himself, which was a little odd. "Neither did your brother."

"I am aware of that," Tenzin told her as he took his seat.

"You were the one who wanted to discuss change in the Republic, Tenzin," Jīyán pointed out to him. "It does not help your case when you weren't there."

"What's your excuse?" Kang asked him. Out of the three, he was the one who sounded the most disappointed in him.

"There was an emergency that need both of our attentions right away. It was something that we could not put off," he answered, looking at all of them as he spoke.

Hui scoffed at that. "A likely story," she declared.

"It's the truth."

"It's not very believable."

"I'm afraid I will have to agree with Hui on this one, Tenzin," Jīyán told him.

"It's the truth."

"It's not a very good truth." His tone was sad, showing that he too was disappointed in the Airbender amongst them.

"Come on, Tenzin. Tell us the truth," Kang told him. "What was so important that you decided to skip out on something you advocated for?"

He didn't want to tell others what had happened, not yet. Not until Korra was ready to do so herself. But this was the Council and he had blown them off to deal with what happened. "Before I tell you, I want all of you to promise me that this information does not leave this hall," he said to all three of them. "Swear it on your honor of a Councilman."

"And why would we do that? Whatever happened couldn't have been that bad."

"Swear it," he repeated, completely serious.

They all saw the expression of determination on his face. He would not tell them until they made that promise. "Very well, I swear that I will not pass on the information you give me," Jīyán told him.

"I swear it too," Kang said.

"As do I," Hui said, completing the trio of promises. But out of the three of some, she seemed the least inclined.

"I was preparing to come to the debate. But as I was leaving, I received a call from Avatar Korra," Tenzin began. His words had already gotten their attention. "She wanted me to come and pick her up from the hospital. Once she explained why, my brother and I raced there to find her, taking her back to the island."

"What had happened to Avatar Korra?" Jīyán asked him.

"One of the patients she was going to heal turned out to be a criminal who just wanted his Bending back in order to return to crime. When she refused to heal him and told him to leave, he…tried to force himself on her." Even though it did not happen to him, it still felt hard to say those words.

But they floored the Council. "The Avatar was raped!?" Hui demanded in an outraged voice.

"No, thank the Spirits. The nurses on duty heard the commotion and pulled the criminal out before he could do anything worse to her."

"It shouldn't have happened in the first place! That's it, the Avatar is going to be guarded whenever she goes now," she declared. "And security must be dealt with harshly at the hospital. If they can't take the job they do seriously, they have no right working there!"

"Hui, measures at the hospital are already being taken care of," he told the representative of the Fire Nation. "And one of the Avatar's friends has already chosen to watch her once she goes back to her duties at the hospital."

"One of her friends?" she repeated incredulously. "Who is qualified to protect her? One of her Pro-bending teammates who are from the gutter? Or is it the pathetic excuse of a Firebender that passes for the Fire Paragon's grandson?"

Everyone else looked at her like she had gone mad. "Dear Spirits woman, have you lost your mind?" Kang demanded. "Have you forgotten what happened the last time the Uzumaki name was tarnished here in this hall? Do you have a death wish?"

"And please refrain yourself from insulting my guests, Hui," Tenzin told her. "They are both good, hard-working young men. And yes, one of them will guard at the hospital. Truthfully, I find that the fact he's doing it is much more comforting then a full squad of Metalbenders trying to protect her." When she looked like she was about to protest, he stopped before she could. "It is out of our hands now, Hui. Korra has agreed to it."

"Will Avatar Korra be going back to the hospital right away?" Jīyán asked him.

He shook his head. "No, she is taking a few days to rest and recover from the ordeal."

"Good. That is good."

"Now, could I be told what happened during the debate?" Since he had missed it, he needed to know what had happened.

"I'm not sure that you could call it a debate," Kang remarked. "'Barely organized riot' would probably be a better description."

He winced at the description. "Was it truly that bad?"

"It descended into chaos almost after we announced what we wanted to discuss. People were shouting out ideas and shouting down one another. If we didn't have a detachment of Metalbenders on the scene, it might've descended into out-right fighting."

"Then it wasn't a success," he said gloomily.

"That would depend on your definition of 'success,' Tenzin," Hui said to him. "It tells me that the running of the government should most definitely be left to people who do not know how to run it."

"And who do you believe should run it?"

"Why, us of course. We're already doing a pretty good job of it."

"Hui, we let Amon run rampant through our city and then he kidnapped most of us," Kang reminded her. "There's nothing good about that."

"That was one incident, Kang," she replied tartly. Really, why was he having a hard time understanding that simple thing?

Meanwhile, he was trying to understand how she could be so oblivious. "One incident that the city to its knees!"

"If I may intercede here," Jīyán said before they could start a shouting match, getting both of their attentions.

"Please, by all means, Jīyán," Tenzin told him, glad for the help. What they didn't need right now was fighting. They needed an alternative to the current government.

"Right now, I believe that what happened during the debate shows that the many cannot effectively run this government," he said to them all. "There would be too many voices trying to be heard for anything to be done."

"So you agree with me then," Hui said. "You believe that the government should stay as it is right now."

"Perhaps, perhaps not," he said in return.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"We as a council already have too many voices. The only difference for us is that some of us chose not to use our voices and let others speak, giving them control." He looked rather pointedly at Kang and Hui when he said those words.

Kang was the only one of the two to speak. "You kept quiet too when Tarrlok was trying to get more power, Jīyán. So don't go pointing fingers."

"That has been a fact I have never denied." In truth, he felt most ashamed by the fact he kept silent and followed Tarrlok's lead. Perhaps if he had spoken out more, things might not have gotten so bad. But the same could've been said for his fellow Councilmen, as only Tenzin stood against Tarrlok.

"Then what do you suggest?" the Air Nomad asked him. "We cut down the voices even more?"

"That is a thought."

"Wait, hold on, I've got it," Kang said, his face lighting up with realization. "We should cut down the voices, to just one."

They all looked at him when he spoke those words. "You mean like an actual ruler who has the bloodline to prove that he can do that?" Hui asked him before scoffing. "And here I thought you actually knew what you were doing, Kang." She knew for a fact that if such a position was created for the United Republic, the other countries would have something to say and it would not be good.

"You're not listening, Hui," he said with a scowl on his face. "I never said that we establish a line of kings or queens. We are a republic, after all. We have the one voice be _elected_."

"A president?" said Jīyán, thinking it over. There would be some merits to the idea. A president would have the final say in matter and could be in control of the military.

"Yeah, a president," he said, nodding his acknowledgement.

"It wouldn't work," Hui said with a definitive tone in her voice. "The president would be given too much power. What's to stop him from declaring himself a king and ruling over the Republic like it was a kingdom?"

"That's simple," the representative of the Southern Water Tribe with a smug grin directed at her. "We do it the Southern Water Tribe way."

"Kang, the Southern Water Tribe chiefdoms were hereditary," Tenzin reminded him. Technically speaking, he could be in line for his mother's village since he was the grandson of Hakoda. "And they are not even actually chiefdoms."

"I know that Tenzin. I grew up there, remember?"

"Of course," he conceded, seeing the point of it. While he was technically of Water Tribe blood, he was an Air Nomad. Kang was the Tribesman here.

"And besides, the fact that they are not actually chiefdoms gives the Southern Water Tribe a little more leeway. If a chief is bad, the tribe can throw him out and elect a new one in his stead. The chief is dependent on the support of his tribe, even though he commands and leads it."

"Ah, I see what you are trying to say," Jīyán remarked. "You would have the people vote for this president."

"And then do what? Have them toss him out when he does poorly?" Hui asked. "We are not barbarians here."

"Did you just call me a barbarian, Hui?" Kang asked her, his eyes and voice hard. She didn't answer him and it only made him angrier. Tenzin looked at them both fearfully, nervous that they might just start fighting in this hall. But to his relief, Kang swallowed his anger and continued to explain. "What was I trying to say is that the president would be elected by the people and would need the people's support to run this city and the Republic. The one voice supported by the many hands."

"Poetic," Jīyán remarked.

"Thank you. I just came up with it."

(Location: Uzumaki apartment)

"_Oh Spirits, this is not good,"_ she thought as she stared at the report in front of her. It was telling that some of the more valuable customers of Future Industries were withdrawing their support from the company. It wasn't a lot but it was enough for cause of concern, hence why she had the report in front of her.

"Hey, Asami, everything good?" asked Arashi from nearby. He was sitting on the floor staring at it while she was at the table with the entire report spread out in front of her. He had lifted his head up from the floor to look at her and saw her frown.

She could've lied or made something up, but how would that have helped her situation. "No, Arashi, it's not good," she told him. "Future Industries is falling."

"…Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Do you know a way to stop falling stock or turn public opinion?" she asked without turning her attention away from the paper.

"Um…no on that first one," he answered honestly. "But you could always apologize."

That got her attention. She lifted her head away from the report to look at him. "Apologize for what?"

"Well, you know…what your dad did."

She scowled hard at that. "What he did is not my fault," she snapped angrily at him.

He winced at her tone. "Okay, sorry. Just trying to help out," he told her.

Seeing the wince, she eased off on her anger. "I know. Sorry for snapping at you like that."

"Maybe you should stop thinking about it? It's not going to do you any good."

"What else can I do?"

"I…um, I don't have an answer to that."

She smiled sadly at him. "I know. It's okay." It was sweet of him to try and help her out. But this was out of his league. When she turned her attention back to the report, she heard a loud _THUMP!_ She turned quickly back around and Arashi flat on the floor, shaking. "Arashi!" she cried, leaping up from the chair and rushing over to him.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," he assured her as he got up from the floor. But even though he said the words, his voice was weak.

"What happened?" No just fell to the floor like that for no good reason!

"It's just something that I've been thinking about." But even as he spoke those words and his voice got stronger, there was doubt in it. Whatever he was doing, he wasn't sure about it.

"What?"

"Well…" The doubt was there, she could hear it. "I know that Jiji has the same kind of energy that Rin can use. But why can't I? I am his grandson, after all."

"I thought you were a Firebender."

He shook his head. "I haven't been one since that night."

_WHAM! _

_WHAM!_

_WHAM!_

_WHAM!_

"Is anyone in there!?" a voice from the other side of the apartment door shouted. "Hello, anyone home?"

Both Arashi and Asami jumped in surprise at the sudden banging of the door. They hadn't been expecting anyone to come by.

_WHAM!_

_WHAM!_

_WHAM!_

_WHAM!_

_WHAM!_

_WHAM!_

"Is anyone in there?" the voice shouted again, sounding more agitated now. "Come on, hurry up and open the damn door already!"

_WHAM!_

_WHAM!_

_WHAM! _

_WHAM!_

_WHAM!_

_WHAM!_

_WHAM!_

_WHAM!_

"Alright, already!" shouted Arashi, coming out of his stunned stupor and standing up. "We heard you the first time. There's no need to keep whaling away at the door." Thankfully, said whaling stopped instantly at those words. He walked over to the door and opened. On the other side was a member of the Triple Threat, a small Earthbender who Arashi knew. "Rat?" he said in surprise. "What are you—?"

"Where's your gramps?" the Triad member demanded.

"…And hello to you too," he replied after a paused silence with a voice of sarcasm.

But he wasn't having any of it. "Where is your gramps?"

"I don't know. He said something about going on watch. He left a number."

"Call that number, right away."

"What's the rush?"

"Just call the number!" the Earthbender shouted.

"Rat, would you just tell me what's going on?"

"Quick-draw found a kid being grabbed by a couple of men and fought them off. He saved the kid and managed to get one of the kidnappers. We're holding him at the restaurant."

"Why didn't you just say that?" he demanded. He didn't bother waiting for an answer. He turned and rushed for the phone, picking up the ear and dialing in the number that his Jiji had left him.

The phone rang only twice before the other end picked up. "Yes?" the voice of his grandfather said.

"Jiji, where are you?"

"Arashi, this had better be important. I left specific instructions that Rin and I were to be left alone during our stakeout unless it was vitally important."

"And I wouldn't be calling you if it wasn't. Where are you?"

"We're watching another merchant with a stand he got from the Triad."

"Is that anywhere near the Triad restaurant?"

"Yes, it is. Why?"

"You need to head over there now."

"That doesn't answer my question, Arashi. Why am I going?"

"Because a kid was saved from being grabbed and one of the kidnappers was caught by the Triad. They're holding him at the restaurant."

"Alright then," he replied after a paused moment. "I will send Rin and a clone to the restaurant. You stay at the apartment."

"But—"

"Stay at the apartment, Arashi," he repeated, his voice holding no argument.

"Yes, sir," his grandson replied with a voice of slight defeat. There was no way he was going to win this argument, so why bother trying?

"Thank you. Tell the Triad member who told you that we'll be there shortly." The line went dead, leaving him with the dial tone.

As his business was done, he put the phone ear down and looked back at Rat. "Well?" the Earthbender demanded, very impatient.

"He's on his way to the restaurant now."

"Good to hear." He turned and left without saying another word.

Both Arashi and Asami just stared at the door as they heard him clomp down the stairs. It quickly faded away as he left in a hurry. "You know, some people consider it a politeness to close the door when you leave," Arashi muttered loudly as he closed the door. "Spirits, I wish Nyla was still around. I could use a laugh watching him chase Rat around."

(Location: Triple Threat Triad)

The man that they had captured didn't act like he was in any kind of danger. Rather, he looked a bit bored with the entire process he was going through. They had him in one of the back rooms of the restaurant and tied to a chair by his hands and feet. But it didn't faze him. "Could you let me go now?" he asked Viper, who was standing at the doorway.

"No, you're going to sit there and wait," the leader of the Triad said with a cool smirk on his face. "Shouldn't be too hard for ya, right?"

The man laughed and returned his smirk. "I'm protected, scum. Touch one hair on my head and you'll have the entire police force bearing down on you like an angry badgermole. You wouldn't want that now, would you?"

"If it'll stop people like you from kidnapping children and selling them off, I'll risk it."

"'People like me?' Gracious, you think that by stopping me it will stop? You couldn't be more wrong."

"You've got a lot of nerve saying stuff like that out loud, pal."

"As I said before, I am protected. Touch me and you will not like the outcome." He still had the smirk on his face as he leaned back in his chair. "Now, do you think that it's about time you released and let me get back to my job?"

"Nah, I don't think so. I do that; my boys out front will kill you as soon as you step out."

"So you do wish to have a bloodbath on your hands." He sighed with a disappointment so false, a child would've been able to see through it. "And here I thought criminals were smart."

"Oh, we are smart. That's why I'm not the one in the chair right now."

"Well I won't be for much longer either. I can wait."

"What makes you so sure that you'll be fine?" Really, the leader of the Triple Threat wanted to know.

The captured man sighed arrogantly. "You know, I'm beginning to doubt your claim that you are smart. As I said before, I am protected."

Viper just widened his smirk. "You know, I really doubt that you are."

"There's no doubt, my good man," he replied, saying the last part condescendingly. "I am protected and if you lay one hand on me, I can guarantee that you will regret it deeply."

"Wanna bet?"

"I don't have to. I know."

"You know what?" asked the voice of Naruto as he appeared behind Viper with the foreign woman in tow. There was a hood over his head, shielding it from sight.

Viper could see his game right and smirked even wider than before. "Hey, man. What took you so long?"

"Traffic was just hectic. You understand," he replied, making it sound like they were having a normal conversation.

"Oh, of course," he said, nodding his head in agreement. "It's certainly a bitch at that intersection a couple of blocks down."

"We went through that," the foreigner remarked. "That would explain why it took so long."

"You didn't take an alternate road?"

"Well, you said you wanted us to come as quickly as possible," Naruto said to him. "We had thought that was the quickest way. Have you been waiting long?"

"Nah, just a couple of minutes," he replied. "Your guy is back there." He pointed a gloved thumb at the room behind him.

"Ah, I see. Thank you, Viper."

"Not a problem."

"Now, would you mind giving us some privacy?"

"Yeah, of course," he agreed with a nod. He had seen the blonde interrogate someone before and had been told later that he had gone easy. He had a feeling that this one would not be easy and he didn't want to have nightmares.

"Thanks for that," the foreigner told him.

"Not a problem, he's all yours." He got out of their way and walked back down to the front of the restaurant. It was almost lunchtime and he was hungry.

Both Naruto and Rin stepped in through the door and closed it behind them. "Shall we get to work then?" Rin asked Naruto.

"Yes, let's," he replied in a conversational tone of voice. "One question, though. Are you trained in interrogation?"

"Of course I am. It was a part of ANBU training."

"That is good to know. How about I let you take the lead on this one."

"How many times must I say this?" the bound man asked with a role of his eyes. "I am protected, which means you cannot touch me."

"Oh don't worry, we're not technically with the Triad," Rin said to him. "Think of us as more of a…freelance group."

"The term is mercenary," Naruto told her, still hooded and unknown to the captive. His words earned him a frown from her. "Yes, yes, insult to your pride, I get it. Now get over it."

"Fine," she said, stifling the small growl in her voice.

"Whether you're with the Triad or not, touch me and you will to regret it," the man said, still arrogant and confident in his belief in being untouchable.

"Yes, because you are 'protected,'" Naruto said with a mocking edge to his voice. "So what, some richly powerful criminal is paying you to grab kids who can Bend?"

He snorted. "I am protected by the highest power in the Republic and this city. There's nothing you can do to me."

"At that, I would have to disagree," the Paragon of the Fire Nation replied, taking off the hood and losing the mocking edge, his voice cold and hard.

The sight of the Paragon made the arrogance and contempt on the man's face freeze in a look of horror. "Na-Na-Narut—"

"That's _Lord_ Naruto to you, scum," he said, cutting the man off before he could even begin. Normally, he didn't like people calling him a lord. Despite his years of protesting otherwise, they still kept calling him that, so he just let them. But with people like the man before him, he would use the title they had given him, to its full effect.

"O-oh, yes, of course, my lord," he said, bowing his head like a sycophant.

"Good."

"Shall I proceed, sir?" Rin asked him with a respectful voice. Somehow, she had the feeling just starting the torture without his say-so would not be a good idea.

"Not yet."

"Understood," she replied.

The Paragon turned his attention back to the bound man. "Where's your confidence of not being touched now?" he asked him.

"It—" the captive began.

"Did I say that you could speak?" he asked, shutting him up. The Paragon looked him over, eyeing everything about him. To him, it felt like he was being stripped down to his soul and was forced to bear it. He started to hyperventilate, his breathing going out of control.

"Sir, we can't interrogate him if he's passed out from pressure of your killing intent," Rin said to the older man.

"I'm not using my killing intent," he replied, turning his eyes away from the captive. "He's just weak."

"Sorry."

"Don't be." To the captive, he said, "You say that you are protected but I doubt that you even know who it is that protects you and the rest of the scum who kidnap children. Even they abandoned you when you were taken. What does that say of their loyalty to you? Don't bother wondering, I'll tell you the answer: they don't care about you."

"My lord, I—" the captive tried to say, only to get hit in the side of his head by the Paragon's scabbard. He fell to the ground and then was picked up just as quickly, making him dizzy.

"Did I say that you could speak?" Naruto repeated himself, holding the chair steady with a single hand. He let go and stepped back. "You're going to tell us everything you know about the kidnappings, the brainwashing, and the selling of the children."

"N-no," he whispered with a small shake of his head.

"What was that? I'm afraid I didn't hear you." He leaned in closer to hear better.

"No," he said louder. When he looked up, he saw no disappointment on the Paragon's face at his defiance. It was like he was expecting it.

"Alright then," the Paragon said, leaning back up and stepping away. "Rin, get to work."

"Yes, sir," she replied, moving towards the prisoner. Her eyes were grim and determined. There was no hesitation in them as she approached him.

His pants darkened and the air was suddenly filled with the stench of urine. _"She hasn't even touched him yet and already he loses his bladder? This is going to be easy for her,"_ Naruto thought to himself.

"Oh, spirits help me," the man whimpered.

"You should've thought of that before you came into my grasp," Rin replied, descending upon him.

(Location: Naruto)

When he finally got the clone's memories of the interrogation, he was impressed by Rin's handling of it. Not once did the clone have to step in and help. All it did was observe as she tortured the man into telling her everything he knew.

"**I've got to say, I like her style,"** Kurama remarked as he looked through all the memories that his Jinchūriki had received.

"You like anyone who could do a good round of torture," Naruto replied under his breath. He was out in public, sitting at an outside table seemingly enjoying a light lunch. And Paragon or not, people would start thinking he was crazy if he started talking out loud to himself. But since there was no one really near him, he could speak under his breath.

"**Hang on, that's unfair."**

"How is it unfair?"

"**I said that I like her style. I've never said that I like the fact she can torture someone."**

"Uh-huh."

The fox rolled his eyes. **"It's a matter of finesse and handling. She was making him sing in under ten minutes with the barest of torture."**

"And he pissed himself before she even touched him. That alone should show you how tough he was despite all of his bravado and confidence."

"**Gaki, don't try playing it off. You were just as impressed as I was."**

"I am not denying that fact, fox. I am impressed. He was just pathetic. Sakura must've taught her well."

"**Huh, would you hear that?"** the Kyūbi said with a bit of surprise in his voice.

"Hear what?" he asked back somewhat confused.

"**It's been more than fifty years since you even thought about the other side of the planet and when you do of your volition, you say 'Sakura' and not 'Haruno.'"**

"…I guess so." Was there really anything else to say about it?

"**You guess?"** Kurama repeated, mocking him. **"You know what I'm guessing right now?"**

"What?"

"**That now since Rin is here, you're curious about what has been happening over in the Elemental Countries. You want to know about everything that's been going on over there and now, you have the perfect opportunity with her. So go pump her."**

"Okay, number 1: she is half my age. Number 2: I am married."

"**And you know perfectly damn well that wasn't what I meant. So stop being a smartass."**

A figure hurriedly coming down the street from the corner of his eye caught Naruto's attention. He turned his head the barest of inches to see who it was and why he was in such a hurry. It was a young socialite, which he could tell from the man's clothing. It was stylish and impeccable, the height of fashion at the moment. It was done in the shade of red, which showed his Fire Nation roots.

Now normally, Naruto ignored socialites and didn't care much for them. They hadn't done a day's work in their lives and thought everything should be given to them on a silver platter along with some wine. Whereas he had worked for every single thing that he had earned, paying in sweat and blood.

However, he was paying attention to this socialite because a simple reason: he had been on the list from the dock worker and had been seen by the Triad meeting up with one of the merchants they had sold a stand to. He was no heading towards the merchant Naruto had been watching, all but skidding to a stop before the stand. They talked quietly for a couple of seconds and the merchant waved over towards a nearby alleyway. In that alleyway was a man in a dark neat suit, his face hidden by the hat on his head.

"_Alright, what's going on here?"_ the Paragon wondered as he stood up from the table, throwing some cash on it to pay for the meal he supposedly had (having only eaten a few bites of it). He started walking casually over towards them while making it look like he was not. He added to that image by lighting up his pipe and smoking from it. But his eyes were on the socialite as he went to the alley.

As he walked down the street towards the alley and then past it, he saw that the socialite was nervous as all hell; always looking back at the street like someone was trying to find him. The man in the suit, however, was as cool as could be. "What seems to be the problem, sir?" he asked the socialite once he was certain that they were out of sight in a polite voice. But he was unaware of the old Paragon hiding behind a nearby tree, listening in on everything that was being said.

"One of your men was caught while he and his group were trying to take a kid," the socialite started. Even though he was nervous, his voice still had an arrogant tone to it.

"Sir, the word is 'acquire.' 'Stolen' makes it sound like we're doing something illegal," he replied. The irony was that they _were_ doing something illegal, something very illegal that had been illegal since the early days of the Republic.

"Fine, he was caught while he and his group were to _acquire_ a kid," the socialite amended.

"And how is this a problem, sir?"

"He was _caught_, you moron! What if he talks? He could reveal everything."

"Were you told who it was that took him?"

"One of the triads, I guess."

"Then we will be fine. If the police had gotten him, he would've been released. If the triads had gotten him, all he would have to do is tell the police that they had attacked him when he got free and they would bring the full force of their might down on the triads. He is untouchable, sir. Please remember that the next time you come running here like we have a problem." There was a tone of contempt so thick that one could almost taste it in his voice, even as he kept it polite.

The socialite winced like he had been slapped lightly against the cheek and scowled at him. "Fine," he said in reply. "But my friends and I will another kid for the loss today, free of charge."

"I'm afraid that is impossible, sir."

"Is it? We paid good money to employ your services to get a new kid and then you lose it. That is your fault, not ours."

"Sir, we are not in the business of acquiring children for free. You have paid good money, that is true, and we can offer you a refund. But my boss is not in the habit of doing things like this for free. Sorry."

"Ugh, fine. We might as well play with the ones we already have. But when we come back and pay for a new one, we better damn well get it."

"Of course, sir," he replied, never once losing the polite voice. "It has been a pleasure doing business with you."

As the socialite walked out of the alleyway with an annoyed expression on his face, Naruto quickly created a clone. "Follow him. Find out where he lives and what he is doing with the kids he has. After that, get to Lin and pass on the information."

"You got it, boss," the clone replied. It walked away from the tree and then causally down the street, keeping its distance from the socialite but also keep that eye trained on him.

"_With any luck, that idiot won't notice the clone,"_ the original thought. _"Now this guy, on the other hand, is going to be different."_ Even though the man in the dark suit was alone in the alleyway, he kept an eye out on the street, like he was looking for someone to come at him.

But when no one came, he turned around and started walking down into the alley. Naruto detached himself from the tree and began to quietly follow him. As he stepped into the alley, he saw that the ground was littered with trash and junk, things that would make trying to follow him quietly almost impossible.

But fortunately for Naruto, there was an easy way around this little problem. Without changing his pace or stride, he turned to the wall of the alley and began walking up that instead. There was no debris on the wall so being able to walk quietly was a cinch. He followed the man in the dark suit down the length of the alley, going further and further away from the street proper.

The man finally stopped before a door that smelled of alcohol even from where Naruto standing. He raised his fist and pounded on it in sequence.

_Tap. Knock. Bam!_

_Knock! BANG! Wham._

_WHAM! BAM! Tap._

The door opened and he was allowed in. When he was through, the door closed shut with a slam that echoed in the alley. Yet no one heard it except for Naruto. _"Hm, I wonder where this leads to,"_ he wondered as he came off of the wall and stood before the door.

"**You could always find out,"** Kurama suggested.

"_True, very true,"_ he conceded. But now wasn't the time to it. If he went in right away, odds are he would be discovered and things would get messy really quick. There was also the fact that he didn't know everything about what was going on and that could also make things messy. No, it would be best to make a clone sit and watch this area, to make sure to get everything.

(Location: Uzumaki apartment)

"High! Low! High! Mid-strike! Counter! Low! Low! High!" Rin shouted at Arashi as they moved around on the roof of the complex in an almost dance-like fashion. She had come back to the apartment after the interrogation was done and saw that Lord Naruto's grandson was alone and quite bored.

So she offered to teach him a few things in Taijutsu up on the roof and he was taking to them like a duck to water. Really, she was impressed by what she was seeing him do. She had only taught him some of the basics and he was already figuring out some of the more advance steps.

So now, she was just leading him through a sequence of fighting. She was shouting out where he was supposed to hit and he was following them to the letter. Which meant that he knew how to listen to commands but did he know how to think for himself in combat?

"_Well, there's always one way to find out,"_ she thought to herself as she blocked the punch she was expecting.

"Left! Right! Center! High! High! Low! Right! Left! High!" she called out. He followed her instructions, only to suddenly attack her in the opposite area then where she called. "Hold!"

He stopped. "What? Did I do something wrong?" he asked, confusion evident on his face.

"No, nothing of the sort," she assured him.

"Then why are we stopping?"

"You struck low instead of high. Why?"

"Because that's where you were going."

"No, I was going high. I told you that."

"Well, you might've said 'high' but you were going low. I could just tell."

"You could just tell?" she repeated.

"Yeah," he answered. "Well, that and Jiji's first lesson."

"Which is what?"

"Lesson Number 1: Just because they're coming at you in one direction, doesn't mean they won't come at you in another," he recited perfectly. It had been something that he had paid attention to when his Jiji had told it to him.

Rin just looked at him with surprise on her face. She was indeed going low instead of high, like he said. Only she had thought he would not see it until it was too late. "Kami, kid, I'm beginning to think you're a prodigy."

To her surprise, he shuddered at the word. "Don't call me that."

"What? Why not? It's obvious."

"Still, don't call me that." He wasn't a prodigy. There were a lot of things he wasn't good at. He could be better. He _should_ be better.

"Oookay," she replied slowly. She didn't know how to really respond to that. Most kids she had seen and known in Konoha would've squirmed in pleasure at the barest chance of being a prodigy. Yet here was one who was obviously one and he refused to believe it.

An awkward silence followed in the next few moments. She didn't know what to say following all that. "Hey, Rin," Arashi said, breaking that silence.

"Yes?"

"Can you help me with something?"

She was interested. "What is it?"

"Well, I've been trying to see if I can use chakra, like you and Jiji. I've been trying to reach for my energies like you told me and mix them together. But every time that I do…?" He trailed off.

"What happens?" she urged him.

"I get a headache," he answered looking embarrassed.

"Is that it?"

"And sometimes a little nauseous," he added as an afterthought. "Is that normal?"

"No, it is not," she replied, shaking her head. "In fact, I've never heard of anything like that happening to anyone."

"Oh great, I'm a special case." That was just what he needed to hear about himself.

"Why don't you show it to me?" she offered. If she saw it, she might be able to see what was wrong with it.

"Alright," he replied. He brought his hands together in the seal she had shown him and began concentrating. But as he reached for the two ingredients to make chakra, the headache struck again with a sudden savageness that he fell to his knees. "Ow ow ow ow ow!" he cried as he clutched his head. It felt like a moose-lion was trampling around in there and he could already feel bile rising up from his stomach.

"What's going on here?" his grandfather demanded. He looked up and saw him standing there at the door to the roof.

"Ju-just trying something different, Jiji," he replied. As the headache ebbed away he stood back up, albeit it a little shakily. "I wanted to see if I could use chakra."

"You're a Firebender, Arashi," Naruto reminded him as he walked towards the two of them.

"I still wanted to see if I could use it," he said with more than a hint of stubbornness. He was beginning to have his doubts about him being a Firebender.

Rin saw the tension building between the two of them as they eyed one another. "In any case, Arashi, your growing skill with the kunai and Taijutsu are impressive by themselves alone," she told him. "You are a prodigy with this kind of learning."

Again he shuddered. "Please don't call me that."

"…Right, sorry. Anyway, with the way things are going, you could very well give Rock Lee a run for his money."

"Who's Rock Lee?" he asked with a look of confusion on his face.

"Oh, right, forgot that you didn't know him," she replied while inwardly chastising herself. _"Come on, Rin. He's never been properly trained as a shinobi before and has never heard stories of shinobi before. How the hell is he supposed to know who Rock Lee is?"_

Oddly enough for her, the answer came from Naruto. "Rock Lee was a shinobi who could not use chakra and was told repeatedly as a child that he would not be able to become a shinobi. In response, he became committed to the idea of only using Taijutsu to become a shinobi. He succeeded and became a shinobi others would be careful to face if they knew what was good for them." He paused for a moment. "He also had the bushiest eyebrows you would ever see in your life."

"It sounds like you knew him, Jiji," Arashi pointed out, making Rin snigger. "What?"

"Of course your grandfather knew him," she said to him. "They were teammates and comrades, a part of the Konoha Twelve."

He looked at his grandfather and asked, "Really?"

"It was a long time ago," Naruto said in answer. "And they were called the Konoha Eleven." He looked over at Rin meaningfully as he said that. She didn't answer back, but only nodded once in acknowledgement. For a second, he didn't say anything to her. "…Is he still alive?"

"Yes, sir," she answered.

"What about Neji and Tenten?"

"Unfortunately, they died in the Fourth Shinobi World War."

"…I see."

That was it? That was his entire reaction to hearing two people he had known but not seen in a long time were dead? She stopped herself before she got into a tirade. _"He hasn't seen them in a long time of his own choice."_

"Hey, Jiji, is there any chance of us eating over at the temple tonight?" Arashi asked Naruto. "I want to check in on Korra. I haven't seen her since before the…you know." He looked down at his feet as he spoke the last two words.

His grandfather looked at him for a long moment and then up at the sky, noting that the sun was already beginning its descent to the horizon. "Sure. We'd better get going if we want to make it before dark."

"Great! Let's get going!" He charged right past him and went straight for the door.

Naruto watched him disappeared down the staircase with an amused look. _"Yep, he's my grandson."_

"**Oh you just noticed?"** Kurama sarcastically asked.

He ignored the fox and turned to look at the kunoichi still standing on the roof with him, his amused look turning into one of quiet seriousness. "How many of the Konoha Eleven are left?"

"Five, sir," she answered before listing them, "Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura-sensei, Shikamaru Nara, Hinata Hyūga, and Rock Lee."

"…What happened to the others?"

"Some died peacefully, but most died in the Fourth Shinobi World War."

"And what caused the war to happen?"

"In all honesty?" she asked before answering, "You."

He scoffed at that. "I doubt that I was the reason for a world war."

"Well, maybe not just you."

"Then who else?" he asked.

"The other Jinchūriki," she answered.

"What happened?"

Rin took a breath before she began the story behind the war. "It started when one of Iwa's Jinchūriki had passed away before the Bijū could be extracted. While they were probably annoyed by it, they were content to wait for the Bijū to reappear before capturing it again. But it never showed itself again and concerns began to grow when the other Jinchūriki passed on before having his Bijū extracted and said Bijū didn't reappear after a few years. When other villages began losing their Jinchūriki and the Bijū didn't reappear, those concerns turned into suspicions before becoming fears and accusations."

"And before long, those accusations turned into attacks," Naruto finished for her, seeing where it was going. "What was Konoha's role in it?"

"They were the primary sight of attacks. The other villages thought that since they lost you, they would try getting another Bijū when they hadn't been doing that at all. They tried telling the rest of the villages but only Suna believed them. When the war finally came, those two villages remained allies."

"Who won?"

"No one really did. The fighting just frizzled out over the years as the war kept going and so did the body count. It ended with a peace treaty that nobody was happy with, but what else could they do about it? The numbers of death were so high they could fill a small country and the Bijū still didn't appear. It was a pointless war."

"Did you fight in it?"

She paused for a moment. "…Only in the last couple of years of it," she finally said.

Naruto was still thinking about what she had told him regarding the death number. Some of them had probably been people that he had known once (especially with the Konoha Eleven). **"Didn't expect this outcome from your little plan, did you?"** the fox asked him, equal parts mocking and actually questioning.

Instead of answering the fox, he looked at the kunoichi. "So you're saying that I am the last living Jinchūriki?"

"Yes, sir, I believe so."

"I see." He turned around. "We should get going." He headed for the door and she followed.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

A couple of weeks ago, I had a guest reviewer on Bodyguard of Azula tell me that there was any need for Paragons since the Avatar is the human embodiment of Raava, essentially the good part of the duo that is Raava and Vaatu. I would point out two things that are wrong with this statement. The first is that no one knew who Raava was or her story with the Avatar when that chapter was released. The second is that just because they are the embodiment of good, doesn't mean the Avatars can't do evil things. In fact, they'll do evil things and then say it was for a good cause.

How do I know this? It's been done in history many times over. A shining example would be the Crusades. Thousands, even millions, of men and women marched out of Europe into the Middle East to take lands that they had never been to before away the Arabs, only to lose them again gradually over the years, all because the lands were holy and because "God wills it." Too many people died for those words, even children in one Crusade.

Another example would be the Nazis' "Final Solution" to the Jewish question, otherwise known as the Holocaust. Now you and I know that was evil but to the Nazis, Jewish people were subhuman and they were doing good by getting rid of them.

Do you see what I'm getting at here? Good and evil aren't things set in stone or easily read in a guide manual. They're more fluid in than that, based on actions, opinions, and perceptions. If you ever want to see this in action, go watch _Game of Thrones_ or read the books (personally, I'd go with the books, a lot more stuff in there). Hell, even _Legend of Korra_ dealt with this kind of heavy stuff.

Since Rin is there, Naruto is going to start wondering about Konoha. While he didn't leave there on bad terms the last time, he also didn't make his peace with them. So he's an grey area of his own choosing and since it's been a long time, he's going to wonder about what happened to everyone else.

As for the Kyūbi's question about Naruto listening to what caused the Fourth Shinobi World War, all I will say is that it ties back into Bodyguard of Azula. Trust me, I thought ahead on this.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	17. Hard facts and thorough investigation

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 17: Hard facts and thorough investigation

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Air Temple Island)

Asami walked down the steps to the training grounds, listening to the waves of the bay in the dark. She had come to the island to enjoy a meal with everyone and had been surprised by the fact that Lord Naruto and Arashi had arrived, along with their foreign friend. But even though dinner had been more of a raucous affair than normal, she could not bring herself to fully join in.

Her thoughts were still on trying to figure out to turn Future Industries around and ensure that it would come crashing into the ground like a dead buzzard-wasp. It also didn't help that Mako was actively being protective around Korra at the table. Her heart echoed with small bitterness at the sight and she couldn't stand it for long. She tried her best to ignore it, but when she realized that Bolin was helping him in being protective for Korra? That was it.

So, as politely as she could (and without making any sort of eye-contact with her teacher), she had stood up from the table, excused herself to Tenzin and Pema, and left just as Meelo tried to attack Arashi for being called 'the farting runt' (it didn't help the Airbender that he had chosen to fart at that moment to give him more momentum to fly across the table and latch himself to Arashi's head).

Her feet crossed down the steps but she didn't hear the noises they made. She was more focused on getting to the gates. At first, she had hated that damn contraption, being forced to go into it again and again, only to be knocked around by it again and again. But once she had actually figured it out and used it right, she found that she enjoyed the practice. It was a way to empty her mind and let her relax.

But when she finally saw the gates and came to a stop before them, she had realized something that she had forgotten: she needed an Airbender to start them up. "Damn it, damn it, damn it," she began muttering, pacing back and forth before the gates. She couldn't go back up to the temple and ask for one of Tenzin's family to help her out, that would be rude and very inconsiderate. And while her father may have been a traitor and a liar, he had taught her to never be the rude person (one of the few good things he had done for her).

As she paced around, she heard more footsteps coming down towards her. _"Who is it now?"_ she thought grumpily, taking off her work jacket and tossing it to the ground. The night air felt cool against her skin and she initially shivered against it. But she kept pacing and her body eventually warmed up. When the footsteps stopped, she turned and said, "What?" before realizing that it was Korra. "Oh, it's you."

"Hey," Korra said in return, giving her a small wave but with no smile on her face.

"What are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same of you."

"I was going to work through the gates a bit," she gestured at the contraption itself, "but then I remembered that I need an Airbender to make it work."

As much as she tried to fight it, a humorous smile started to show on her lips. "When did you realize that?"

"Just as I reached the bottom step," she said. When she saw the smile beginning to show on the Tribewoman's lips, she started feeling angry. "So what are you doing down here anyway?"

"Ah, it was getting a bit stuffy in there with everyone keeping an eye on me."

"Yes, how awful for that people are watching out for you," she replied with audible sarcasm.

Korra narrowed her eyes at her. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, taking a step towards her.

Asami saw the step and responded in kind. "Nothing, except that everyone here has been making sure that you're completely comfortable and safe. Even Arashi came over to see how you were doing."

"That's because he's my friend."

"Oh, of course," she replied, still using the sarcasm. "I know that's why he came over."

"Is this about Arashi, or Mako?"

She jerked her head back like she had been hit. "What? No!"

"Really?" asked Korra bitingly. "I think differently."

"Well you would, wouldn't you? After all, you are the _Avatar_. If you so much as get a scratch on your pinky, you'll have people making sure that you're okay and protected."

Anger coursed through her and it showed on her face. "I didn't some scratch on my finger. Someone tried to rape me!"

"Do you know how many people who've been through more than that? You're not a special case!"

"And you are? I'm sure everything looks nice and pretty from where you're standing, head of a big industry and learning from a Paragon." One could practically smell the spite and anger in her voice.

"It's not as easy as you make it!"

"You sure make it look like it! You're so fucking perfect, aren't you? You don't a single thing wrong!"

With a single shout of frustration and anger, Asami charged at Korra and tackled her hard, sending them both to the ground. She got a blast in the face that sent tumbling off of the Avatar, rolling on the ground for a couple of feet. They both got back up and eyed one another angrily. All their frustrations and problems were pressing on their minds and they wanted to vent by pummeling the other woman.

Normally, Korra would've leapt right into the fray with her Firebending. But she was so completely angry that actually Bending the fire into existence didn't come to her. She just leapt into the air with a flying kick, going straight for Asami.

The Paragon-in-training twisted out of the way of the kick and then struck with a punch of her own as Korra landed, getting right in the lower back. Her opponent swung around with a kick but she shifted her stance and took it in her side. Once the foot was there, she trapped it and the leg with her arm. But she didn't expect the other foot to come and get her in the other side.

A pained grunt left her mouth as she felt her side come alive with a bruised hurt. Next thing she knew, the world was upside down and she was flying in place. Then she hit the ground and her other side blossomed into pain. _"OW!"_ her head roared at the pain.

She found herself stuck between Korra's two legs and she refused to let herself stay there. She worked an arm free and pushed one of the legs away, punching at it when pushing didn't work. She only got free for about an inch before getting tackled by Korra. She was sent down to the ground again, this time getting an arm wrapped her neck (tight enough to hold, not to choke) feeling punches being rained down on her back.

But amidst all the pain she was getting it with, she also felt her anger again. "GET! OFF!" she shouted, ramming both elbows into the flesh behind her. She made contact that much she could feel. But the blows kept coming, so she kept ramming her elbows back. Quickly enough she felt the grip around her neck slacken and the rain of blows lessen.

She used that to her advantage, grabbing hold of the arm and slamming her head back, getting a pleasurable _THUNK!_ Korra fell back with a curse. "You almost broke my nose, bitch!" she shouted at Asami.

"There you go again with the almost!" she shouted back with a sneer on her face.

"Come here so I punch that sneer off your face!"

"You want some? Come get some!" They charged at one another, coming at each other swinging.

For the rest of their lives, what came next would always be a blur to them. All they could remember was pain, swinging arms and legs, panting themselves into exhaustion, and sweat (quite a bit of sweat). But in the end, they were on their butts on the ground in front of each other, only having enough energy to glare at the other person half-heartedly. Their bodies were bruised, hurt, and above all else, tired. It took all of their energy just to breathe.

"Good, you're all done now," Naruto said from where he sat at the base of the stairs, making them turn their heads (a little painfully) to see him standing there.

"Sir, w-what are you doing here?" Asami asked him as she inhaled a big gulp of air.

"I was waiting for you to finish venting before actually talking to you both."

"Why didn't you stop the fight?" Korra wondered aloud.

That question, however, made the Nonbender girl glare at her. "You want to keep going? I'm really to pound away at you again."

"Did I say that you could do that, Asami?" her sifu asked her, making her eyes find him again.

"But sir—"

"Did I say that you could do that, Asami," he repeated himself without changing anything in his voice.

"…No."

"Glad to know you haven't lost your hearing."

"Why didn't you stop the fight, Lord Naruto?" Korra asked him again.

"One of the cardinal rules of being a man is that you never, ever, interrupt a catfight," he told them both.

It was an answer that made them both redirect their anger at him. "You're disgusting," the Avatar told him.

"Nothing of the sort," he replied. "I'm an old man who had been happily married. You see, while young men might not want to interrupt a catfight for the reason you've just thought, I've come to realize that it's for another reason completely. It's better to let the anger all out then have then directed onto me. You two wouldn't want to get humiliated by me."

The anger they were holding vanished at those words. They knew what he meant. If he had interrupted the catfight, they probably would've tried attacking him. And it would've failed horribly for them. He could handle and beat them with ease, probably without even breaking a sweat too. But he gave them that courtesy.

"So, are you done?" he asked them again.

They looked at one another and saw that neither of them had enough energy left to even raise an arm. "Yeah, we're done," Korra said.

"Good." He walked over to them and sat down, crossing his legs and placing his sword on his lap. "Now tell me, what started it in the first place?"

"**I didn't know you were a shrink,"** the Kyūbi said inside him. **"And I should remember you learning how to be a shrink."**

"_I'm not a shrink,"_ he replied. _"I'm just helping out here."_

"**Isn't that called a shrink?"**

"_No, I'm fairly certain that requires training."_

"I was angry at her," Asami told her teacher, looking at Korra.

"Same here," the Avatar replied.

"I don't think so," he said. "That's just an excuse. What were you really angry about?"

"How is that any concern of yours?"

"It's not. But I am here and I'm willing to listen. Would you rather I get Tenzin?"

She shook her head. If Tenzin found out about this, she would be in for a lecture that would last for longer than she wanted. "No."

There was a small smirk of triumph on his face at those words. "I thought not." He looked over at his student. "What are you angry about, Asami?"

She was silent for a couple of seconds, not sure if he should be told. But he waited patiently and she found herself telling him. "I'm angry at my dad, what he did and why he did it. But I'm also angry at what he left me."

"Which was what?"

"The fact that because of him, Future Industries is falling and I don't know how to stop it." He had been grooming her to become the next head of the company but she hadn't been ready yet when he was put away.

"Welcome to the world," her teacher told her.

It was an odd thing to say and she made that clear. "What do you mean by that?"

"You think that you were going to be led by the hand for the rest of your life? That everything would be easy for you?"

"No, of course not," she protested. She knew that well enough, having heard about how her father got his company started so many times that she could recite it word for word. "It's a hard world out there," she began saying one of her father's favorite expressions.

"And sooner or later, it tosses you into the deep end to sink or swim," he finished for her, surprising her. "Welcome to the deep end, Asami. Oh don't look so surprised," he told her when he saw the expression, looking a little amused. "Who do you think told your father that one?"

He did. Of course he did. He helped her father started Future Industries, why wouldn't he also give a phrase to use. "So you're telling me that I need to figure it all out on my own?"

"Yes and no."

Now she was confused again. She could feel it on her face. She stared at him for a moment and then rubbed her forehead. "Please explain?"

"You do need to figure it all out, but you can also rely on people you can trust. There are people who will help you if you only ask."

"Like who?" She certainly couldn't think of anyone that could help with what was happening to her father's company.

_Thwack!_

"Ow!" she yelped, rubbing her forearm. "What was that for?"

"A small punishment for a stupid question," Naruto told her, returning his sheathed weapon back to his lap. Korra sniggered a little but quickly stopped when he eyed her. "There are plenty of people who can help you, Asami. I, for one, should be an obvious choice. There's also the rest of Team Avatar, the other three Paragons, Lin, Tenzin, Pema, should I continue?"

"No, I got the point."

"Glad to hear it."

She looked at him. "So, what could I do?"

"About what?" he asked back. "You're going to have to be specific."

She rolled her eyes but saw his point anyway. "What could I do to try and turn Future Industries around?"

"That? That's simple."

"How is it simple?" She had been racking her brain for a solution and just couldn't find one.

"You take one of the things your dad invented for Amon and redo it for public use, like the Satomobile." He watched in silence as the idea hit her, watching it spread across her face. _"And there we go."_

Asami heard her teacher's words and let them flow through her head, thinking them over. She had not considered the machines used by the Equalists to help turn Future Industries around, mostly because she wanted nothing do to with what her father had created for them. But if she did what he suggested, then it wouldn't be so much of a problem. The question now was which one would she use?

Once he was sure she was off in her own thoughts, he turned to look at Korra. "Now you, what exactly is your problem?"

The Avatar froze in place for a moment, having forgotten that he was going to be looking at her too. At first, she was tempted to deny that she had a problem but realized that it wouldn't have worked (he had seen the fight, after all). "I…don't know," she finally said,

"Wrong," he said back, making the word sound like a whip cracking. "You know what the problem is. You were almost raped and now, you're letting that fact control you."

Even though she didn't want to them appear, tears began to leak out of her eyes. "It's just…" she started to say.

"Just what?" he asked. Asami saw that this was not a conversation she needed to be a part of. She stood up and quietly left, still thinking about what was to be done with Future Industries.

"I'm the Avatar, the most powerful Bender on the planet, someone that should be respected. And he was going to…to force himself like I was some woman!" Never had she felt so helpless and trapped then in that hospital room. She forced herself to stop crying and wiped the tears away.

"You are a woman and a considerably lucky one too," the Fire Paragon told her bluntly. "Do you know how many women who weren't 'almost' raped?"

"…Asami said something similar just before the fight," she admitted after a paused second. "She said that I wasn't a special case."

"She was right when it comes to that. Like I said before, you're lucky. Do you know how many cases of rape the cops get in a week? A lot more then I want to count and none of them are almost." She had no response to that and the air fell silent. But it didn't take long before he spoke again. "Do you remember how we first met?"

"Of course I do."

"_Arashi, what are you doing here?" Korra asked him, surprised to see him there. He hadn't been at the temple the previous night._

_Before he could answer, they heard Hiroshi say, "Lord Naruto, welcome!"_

_Arashi watched silently as the Avatar seemingly froze in place. "That's what I'm doing here," he answered, stating the now obvious fact. "Jiji finally came and got me last night." He looked at the Tribeswoman. "You might as well go in there. He does know you're here."_

_Korra gulped nervously and found herself looking at the parlor entrance like it was a gateway to a dark place in the Spirit World. She forced herself to walk forward through it into the entrance with Mako and Asami. When they came into the parlor, they found Hiroshi sitting on one couch and the Paragon of the Fire Nation sitting across from him._

_She had been expecting a wizened old man who needed a cane to help him get around. Instead, she got a guy who only had a few wrinkles on his face that showed his age. He had a full head of hair that the color of smoke after a fire and had a goatee that wasn't quite as long as Tenzin's that was the same color. She also saw the three whisker-like birthmarks on each of his cheeks but they did not disfigure him. A cane did lie against the side of the couch he was sitting on, but she did not think he really needed it. There was no cloak on his body, so she could not say if the butler had been exaggerating or not. But he did wear clothes that had been tailored to fit him and they were of high quality._

_He turned his head to look at who had come in, his blue eyes looking over all three of them. "And who—"_

"That's not when we first met," Naruto told her, cutting her off in mid-sentence.

"What?" she said in surprise.

"You heard me."

"But that was the first time we met each other."

He looked at her for a moment. "Huh, what do you know? You did forget."

She frowned at him. "Forget what?"

"The first time we met."

(Flashback)

"Sokka, is there a reason you've decided to bring me down here in the middle of a blizzard!?" Naruto shouted at Sokka as they and the three members of the White Lotus trudged through the snow.

"You said that you wanted to see the new Avatar," the Tribesman shouted back at him. He was old now and looked it, his hair having already gone from brown to grey and was already going to white (although that might've been from the snow howling around them). He had a cloak on like the rest of them but Naruto knew his Zanpakutō was safely secured on his back. His nose had looked like it's been broken a couple of times during his life (which it was). At his side was Akela, who looked just as strong as he had been seventy years ago.

"Lord Sokka, we do not know if this one is the Avatar," the small portly man that was the leader of the White Lotus group reminded him.

He stopped and looked at him. "You know, I don't appreciate my daughter being called a liar." Akela turned and bared his fangs at the man.

"All the same, my lord, we must maintain a certain skepticism until we have undeniable proof," he replied, not backing down from his position.

"Sokka, let's keep it moving," Naruto told him before things could get into a fight. They didn't one in the middle of a blizzard. "I would like to get somewhere warm so my balls won't freeze off."

"You know perfectly well that that's not going to happen," he said, taking his eyes off of the White Lotus.

"You still could've waited until the blizzard eased up!"

"What are you talking about? This is a mild one."

"A mild one my ass!" he shouted over the howling winds. His ass was freezing, for the love of the Spirits! If it was out here any longer, it would fall off!

"Just keep it moving, Naruto," the Tribesman told him. "Just keep moving. And do you kiss Azula with that mouth?"

"Yes I do, and she loves me for it."

"Right, of course she does," he said with a roll of his eyes. At a glance, he saw that Akela was doing the same thing.

"The two of you had better not being rolling your eyes at me!" Naruto shouted up at them.

"How could you tell that we were?" Sokka shouted back. He knew he shouldn't be surprised by the fact that he could (he had known the blonde longer than the White Lotus people with them were alive), but he couldn't help it.

"It's me, Sokka. Remember?"

"Only too well," he said with a grumble. His old friend had that mysterious ability to anticipate what people were doing but would never reveal how.

"My lords, we must keep continue," the White Lotus member from the Fire Nation (which could be told from the shape of his beard, funnily enough) said to them both.

"We are going," the Water Paragon said back. "Don't get your robes in a twist."

"Be gentle, Sokka. We're obviously ruining a great many stories about us for them," the Fire Paragon said with a mischievous smirk on his face.

The White Lotus did not say anything in response to that, even though the words were true. They had been raised on stories about the Hundred Year War, of Avatar Aang, his team, and the Paragons, of what they did during and after the war in the Bending Countries. They had thought them all to be heroes. Imagine their surprise when they met Sokka and Naruto, they found out that they weren't like they were in the stories (it also didn't help that both Paragons had laughed at that comment when told to their faces).

"How much farther, my lord?" the woman in the White Lotus garb asked Sokka.

"Ah, shouldn't be far now," he replied. "In fact, I believe that is the house right there." He pointed at the building in front of them.

"That's an igloo, Sokka," Naruto told him.

"Which is a house for us Tribesmen," he replied.

This time, he was the one who rolled his eyes. "Do you want me to sound the call or do you want to take care of it?"

"No, I know who'll get their attention." He turned to the wolf beside him and said, "If you would, Akela?"

If he had been younger, the wolf might've given him a look. But they had been together this long, so what would've been the point? He threw back his head and howled his voice cutting through the blizzard like a warm knife through butter. Those who hadn't heard the howl before felt a chill that wasn't from the blizzard creep up their spines.

The door to the igloo opened and a man with a lantern in hand stepped out. "This way!" he called out to them, waving his lantern back and forth.

"We can see the lantern, Tonraq! We are not blind!" Sokka called out to him. They tromped up to the door to meet him, with the Water Paragon in the lead. He reached out and grasped his son-in-law's hand tight. "You shaved."

"Senna suggested it," Tonraq replied without shame. "She said that it might make me look younger."

"You're a father; you don't need to look young. Remember, when you get the grey hairs, wear them with pride."

"Was that a slam against me?" Naruto asked as he came closer. He would've sworn that Sokka had cast a look at him when he said those words.

"No, why would it be?" he asked back, with an amused smirk on his lips. "We both know that you're already going grey."

"Whereas you are well on your way to white," the Fire Paragon remarked. The White Lotus leader cleared his throat quite nosily to get their attention. "Yes, don't worry. We haven't forgotten about you."

Tonraq looked over at them, raising his lantern high. "The White Lotus has honored my family by coming. Thank you," he told them with a bowed head.

"The only reason they are here is because they insisted on coming to see each and every one of the claimants," his father-in-law told him.

"It was almost like they didn't trust us to do our jobs," Naruto said, throwing a mocking look at the three of them. "I swear, having the order go public was one of the dumbest things Aang ever did."

"Lord Naruto!" gasped the woman in shock. "You should not speak of Avatar Aang like that! He was a great man."

"He was an idiot," he replied bluntly. "He was an idiot when he came out of the ice and he was an idiot when he died."

"But—"

"You didn't know him; you don't get an opinion about him. Now please, for the love of Agni, can we go inside where I'm not freezing my life away?"

"Does he always complain like this?" Tonraq asked his father-in-law.

"Only when he's bored and in the middle of a blizzard," Sokka replied. "But let's go in. I could use some warmth myself."

He nodded and pushed the door open, letting them all come in. Inside was Senna with a broom, sweeping away at the floor in the main room. "Welcome," she greeted them all with a small dip of her head, coming to a stop with all the sweeping.

"Is that how you greet your own father?" asked said father. "Come over and give me a hug, girl!"

She smiled and went over to hug as commanded. "Hello, Father," she told him.

"Hello, Senna. How are you?"

"I am well." From behind her, one of the shields decorating the walls fell down with a loud clatter.

"I take it you guys were in a hurry to make the house nice?" Naruto asked them both. Akela rolled his eyes at the man's redundant question. "Don't go rolling your eyes at me, Akela. I get enough of that from Nyla."

"Nyla doesn't have eyes," Sokka reminded him.

"And yet, he can still do an amazing hairy eyeball at me."

"My lords, perhaps we can continue with what we came to do?" the leader of the White Lotus asked them both.

"For the love of the Spirits, let the man be reunited with his family!" the Fire Paragon told him with a loudly exasperated tone of voice. "How hard is that to do?"

"Naruto, relax," Sokka said in return. "They came here to do a task."

"No, _we_ came to do a task; they decided to bring themselves along."

"Lord Naruto," the White Lotus said to him with exasperation and suffering in his voice.

"It's true and you know it."

"Nevertheless, we must do as we came to do." He turned to look at Tonraq and Senna, who now stood together in the center of the room. "We have investigated many claims, both here and in the Northern Tribe. All have turned out to be false."

"Although some were particularly insistent," Sokka commented.

"You will have to admit, some of those were great fakes. They could probably make good actors when they grow up," Naruto commented.

"True." But both his mind and his friend's mind were on the chief of the Northern Water Tribe and how he had been incredibly assured that one, if not both, of his twin children held the Avatar Spirit.

"Then you should be happy to know that your search has come to an end," Senna told them with a smile on her face.

"What makes you so sure that your daughter is…the one?" the White Lotus leader asked with a doubtful expression. He had heard many people claim the same.

"Korra, please come in here!" she called out to the door on her right.

In response, a part of the wall was suddenly flung across the room. The skeptic looks on the White Lotus vanished just as they saw the wall be flung past them. The Paragons, on the other hand, shared an amused thought. _"That's how they know."_

"I'm the Avatar! You gotta deal with it!" cried a little four year old standing in the hole. If what she hadn't done before wasn't enough, she hopped into the room and started bending fire, earth, and water.

"_Hm, she's not bending air,"_ Sokka thought to himself as he watched his granddaughter. Still, it was three out of four and she was handling them better than Aang had when he was first beginning with them.

"Did you have her wait there just for that?" Naruto asked Tonraq and Senna.

"Actually, we had told her to go to bed an hour earlier," Tonraq said with a rueful smile and a shake of his head. "We just knew that she wouldn't."

"Are you convinced now?" Sokka asked the White Lotus once his granddaughter had stopped.

"Well…" their leader began. It sounded like there were still doubts in his voice and on his mind.

Korra, already bored with showing off to the adults, turned her head and saw the wolf beside her granddad. "Akela!" she cried in joy, leaping at the wolf and hugging him tightly. Akela looked down at the child for one moment and then licked her, making her giggle.

"Lord Sokka, if this is an attempt on your part to convince us that your granddaughter is the Avatar…?" the White Lotus leader began.

He turned his head to look at him. "Of course not," he replied. "You still have doubts after the little show she just gave you?"

"Well…?"

"You should probably also point out that this is the first time you've brought Akela to our home," Senna told her father.

"Yeah, that too," he said, still looking at the other man.

"But then how does she know who the wolf is?" the woman asked.

"…Because she is the Avatar and remembers him from her previous life, Avatar Aang's life," the Fire Nation man said. He was the first to get down on his knees and bowed his head to the little girl. The other two did the same but she ignored them. She was happier playing with Akela.

"What do you think, Naruto?" Sokka asked his fellow Paragon.

He was staring intently at Korra, watching her every movement. When she finally noticed him, she turned away from Akela with a scowl on her face. "What do you want?" she demanded. He didn't say anything to her. "Say something!" He didn't, so she bent a spear of earth out of the ground at him.

"Korra!" shouted both her parents at the sight of the spear. They did not expect their daughter to do something like that to a stranger.

Only Naruto smiled and deftly stepped out of the way of the spear. It had been small, slow, and not even sharp enough to hurt him, but he stepped out of the way all the same. "From an idiot to a hothead," he said as he turned his head away from the still scowling four year old. "What a refreshing change of pace."

(End Flashback)

"What happened to that little hotheaded girl?" Naruto asked Korra.

"She's still there," she told him.

"Really?" he asked, sounding surprised to hear such a thing from her.

"Yes, really," she answered, a little annoyed that he didn't believe her. It showed as a scowl on her face.

"I have a hard time believing that."

"It's the truth."

"Really?" he asked again, still sounding surprised.

"Yeah, really," she answered, getting more annoyed now

"Hmm…I don't think so."

"It's the truth!" she shouted at him, standing up from where she was sitting down.

"Really?" he asked for a third time.

"ARRRGGGHHHH!" she suddenly screamed, bringing an arm up to swing down at him, bending fire around it to blast him in full force.

But before she could even start to bring the fist down, her whole world was suddenly upside down and her back hurt. Her breath had been knocked out of her and she had let go of the fire being bent around her fist. _"What the…?"_ she tried to ask herself. _"What just happened? One minute I was about to punch his lights out, the next I'm on the ground again?"_

She arched her head back a little and saw Naruto standing over her, hands on his weapon and looking right down at her. "It's nice to know that you are Aang's reincarnation," he said conversationally. "He used to try and do that on me too. It never worked for him."

"Ow," she groaned. As she moved around and got feeling back into her back, she found that her anger was disappearing as well.

The Fire Paragon sat down next to her, putting the weapon back in his lap. "You know, I would like to believe that little hotheaded girl is still around," he said to her, acting like nothing had happened. "But currently, I'm finding it very hard to believe."

"And why is that?"

"Because the little hothead had, I thought, grown up to be a big hothead, who didn't take any crap from anyone and who would bounce back after going through something truly horrible. Instead, I see a woman who doesn't protest against the protection and safety layered on her after one bad incident, even though she knows it is stifling."

She did find it to be that, but could not find the right way to protest it. "What would you want me to do?"

"Me? I have no control over your actions."

"Then what do you think I should do?"

He smiled and nodded approvingly at her. "I think that you should go back to the hospital. Every day that you aren't there helping, you let that man win. Beat him by doing what you were doing without any fear in you."

His words placed a confidence in her; something she hadn't noticed was missing. It wasn't big but it was enough to make her get back on her feet. "You're right."

"I know I'm right," he replied, standing up as well. "Now, I'm assuming you know how to do Aang's little trick with the ball of air?"

"Yes." After being stuck on the island for the last few days, she had managed to figure it out.

"Good. Give me fifty laps around the island on the thing."

"What?" she asked caught off-guard by the command.

"You heard me. Get going."

"But I—"

"Are you arguing with me?"

"No, I—"

"It sounds like you're arguing with me."

"I'm not," she protested.

"The get down to the beach and start doing those laps!" he barked at her. She visibly jumped at the bark and scrambled down to the beach. He watched her go for a couple of seconds before turning to look back up at the temple and the path leading towards it. "Asami, you're running fifty laps as well, in the opposite direction!" he called out.

"What?" came her squawk of surprise from behind one of the gates.

"_That's what I thought."_ He had figured that she hadn't gone up to the temple like she made them think she did.

"You heard me, get moving! And what you heard, you do not tell anyone, got it!?"

"Yes sir!"

"Good!" He waited for a moment and saw nothing. "Why aren't you moving!?" She came out from behind the post and started running for the beach.

He watched her go in silence with a frown on his face, yet inwardly he was smirking. **"You enjoy this,"** Kurama said to him with no accusation in his voice.

"I had to get it from someone," he replied quietly.

"**If you're blaming me, remember that it did you good."**

"I'm not denying that. In fact, have I ever thanked you for it?"

"**No, you haven't,"** the fox said with a small hope in his voice.

"Huh. Remind me to do that someday."

The hope vanished and was replaced with annoyed disappointment. **"Somehow, I highly doubt that you will do that."**

"You know me well."

"**After 87 years, I would certainly hope so."**

He laughed at that. But the laughter died as new memories entered his mind, coming from one of his clones currently on lookout in the city. From the number of the memories and what was in them, it could only be one particular clone. "Oh shit," he said aloud.

"**This is going to be interesting,"** the fox remarked as he looked at the memories.

"Only for you," he replied, already scowling at what he knew.

"**Well, yes."** It was a fact that he never denied that the things his Jinchūriki went through were often amusing to him, with the exception of a few. **"So the question is now what are you going to do about it?"**

"What do you think?"

"**Go straight to her and lop off her head for letting this go on for as long as it had?"**

"No."

"**Spoilsport,"** the Kyūbi grumbled.

"Why don't you rein in that bloodthirstiness of yours? Besides, I'm not that bad anymore."

"**Well…"**

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, fox," he growled.

"**You know that I wasn't."** Even he had found the events of that day to be too horrifying to make light of.

His Jinchūriki didn't say anything in response. The only thing he did was stalk his way back to the temple. He, Yue, Bumi, and Tenzin, had some things to talk about.

* * *

Arashi had been curious about what the adults had wanted to talk about in private. So when they went to another room, he quietly followed. It was quiet easy to do when everyone else was distracted. Asami and Korra were doing Agni knows what, Pema was taking the runts off to bed, and Mako and Bolin were arguing about Mako asking Lin about joining the police force. Rin had taught a few things about keeping his footsteps quiet as he walked and now he was able to put them to good use following the adults at distance. He was lucky that Jiji was in the front; otherwise he would've been spotted. He followed them to a room that they had closed and locked the door to.

"You cannot be serious!" he heard Tenzin's voice shout from the door as he placed his back against the wall and listened.

"Would I ever joke about something like this, Tenzin?" his Jiji asked the Airbender. He noticed that the voice being used was cool and collected, which meant that Jiji was indeed being serious. Whatever it was, it was going to be interesting.

"I know you wouldn't," Yue said.

"Same here," Bumi agreed.

"I agree," Lin remarked.

"But…but…you are talking about one of my fellow Councilmen! I do not care if it was something as foolish as she was jay walking! You can't just go accusing her of that unless you have proof!" Tenzin exclaimed.

"_Wait, Councilmen?"_ Arashi began thinking it over. _"If they're talking about one of the Council, it must very serious. Who could it be, though? Wait, Tenzin said 'she' when he spoke last that means…"_ It meant that they were talking about the representative of the Fire Nation, his dad's own replacement.

"Tenzin, my clone saw everything her grandson and his friends were doing to those kids. They were making the kids fight one another to the point of death and then sometimes beating the victor because they didn't provide enough entertainment." His Jiji's voice grew hard as he spoke, showing his dislike for what he was describing. "They had a little arena all set up in his home for the children to fight in and they crowd around like buzzard-wasps waiting for the kill."

"You…you are serious," Tenzin said.

"As a heart attack," he confirmed.

"Did you see her come in at any time?"

"She walked through the door, took one look at the fight that had just happened in the arena, and promptly told her grandson to clean up his mess so she could have a proper welcome. She didn't even bat an eye at the practically dead child at the feet of the victor, who was barely breathing himself. When he collapsed, she didn't bat an eye, none of them."

"I…I can't believe this."

"I can," Bumi said. None of the man's joking and comedic nature (Spirits know he has one) was in his voice. He was completely serious, sounding like the commander that he was.

"What?" his brother said obviously surprised.

"Tenzin, you've always tried to see the good in everyone, even with Tarrlok. The rest of us aren't like that. I've never really like her, not since she took Sozin's position on the Council."

"Same," Yue agreed. "I always found her to be standoffish, condescending, and rude to those she thought were beneath her."

"And in the Council hall, amidst who she thought were her equals, she was indecisive, unable to make a choice unless prompted, and only followed what she thought was a good idea. Just look at what happened with Tarrlok," his brother continued. "Tell me you weren't blind to all of this."

"No, I wasn't," he admitted. "I had always hoped that she would come through in time and be able to be a worthy member of the Council."

At that, Arashi heard his Jiji snort in derision. "A worthy member of the Council?" he repeated. "Have you forgotten just how quickly she was able to get herself into the office after my family was killed? We were too focused on figuring out what happened and let her take office without even fighting."

"_Why don't you just go ahead and say I was dead too?"_ Arashi thought to himself, having heard his Jiji's words exactly.

"The question now is what are we going to do?" Lin asked.

"There's no choice, we'll have to arrest her," Tenzin declared.

"'We?'" she repeated with a slightly amused tone in her voice. If he could see her face, Arashi would've bet money that she had an amused look on her face too.

"You know what I meant, Lin."

"Of course," she said the amused tone still in her voice.

"What about where the kids are coming from?" Rin asked.

"That's a separate matter."

"Separate?" she repeated incredulously. "She knows that her grandson is buying kidnapped children for mock sport, abuse, and anything and everything that could be worse. He has friends who share his ideas. Who knows who else believes in the same thing and buys kidnapped children? And this is just in the Bending Countries!"

"You don't think that we aren't aware of this?" Bumi asked her.

"It sure as hell looks like it! You're ignoring it because of a politician!"

"A politician who is a leading member of the government that rules this city and this nation," Tenzin said to her. "A politician who was supposedly high regarded enough to be sent by the Fire Nation to sit in the Council. We're not planning on arresting some petty criminal, we're planning something that could and will cause a scandal."

"And all of that is minimal compared to the kids!" she shouted, getting more and more angry.

"Rin, calm down," Jiji told her.

"No, I will not calm down. Not when you and the rest of your group are treating the kidnapped like it's a secondary concern!"

"Rin, calm down," he repeated. His voice changed when he repeated himself. Arashi didn't know what the change was exactly, but he felt a shiver travel down his spine at the words.

But whatever shiver he was getting, apparently Rin didn't have it. "How could you be like that, Lord Naruto? You! Of all people! How can the Shinobi Kikan just ignore something like this!?" she demanded, a plea in her voice.

"I am looking at the bigger picture here."

"The bigger picture? THE BIGGER PICTURE!? There are children being kidnapped and sold like they were tools to be used! And you're standing here thinking about arresting a politician and the bigger picture!?"

"Rin—"

"No! Do not tell me to calm down! I would've thought you, out of everyone, would've done something about it. You know where they are located; you could've ended it right then and there! Well, if you're not going to do it, I don't see why I should associate myself with a fucking coward like yourself!"

"Go back to the apartment, Rin. We'll discuss this later."

The door suddenly slammed opened and she stomped out. It had been so sudden and unexpected that Arashi didn't have any time to hide himself. He just stood there as she saw him. He didn't really know what to say, but he had to say something. "Uh…hi?" he asked before mentally cringing. Hi? He had to go with hi? Out of all the greetings he could've used, he went with _hi_? Good Spirits, he sounded like an idiot!

"Hi?" she repeated.

"You think so too, huh?" She didn't answer. Instead, she kept on walking. "Wait!" he called out, running after her.

"What?" she asked without stopping her stride.

"I want to help you."

"You're a kid."

That shouldn't matter. There was more he could do. There was more he had to do. He couldn't just stay here. That wasn't all he could do. "I can still help. You taught some stuff and I can hold my own."

If it wasn't so urgent, she might've paused to think about it. Instead, she walked as she thought and he followed her determinedly. She knew that she would need help but after what she heard Lord Naruto say, she knew that she wouldn't get it from him. Now here was his grandson offering to help her. She had taught him some things about being a shinobi and he had taken to them like a duck to water. "Alright, come on."

(Location: City Hall)

Hui was sitting in her chambers working on paperwork with a nice comfortable fire burning behind her. It was something that she had installed after taking office. It was ostentatious and it made the room hot but she was from the Fire Nation. She could stand a little heat (while her visitors could not). Plus, it made her feel like she was at the Royal Palace, in the seat of the Fire Lord. She was certainly at an equal level with Fire Lord Izumi. Her predecessor had preferred the chambers to be more modest and welcoming but she had scoffed at that. Why be welcoming when you can be intimidating?

While many had praised Sozin Uzumaki as one of the best Councilmen in history, she personally believed that it was because of his father and mother that he got the position. Once there, he hardly did anything noteworthy. But who could blame him when he had his father to offer advice and guidance. What did that old geezer know about ruling? She liked it when Paragons kept their noses out of things that were not their business. Hopefully, the new one would be much easier to sway.

Her mind was completely focused on her work when the doors, which she had locked, were kicked open. She looked up and saw policemen storming the room. "What is the meaning of this?" she demanded, rising up from her chair. It proved to be a mistake as the police bent their cables around her hands, tying them together. "What is going on? Have you any idea what are you doing and who you are doing to!?"

"Oh, trust me, they know," Lin said as she entered the room, alongside Tenzin, his brother, and Naruto.

"Lin, for the love of the Spirits, tell your men to unhand me at once!"

"No."

"What!?" she all but screeched.

"I said no." Her gaze was hard and her voice filled with iron.

"Do you have any idea who you are talking to!?"

"Can we please just shut her up now?" Bumi asked with an annoyed expression. His arms were crossed against his chest and his eyes were just as hard as Lin's.

"We have to do this right, Bumi," Tenzin told his brother. His shoulders were slightly slumped and his face was saddened. But his eyes told her that even though he was sad, he would not stop this.

"Move her," Lin ordered her men.

The cables around her hands jerked leftward, forcing her way from her chair and desk. She struggled against it, trying to get her hands free and fight back. But the cables were too tight and she could not get free of them. "Stop this!" she shouted at them. "Stop this at once! You cannot do this!"

"But they can," the Chief of Police said. "You're under arrest."

"For what?" she demanded.

"For aiding and abetting the kidnapping of children, for not reporting said activity, and for supporting it via your grandson," she replied in no uncertain tones.

"What are you talking about? I didn't do anything like that!"

"Don't try denying it," Naruto told her as she was dragged towards the door. "I saw you walking into your grandson's apartment and not bat an eye at the entertainment he and his friends had put together. As I speak, they are being arrested too."

"Get her out of here," Tenzin told the police.

"Do not be so high and mighty to me, Tenzin!" she told him as they started dragging her out of there. "I am innocent in this, you will see! Take me to a court and I will go free. I am the representative of the Fire Nation on the United Council. No judge would dare to try me and sentence me! I am strong and unyielding, just Jian. Now he was a man who should've led! Not like that weak idiot who he tried—!"

"Lord Naruto!"

Pain filled her senses as her vision went hazy for a second and her knees went weak, forcing her to fall down on them. Her lower jaw was screaming at her, telling her that it was dislocated. Her mouth was full of blood and when she spat it out, she found that many of her teeth were in it too. Now, they lay splattered on the floor.

But when she looked up and stared at the face of the Paragon of the Fire Nation, all she could think about was hiding from the furious Spirit she had made mad. If there was anything left in her bladder, she would've voided it right then and there from looking at his angry face. "Never insult my son again," he said, growling out the words. His hand gripped his weapon tight, like he wanted to draw it but checked himself from doing so.

She didn't say anything in response, being too terrified to do so. "Get her down to HQ," Lin told her men. "I want her in the box for interrogation ASAP."

"You got it, chief." They dragged the practically unconscious woman out of the room, leaving the door open behind them.

"The rest of you, start searching. I want to know if she left anything about her dealings with the scum behind."

"Yes, ma'am," the rest of the cops said, throwing salutes and getting to work. The whole room quickly became engulfed in the sounds of drawers being opened, things being moved, and papers being rustled around.

"I still can't believe that she had done this," Tenzin said.

"You'd better believe it, little brother," Bumi said. "Man, thank the Spirits I was planning on retiring. I'm getting too old for this type of crap."

"Excuse me?" Naruto said with a raised eyebrow. Everyone else who was listening in tried to contain their smirks as the eldest of the Paragons looked at the younger one.

"I'm not talking about being a Paragon," he said back a little defensively. "I still got some years on that. No, I'm talking about the damn politics."

"Bumi, you're a commander in the United Forces," his brother reminded him.

"That still means I have to deal with politics."

Clanking footsteps made them turn around to see a Metalbender come towards them at a hurried pace. "Chief, HQ has just reported in that the grandson is in," he said to Lin, coming to a stop and throwing a salute to her.

"Have them toss him into a box until we get there. We're going to pump them for information," she told him.

"Yes ma'am," he replied.

"Have we found anything yet?" she asked the rest of the cops in the room. The general answer was a resounding "No."

"Don't worry, Lin," Naruto told her. "Odds are we'll find something before everything goes…" He froze and went silent for a moment. "…To shit," he finished in a whisper.

"Naruto is everything alright?" Bumi asked him.

"I'm an idiot. I am a fucking idiot!"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"I told Rin about where I went today after finding out about Hui's grandson. I told her about the door in the alley."

"Oh shit," the Paragon of the Air Nomads said, realizing where he was going with it.

But neither Lin nor Tenzin did. "What are you going on about?" Lin asked the Paragon of the Fire Nation.

"Rin was angry that we weren't going after the kidnappers right away. She's going after them herself. She's doesn't know what lies beyond that door, she could very well get herself killed!" Horror filled his eyes as he realized something else too. "And she's going to take Arashi along with her!"

The same horror reached the others' eyes. They had seen how his grandson and the foreigner acted together, like a teacher and a student. If she was going, Arashi would want to help her. Without saying another word, Naruto turned and ran from the room, bolting down the corridor. Bumi followed him and after a moment's hesitation, so did Tenzin.

"Chief?" one of the cops asked Lin.

"Keep looking," she ordered them all. "But get someone on the radio and contact HQ; I want everyone out in force to help take the ring down!" She pulled out a spare piece of paper and scribbled the information that she knew on it. She slapped it down on the table.

"Yes ma'am!" With that resounding shout and seeing someone already reaching for the phone with the piece of paper in hand, she turned and followed.

(Location: Rin)

"Are you sure this is it?" the Triple Threat leader asked her.

"Yes, I'm sure," she replied without turning her gaze away from the door. "He told me where it was. What's more, he told me how to get in."

"Well then open it already, woman."

"Watch it, pal. Remember it wasn't my idea to call you guys in on this."

"Rin, they don't want this to keep going on, just like you," Arashi said to her, standing by her side. It had been his idea to call them in and she knew that since this was most likely not the only door, she had the triad position itself throughout the city.

"Alright, stay out of sight," she told the blonde and the criminal. She strode to the door, raising her hand. Lucky for her, Naruto had told the series of knocks he had heard. Here's hoping that they would work for her.

_Tap. Knock. Bam!_

_Knock! BANG! Wham._

_WHAM! BAM! Tap._

"Yeah?" a voice on the other side of the door said as it opened, revealing a surly looking man. "Whatta ya—?"

He didn't get any further than that, mostly because she reached out and grabbed hold of his head.

_WHAM!_

_CRUNCH!_

Arashi just watched in silence as the man fell to the ground, unconscious due being slammed into the wall. A smart-mouth comment might've come out of his mouth at that point if he wasn't trying to make sure he stayed focused on what came next. When Rin started down the tunnel, he went after her, barely hearing Viper telling Ping to "call it in."

The corridor beyond the door was long, very long. It was also dimly lit and at the speed Rin was moving, along with his trying to keep up, it became a blur of light and dark to his eyes. His lungs started to feel heavy, as well as his legs. But they weren't heavy enough to make him stop. He would help her and he would stay in sight. It also help that he heard footsteps behind him and knowing that he wasn't the only trying to stay in sight of the kunoichi.

When she finally came to a stop, he did too. His lungs felt like they were beginning to be set afire. "Could you slow down?" Viper wheezed from behind him at her.

"Shush!" she said, waving an impatient hand at him. He drew back and up, ready to fire back at her. She turned her head slightly, just enough to look at him. "We're not alone here." Her back was plastered to the wall and they noticed at that point that the corridor curved ahead.

They did the same as her but she was the only one who could see what lay ahead. The corridor would end in a round room with other corridors and only one door. There was one man guarding the door and keeping an eye out in the room. If she had to guess, the other corridors would lead to other doors, doors that would lead to different parts of the city. There were probably going to be other guards at those doors but for now, she just had to deal with this one.

She didn't know if there was anyone else behind the door, so a jutsu would be too noisy. If she came out of cover to take him out, there was a chance, a good chance, that he would see her and raise the alarm. It was a good thing she was a deft hand with a kunai. She began to reach down for her pouch, making sure to make so sudden sounds or noise.

She froze when she heard more noise coming down from another corridor. It was muted and confusing at first, but then as it came closer it became clearing and easier to figure out. It was the sound of multiple feet walking in a line, the sound of chains rattling against one another, and the sounds of a muffled sob. She had a feeling what was coming.

It was confirmed when she saw a man come out of the farthest left tunnel with a chain in his grip. Attached to that chain were several children, all wearing different kinds and styles of clothing and all having the same mixture of expressions on their faces: confusion, fear, sadness, and misery.

"Coming in," the man with the chain called out. Behind her, Arashi, Viper, and his men tensed up. She gave the blonde one look and he started motioning the others to ease up again. She needed to listen.

"I can see that," the guard remarked drily as he watched the children march in. "You caught the load today, didn't you?"

"I most certainly did. Those Equalist chi-blockers are a great help." He laughed cruelly. "That Amon, he had no freaking clue what we were doing, did he?"

The guard smiled just as cruelly. "No he did not. He never realized that his own men were taking the children they had caught and brought them to us. What an idealistic idiot."

They both laughed like they hadn't a care in the world. One of the children started to whimper. But it didn't quickly when the man holding the chain swung around with a fire-encrusted fist. "Do you want some more of this?" he threatened.

"N-n-no," the child answered, only to get punched anyway. He fell down with cry and got a kick in the stomach for his trouble.

"Whoa, easy there," the guard said, despite not having done anything to stop it. "You know how the boss is about pre-damaged goods."

"That may be, but I detest it when they start complaining," the captor replied, lowering the fist.

"It was just one whimper, pal."

"No, it starts out as a whimper. Then it becomes "why am I here?' 'where are we' why are you doing this?' and my personal favorite, 'where are my mom and dad?'" Given the way he spoke, it was obvious that he was being sarcastic. "Better to nip it in the bud then let it become a headache. Besides, it helps them learn not to ask the stupid questions early on."

"Whatever," he said with a carefree shrug of his shoulders. "I don't give a fuck."

"I hear that. Anyone else come through?"

"A few," he answered. "Pickings are starting to get a little stingy."

"Really?" he asked. "I got a good haul."

"You've got chi-blockers, some teams don't. Plus, the Triple Threats are starting to keep a lookout for kidnappers. I've already got three teams come through complaining of lost supplies. I'm already getting an earache from them."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that from me. I've got a full load right here." He jingled the chain to emphasize his point.

"You sure about that?" the guard asked. "That one kid looks like he's dead. You know how the boss gets about things like that." He looked at the kid still on the ground.

The captor looked down at him too. "He's faking it."

"How do you know?"

"Are you the one who captures them?" He kicked the kid again. "Alright, get up, brat."

"_Okay, that's it,"_ Rin finally decided, making her move. She came out of hiding with the kunai in hand. With one throw, she buried it in the guard's neck. It had taken him three seconds to reach up, feel the kunai imbedded in his neck, and tried to scream. Unfortunately for him, those same three seconds had been enough for Rin to cross over the room, cover his mouth to prevent any screaming, and rip the rest of his throat open. Once the kunai was free, she let go of him and leapt for the captor, plunging the kunai into his forehead, reaching his brain. He died before he even hit the floor.

Arashi and the rest of the Triple Threat men came out to the room. The criminals were all looking at her with stunned expressions on their faces. "Whoa," one of them said.

"_Yeah, she's awesome,"_ Arashi thought to himself with a quiet little grin.

"Now I'm glad that I never fought you," Viper told her.

She didn't pay any attention to the compliment, instead choosing to go over to the children. "Here, I'll take care of it," a Triad Firebender named Flash told her, coming up beside her. He bent a tiny but sharp flame onto his finger.

The children saw the fire and lurch away, fear shining in their eyes. "It's okay," Rin told them in a calming voice. "He's going to free you." They stopped moving but the fear was still there, watching every move.

He didn't smile reassuringly at them, because he knew the state of his teeth wouldn't help relax them. Instead, he knelt down and simply got to work, burning the fire through the first set of chains. He was good at doing this for within a minute, he had gotten through half of the chains. In two, they were all free.

"Don't go anywhere," Rin said them, seeing the urge to bolt in their faces and their little actions. "You don't know where you are and you could get caught again." She turned to Viper. "Get a couple of your guys to escort them out of here and hand them over to the police."

"Goes without saying," he said with a subtle roll of his eyes. "Stomper, Flash, take care of them," he ordered two of his men.

"You got it boss," Stomper, a big bruiser of a Waterbender, said in reply. He walked over to the kids and put a smile on his face. "Alright kids, just follow Uncle Flash and I and you'll all be home in no time."

"_Uncle?"_ thought Rin as she watched the two criminals lead the children down the corridor they had come out of. They looked nothing like uncles in her humble opinion.

"The rest of you, check out the rest of those tunnels and see where they end up," Viper ordered the rest of his small group. "Once outside, send up the signal and get the rest of the Triad down here but make sure they contact the cops before coming back down."

They all gave various forms of acknowledgment, from a grunt of understanding to a "You got it, boss." They all scattered down the corridors, going as fast as their feet could take them.

"You handled that well," Rin stated. "I wouldn't have expected such clear and precise orders from a criminal."

"I served in the fleet for a time," he said shortly.

"What made you stop?" Arashi asked him, clearly surprised by what he had heard. He didn't know much about Viper's past (mostly because he didn't ask and the triad member didn't tell all of it) but he never would've expected him to be a military person. Then again, the fact that he was now a criminal kind of took the shine off it.

"Commanding officer was an asshole I didn't want to put up with anymore."

Rin finished the conversation by walking over to the door and kicking it in.

_BANG!_

_SLAM!_

The metal itself rattled as it slammed into the wall behind it. The entire room echoed with the noises, making Arashi wince and cover his ears. When it finally stopped rattling and echoing, he saw that Rin was already going through. "Hey, Rin, wait!" he called after her, going after her.

"Oh for the love of the Spirits, would you two slow down?" Viper asked before he followed.

Rin didn't say anything to either of them. Her mind was focused on what lay beyond. _"The kids are just ahead,"_ she told herself. _"You're almost there. You'll be able to save them. There's not going to be anymore kidnapping. There's not going to be anymore slave-soldiers for us to cut down or watch die."_

…_attle._

…_ing._

When she began to faintly hear those sounds, she slowed down and signaled the others to do the same. They began moving more cautiously forward. She was listening to what lay ahead of them, as it got less faint and clearer.

…_hing._

…_hump, thump, thump._

"Get moving, you lazy little…!" she heard a voice shout.

"…urry it up already!" she heard another scream, this one more feminine.

_Raaaattttle._

_Ching!_

_Thump thump thump thump thump thump thump._

"Ah!"

"Get up!"

All these noises grew louder and louder as they came closer. At the end of the corridor, there was an opening leading into large area. The area turned out to be an incredibly large hall that looked like it took up the space of a basement and the first two floors of a building. They had come out at the level of the first floor on a walkway with a staircase going down nearby. They could see everything that was happening. Children were being herded down on the floor and across walkways like animals. Men and women were herding them along, into pens and into tunnels, disappearing from sight. They also watched from higher walkways, like crows watching meat about to die. And from the highest walkway, a single person watched.

But while they could see everything, everything could see them too. The highest person whistled a note that echoed down to the floor of the hall. Everyone and everything stopped to look at him. "We have intruders," he announced, "and an expected guest. Take care of them." He started walking down from his walkway, acting like everything was normal.

But while he walked, every man and woman who weren't herding the children away was coming towards the three of them. "Oh, this is not good," Viper said as he saw the incoming waves of guards.

"Arashi, get back through that corridor," Rin ordered.

"Like Agni's flaming ball sack I will," he retorted.

"That wasn't a suggestion, Arashi. Do it."

"No. I came here to help and I'm going to help." He pulled out his kunai and held it in a tight grip. He stood ready. "Viper, did you bring water?"

"Kid, do I look like an idiot?" the leader of the Triple Threat asked back, already covering his fists in water. It might be illegal in Pro-bending, but here was fair game.

The waves converged on them in an instant. Despite his protests, both Rin and Viper pushed him back to the opening, making it so one could only get out through him. He kept his grip on the kunai, even though his hand was already beginning to drip with sweat. Rin and Viper found themselves back to back as they fought off anyone who came close. Viper was vicious in his attacks, not afraid to get dirty in his fighting. Rin was leaving a body pile before as she killed each one of the guards coming towards her.

"_Stay cool, stay calm,"_ Arashi told himself again and again. Somehow, one of the kidnappers slipped past Rin and tried going for him, his fist already engulfed in fire. Without thinking about it, he swung the kunai up at him; catching him by surprise and making him take a step back. The blonde swung a hard kick at his crotch when he took that step, making him lean down in pain, which got him a knee to the face. He fell back and was stepped on by Viper, deliberately.

The beginnings of the fight could've lasted a couple of minutes or longer. All the blonde knew was that when he felt a hand on his shoulder from behind and he turned to see that it was Ping, he was relieved. He stepped to the side and let the Triple Threat Triad flood into the giant hall. The Firebenders were first, leading the assault with typical fury and savagery one would find in them. The kidnappers were caught off guard by it and were pushed back by it.

That was enough for the Waterbenders and Earthbenders to step in and add to the fight. The Waterbenders took long range, bending arcs of water at the kidnappers from behind. The Earthbenders were enjoying themselves by bending the sides of the building to jut out and hit the kidnappers, sending them over the railing.

But the best part was when he heard one of them call out, "Cops are right behind us!" and for the police to show up. The tide had turned and not in the favor of the kidnappers. Soon they were forced off the walkway and down to the ground floor, spreading the battle across the hall. Water, earth, fire, and cables were going everywhere.

"Get the kids out of here!" Viper shouted into the mess that was the battle as he broke open a pipe to get more water. "The kids are the priority! Get them out!" The Triad and the cops both heard him and shifted their fighting away from the kids. Already some of them were breaking off from the fight to get to the kids.

Rin had gotten down to the ground floor and was making her way through the guards when she saw the man from the highest point now down on the ground floor, walking through like there wasn't a care in the world. Anyone who tried to stop, he dealt with and then kept on walking. "Stop that guy!" she shouted when she saw that he was walking away from the fight. "He's getting away!"

It didn't seem like anyone heard her. Everyone was more focused on freeing chained children and carrying them out the way they had come or keeping the guards and the slavers away. So she went after the man herself. "Rin, wait!" she heard Arashi shout, but she did not look back at him.

She followed the guy out of the hall, away from the chaos of the fight. Once she was from the din, she could hear him whistling and it made her furious. _"After all he's done, he's whistling!?"_ Oh he was a dead man! "Get back here!" she shouted after him, yet he did not stop walking away.

"Rin!" called out Arashi as he followed her. What they ran through was a corridor that had many branch-offs but they stuck with him as he kept going straight, eventually reaching a door. He opened it and walked through it, leaving it open.

"_Bad move,"_ thought the kunoichi. She ran right through the door and found the man, seeing that he was old enough for his grey hair to start going white but not to have lost his blocky build. "Stop right there," she ordered him as he was walking towards some kind of rail.

He did stop and then he turned to look at her. "Why would I go now when I haven't taken everything I need?" he asked her.

"What?" Footsteps echoed in her ears and she turned an eye to see Arashi come running in.

As the blonde came to a stop, the first question he was, _"Why does this room look like it belongs in a train station?"_ It was almost creepy how exactly it looked like one. They were currently standing on the platform and where the guy was standing was the rail and the tunnel.

"Ah, here he is now," the guy said with a smirk on his face.

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"That will be all from you, Arashi," he said, looking right at the blonde.

"Do you think that I will let you just walk away?" Rin asked him, a hard edge in her voice. "You've been kidnapping children, brainwashing them, and then selling them as soldiers or entertainment."

He shrugged his shoulders carelessly. "It's all part of the business. I've been doing it longer then you were born and I'll keep on doing it."

"I doubt that."

He laughed arrogantly. "Doubt all you want, the fact remains the same. I will be leaving here with the cargo my employer wants and you will let me."

"Why would I do that?"

"Because if you step over to me, you will die," he answered with a smirk.

"You aren't fast enough to stop me."

"Possibly, but that is faster." He pointed down to the ground. She followed his gaze and saw thin red laser an inch off the ground. "You trip that; you'll be forced to inhale a chemical substance that will kill you in five seconds."

A familiar sound entered Arashi's ear and he saw a light appear in the tunnel. _"A train is coming in? Here?"_ he thought to himself, surprised. He didn't think that a train would actually come down here.

"Ah, here comes my ride now," the man said, turning around to watch the train come in. The light was getting brighter and brighter. "Arashi, step over the laser and come join me. My employer will be expecting you. It's best not to keep him waiting."

"No," he said. Why would this guy think he would come?

He turned around to look back at him. "I said to come join me."

"And I said no. Are you deaf?"

"That will be all, Arashi. Now come here."

"For the last time, no," he said defiantly.

A look of confusion appeared on the man's face. "What is going on? I was assured that it would work. He's away from his grandfather; he should be easy for the taking. Why isn't he obeying my commands?"

"Hey, moron," Rin called out to him, getting his attention.

"Hush, woman. I am tryi—"

"**Chidori Eisō."** A beam of lightening appeared from her hand and pierced his heart. "Two things you should've realized," she told the slowly dying man. "One, you shouldn't have told me about the laser. Two, you should've kept your gaze on me and my hands." With a single tug, she pulled out the jutsu and he slumped to the ground dead.

Arashi stared at her as she canceled the jutsu. "Why didn't you just incapacitate him? He could've had some information," he asked.

"You're right, he might've," she said, turning her back on the corpse and walking away.

He followed her out of the room. "Why didn't you then?"

"He was a child kidnapper and brainwasher. I wouldn't have wanted to listen to anything he had to tell me."

"But what about Jiji and the cops?" he asked her. She frowned and her gaze hardened. He felt the need to go silent and obeyed it.

"Come on," she finally said. "They're going to need our help."

The ground began to shake beneath their feet. A growing roar began to echo at their backs. The air tugged sharply at their clothes. Rin inhaled shapely. She knew what those signs meant, having gone through them many times before. "Run!" she suddenly shouted, taking off at a dead run.

Arashi, while still caught off guard by the reaction, nevertheless did as he was told. He followed her at his best speed. The ground started to shake harder and harder, making him stumble a few times and almost trip to the ground once. But he was able to keep his balance and follow her. The roaring grew louder and louder, like a platypus bear on the hunt.

They ran back out into the hall, back to the battle. "Get out!" Rin shouted for all to hear. Everyone, the triad, the cops, and the kidnappers, looked towards her. "Get out! This place is going to—"

They felt the heat rippled across their backs and the force of the blast sending them forward before they heard the sound, slamming them into the ground hard. The sound was the last thing they heard before being knocked out.

_BOOM!_

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

A catfight is not something that should just slapping and tearing at hair. Not when there's two angry women involved. There's going to be some actual hitting involved, probably some kicking too. Any guy who tries to break it up is an idiot who apparently has a death wish, for they will easily turn their attentions onto him. And I believe that Korra and Asami's relationship through the seasons had to have had at least one serious catfight, they just didn't show it.

Of course I was going to put in the opening scene, just not at the beginning. The way I had envisioned in the story, it wouldn't have worked there, too many spoilers. The original idea was to put in the same chapter where Korra meets him and Sato's revealed to be a traitor but then I figured that there was one too many surprises in that chapter, it didn't need another.

Originally, this story was going to cover a lot more ground but then I realized there was a very good chance of over doing it. And since the explosion is always a good cliff hanger, it was best to leave it there and take the rest of the stuff into the next chapter. Oh, and if you were wondering what the head kidnapper was talking about to himself, just look to his wording and Arashi's thinking.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	18. Pulling through and going away

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 18: Pulling through and going away

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Naruto)

The first thing he saw when he came to look upon the building all the tunnels had led to was that it was exploding. He could hear the concussions before he saw the fires. They rattled off in his ears.

_BOOM!_

_BOOM!_

_BOOM!_

_BOOM! _

_BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM!_

It wasn't any better when he finally saw the building. Someone feeling poetic might've said that the fires exploding inside the building might've looked like flowers blooming or something like that. But that wasn't what Naruto thought as he watched on in horror. All he saw was the explosions that were ripping the building apart.

There were other people surrounding him now, but their faces and voices were all blurred to him. His entire focus was on the burning building. The explosions were ripping chunks out of the building, sending them flying through the air and then into the ground, amidst screaming people. Not seemed to go anywhere near him as he kept staring at the burning building. Imposed over it was his son's townhouse, burning just as bright.

"Get that building stabilized! Deal with that burning rubble!" he heard Lin bark out orders for her men to obey. It brought him out of his trance-like state and back into reality.

He took one step forward and immediately felt a cable around his wrist, stopping him from going on. "Lin, let go of me," he said without turning his head, knowing full well that she was the one bending the cable.

"I can't do that," she replied.

"Let go," he repeated.

"I can't," she repeated as well.

Even though he subconsciously knew the answer, he still asked, "Why?"

"That building could go at any moment. You trying to get won't make it any safer. You know that."

"My grandson is in that building, Lin," he all but growled out.

"I know that, Naruto. But you can't go in there."

"She's right, you know," Bumi said, coming up behind him and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"You have to stay out here," Yue added, coming to his side and taking his other arm in her hand. Their grips were gentle but he knew that they could become like iron in a second, trying to hold him back (of course, the word was "trying").

He knew the reasoning and if he was calm, he might've appreciated and accepted it. But he was not calm, not at that moment. "My grandson is in that building."

"We know, Naruto, we know," the Water Paragon assured him.

"I am not going to let it happen again to me, not again." He had already lost his wife, son, daughter-in-law, and his granddaughter. He was not going to lose his grandson.

"Naruto, just step back and let the police handle the building," Tenzin said, finally joining the conversation (if it could be called that).

"…Fine." He broke out of their grasps and took that step back, already feeling the cable on his arm loosening. All he could do now was just watch as the building before him burned its existence out.

(Location: Rin)

"…_Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow,"_ were the first conscious thoughts Rin had as she fought her way back into the land of the living, only to find that the lower half of her body was pinned by something. She couldn't see it, but nothing felt broken (she hoped that nothing was broken). Heat washed up against her and she could see fires. Everything around her was burning. Even the air felt humid to her tongue.

If she was a civilian, she might've asked "what happened?" But she remembered what had happened and wasn't shocked by the fact that she was stuck under something and couldn't move. In fact, trying to move free wasn't even her first thought. "Arashi?" she said, looking around. "Arashi, where are you?" All she could was what she was in, a portion of the hall that had been collapsed into an area only a few feet wide and long. All around her she was surrounded by wreckage that was either burning or not.

"Right here," a strained, tiring voice of a boy spoke to her left.

She turned her head and saw him there, almost on his knees, his shaking hands holding up a beam of lumber that was wedged between a sheet of iron and two chunks of concrete. Her eyes told her that beam was connected enough to the rest of the rubble around them that if he let go, it could all fall down on them. But he wasn't strong enough to hold it. His arms were wavering and sweat covered his face already.

"Came to before you did, obviously," he said in that same voice. "Thought I saw a way out through the rubble. Tried to get to it and shout for help. Then this piece of wood started falling down me. Didn't think I'd get out fast enough. So I grabbed hold of it."

"Arashi, you have to focus," she told him. "Keep that beam up."

He couldn't help but laugh a ragged laugh. "Talk about the obvious." The laugh took something out of him, making his shoulders sag lower. His knees touched the ground for a moment before he forced himself back up to the first position. But now he looked weaker than before. "Right, don't laugh."

"Hey!" a muffled, almost muted voice shouted. "Anyone hear me?" They both perked their heads at the voice.

"Help," Arashi tried to say, but his voice was too weak to be probably heard.

But Rin's voice was still good. "Help!" she shouted. "We're in here! We've got two people in here!"

"Are there any…" the muffled voice asked, only to be lost halfway through the question.

But she knew enough to know what he was asking. "It's just us two as far as I can see! Get us out!"

"Just hang on. We're freeing everyone we…" The voice disappeared again.

Panic filled their hearts and their heads to various degrees. "At least they know we're here," Rin said to Arashi.

"Don't have to tell me," he replied. He turned his attention back to the beam, forcing to stay upright and unmovable. But it was a losing battle. He could've sworn that the thing was getting heavier with each breath he took. "Can you move and help me?" he asked Rin.

She tried to move but her legs were pinned so well that she could not, not without help. "I can't. You're just going to have to hold on, Arashi."

"You don't think I know that?" The beam slipped a little in his hands and he went another two inches down to the ground. "Agni help me."

Rin felt a tremor go through the ground, a small but noticeable thing. "Did you feel that?" she asked him.

"Feel what?"

She felt it again. It was bigger. "That. Did you feel that?"

"Yeah, I did." He gritted his teeth as he tried to keep the beam up. "It might be somebody Earthbending around us."

(Location: Naruto)

_THUD!_

_THUD!_

_THUD!_

_THUD!_

He heard Naga come charging in and turned his head just enough to see the polar bear dog coming to a stop just a few inches from him. On her back were Korra, Bolin, and Mako, all slid down from the saddle to come running. "What happened?" Bolin asked as he stared up at the burning building.

"I don't know," he answered. "But Arashi is in there."

"What!?" he shouted, staring at the older man. "Why are you just standing there?"

"Kids, get in here and help!" Lin shouted, having seen them come in. "We need all the Earthbending and Firebending we can get!" Her and her officers were trying to keep the building from collapsing. But the fire was burning things down at a much faster pace than they could keep it up. There weren't enough Firebenders now. More were coming in, but it wasn't enough.

Mako and Bolin instantly took off, coming immediately to her side. "What do you need?" Bolin asked her. She was in a strong Earthbending position, bending a large earth column at the base of the building, trying to keep it up.

"You take a position and keep this building up," she ordered Bolin. He saluted and quickly took a spot for himself. He put his game face on and took the Earthbending stance he knew was his strongest. He bent a great column out of the street and pushed against the building, just a little higher than the highest one.

"What are you doing?" one of the Earthbending cops asked him.

"Helping," he answered, keeping his attention on the building. He could feel the weight of it falling down onto his column. His arms were already beginning to feel tired and strained against the weight, even though he was one in many trying to support it from falling.

"Officer Tóng!" Lin called out to the nearest cop who wasn't Earthbending.

"Chief?" he replied as he came to her in a lumbering jog.

"Get this kid closer," she ordered, gesturing her head at Mako. "I want him to join the other Firebenders in trying to get the flames down."

"You got it, Chief." He didn't salute; there wasn't any time for it. "Come on, kid!"

"Right!" said Mako.

"Why aren't you doing anything, Naruto?" Korra demanded of the Paragon as she watched her boyfriend be led closer to the fire.

"Why do you think?" he asked her.

"Damn it, this isn't the time for that!" she shouted at him. "Your grandson is inside that building and it's burning down!"

"I know!" he suddenly shouted, his temper snapping at her. "I know that! I also know that there's nothing I can do about it! I'm not a Bender!" And while he did know more than his fair share of Suiton jutsus, he would only cause confusion in the ranks and most likely succeed in destroying the building then saving it.

She stared at him for a long moment. In that moment, she didn't see the Paragon of the Fire Nation, a tough man who seemed unshakable. She saw an old man who was worried about his grandson and who was frustrated by the fact that he could not do anything. "I will get him out," she promised him.

He looked her straight in the eye. "I will hold you to that, Avatar. I am not going to live through this again."

She did, for she realized that he had probably stood in this position before, watching a place burn with his family trapped inside. "I will get him out," she promised him again. She took a running start towards the building, flying past both cops and civilians, ignoring their shouts of surprise. She came to a stop beside her boyfriend and thrust her hands, bending the fire inside the building.

Bending fire she had not made first was something completely different. Even though she had been bending fire since the White Lotus found her, they had still insisted on making her learn the proper way when it came time. Now she was glad for those lessons on how to control external flames, bending them to her will and calming them down until they were extinguished. They had given her small flames and gradually worked her up to when she could easily handle and settle a raging bonfire. Every time they set her to work, they kept telling the same thing.

"_When used dangerously, fire is like a maddened beast, destroying everything in sight. And remember, Korra, the bigger the fire, the stronger the beast."_

Those words were being proven right now. The fire was like an enraged dragon, trying to burn everything in its sight and not giving a damn about what happened to other people. Even with the other Firebenders helping her, it was still difficult bringing the flames down. Her brow was already beginning to cake with sweat as she drew the flames out from the buildings, a couple of tongues at a time, and extinguished them in her hands. Her hands soon formed a repetitive motion as she continued drawing the fires out.

But for every tongue she drew out, it seemed like three rise up in its place. The heat wasn't diminishing either. Instead it seemed to grow more and more hotter by the second. The caked sweat now began to stream down the faces of the Firebenders and their arms were beginning to fell heavy from the repetitive motions. But while they knew they couldn't stop, they also knew that they could do anything more to stop it.

"We need more help!" she heard someone shout. She didn't know who it was.

"Where are the other Firebenders?!" someone else shouted.

"They're coming!"

"They're not coming fast enough!"

"We just need to hold on!"

"We can't!"

_Crack!_

_Boom!_

"Ah, shit! It's getting away from us!"

Whoever spoke those words spoke the truth. The fire was slipping from their grasp. _"There must be something I can do,"_ Korra thought to herself. Then she stopped and mentally kicked herself. _"You're the Avatar! One of your past lives must've dealt with something like this!"_

She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, reaching down into herself. To her surprise, what she was looking for was already there.

_She was Avatar Xu and she was standing before a house burning from the fires of a rampaging dragon. The dragon had been driven off but the building was still burning with people inside. She stretched out her dark-skinned hands and bent the flames to her will. As she kept them contained, a stomp from her foot broke a hole in the base of the building. "Get out!" she commanded the people. The ones closest to the hole fled first but the ones higher could not reach it._

_She stepped closer to the building, all the while keeping the fire under her control. Her arms kept moving, never staying one place. She didn't try to contain the fire now, she brought it to her. Drawing it all in onto her, collapsing it all until it was just an orb she could cradle in her hands, the fire in the building vanished. Those who were still left in the building quickly fled. Once they were all gone, she brought the orb skyward, feeling her arms tremble with the power and barely contained fury of it all, and released it into the sky._

_KA-BOOOOOOM!_

_She had to try to keep her footing tight and steady, like her Earthbending of a father had taught her, as the fire roared out of her hands in a powerful beam, reaching to the sky and dispersing into the atmosphere. _

The memory faded and Korra used it, activating the Avatar State. Her glowing eyes told the other Firebenders to back away as she strode forward, drawing the fire down into her grasp, like she knew Xu had done. It was too easy to draw it down to her hands, condensing it into a smaller shape. The fire flowed like a river into her hands as she pulled it towards her, again and again.

"Whoa, are you seeing this?" she heard someone nearby say.

"Yeah, I am."

"This is amazing. I never would've been able to do something like that."

"Well, she is the Avatar."

She couldn't help but smirk at the complements and comments they were giving her. It made her feel proud. The fire was almost in her hands completely now, just a few seconds more…there! She had it all now. "Everyone, stand—" she began to say to everyone, coming out of the Avatar State.

The orb in her hands almost lurched out of them the second she did, making her lurch as well. She pulled back and refocused on keeping it controlled and contained. It felt like a live and dangerous animal trying to get free from her. If she let go, it would explode in her hands. _"Send it skyward, just like you were shown,"_ she told herself.

She tried to do just that but the orb fought her, trying to break it free. She only brought her hands up to an angle before it succeeded.

_THRUM!_

_Whoosh!_

_KA-BOOM!_

Everyone watched as the orb shot out of her hands in a coherent beam, causing a backwind to hit them with enough strength to send most to the ground. It struck the top of the building, carving a hole through on one end and then out the other end. Korra had been luckily enough to have it at enough of an angle for it to only hit that building before vanishing into the sky.

Once all the fire was gone from her hands, she sank to her knees, out of breath and trying to get it back. Everyone else was just staring up at the half circle that she had inadvertently carved out. Everything that had been in the path of the beam had been destroyed. Every single person who hadn't witness the Avatar's power could only think one think. _"Whoa."_

Those who had witness it and knew Korra were more concerned with the fact that she had tried to do something with the fire and botched it. "Korra, are you okay?" Mako asked, running towards her.

As he reached for her shoulder, she stood back up on her own. "I'm fine."

"What was that?"

"Something one of my past lives did, but better."

_CRRRAAAACCCKKK!_

Everyone saw the building start to collapse in on itself from the top, starting from the hold and then going from there. In a minute of seconds, the top two floors had collapsed on themselves and the rest of the building was following. Many people started praying to the Spirits for help and guidance.

Lin wasn't one of those people. "Stop the collapse!" she roared. The Earthbenders rearranged their supporting columns to higher positions to stop it. But all they succeeded in doing was stopping it.

"Chief, we can't hold it here!" one of the cops told her.

He was right. Her arms were tired to begin with from stabilizing the building and now they were getting worn out by trying to save it. But they had to save it, otherwise the people inside out die. "We have to get the people out!" she shouted. "Make a hole at the base of the building.

Bolin heard her and started running towards the building. "Look out! Coming through! Guy trying to save a building here!" he shouted as he ran.

Korra had heard what Lin had said and waved at him. "Bolin, over here!" she shouted at him.

He turned his direction in mid-step and ran over to her. Together, they took an Earthbending stance and stomped down on the ground. The earth twisted and buckled as it raced towards the building in a line. It reached the building and went up it, carving out a hole big enough for two people to go though. When it fell to the ground, they ran through. A lot of people followed them. Among their numbers was Naruto.

(Location: Rin)

_GroaaaaAAAN!_

"_Oh no, not good,"_ Rin thought. She brought her head up to look at whatever was causing the sound. It sounded like something was about to come down on top of them, something that could end their lives.

Arashi wasn't doing any better. He had finally fallen to his knees and the beam was getting lower. His breathing was getting ragged. The sweat on his face was now forming a pool on the ground. "Agni, help," he whispered.

"Help's coming, Arashi," Rin told him encouragingly. They both knew it as they kept hearing people moving around outside the small dome they were stuck under. They had also heard people outside assuring them that they were trying to find a way to get them out.

They soon heard noises outside, excited fast sounds that made it sound like something had changed. Soon, they heard a familiar voice. "Arashi, you in there!?" shouted Korra from the other side.

The blonde in question smiled, relieved to hear her voice. "I'm here," he answered, forcing his weakened voice to be strong. The beam dipped because of the effort.

"Thank the Spirits. Just hang on, we're getting people out. You'll be next, I promise."

"How long?" asked Rin.

_GrooooOOOOAAAANNN!_

_CRACK!_

"Look out!" someone shouted from the other side.

"Someone get that stabilized!"

"Get them out! Get them out!"

To them, it sounded like multiple things were falling to the earth rapidly and heavily. The ground shook with each fall and there were many falls. The dome also shook, making more pieces of it collapse to the ground and making it even more unstable. At that moment, it seemed like the only thing that was keeping them alive was the beam Arashi was holding.

"Can't…hold this…thing…much longer," the blonde groaned. He looked like he was about to pass out. He might've already done so, if it wasn't for his stubborn nature. But stubbornness could get a person so far.

"You have to hold on, Arashi," she told him.

"I…know." He looked up and started searching for something. What, she did not know.

"Arashi!" shouted the voice of his grandfather.

He swung his head to the outside of the dome. "Jiji?" he called back, his voice full of hope.

"We're trying to reach you right now. Can you hold on?"

If it was a normal time, he might've been snarky with his answer. But instead, he replied "I don't…think so."

"Sir, we've got a problem!" someone from the outside shouted. "The place is coming down all around us. If we take too long, none of us will get out of here."

"Then hurry the fuck up!"

"Yes sir!"

_THUMP! THUMP!_

_THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!_

_THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!_

"What was that?" Rin asked loudly. She had heard it as well as felt it. It couldn't have been good. In fact, it probably wasn't good, period.

"Guessing…it wasn't…something…good," Arashi said with a weak chuckle. His attempt at humor only made the beam fall lower. His arms gave enough for it to rest on his head, making him sink even lower. The right side of the dome collapsed with barely a puff of air.

"Arashi!" she shouted.

"Still…here," he groaned out.

"You have to hold on. If you don't, we will die!"

"I can't. It's…too…" His voice trailed off into a weakened whisper.

But she knew what he meant. "They're coming to rescue us, Arashi. But they can't get us out unless you help. You have to get that beam back up."

"How…?"

An idea came to her, from a conversation they had had. "Try reaching for your energies and mixing them," she told him. "Form your chakra."

He looked at her. "Have…been…doing that," he reminded her.

She remembered how he had collapsed to the ground when he tried it in front of her. He had looked like he wanted to vomit. "You're going to have to force yourself to move past the pain. You can do it."

He was weak and he was tired. But he wanted to live and it seemed like the only way that would happen was if he did what she had told him. He could not make the handseal but he could concentrate. He reached for his physical and spiritual energies and the headache began banging away inside his head while his stomach threatened to empty its contents. He sank even lower from the pain. "Hurts," he whimpered.

"Focus, Arashi! You have to do this!"

He didn't want to, it hurt too much. But he had to. He found his energies and brought them together. The bile in his stomach moved, making him lurch forward in a gagging motion. He didn't throw up but he wanted to. He couldn't mix his energies together; they just clashed against one another. All the while, his stomach and head bashed away at him with pain. _"What do I do?"_

Out of nowhere, it came to him. _"Don't force them together. Blend them. Twist them around and around until you cannot tell one from the other."_ He started doing that and found it easier to do. He swirled it around and around and around but found that the bile in his stomach and his headache grow worse.

"_Oh jeez,"_ Rin thought as she watched him. He looked like he was getting sicker and weaker by the second. "Arashi, pull through."

"Can't," he replied, his eyes now closed to the pain.

"Can't? Or won't?"

"Can't," he repeated.

"Do you want to die?"

He shook his head weakly. "No. But…it hurts."

"What does?"

"Everything," he told her. "Everything hurts." His stomach wanted him to throw up everything that he had ever eaten, his brain was trying to knock him unconscious with a severe headache and to top it all off, he was beginning to feel cold, really cold.

"Guys, we're coming in!" Korra shouted from the outside. "Just hold on."

The energies swirled around inside him, going faster and faster and faster. His stomach made him gag back a chance to vomit and his brain was hammering away like hammers on steel. "It hurts."

"You can do it, Arashi," Rin told him. She wanted to break free and help him but her legs were still stuck.

"We're through the first layer," someone shouted from the outside.

"It's hurts." Everything was starting to blur to him now. Shapes were getting fuzzy, sounds were becoming muted, and he couldn't smell anything anymore. He could feel though. Oh, he could feel. He could feel his arms shaking as they grew weaker and the beam getting heavier. He could feel the weight of the damn thing on his entire body. He could feel the pain his body was putting him through and he could feel the energies swirling around him.

"It's hurts." All he could feel were the pain and the energies swirling inside him. The fuzziness that was his sight was going dark. But still he kept swirling those energies around and around.

"Push through it, Arashi!" Rin told him.

He didn't hear her. The pain was pounding his senses away. "It hurts!"

He could hear digging but it didn't matter. It was muted and inconsequential, nothing that mattered against the pain. "It _hurts_!"

"We're almost there!"

"Arashi!" he heard someone shout.

All he could see was the energies swirling around inside himself, mixing but also contained. All he could feel was the pain inside himself. "It HURTS!" Was this all he could do? Was there nothing more? Was this it? To have the energies mixed but contained like a cage over a fire.

"Push through!"

Pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain. Painpainpainpainpainpainpainpainpainpainpainpainpainpainpainpainpainpainpainpainpainpainpainpainpainpainpainpainpain! He could barely breathe. Smoke was traveling down into his lungs. It hurt! It hurt so much! Ithurtithurtithurtithurtithurtithurtithurtithurtithurtithurtithurtithurtithurtithurtithurtithurtithurtithurtithurt!

Was this it?

NO! THIS WAS NOT IT! THIS WASN'T ALL HE COULD DO! THERE WAS MORE. THERE HAD TO BE MORE! THIS WAS NOT ALL HE HAD!

HE COULD DO _MORE_!

"IT FUCKING HURTS!" he screamed as he threw everything into the mixture of his energies. His pain, his stubborn refusal, his fear, his sense of inferiority, and above all, his hope and want to make it happen.

_THRUM!_

_BOOM!_

Rin watched as Arashi's chakra awoken and then exploded. She felt it in the floor just as much as she heard it like an explosion going off and as she saw it engulf his body entirely, making him come alight.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed as he pushed back up to his feet and began pushing the beam upwards. She did not know whether it was a scream of pain or renewed energy. But he kept screaming as he pushed the beam up and up, his knees coming up from the ground and locking his legs into a standing position.

The rubble around the beam shifted, falling down to the floor to the ground in small pieces that grew larger and larger with each passing second he pushed the beam upwards. When he finally locked it into place, with his arms going as far as they could, enough rubble had slid down around him to create a hole to the outside.

People started flooding in, trying to get Rin free of the rubble that was pinning her and to take the weight of the beam off of Arashi's hands. The only two people who weren't helping were Korra and Naruto. The Avatar didn't know why Naruto wasn't trying to get his grandson out but she knew why.

_BOOM!_

_It had been like some kind of mixture between lightning and explosives had gone off right beside her. Even though she was in the box the sound was as loud as it could've been outside. What's more was that she heard the Equalists be thrown against the wall, so whatever it was must've been a force as well as a sound._

_But that had been later when she thought about it. At the moment of happening, all she was concerned with was how her ears were ringing from the sound and how her side hurt from the fall. The next thing she knew, the door to the box was torn off._

"_Korra, we have to go!" Arashi shouted down at her from where he stood outside the box, grabbing hold of her hand and pulling her out of the box._

_She stumbled on the first step but quickly regained her balance and started running, pulling Arashi along just as much as he was her. Things quickly turned blurry in her vision as they raced up the stairs and out of the house, escape being paramount in her mind. _

_It wasn't until they burst out the door into the freezing cold that was the outside world that things cleared up for the Avatar and also seemed to slow down too. The first thing she saw was Amon standing at the back of a truck with its doors opened, Tarrlok's body already tossed in. The masked man turned at the noise they made and saw them. _

_Both she and Arashi went still but for different reasons. She went into a panic at the sight of Amon, remembering when he had ambushed them at Avatar Aang Memorial Island. Arashi turned angry and felt the question bubble up in his mind again. "Where is she? Where is she? Where is she?" it repeated itself again and again, urging him on._

_When Amon took a step towards them, Korra acted. She bent the snow around her (little as there was, which was odd considering how hard it was snowing) into water and then into ice before throwing them at Amon. None of them struck him and he moved through them with ease._

_Knowing full well that she had missed, she turned and ran, pulling Arashi with her before he could have a chance to protest. When she came to the edge of the plateau the house was placed on, she swung the blonde onto her back and jumped down the side, bending the snow to carry them. _

"_Hold onto me!" she shouted at Arashi as she surfed the snow. But as she finished saying those words, her feet hit a tree branch half-buried in the snow. It sent her flying forward off her feet and landing on her back while Arashi let go and landed in the snow. Her momentum kept her going, sliding down the hill until she hit a tree. The branches shook with her impact, causing the snow they held to fall on her._

_She laid there, barely conscious beneath the cold snow. Then she felt a warm hand on her, pulling her out of the snow. "Hey, come on, Korra," she heard Arashi say to her. "Stay awake."_

_She cracked open an eye as he set her against the tree and saw something odd about him. "Arashi, you're on fire," she remarked groggily. "You're on _blue_ fire."_

She had always thought that she had imagined what had happened that night. But it was clear that she hadn't. It was also clear that it had not been fire as she had thought. If it had been fire, Arashi would be burning alive at that moment and he wasn't. Whatever it was, it was something else. When she peeked at Naruto from the corner of her eye, she saw clenched hands gripping his sword and a frown tightening around his lips. But in his eyes, she saw fear, surprise, and oddly enough, pride.

(Location: Uzumaki apartment)

Hours later, when all the cops, triad members, and children had all gotten out of the building and it finally collapsed in on itself, Naruto and Arashi had gone home with Rin in tow. As soon as the door had closed, Naruto had sent Arashi off to bed, which he did with no complaints. The elder Uzumaki went over to the fireplace, lighting it up with a small Katon jutsu. Then he sat down is his own chair. He sighed deeply, giving the image of a tired old man.

Rin stood before him, having not said anything the entire time. Only now did she feel brave enough to speak. "Lord Naruto, I—"

"Are you sure you're related to Kakashi Hatake?" he asked, his voice cracking like a whip in the air. She fell silent at the crack but that wasn't the right thing. "I'm waiting for an answer."

"Yes, I'm his youngest daughter."

"And you've been part of ANBU."

"Yes."

"Hmm…I have a hard time believing either of those proclamations."

Anger coursed through her at that sentence. "I am Kakashi Hatake's daughter."

"I don't believe it. I don't believe it because no child of Kakashi would've charged right into the problem like you had done, especially if you were a part of ANBU. If you are what you claimed to be, you would have hung back and looked at the bigger picture. But you didn't."

"There were kids being caught and sold! How could you not stop that when you had the chance?"

"Because I wanted to be sure that when I struck, it would end in one blow," he answered in a cold voice. "The bigger picture was that Hui and her grandson weren't the only ones who were buying the children. If we waited and watched, we would've been able to find out more of the buyers in town and make a list of them before moving into arrest. It would've also helped us find out how the operation survived to the current day and who its real leader was. With the triad keeping an eye out, the children would've stopped getting caught and the kidnappers would've become desperate. Desperate men make mistakes and when they made said mistake, we would've got them.

He looked up at her with a furious look upon his face. "Instead, we've lost the chance to find out who else bought from these kidnappers as they will have heard about what happened and gone underground. We've lost the chance to completely destroy the operation, the entire operation. We've lost the chance to find out who the leader of the operation was. We lost all of that because you decided to charge in and end it right then and there. You charged in and you took my grandson with you."

She did not speak or tried to defend herself as he spoke. He was right, they both knew that. In hindsight, what she had done was stupid. She had been ANBU yet she had acted like a Genin. He was right; she should've stopped and looked at the bigger picture. She had fucked up in most parts, most, but not all. "He came with me voluntarily," she said in defense of Arashi. "I didn't force him to do anything."

"You should've force him to stay put!" he snapped at her. "He could've died!"

"He didn't! Instead, he activated his chakra." He did not react to those words. "Why aren't you surprised by that? He said that he was a Firebender but now he can use chakra."

"I've always known he could do it."

She stopped before she said anything else. "What?"

"When he was a baby, he was deathly ill and no one knew why. Whatever food he ate, he could not keep down. His little body would spasm uncontrollably and he would cry for hours on end. The best healers on this side of the planet did everything and could do nothing. My son and his wife were told that it was perhaps best to make his final hours as comfortable as possible. Sozin and Xiu refused to do so and they tended to him day and night. When it passed and he became healthy, they were relieved.

"While others were baffled by what happened, I had known. His ability to Bend fire and his chakra were fighting for dominance in his body. His Firebending won out in the end, I suspect because of his parents tending to him. But when he could show that he could Firebend, weakly and at such a late time, I knew that the fight was not done. Now it is, because of you," he finished, glaring accusingly at her.

She gulped, feeling the entirety of the glare. It was like Kami was staring directly into her soul. "I'm sorry?" she said with more than a tone of suggestion.

"Not good enough."

"What else can I do?"

"Nothing," he answered shortly.

"…I am truly sorry for what I did, Lord Naruto," she started apologizing again, this time with more conviction. "You are right; I did a stupid thing by charging right in. I did not prove myself to be a kunoichi worthy of ANBU. But at the least, a few good things happened. We got the children out and Arashi can use chakra now. He'll be able to fully train as a shinobi."

"…Get out."

She heard the warning in his voice but felt that she had to press on the matter. "My lord, surely you must realize that an untrained chakra user can be a dangerous thing. As a shinobi, he'll be able to—"

"GET OUT!" he roared from out of nowhere, standing up from his chair and towering over her like an enraged go. "GET OUT OF MY HOME! GET OUT OF MY CITY! GET OUT OF MY COUNTRY! GET OUT OF MY LIFE, SHINOBI! HE'S NOT GOING TO KONOHA, DO YOU HEAR ME!? NOT WHILE HE LIVES UNDER MY ROOF! HE WILL HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT LIFE! GET OUT!"

With each sentence spoken, he took a step towards her. His Zanpakutō was drawn out of the scabbard enough for the steel to gleam off the light of the fire. Rin backed away from him as he came for her. Fear robbed her of her ability to speak in the moments he roared at her. For a long few seconds, she had thought that he would actually try to kill her with his weapon. She started praying to Kami for a quick and merciful death.

But then he stopped roaring and his weapon was pulled no further. His eyes watched her like a hawk watching its next meal scurry through the grass. He was waiting for her next move. She knew it well enough to find her voice again. "As you command, Lord Naruto," she replied. "My mission is done. I will return to the Elemental Countries posthaste." She turned and walked to the door, opening it and walking through without saying another word. She did not slam the door as she left; only closing it quietly.

Naruto turned and went back to his chair, sitting down it quietly. He stared into the fire crackling and flickering before him. So intent on watching the fire was he that he had noticed something that had been lurking in the hallway since they had come home.

Arashi had not gone to bed like he had been told. Instead, he had hung back against the wall and listened to everything that had been said. _"While I live under your roof, Jiji?"_ he thought to himself angrily. _"That's easy enough to fix." _How dare he make a decision that was his alone? This was a chance for him; his Jiji had no right to make it for him. He pulled away from the wall and went to his room, feeling a breeze as he entered.

(Location: Korra)

She stood at the front of the hospital doors, staring at all of the building. _"Deep breath,"_ she told herself. _"You can do this. You can beat him."_ She had left the island early so she could avoid having the others try and give her support in this. She wanted to do this alone, even though she knew that Bolin wasn't far behind her. She wanted to show that rapist that she was not afraid of him.

She took that breath and exhaled gently. She looked at the hospital with a renewed sense and walked up the steps. She pushed the doors open and walked through, her eyes looking at the lobby in its entirety.

It was only a moment and then she walked up to the front desk, a circular shape with four nurses at desk which sat in the middle of the lobby. "Hey," she said in greeting as she walked up to the nurse facing the doors.

"Yes, one minute, please," the nurse said in reply, his face looking down at something.

Annoyance flashed through her. "Excuse me, but could I please have your attention?"

"One minute, please," he repeated.

"Hey, I'm trying to be a help here again and you're telling me to wait?"

He grumbled as he looked up. "Look, lady, there are things that I have to d…do…" he trailed off as he looked stupidly at the Avatar.

"Glad to see that I have your attention now," she remarked.

"I-I'm sorry, Avatar Korra, I did not know it was you."

She waved it off. "It's not a problem."

"Are you injured or sick? I can get a doctor down here in a matter of seconds." He was already reaching for one of the nearby phones.

"No, I'm not that. I'm just here to get back to healing the people Amon got to."

All four nurses on duty looked at her with something akin to apprehension and worry. "Avatar Korra," one of them began to say.

"I'll be fine," she told them, seeing their faces.

"Are you sure?" the first nurse asked her.

"Yeah, of course," she answered. "Are the people still coming to be healed?"

"Yes. They've kept coming when we told them you couldn't be there. They're hopeful."

"I should hope so." And she also hoped that the security checks being run on them would help her tremendously.

"Right this way, Avatar Korra." He stood up from the desk and came out from behind the counter.

She knew the way but followed him anyway. "Thanks."

(Location: Police HQ)

"Chief, there's a guy here to see you," Lin's secretary told her, sticking his head in through the door.

"Who is it?" she asked him without looking up from her work. That secretary had been with her for the past twenty years, she was used to him opening the door without knocking first.

"Some kid who says he knows you."

"Be more specific than that."

"He says he's with Korra. He's on her team."

"…Send him in but tell him I've only got a few minutes."

"You got it." His head disappeared and the door closed.

Her eyes stayed on the paperwork as the door opened again and she heard footsteps walk in. "What do you want, Mako?" she asked the Firebender as he came to stand in front of her desk, still looking at her work.

"I…um…I…" he tried to speak. It was clear that he was nervous.

Finally she looked up and at him. "Spit it out, I don't have time for you to be standing there acting like an idiot."

"Right, of course," he said apologetically. He took a breath and said, "Chief Beifong, I would like to join the Republic Police department."

"…That's why you came here to speak to me? To tell me that you want to join the police department?" she asked him.

"Well…who else was I supposed to ask? I mean, I know you."

"If you're looking for personal favors, look somewhere else, kid," she told him.

He was a little offended by that. "I'm not trying to do that. I just figured that since I knew you, the best way was to ask you if I could join."

She stared at him for another second before hitting a buzzer on her desk. Her door opened again and her secretary popped his head in again. "Yeah, Chief?" he asked.

"Get this man a copy of the life form," she said, pointing at Mako. "And then take him to the gym. The others should be starting their first day soon."

"You got it."

"Uh…life form?" asked Mako, casting a brief look at the door closing before turning his attention back to Lin.

"The form you sign when you join us," she answered. "You're basically signing your life away to us."

"Oh, I see." That made sense. He fidgeted a little for a moment before speaking again. "Shady Shin got in contact with me this morning. He said to tell you that Viper said thanks to your combined efforts, the Triple Threat has lots more junior members now."

She scowled. "Great, just what we need. The Triad growing in power again," she grumbled.

"How is that bad? The Triad always gets new members and they always recruit kids." He and Bolin would know.

"Ask me that question again when you know exactly how the Triple Threat Triad came to be. My mother always chewed Naruto out for letting it happen."

"Um…any chance you could tell me yourself?"

She looked him in the eye. "They came to be from a group of orphans who were rescued from a warlord who wanted Republic City gone in its early days." She broke eye contact as a look of thoughtfulness came upon her. "Now that I think about it, he did the same thing with kidnapping kids."

"Chief, I've got the form," her secretary said, coming into the room. The form was on a clipboard in his hand

"Give it to him." The form was quickly given to Mako, who had a pen on him. He followed her secretary out the door, filling out the form as he went. "Wait."

They both stopped. "Yes?" Mako asked.

"Are you and your brother still looking for an apartment?"

"Yeah, we are."

She pulled out a fresh piece of paper and wrote a quick address down on it. "Take this and go to this address," she told him. "Tell them that you're joining us and they'll give you and your brother an apartment."

"Really?" he asked, hope filling his voice.

"Yes."

"Thank you, Lin!"

She held two fingers right away. "One: that is the only favor you're getting from me. You want anything in the force, you earn it yourself. Two: from here on out, you are going to call 'Chief' like the rest of these pack of bozos I run. Got it?"

He didn't even hesitate. "Yes, Chief!" he replied.

He left the room and the phone rang. "Chief Beifong," she said, picking up the phone.

(Location: City Hall)

"Is there any really point to meeting like this now?" Kang asked Tenzin and Jīyán.

"We must," Tenzin replied. "Until the new government has taken place and the president had been selected, we must take care of it."

"He is right," Jīyán agreed.

"Alright, if you say so," the Southern Water Tribe representative said. He smirked. "Still, at least we got rid of some bad rubbish in the process."

"Kang," his Earth Kingdom counterpart said.

"It's true and you know it, Jīyán. Tarrlok wanted to run this city by himself and Hui was a disgrace, plain and simple. We're far better off without them then we are with them."

"Can we please focus on what is important?" Tenzin asked them. "We must handle the upcoming change of government."

"Indeed," Jīyán agreed. "But how do we do that?"

"Perhaps another debate?" he suggested.

"We do that with just the three of us after what had happened, we might as well invite everyone in for a brawl," Kang retorted, "because that is what's going to happen if we try to do another one."

"Then perhaps we bring in someone who can keep everyone in control."

"Like who? Your brother?" he asked.

Tenzin nodded. "Him, and perhaps the other Paragons in the city," he added.

The other two thought it over. They found that they liked the idea. "Having Lord Naruto there in the room would most definitely keep them all in line," Jīyán said.

"Plus it would be immensely fun to watch," the Tribesman amongst said with a grin. He had seen the Fire Paragon silence an entire room once with a look and a single word. He doubted that he would have an easy time controlling his giggles this time around.

"Lord Naruto is not a source of entertainment, Kang," Tenzin told him with a bit of a rebuke in his voice.

"Of course he is. You just have to look for it."

"He's lived with Lord Naruto his entire life, Kang," Jīyán remarked.

The Airbending master grimaced for a second. "You make it sound like he had been living on the island with me."

He ignored that. "So, we are in agreement? We are to bring the Paragons in the city to keep the next potential debate under control?" There was no argument against it. "Good, that is settled."

"Are there any good candidates for the presidency if it goes through?" the Tribesman among them asked.

"I believe I know a few people in the government who could take the position," Jīyán told him.

"Would they happen to be friends of yours?"

"Kang, we both know that you have the same kind of list," he said with a slightly amused tone in his voice. "Please don't try to be accusing to me."

"Fair enough," he said with a short chuckle. "Probably the only one among us who didn't have a list is Tenzin right here."

"A list of what?" asked Tenzin.

That just made his fellow Councilmen laugh. "See what I mean?"

"Yes, indeed I do," Jīyán replied. Even the Air Nomad cracked a smile.

The doors to the hall opened and a page quickly ran in. "Councilman, a message for you," he said as he came to the table, holding out the piece of paper to Tenzin.

"We are in the middle of a meeting," he replied.

"I know, sir. But it's from Lord Naruto and it was marked extremely urgent."

That was cause for concern. If Naruto had sent, it was never marked extremely urgent. This was a first. He stood up from his chair and took the piece of paper. Everyone was silent as he read it. "I have to go," he said suddenly, all but running away from the table.

"Tenzin, what's the matter?" Kang shouted at him, standing up.

"Lord Naruto's grandson is missing!" His voice echoed as he left the hall as did the sound of his feet.

(Location: Naruto)

He sat in his chair, looking at the fire. It had only been two days since Rin had left after he roared at her, telling her to get out. He had felt that he did the right thing then and he still believed it to be so. But now, Arashi had run away from him.

When he couldn't find him the next day, he had thought the worst and instantly called Lin. The police had searched throughout the entire city trying to find him, only to find that he wasn't in the city. They were about to expand the search to beyond the city limits when he had finally found the note his grandson left behind.

Jiji

I'm leaving. I'm going to follow Rin back to her home. I want to be trained as a shinobi. I want to learn how to use my chakra. I know that you won't do it, probably for some stupid reason. This is my chance to be my own person and I'm not going to let you stop me. Don't think that I'll come back in a couple of weeks saying that it was too hard. I'm going to do this and there's nothing you can do that will make me think otherwise.

I am your grandson, after all.

Arashi

When he read that, it was like a wind had been taken from him, making him feel tired and old, more than he had before. He had called off the search, telling Lin briefly about the note. Since then, he had stayed home trying to figure out what the hell he was going to do now. The Kyūbi wasn't any help either, having only him say that **"Your grandson's right."**

Never more alone did he feel then at that point. His wife was died, along with their children, Sozin and his family, all having burned together in that damn house. _"Yes, of course, they were burned,"_ he thought to himself with a heavy amount of sarcasm. All that had been left was Arashi and now he was gone to. He had tried to keep the boy safe all these years and now he was gone, trying to live something he shouldn't be living.

"_What did you expect, Naruto?"_ he asked himself.

"I don't know. That perhaps he would listen to me?" he asked in reply.

"_Are you an idiot? You know what? Don't bother answering, we both know that you are one. Did you ever listen to anyone when you were that age?"_

"Of course I didn't, but I didn't have anyone who told me better."

"_What the hell do you call Kakashi, Tsunade, or even Jiraiya-sensei then?"_

"They don't count?"

"_Don't they?"_

He didn't have the answer he wanted to that because he knew that he was right. "I thought the fox was supposed to be the devil's advocate."

"_There's no need to involve the devil in this. He isn't needed here. This is between you and yourself. What do you think Arashi would've done once he figured out how to harness his chakra? You know it was only a matter of time."_

"I would've trained him."

"_How, exactly?"_ he silently asked. _"How would you have trained him? Would you have shown him the entirety of what a shinobi could be? Or would you have just taught him enough to keep his charka under control and then tell him to leave it at that, after what he's seen Rin do?"_

A knock on the door brought him out of his internal argument. "Yes, I'm coming," he said in reply. He got out of his chair, walked over to the door, and opened it. When he saw who it was on the other side, he froze for a moment. And then he unfroze. "Son," he said in greeting.

"**Dad,"** Sozin Uzumaki replied. He looked the same as before his death. His blood-red hair was tied back in that simple ponytail he kept it in by a black ribbon. His golden eyes were calm and yet his father knew that they could hold seriousness or happiness. Their height was matched and so there was their build.

"So whose bright idea was this? Was it Bumi or Yue?" he asked. His son's eyes flashed from golden to a familiar shade of green. "I see. She and I are going to have a serious talk."

"**Don't blame her. I think your friend tricked her into it."**

"_Yeah, that's something he would do,"_ he thought to himself with a sense of bitterness. "Come on in, Sozin." He stepped away from the door and walked back to his chair, sitting down in it.

His son walked into the room but did not sit down in the other chair. **"Dad, do you know why I'm here?"**

"Because he has a very sick sense of humor and wants to torment me?"

He shook his head. **"No. I'm here about Arashi."**

"…What about him?"

"**The fact that he left was his choice. You knew that he had to go out on his own sometime, just like you and Mom did with me."**

"You were an adult when you left our house, capable of making good decisions. He's still a child."

"**A child who was given an opportunity only to have you slammed it close. It was his decision."**

"It shouldn't have been."

"**Dad, I remember the look on your face when I showed you and Mom that I could Firebend. It was a look of relief. I know that you were glad that I took after Mom. I thought you would've been proud for Arashi to be like you."**

"What makes you think I'm not?" he asked his son. "I am proud of my grandson and what he can do. I have never been anything else. But he is still a child."

"**This is his choice."** His face softened. **"You couldn't protect him forever. He had to grow up. I would've looked forward to it gladly."**

Naruto's eyes turned sad. "I should've been there. I could've saved you all. But I let you die."

"**We don't blame you, Dad. We never have. I know for a fact that Mom has told you so every time she visits you in your dreams."** There was a faint blush on his cheeks as he spoke those words.

Naruto saw the blush and raised an eyebrow. "Sozin, you had a wife. You had children. Why are you still embarrassed by what happens with your parents?"

"**Dad,"** Sozin said in that same tone of voice he had always used when he was embarrassed. His father couldn't help it when he heard that voice. He laughed a quiet laugh at the memories he had of that voice. After a moment, his son joined him in the laughter.

After they had stopped, Naruto's grimness returned. "Azula may visit me, but it's not the same as actually being with me, Sozin. She died with you and your family. Arashi is the only one I have left."

"**I know that. I am glad that you were able to take care of him. But there's nothing you can do for him now. He made his choice, let him follow it through. He has your power, let him be a shinobi. You know that if he had shown it when I was alive, I would've asked you to train him."**

And he would not have refused him. He would've gladly trained his grandson then. But now, he wouldn't have, not if he had been forced. "I've been a lousy grandfather, haven't I?"

Sozin shook his head. **"I haven't said that, Dad."**

He stood up from his chair and pulled his son in a tight hug. "I've missed you, Sozin. You and everyone else," he said in a quiet voice. "I'm sorry."

His son returned the hug just as fiercely. **"There's nothing to be sorry about, Dad. You'll see us again. But please keep an eye out for your grandchildren."**

He stepped back, breaking the hug. "You know I would never abandon Arashi so completely."

"**What about Natsumi?"**

That question sent an uneasy feeling through his stomach. "What about her? She died with you the night of the fire."

Sozin shook his head. **"No, she didn't. She got out with Arashi. She's not with us in the Spirit World. She's still alive."**

She's still alive.

Those words sucker-punched Naruto in the stomach. He had searched high and low for his granddaughter and could never find her. Like the rest of them, he had given her up for dead. Only Arashi had believed that she was still alive.

And he was right.

Natsumi was still alive.

"_Merciful Kami, I gave her up for dead."_ He looked back at his son, only to see him reaching for the ribbon in his hair. "Sozin, wait!"

But it was too late. The hands untied the ribbon and took it off. Like a leaf on the wind, Sozin's appearance disappeared leaving only Asami standing there. She blinked her eyes and then looked around confusion in her eyes. "How did I get here?" she asked.

"_Damn it!"_ her teacher cursed mentally. But he calmed himself down. Now wasn't the time for that. "Asami, what's the last thing you remember?"

"I…I was coming up the stairs to your apartment," she began, frowning in concentration as she spoke. "When I got to this floor, I saw a guy in the corner."

"This guy, did he happen to be wearing a hooded cloak that covered every part of his body?"

"Yeah, he was."

"Was it colored black and white but never seemed to mix into grey?"

"Yeah," she answered.

"What did he want you to do?"

"He held out a ribbon and told me that I should wear it before I went in to see you, said that it was something your son used to wear. I don't know why but it sounded like a good idea."

"So you did it."

She nodded. "It was weird. I didn't even know the guy but I went with his suggestion."

"Don't worry; he likes to do that to the apprentices. You'll be seeing a lot more of him in this line of work."

"You know who he is, sir?"

He nodded. "He has never actually told me what his name is, but he likes to be called Sifu. As to whom he is, he is a spirit and he was the last teacher of the original Paragons."

"…Really?" she asked, stunned to hear such a thing. She never would've thought that such a spirit was around. But there was another question she had now. "What did he do to me?"

"Nothing, you did it yourself. It's a technique only a Paragon can use. It's called Soulbending."

"What does Soulbending mean? What does it do?" she asked him, her voice showing her curiosity about the subject.

He considered it for a moment. "We would've covered it later in your training but I suppose a brief explanation wouldn't hurt. In essence, Soulbending allows a Paragon to bend the soul of a person who's died, thereby taking on their skills and their personalities. But it requires a source of focus to use."

"Like what?"

He took the ribbon from her hand. "This belonged to my son, Sozin Uzumaki. Sifu told you that, letting you know. Once you knew the connection, you were able to use it to Soulbend Sozin onto you. Since it was your first time and without any proper instructions, he took control." A warning look came onto his face. "Be grateful that it was my son and not some soul that would've caused trouble. Gāng's last student did that and we were forced to put him down when the soul took control."

"Understood," she said to him. "But why do we have this power?" The Paragons were supposed to be the best of the nonbenders. To know that they had a kind of Bending was odd and a little more than hypocritical.

But she didn't say that to her teacher as he explained, "Well sometimes it's so we can pass on useful information to people, and sometimes it's a way we can let say a last farewell to the people they love. But mostly it's for battle."

"Why?"

"Because sometimes the only way to beat an Avatar is to be an Avatar," he answered. It wasn't cryptic. It wasn't mysterious. It was the truth, plain and unvarnished.

She couldn't help but gulp. Not at the prospect of being an Avatar, but at the prospect of fighting one. Deep down, she hoped that it would never come to that. "When," she started, her voice showing her nervousness at the thought, "when will I learn how to do that?"

"When I think you are ready," he answered. "But for now, we have another lesson to teach you."

"What is it?" she asked as he strode past her, heading for the door.

"Since Korra is able to go into the Avatar State, it's time you should learn how to cut that connection."

She couldn't help but swing her head to look at him at those words. "There's a way to do that?"

"Yes, there is. I shall teach it to you, after we run. Let's get moving."

"Yes sir." She turned and extinguished the fire with a nearby pail of water.

"…Sensei," he said after a silent moment, standing at the door.

"Sir?" she asked, turning to look at his back.

"Call me Naruto-sensei. It's a word from my homeland. It means 'teacher.'"

"Why?"

He turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow. "Well I am your teacher."

"Not that." She got that part. "Why call you that now? You could've told me to do that at the beginning."

"…Felt like it," he answered, turning back to the door and opening it. "Are you coming?"

"Yes…Naruto-sensei." She followed him out of the apartment, closing the door behind her.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't think that every single Avatar was purebred. Despite what some people will do through the years, different people from different cultures will meet, marry, and have children together. It is very possible to have someone to be born in the Earth Kingdom and learn Earthbending in becoming the Avatar and look like they belong to the Water Tribes. That kinda bugged me during the run of the shows. Each Avatar looked exactly like where they came from. That's not the case in the real world.

For those of you who thought that Arashi was going to get chakra, congrats. For those of you've who are going to argue that he was obvious bending blue fire, remember that it was Korra who saw him engulfed in it. To her, someone who's never seen chakra, it would've looked like blue fire. The tip-off would've been the engulfing itself. If someone was engulfed in blue fire, that meant they were burning alive, Firebender or not.

Oh, and coincidently, the music in my head at the scene of his chakra coming to life was "Emergence of Talents." I think that if you listen to it there, you will agree with me.

If you're wondering why Rin had charged in so hot-headily when she should've seen the bigger picture, that'll be explained. She was thinking like a Genin for a reason.

The original idea with Sozin was that he was going to appear at the end of the first season. While everyone was off having a party, Asami would've stepped out to be alone to another room to be with her thoughts. Once there, she would've had a small talk with Sifu before he gave her the ribbon. When Naruto and Arashi, who had gone looking for her, found her, they would've found Sozin instead. The conversation would've been different but the outcome would've been the same: they would've been told that Natsumi was alive. I didn't do that because A: the ending was fine as it was, and B: it wouldn't have really done anything at that point.

The next chapter will not be going into the second season. I've still got some ground to cover before I get there.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	19. New places and new things

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 19: New places and new things

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Rin)

Her feet had been on autopilot as she had walked through the village gates and through Konohagakure itself. The village looked at it always had to her, although she had saw construction being done in some places. She heard people greeting her but she didn't say anything back to them. They weren't put off by it. They knew who she was and that she was a kunoichi.

It wasn't until she stood outside the door to the Hokage's office that she came off autopilot and realized that she was back home. _"I must really be tired,"_ she thought to herself. How she could be, after that boat trip and train ride, she did not know. The thought of going straight home was a little appealing but she had to report in. So she raised a hand and pounded on the door.

"Come in," the voice of the Nanadaime Hokage spoke through the wood of the door.

"_It's this early in the morning and he's already at it? Something must've happened."_ She opened it and walked through. Once the door was closed and she stood before the desk, she knelt. "Lord Hokage, I've come to report."

"Stand up, Rin," he told her. She did so. The Hokage had been said that he looked like his father, from his black hair to his dark eyes, with the one difference of how easy a smile came to his face. His name didn't help him when he was younger, with many wondering why his father had given him _that_ name. But now, it didn't mean anything. "So, you were successful in finding out where the children were coming from?"

"…Technically speaking, yes."

"What's that supposed to mean, Rin? Were you successful or not?"

"I was. I was able to track where they were coming and how they were coming. There was kidnapping ring in the Bending Countries that was kidnapping children off the streets, brainwashing them into being the obedient soldiers that we've found, and then selling them off, both there and here. I was able to break up the ring."

"I'm sensing a 'but' here."

He wasn't wrong. "But I didn't do it alone. Within days of reaching the place they were coming from, a place called Republic City, I was caught by the police there. The only reason why I was released was because someone realized what I was and wanted to know what I was doing there. Once I told him, he arranged for my release on the stipulation that I would aide him in ending it."

"Who was it?"

She didn't answer right away, feeling uneasy and a little more than embarrassed about what she had done. "Your parents' former teammate, Naruto Uzumaki," she answered.

He froze for a brief moment. "…You're kidding."

"No, I'm not."

He breathed out an impressed whistle. "The Shinobi Kikan himself, huh?" he said. "You must've been giddy with excitement about that when you found out." He knew that she was a big fan of him, having heard every story that there was of him.

"I was…at first. Then reality set in."

"What does that mean?"

"He wasn't anything really like the stories we were told."

"They never are."

"I know and I was expecting it. But it was still a bit of a shock."

He nodded once in acknowledgement of her words. "Continue, please."

"Once I was released, I aided him in the investigation of the kidnappers and we discovered the ring. I wanted to move in and take it out for good but due to a small political crisis the city was going through that had ties to the ring, Lord Naruto wanted to wait. I did not."

A frown appeared on the Hokage's face. "Rin, tell me you didn't get angry and charged right in. Tell me that one mission you had as a Genin didn't come back and take control of you."

"I did and I can't," she said with no small amount of shame and/or embarrassment.

"This is why I asked you to leave the ANBU. It's been over two decades, Rin."

She scowled at him at those words. "It's easy for you to say. You weren't the one who was captured and held for the better part of three months."

His own scowl replaced the frown. "No, I'm just the one who spent those months tearing the Elemental Countries apart looking for my teammate." They scowled at one another for a long minute, he took breathed and said, "Continue."

"After I destroyed the ring with aide from the police and some criminal gangs that disapproved of children being kidnapped, Lord Naruto took me aside and explained to me what he was trying to do by waiting."

"Which was?"

"He was waiting to see who else was using the ring, mostly due to a prominent politician and her grandson's involvement, and who the parent group was. Since I destroyed the ring, I botched his wanting to do just that. Once he explained it all to me, I tried to apologize. Instead, he told me to get out."

"Get out? Get out of what?"

"I took it as get out of the country. So I did as I was told and boarded the ship leaving for the Elemental Countries the next day. Once it docked at the Land of Fire's coast, I took the next train to the outpost and walked the rest of the way."

Silence hung in the air for a second before he spoke. "Thank you, Rin, for that brief report. I will expect a more detailed one on my desk by tomorrow noon."

"Understood, Lord Hokage," she answered.

He leaned back in his chair. "Well, now we just need to take care of the little person listening in at the door."

"Yes sir." She turned her head to said door. "Arashi, get in here!"

Nothing happened in the second that followed. Then the door opened, revealing Arashi standing there. "How did you know it was me?" he asked, looking embarrassed at being found out.

"I realized it was you on the train. Do you honestly think that a stranger such as yourself would've been able to walk through unnoticed?"

"Rin, who is this?" the Hokage asked.

She didn't answer right away, instead choosing to point her finger at the young blonde and then at the space right beside her. He walked into the room and stood in that exact spot. He wasn't sure how to stand, so he kept it casual. "This is Naruto Uzumaki's grandson, Arashi," she introduced him.

"Hi," he said with a small wave.

"Hi?" the Hokage repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"You don't do that as good as my Jiji does," he said, pointing at the eyebrow. "It looks less intimidating on you."

"Do you know who I am?"

"Nope," he answered honestly.

"I am Madara Uchiha, the Nanadaime Hokage."

"Okay…?"

"He's my leader, Arashi," Rin supplied.

"Oh…crap." He started scratching the back of his head. "This isn't going the way I wanted it to."

"Why are you here, kid?"

He looked up at her. "I wanted to learn more about my charka. I want to be a shinobi like you."

She looked down at him and saw how much he wanted to be like her. She wasn't really surprised by it. She had trained him a little back in Republic City and he had shown amazing potential then even without his chakra. Now he had said chakra and he still wanted to become a shinobi. There was just one problem with it all. "Does your grandfather know that you're here?"

"Of course he does, I left him a note."

"_Do not face palm,"_ she ordered herself, restraining the urge to do just that. "You mean to tell me that you didn't tell him that you were to follow me yourself and all you did was leave him a note?"

"Yep," he answered without any shame.

"Oh, I'm going to be murdered by him."

"No, you won't," he told her while giving her a look that asked if she had lost more than a couple of IQ points.

"And why not?" she asked.

"I told him not to follow me."

"I am dead, completely and utterly dead." This time, she could not help herself, she face-palmed. "He's going to find me, he's going to kill me, and then he's going to burn down the village."

"No, he won't, Rin. I left him a note."

"Yes, because that solves everything," she remarked as she pulled her hand away from her face to look at him.

"If the two of you are done?" the Hokage asked them both with an amused look on his face. They turned to him. "Until we hear otherwise, why don't we all go with the assumption that his grandfather doesn't have a problem with him being here? Is he any good, Rin?"

"He's more than that. He's a genius."

Arashi shuddered at the word. "Don't call me that."

Even though they didn't say anything in response, both of the adults marked it. "He's definitely shinobi material," Rin insisted.

"He's a bit old to go through the Academy," Madara remarked as he looked at the blonde, taking in everything he saw. He saw confidence but not enough to make him arrogant. He saw some strength and some speed but not enough to make him dangerous. He saw fear but he also saw courage. He saw someone who could very well become a shinobi.

"Not if we put him in with the graduating class."

He took his eyes off the kid and looked at her. "That class is graduating for a reason, Rin. They only have a few weeks left. The amount of stuff he would need to learn would be staggering."

"He can handle it."

"He is still standing in the room," Arashi said, annoyed that they were talking to him in the third person.

But they ignored him. "Madara, he doesn't need to learn everything about the village and the Elemental Countries in the Academy. We can make sure that gets covered once he passes the exam."

"I am still not convinced, Rin," the Hokage told her. "That's a tall order."

"He can take it."

"Are you absolutely sure?"

A thoughtful expression appeared on her face. "Is it just the learning part you're worried about, or both sides of the Academy?"

"Both, actually," he admitted. "I know what your word is worth, Rin. But it's one thing to say he's a genius and another to actually prove it."

She ignored Arashi's shudder. "Madara, he was able to figure out how to possibly increase one's chakra capacity by listening to me give the basic explanation on how to utilize chakra. That's something Genin or even Academy students haven't properly figured out yet. He did the same thing with Ninjutsu, figuring out that there was more than one element in its use after I threw a **Katon** jutsu at him. The only thing he got wrong was the number of elements and that's because of where he grew up. He's already able to handle the few advance kunai moves I've shown him with competence."

"Hey, I knew how to handle one before one," the blonde said in protest.

"What's your point, Rin?" Madara asked her, ignoring him once more.

"This week is the week the Academy students demonstrates what they are able to do for their parents, right?" She wasn't sure but she was fairly certain about it.

He nodded. "Yes and today's the day the graduating class do their demonstration."

She smiled beneath her mask. "Then it works out perfectly. You allow him to attend the Academy for this demonstration and watch what he can do."

He looked at her for a moment and then at Arashi. "What do you think, kid?"

"I don't know. Have you guys figured out who I'm going to marry too?" he asked with acidic sarcasm.

"Arashi!" barked out Rin. "Watch what you say to the Hokage!"

"How about you don't talk about me like I'm not here!?" he snapped back. "This is my decision too, ya know!"

"You're right, of course. My apologies, Arashi," the Hokage said to him.

Just as quick as he had snapped, he eased off. "Ah, it's not a big deal. Besides, I think what Rin's suggested is a good idea."

"So you'll go for it?"

"Yeah, sure!" he answered with a grin.

"Very well then," he answered as he looked at Rin. "I'll get the paperwork started and inform the Academy about this. You make sure that he gets there." He eyed the blonde. "And make sure he has some new clothes too."

Arashi looked down at himself. What was wrong with his clothes? They might've looked dirty and probably smelled as bad from hiding on that ship for so long, but that could be easily taken care of by a good wash. A good shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows and a vest over the shirt along with a good pair of dark slacks. He wasn't wearing any suspenders and he didn't bring a hat with him, so what was the problem?

"Don't worry," Rin said to the Hokage, looking at the blonde and smiling at his confusion. "I'll take care of it."

(Location: Konoha Academy)

"_This is it,"_ Tsukiko thought to herself as she walked down the hallway on the third floor. _"This is the day I finally show Dad what I can do."_ And she had made sure that he would come today. She even made him swear it too! She would show him what she could. She will not dishonor her clan today! She had even made sure that she arrived before class began this time.

But that might've been a mistake. "Hey everyone!" one of the other kids in the hallway shouted when he saw her. "Look, it's a miracle! The Great Loser herself is here early!"

The hallway erupted into laughter. She growled under her breath. _"You won't be laughing at the end of the day,"_ she promised them. Once she showed them what she could do, they wouldn't be laughing at her anymore. But for now, it was best to not lash out at them like she usually did. She couldn't afford to get into trouble today. So she walked past them all, letting them laugh.

She found her classroom soon enough. She opened the door and walked through. The first thing that she saw was that the classroom was mostly empty. She had arrived early enough to beat everyone else there. But the second thing she noticed was that she wasn't alone in the room. There was someone else there, standing in the back row next to the window. He wasn't sitting down in a chair. Instead, his back was against the wall, his hands were hidden in pockets, and his eyes watched the door, which meant he watched her come in.

She unconsciously gulped as she watched those blue eyes follow her. But to call them blue would've been the grossest of understatements. They were more like pools of water that she could dive in and swim. They were curious but quiet and had an air of mystery about them. His hair was yellow but again that would've been an understatement. Her friend, Inoji, had blonde hair but his was pale. No, this yellow hair was golden, like the sun. It rose up from his head in spikes but she bet that they were soft to the touch.

She couldn't tell what his height was from up there but she did have a good look at the clothes he wore. He wore a pair of black pants and a black shirt beneath an unzipped white hoodie. His hands were in the hoodie's pockets so she had no idea if he was wearing gloves or not. He didn't move from his spot against the wall.

She could admit that he was hot, but that wasn't going to slow her down. She soon came to a stop and stared him down. "Who are you?" she demanded with a scowl on her face.

"Arashi," he answered shortly but his voice broke at the end. "Who are you?"

"My name is Tsukiko and I'm not going to lose to you!" she declared, pointing a finger at him. She didn't know who he was, but she wouldn't lose to him all the same.

"…Oookay," he replied after a moment of silence. He rolled his eyes at her words, thinking nothing of them.

But she did. "What? You got a problem with me?"

"I just met you. How could I have a problem with you?" he asked her. "Are you crazy or something?"

"Are you calling me stupid?!" She couldn't believe that this guy was a jerk.

"No, I'm calling you crazy. There's a difference, girl." He stared at her for a moment longer before saying, "Are you related to the Hokage?"

She stopped and stared at him. How could he not know who she was? Had he been living under a rock or something? "If you don't know that, you must be an idiot." She walked over to her seat and sat down, staring at the board. Silently she dared him to say something back. But all she got was silence. She didn't even hear him pulling out a chair to sit down in. _"Two can play at this waiting game,"_ she thought to herself.

But as time moved slowly on, she found that she wasn't a good player. Perhaps coming early to class hadn't been the best idea. No one else was there yet, not even the teacher. She began to randomly tap away on the desk in front of her, fiddle with something from her bag, and swung her feet back and forth. And yet she still heard nothing from this Arashi guy.

It was another fifteen minutes before the next person showed up. "Hey, Hiro," she greeted the heir to the Hyūga clan as he peeked his head in to see if there were anyone else there. His white eyes scanned the room as his head moved back and forth, making his blue-tinted hair move too.

Once he was sure it was safe, he hurried in and took his seat next to her. "H-hello, Tsukiko," he stuttered to her. He turned his head around, saw the other kid in the room, and promptly swung his head back around. "Wh-who is that?" he whispered.

"A stupid jerk," she answered, not bothering to hide her voice.

"You know I can hear you, right?" said stupid jerk asked.

"That was the point," she replied loftily.

More and more students came into the room as the time for class to begin came closer. Hiro's cousin, Tsume, came barging into the room alongside her puppy partner, Aoimaru. She thumped down next to him and put her dog on the table. Aoimaru then padded over to Hiro and licked him on his face, making him smile a little. Chōichi came in with a bag of chips in his hands, happily scarfing them down while Shikatsuno followed him in, a bored expression on his face as always. For a moment, she was afraid his cousin (or as she liked to call her "the pain in the ass from Suna") would follow him in. When she didn't, she breathed a sound of relief.

Of course, that relief turned into disgust when Ichiro swaggered in, his cronies coming in right behind him. One look at her and he was already on his way to her. "Well, well, well, I thought it was just a rumor but here is the Great Loser herself, on time in class. Usually you come rushing in at the last possible moment," he said as he stared down at her with a cruel smirk on his lips. "What? Did you forget to set your alarm clock for 'late' today?"

His cronies laughed and the rest of the class sniggered, some more than others. "Go away, Ichiro," Tsukiko told him, decidedly ignoring his large frame looming over her. He was the only one of them in the class who looked he actually had muscles and he loved to show them off. It got annoying after a while.

"Why should I?"

"Because I told you, that's way."

His laugh was nasal and high-pitched, not to mention grating on the ears. "Because you told me?" he said, laughing again. "Why should I, the Number One Rookie of this Academy, do what you tell me to do to?"

"Ichiro, get your butt into your seat before I make you sit there," Umino-sensei barked out as he walked into the room. Their teacher was someone who could be kind and caring as well as scary and not afraid to terrify people (if someone asked him about it, he would just say that he got it from both his parents).

"Of course, Hitode-sensei," Ichiro said in an obedient voice. He swaggered off to his chair while his cronies found their own. She wanted to punch their lights out, each and every one of them. But she could not afford to get in trouble today.

"Now that's done with, we can begin class," Umino-sensei said, turning to face the class in its entirety. "As you are all aware of, today is your demonstration today. Not only will your parents be here, but also some Jōnin too. This isn't like any other demonstration days you've gone through before. Jōnin shinobi will be observing each and every one of you. They will be the ones who decide which one of them has the burden of teaching you how to be a shinobi."

"Sensei, I think you mean one of them will have the _honor_ of teaching me how to be a shinobi," Ichiro corrected him.

"I meant what I said, Ichiro." He looked at the rest of the class. "Any questions?" he asked them. He could see that they were excited and impatient for the demonstration to begin, even those who were feigning boredom.

"Yeah, I've got one," Tsume said, raising her hand.

"What is it, Tsume?"

"Who the hell is that guy?" she demanded, pointing her thumb up and back at Arashi. All eyes turned to him with the same question.

"Do you wish to introduce yourself to the class?" Hidote asked him. It was the usual custom for each new student to do that.

"No, you can," Arashi said. His reply got a few shocked gasps and more surprised looks. He looked at them with a confused look. He didn't do anything wrong. He was asked a question and he replied. There was nothing wrong with that.

"It wasn't a suggestion," the teacher told him with more than a hint of a threat. "Please come down here and introduce yourself."

"Alright, alright," he said. Sheesh, what was wrong with these people? He was asked a question and he answered it. He walked down the steps, still keeping his hands in his pockets. He could feel the eyes on him as he made his way up to the whiteboard.

He turned around and faced them but said nothing. "Go on," the teacher told him with an encouraging smile.

"_One minute this guy is hostile, the next he's friendly. What the hell?"_ he asked himself. Was Rin the exception when it came to shinobi or something? "My name is Arashi Uzumaki," he announced to the class.

No one said anything. They just stared at him. "And?" the teacher said.

It sounded like a prompt and it probably was a prompt. But he didn't know what prompt it was for. "And what?" he asked.

"What are you here for?"

What is with the stupid question? "It's obvious, isn't it? I'm here to be a shinobi, just like these guys." He pulled out a hand and waved it at everyone there, emphasizing his point.

The teacher looked a little irritated at his words. He guessed that it wasn't going the way he thought it would. "Why don't you tell us what you were doing up there in the corner?" he suggested to the blonde while he put his hand back in the pocket. "I'm sure there was a good reason for it."

"_Sounds like he knew what I was doing."_ It looked like the man knew his stuff. "It was the farthest place away from the door with the highest vantage point and an easy escape route. From there, I could watch everyone who came into the room and make a quick exit if I had to." He had seen more than a few Triad members do the same thing and had been shown how to do it once.

The looks of realization dawning on the kids' faces as they listened to his words almost made him laugh. Come on, they hadn't thought of doing that themselves? Wow. "You're a liar, you know," the girl from before declared.

He swung his attention to her. She looked like she was bored in her seat, sitting there with her head resting on her hand. "What?"

"I said you're a liar."

Where did that come from? "How am I a liar? I haven't lied."

"You're not an Uzumaki."

"Uh…yes. Yes I am." He would know for sure.

"No, you're not. Come on, you don't even look like an Uzumaki. How can you be one when you don't look like it? Talk about lame."

"So what does an Uzumaki look like?"

"The red hair, duh," she told him like it was something obvious. "You're missing the blood-red hair."

So just because he had the wrong kind of hair color, he wasn't an Uzumaki? What kind of bullshit was that? "How in the name of Agni's flaming ball sack would you know what an Uzumaki looks like anyway?"

While most of the kids looked like they didn't understand a word he had just said, she just smirked. "My mom's an Uzumaki and she has red hair."

"Well, I've got blonde hair but I'm still an Uzumaki," he told her.

"No, you're not."

"Yeah, I am. So were my dad and my Jiji." He frowned for a moment. "Actually, I think you lot might know who Jiji is."

"Yeah right, like we'd know some nobody who says he's an Uzumaki."

"You might, if the way Rin was looking at him for the first couple of days is anything to go on."

"Who is it you are talking about, Arashi?" the teacher asked him. He was curious now about who he was referring to.

He looked at him and then at the class. "You guys know a Naruto Uzumaki?"

If a pen had been dropped, it would've made the loudest noise in the room and it would've landed amidst dropped jaws. Everyone was staring at him with stunned awe, disbelief, and wonder, none more so then Tsukiko. She looked like her head was about to fall down onto the table if only she tilt it about three more inches to the left. Her mouth was opening and closing, like she was trying to say something but couldn't get the words out of her mouth. It was kinda funny to watch. He let a smirk on his lips. She saw it and scowled at him.

"Are…are you talking about _the_ Naruto Uzumaki? The Shinobi Kikan?" asked Tsume, thin disbelief in her voice as she talked. "The man who ended the Akatsuki threat? _That_ Naruto Uzumaki?"

"I don't know about that stuff," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I just know is that Jiji is some kind of famous here. I've never really asked him about it." Why would he? Until he came here, this place hadn't interested him.

That seemed to knock the class out of their stunned stupor. Whispers began to spread through them as they talked to one another and eyed him as they did. "How did you get here?" one of the girls finally asked him, fluttering her eyelashes at him.

He ignored it and answered her question. "Snuck aboard a ship and then spent the trip hiding out in the cargo hold." There were also the frequent visits to the kitchen to swipe food to eat and the occasional visit to the upper decks.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" another asked him, prompting a mass amount of giggling.

"_What's so funny?"_ he asked himself. "No, I don't."

"Alright, that's enough," the teacher told them all. The giggling stopped but they were still looking at Arashi funny. "Alright, before we come to the demonstration, there's going to be a little quiz." The class groaned in unison. "Your complaint has been noted but ignored." He looked at the blonde beside him. "Arashi, please go to the seat you were standing behind. You do not need to take the quiz."

"Oh come on!" Tsukiko complained. "That's just special treatment right there! You're doing that because he's Lord Naruto's grandson."

"No, I'm doing it because this quiz is going to be about everything we have covered since the year's beginning and this is his first day," he replied shortly. The class laughed at her as her accusing finger dropped.

"No, she's right," Arashi said. "I'll take the quiz." The laughter stopped and now they were all looking at him like he was crazy.

"Very well, I will be sure to give you a copy too," the teacher said to him. "Take your seat."

"Okay." He started walking to the back again. As he passed her, Tsukiko looked at him and him her. They seemed to have an entire conversation in that split second.

"_I didn't want your help,"_ she said silently. _"I can handle myself."_

"_I wasn't helping you,"_ he replied. _"You just had a point."_

"_You're not going to last. I'm going to beat you. You'll see."_

"_Bring it."_

Then the moment passed and he kept on walking up the steps. He found his seat and he sat in it. As the quiz was handed out, he was given a pencil along with the paper. He took them both and started writing, taking his time.

* * *

The class stood outside in the yard. Their parents were all there and to Tsukiko's joy, so was her dad. He came, just like he promised! There were also Jōnin shinobi standing next to the parents. She knew a few of them by face but not by name. But she did know who Rin was and was surprised to see her here. She didn't see Hiro's parents but she did see Lady Hyūga standing beside Tsume's dad. What few other Hyūga clan members were there stood behind her. She seemed more interested in the new kid then her own grandchild. Seriously, why would she do something like that?

She turned her eyes over to where the new kid was standing, just a little away from the others. He now had the hoodie zipped up and the hood was on his head. She guessed that he wasn't used to this kind of sun from where he lived (of course she had no idea where that was. For all she knew, he could've been from some frozen tundra). During the quiz, he hadn't said a word nor had he asked the teacher for help. He had kept his gaze on the paper the entire time (well, the times she had looked back at him).

Now he was just waiting in silence for the first round to happen, staring at the training dummies set up. They were the normal kind of dummies, made out of straw and with a bullseye in the center. A table was set up nearby with kunai and shuriken. She kept eyeing it like everyone in the class. They knew how to use them but it was still exciting to do it.

"Alright, can I have your attention?" Umino-sensei said, making all their eyes turn to him and the clipboard in his hand. "You guys know the drill but I'm gonna run you through it again. There are six dummies in front of you, three for kunai and three for shuriken. The idea here is to throw all available kunai and shuriken as close to the bullseye as possible. There will be no stopping between dummies and you will be judged on your overall score."

Tsukiko had heard this before and stifled a bored yawn. She couldn't look bored today, not with Dad here to watch her. But her eyes wandered all the same. She saw Ichiro silently bullying Hiro. It wasn't anything obvious but she had seen it enough times to recognize her friend getting pinched, hit, and kicked.

"_Bastard,"_ she growled inside her head. She wanted to do something about it but she couldn't afford to get into trouble today. So she stifled her anger and kept her attention forward. _"Sorry, Hiro,"_ she apologized.

"Everybody got that?" Umino-sensei asked them.

"Yes, sensei," they all answered in unison.

"Good. We'll be doing the day alphabetical from top to bottom. Aoki," he called out one of the civilian students. She stepped forward and took the weapons off the table. Starting from the right, she walked down the lane like it was a casual walk, stopping at every test dummy to throw the weapons. She did fairly well and received polite clapping.

But Umino-sensei wasn't impressed. "You're also being graded on time."

She looked at him with a surprised look. "You didn't say anything about that!" she complained.

"I didn't think I'd have to. Pull them out, put them back on the table." She wanted to complain some more but one look from him sent her scurrying to the dummies.

"_Hmph, moron,"_ Tsukiko thought to herself as she watched her pull them all out and quickly put them back on the table.

That was how the rest of the demonstration, with each person having their name called and given a chance to show what they could do. Most of them were good and those who were bad only received polite clapping. It was the speed that was getting to some of the people. Some of the guys would try to rush it all at once, only to get tangled up in their own feet and fall to the ground. Others were as fast and took it slow but quick. The best way to describe it would've been a jogging pace. Some had even stayed at the table and not move as they threw the weapons (which didn't work with some of the angles the dummies were positioned to the table).

Umino-sensei went the down the list, speaking each name aloud so that they could hear it. He kept doing that until there were only two names left on the list. "Uchiha," he called out.

Tsukiko stepped up to the table and took the kunai and the shuriken. _"You can do this, girl,"_ she told herself. She was going to be a kunoichi. She grabbed the shuriken first and placed them in her pockets. They would come second. Then she grabbed the kunai and went to the starting point.

Within a second of getting there, she was off. The first dummy came up and she had the kunai ready. They flew from her hands and hit the dummy with ease, she heard that. _"First dummy taken care of,"_ she told herself as she approached the second dummy. She saw it and threw the kunai without pausing to take a breath. And she did the same for the third.

The next three dummies were up. She reached into her pockets for the shuriken. But something was wrong. She couldn't get them out. She kept trying to pull them out and keep running at the same time. But all she succeeded in doing was tripping over her own feet and falling to the ground with her hands still in her pockets.

She could hear the laughter coming from the kids and the polite sniggering coming from the kids. _"Okay, so I tripped. I still did good on the first three,"_ she thought to herself as she got back up, ready to go again.

"Tsukiko, you're done," Umino-sensei told her before she could even start. She swung her head to look at him. "If you fall, you're done."

She scowled. It fell away when she saw the dummies she had hit. It turned out that she hadn't really. There was probably one or two kunai on the target and nowhere near the bullseye. The rest, she was lucky if they were on the dummy at all. "And the Great Loser shows herself again!" Ichiro called out, making his cronies and the other kids laugh.

"_I'm not done,"_ she told herself as she looked at the dummies, the kids, and her dad. _"I've still got the rest of the demonstration to prove what I can do."_ She didn't say anything out loud. She gathered up the kunai and put them back on the table along with the shuriken. Then she walked back to the group, all the while hearing the laughter.

"Uzumaki," Umino-sensei called out, silencing the laughter. All eyes fell on the blonde as he came up to the table. He took a kunai in one hand and a shuriken in the other. She didn't know what he was doing. _"Maybe he doesn't know how to handle them,"_ she thought to herself.

He took the rest of the kunais and the shurikens, placing all but one of them in the left hand while the right held the one. Holding them there, he stepped back to the starting point. He stood there for a moment, breathing in and out. And then he started. It wasn't a casual walk like Aoki had done nor was it the sprint Tsukiko had done. It was the same speed everyone else had done, perhaps a little faster. His hands seemed to have a mind of their own. The right hand threw the weapon it held and then reached for the next in the left. He never changed his pace as he threw the weapons.

When he was finally done, he came to a dead stop. His feet, which had been making so much noise a mere moment before, were silent. The silence didn't last long. He turned back around and looked at the dummies. Everyone did the same thing and they all saw what he saw. "Dude, you're just as bad as the Great Loser!" Ichiro shouted. "You didn't hit any of the targets!"

It was true, while the kunai and the shuriken were stuck in the dummies; they hadn't hit the targets themselves. They were stuck in the straws of the dummies at random places. Some were in the head, some were in the feet, some were in the arms, and a few were in the chest. But not one of them had hit the target.

"I hit exactly where I wanted to," the new guy replied, barely flicking his eyes at Ichiro.

"Explain," Umino-sensei told him. Oddly enough, his voice wasn't annoyed or disappointed or anything that resembled it.

He pointed at the dummy farthest from him. "That one I aimed to cripple." He pointed to the next. "That one I aimed to maim." He pointed to the next. "That one I aimed to kill. The next three are the same, just with shuriken. I aimed where I wanted to hit and I hit them. I didn't miss."

Once he said those words, everyone looked again at the dummies. Tsukiko had known enough about the anatomy of the human body to know what he had said was true. The first and fourth dummies had been by hit with the kunai and shuriken in such a way that if it had been a real life person, he would be severely injured. The second and fifth dummies could've lost a limb from the wounds it got. And the third and sixth dummies were just dead. Nothing could be done about them.

She wasn't the only one who noticed that. "Well done. Top marks," Umino-sensei said to him. He received applause from the crowds. Even some of her classmates joined in. It didn't last long (especially with Hiro, who froze when Ichiro turned his glare onto him).

* * *

The next thing that they were going to demonstrate was their speed and for that, they walked over to the track. "Alright, kids, you know the drill," Hidote-sensei told them as they all came to a stop. A look came on Arashi's face as he looked at the track, a medium-sized ring drawn in white paint on the ground. It was a look of disappointment and he saw it. "Something wrong here, Arashi?" he asked.

"Is this it? We're just going to run a lap in a race?" the blonde asked.

"Yes. Were you expecting something else?"

"Yeah, I was. I was expecting something like obstacles and blocks to be in the way. You know, something to make us all slow down and try and go around so that we don't hurt ourselves by running into them. That kind of thing," he told him.

"So you think that a simple race is beneath you?"

"I think that judging from how Rin moved shinobi didn't just go down the road in broad daylight."

"_He knows Rin? How?"_ thought Tsukiko, confused by his words. She had been on a mission, how would he know her?

"Hmm…good enough of a point," Umino-sensei said with a smirk of approval. He strode over to the track, threw the clipboard up into the air, folded his hands into a series of seals Tsukiko didn't know of, and cried out, **"Doton: Gekidō no Jutsu** (Earth Style: Upheaval Jutsu)**!"** He did a little jump and slammed both feet into the earth.

The ground around the entire track groaned and rumbled. Then it spat out chunks of rock in various sizes all around the track. She couldn't tell if they were all clumped together from her position, but Tsukiko could say that they were all really close only place the blockage wasn't there was at the starting line and about two feet beyond it. The height of them was different too. Some looked like they came up to her shoulder, some up to her chest, and some towered over her.

Once he was done, Umino-sensei relaxed and snatched the clipboard out of the air. "Is that better?"

"Yeah, it is," Arashi said with a nod of his head.

"Alright people, you know the drill," he said to the rest of the class. They all quickly went to the starting line. "GO!"

They took off and for the first second it was like a normal race, with Ichiro in the lead, Tsukiko right behind him, Shikatsuno jogging at the back, and Hiro desperately trying to make sure that he didn't end up in last. Then they came on the blockage. She was happy to see that Ichiro didn't slow down in time to turn and ran right into the rock.

"_Idiot,"_ she thought in triumph as she turned and went around. Now she was in the lead. All she had to do was keep it. But as she ran, a shadow flickered overhead on a sunny day. _"What the…?"_ She looked up and saw the new kid vaulting over the top, disappearing in front of her. "What the hell?"

She poured on her speed, trying to catch up with him. But even as she did, she had to slow it down lest she end up like Ichiro. _"Damn it,"_ she fumed as she tried going through the track (which was more like an obstacle course now). But it felt like she was falling behind and she couldn't even see the guy!

When she saw a way out of the course and into open sight, she took it. She ran out into the middle of the track. Her eyes found the new guy and she saw that he was either vaulting over the top of the rocks, climbing up them, and just running across them like they were steps in a path. _"Wha…how…how is he doing that!?"_

She had been staring at him running along that she had let him cross the finish line with a leap, landing in a roll and came out on his feet. Everyone else soon appeared out of the course and crossed the line too, with Hiro being last except for her. _"Damn it!"_ She tried to get back on the track but the rocks all sunk back into the earth, leaving her standing there in the middle of the track.

"Tsukiko, what are you doing out there?" Umino-sensei asked her.

"Um…I was…I was…enjoying the sun?" she offered weakly. Inside, she was screaming at herself. _"Enjoying the sun? What the hell is wrong with you? Just tell him that you were watching the new guy! Wait, that sounds stalkerish. But it couldn't be stalkerish, you weren't stalking him!"_

"Save it," he told her when she opened her mouth again. "You come in last." He turned to look at the new kid. "Arashi, excellent use of the rocks," he complimented him. "You were right. A shinobi is not usually going to be going the middle of the road in broad daylight."

"Thank you," he replied.

"How did you do all that?" Hiro asked, looking up at him. "I've never seen anything like that before."

He looked back. "I guess your grandfather never took you rooftop running then, huh?"

Amazement bloomed across her friend's face when he heard that. "Wow, really?"

"Yeah, really," he answered with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders.

"Your grandfather must be so cool."

"…I guess so." He made it sound like he didn't know. How could he not know? He was talking about his own grandfather!

* * *

Next came the Jutsu showing. Tsukiko was proud to say that she didn't fail here. She knew each three of the basic Jutsus and that was what Umino-sensei wanted them to show. She was able to swap with the nearby log via **Kawarimi** jutsu, create a clone with the **Bunshin** jutsu, and transform into Hidote-sensei by using the **Henge** jutsu. She was feeling proud of herself for not screwing up.

"Uzumaki, you're up," Umino-sensei said, causing the attention to turned on the blonde.

"_Wait, this is unfair,"_ she thought as he stepped up and faced everyone. "Sensei, this isn't right," she said aloud. "He hasn't been taught the three jutsus and I don't think that he even knows how to use his chakra."

"What are you suggesting, Tsukiko?"

"Just let him skip it. It's not going to harm him any, is it?"

"How about you not talk about me like I'm invisible?" Arashi asked her with a clearly annoyed tone in his voice. "For Agni's sake, you're just like your dad."

She turned to look at him. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I already got talked like that by your dad. I don't need to get it from you too, got it?"

She scowled at him. "Hey, I'm trying to help you out here, you jerk."

"Did I ask for your help? Let me figure it out, why don't ya?"

"Excuse me for trying to be nice to you," she snapped at him. Kami, did he have to be such a world-class jerk? Hell, he was on his way to being an asshole!

"Tsukiko, your objection has been noted and will be ignored," Umino-sensei told her, getting her attention. "If Arashi wishes to do this, he is allowed to do it."

She threw up her hands in defeat. "Fine, whatever," she said. "Pardon me for just trying to help him out by being nice."

"How about I try it first?" the blonde asked her pointedly. "Thanks."

"Well get to it then. Don't put the rest of us to sleep waiting for you do to something."

He rolled his eyes at her and then folded his hands into the proper seal for the first jutsu. **"Kawarimi no Jutsu,"** he uttered before disappearing in a plume of smoke. When the plume vanished, a log stood in his place.

But the first thing she noticed was that it wasn't the same log that the others had used. That was still sitting on the table where the kunai and shuriken had been resting. She looked around and so did the rest of the class, but he was nowhere in sight. "Kawarimi jutsu, check," Umino-sensei said, checking it off on his clipboard.

The class was more interested in where he went. "Does anyone see him?"

"No. What about you?"

"No."

"Arashi, come out now," their teacher ordered.

"Alright then," a rich woman's voice said from within the crowd. The entire class swung their heads to where it was coming from. They watched as a stunning woman stepped out of the crowd and made her way over to Hidote-sensei, her hips swaying with every step she took. She wore a little black dress that covered her modesty and emphasized her curves. Her black hair was lush and fell down her back in curls. Her brown eyes were heavy with…with something and there was something going on with her mouth but Tsukiko didn't know what it was exactly.

But she could be jealous of what she was seeing and she was. Then she reminded herself that what she was seeing wasn't the actual thing. _"He's just using a jutsu!"_ And it was a completely unfair thing to do! They were supposed to transform into Hidote-sensei, not into a woman that made jealously come easy!

The gorgeous woman strode up to Umino-sensei and leaned into him a little. "Well? Like what you see?" she asked him with that same smile on her lips.

But whatever she was doing, Umino-sensei didn't look like it had gotten him. He remained the same as usual. "Excellent use of the **Henge**," he told the disguised Arashi, checking off the clipboard.

The woman disappeared in smoke and the blonde reappeared. "Thank you," he said back.

"One more jutsu," he said. "Go ahead."

"I already did."

"No, I already did," his voice came again, this time from the class group. Everyone turned their heads to look at another Arashi standing there with them.

The first Arashi looked at the second one. "How could you have done it when I'm the original?" he asked as he walked over.

"Because you're the clone and I'm the original," the second Arashi answered.

They stood right in front of each other, looking like mirror images. Then they started pacing around and around, keeping the pacing even but also quick. "Are you sure?"

"Are _you_ sure?"

"Of course I'm sure."

"Why?"

"I am Arashi Uzumaki."

"So am I?"

They stopped, looked at everyone else there, and asked "So which of us is the real one?" in perfect unison.

No one in the class answer the question because they didn't know. They had been watching the two go around and around and around, just looking at them together. They hadn't bothered keeping track. They all stared at one another, unsure of the answer.

Ichiro decided to stop his torment of Hiro and push his way to the front. "It's the one on the left!" he declared in an assured voice.

"It is?" they asked in unison again.

"Of course!" he said with a determined look.

"How do you know?"

"Well…I, um…I…what does it matter? The one on the left is the real you!"

"What a pain in the butt," Shikatsuno said, yawning as he spoke. "The one on the right is the real you. You're scratching the side of your pants while the other one isn't doing anything like that. Plus, there a small wind blowing, just enough to make your pants legs move while his didn't."

The clone disappeared, leaving only the original. "Wow, that's impressive."

"No it's not. It was obvious." The Nara clan heir sounded as bored as ever. Tsukiko was surprised that he didn't yawn as he spoke.

"And that makes the set," Umino-sensei declared, writing off on the clipboard. "Excellent usage of the three jutsus in succession, Arashi," he praised the blonde.

Tsukiko couldn't take it anymore. "But how could he do it!?" she burst out. "He didn't even know the jutsus until now!"

"I watched you guys," Arashi replied like it was the simplest thing. Since it was, she suddenly felt like an idiot. He was last; he had ample time to watch them all preform the jutsus.

"How could you do something like that?" one of the other girls asked him.

"Something like what?" he asked.

"What did you with that woman! How could you do something so indecent?"

"_Oh Kami, not this again,"_ Tsukiko thought to herself, rolling her eyes at it. This girl was about all things decent and made the life of anyone who did otherwise miserable. She had come after Tsukiko one time for the length of her skirt for being an inch too short or something stupid like that. She went after her for an entire and ended getting slammed into the wall for being so annoying (of course, Tsukiko got in trouble for it).

Arashi didn't seem to take it like that. He just shrugged his shoulders. "Saw a couple of prostitutes do it one time and the madam of the place thought it be funny to tell me how walk like that," he told her.

"_Way to go, baka,"_ Tsukiko silently said. He just gave her more reasons to go on a rant.

She didn't, but she did start yelling. "You have known prostitutes? Have you no shame? Think! Think about what you've done! You're neck deep in things indecent! You must pull yourself out of that muck!"

To that, he just smirked. "If I'm neck deep, how exactly can I pull myself out?"

She didn't respond. She stood there with her mouth gaping open like an idiot.

* * *

What came next and was the final part of the demonstration was the sparring. This, Tsukiko was looking forward to because she actually had a chance here. It all depended on who her opponent was. It was completely random for them all. Hidote-sensei was the one who chose the fighters. She stood still, even though she saw Shiro torment Hiro out of the corner of her eye. She wanted to do something, but didn't want to get into trouble.

"_Come on, come on,"_ she chanted Inoji and Hiro stepped away each amidst polite clapping. She was happy for Hiro to have last as long as he could but she really wanted to show she could do. She was getting impatient for it.

"Hiro, good use of your family's Taijutsu," Umino-sensei told him. "It still needs work."

"Yes, sensei," he replied, his eyes down to the ground.

"Inoji, you still need to work on your moving. You can't stay still in one place."

"I'm working on it, Hidote-sensei," Inoji replied with a slight frown as he scratched the side of his short hair.

"Very well, make the Seal of Reconciliation." They did so, placing their two fingers together in a handshake for a brief moment. Then they broke it apart and stepped out of the ring. "Alright, up next…" He trailed his finger down the list on the clipboard.

"_Come on, pick me. Pick me,"_ Tsukiko chanted. She wanted to prove her stuff. Her dad was here, this was her moment.

"Uzumaki and Ichiro," he declared.

"_Oh come on!"_ she complained as her hopes were dashed.

Ichiro swaggered into the ring as his cronies cheered him. "Come on, new boy," he called out to Arashi, who hadn't moved from his place yet. "Well? Hurry it up." He still didn't move. Ichiro laughed. "If you're afraid of me, I don't blame you. I am the Rookie of the Year for my class."

"That hasn't been decided yet, Ichiro," Hidote-sensei reminded him sharply.

He scoffed and waved it off. "Sensei, we both know I'm going to get it. Why bother trying to discourage it beforehand."

"You're cocky," Arashi remarked as he started walking towards the ring, raising his hands up and lowering the hood down.

"I'm the best," he preened.

"If you say so," the blonde replied.

"I _do_ say so."

He stepped into the ring and stood across from his opponent. He didn't move once he was there. Ichiro was just smug all-around, his guard completely relaxed and uncaring. "Alright, make the Seal of Confrontation," Umino-sensei told them both. Ichiro did it with the same lazy grace he showed off every time he swaggered somewhere. But Arashi didn't do anything. "Arashi, make the Seal of Confrontation." He just reached up and began unzipping the hoodie.

"It's alright, sensei. He's a new guy and he knows that he's going to get his butt kicked," Ichiro told him. "We can let it slide, right?"

"Are you the teacher here, Ichiro?" he snapped at him.

"It is fine," Arashi said. The hoodie was in his hands. "Start the match."

"Make the seal."

"No. Start the match."

"Start the match, sensei," Ichiro repeated.

"…Very well," he said, raising his arm. Then he dropped it. "Begin!"

The way he had been going today, Tsukiko had expected for the new kid to come out of the gate swinging. But he just stood there with the hoodie in his hands, not moving at all. Neither did Ichiro. But he still had the smug grin on his face. "Come on, kid. Make your move," he said to the blonde. He didn't reply. "What? Are you scared of me?"

"Completely terrified," Arashi said in a dry voice.

Ichiro frowned. "Are you making fun of me?"

"What do you think?"

"Do you know who I am?"

"It's safe to say that everyone knows who you are."

Now he was angry. "No one makes fun of me! I'm the Rookie of the Year!"

"So you've said."

"That's it! Come here!" He charged straight at the blonde, ready to start the fight.

But the blonde had been waiting for him the entire time. Just as the "Rookie" reached him, he took one step forward and threw the hoodie at him. He pressed the hood itself into Ichiro's face then he ducked under the incoming jab, swung around to Ichiro's back, grabbed the sleeves, and pushed Ichiro down to the ground, landing on his back in a sitting position. When they landed, the sleeves were tied into a knot, keeping the hoodie on and getting his arms stuck. It took two seconds to happen.

"_Whoa,"_ Tsukiko thought in surprised wonder. She didn't think that it could end that fast!

Arashi began pummeling Ichiro hard and with no mercy. The beating was methodical and rhythmic. The arm came up and then drove the fist down. He never struck the same place twice in a row. It took Tsukiko only a second to realize that Ichiro was being hit in the exact same places he had been tormenting Hiro. _"He saw that?"_

Ichiro kept moving and struggling, trying to get free. But with the way his arms were pinned to his chest and having someone sit on him only kept him in place. All he could do was squirm in place and give off muffled shouting from the beating he was getting.

"That's enough," Umino-sensei told the new kid, finally saying something.

He stopped the beating and looked at the teacher for a second. He got up off Ichiro but paused in place. "Hold on, I need to do one more thing."

"What?"

_CRACK!_

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" screamed Ichiro as Arashi took his foot off his head, having stomped down hard enough to break his nose.

The blonde reached down and picked up his head. Even though they couldn't see his face, everyone could see the blood staining the hoodie. "Not so fun when it's done to you, huh?" Arashi asked Ichiro with a harsh voice. He let go of his head, letting it drop to the ground, and stood up. "Keep the hoodie; it's a rag now anyway." He looked over to Rin. "Sorry about wasting your money like that," he said apologetically. She just grinned beneath her mask.

"Normally, I would say make the Seal of Reconciliation," Umino-sensei remarked as he looked at Ichiro. "But I'll skip it this time around. Get back to the group, Arashi."

"You got it." He walked back to the rest of the class.

All eyes, except for Arashi's, were on Ichiro, who was still on the ground moaning, rocking in place. "Ichiro, get up," the teacher ordered him. When he did, the teacher pulled out a kunai and cut through one of the sleeves, making the knot redundant. Ichiro pulled the hoodie off and showed off his broken nose to everyone there. It was not pretty to look.

As he walked back to the group, he threw a glare at the blonde but he did not go near Hiro again. _"Ha, that'll teach ya!"_ Tsukiko crowed.

"Next are Uchiha and Aoki," Umino-sensei declared, getting her attention.

"Oh yeah, my time to kick butt!" she shouted aloud, excited. She practically bolted into the ring, ready to get to it.

* * *

"_Ow, ow, ow,"_ she thought as she held the icepack to her eye, sitting in the classroom. The fight had lasted a grand total of two minutes and Aoki had won. But what was embarrassing was the fact that she didn't even try to beat Tsukiko. She wasn't the one who made her get the icepack. That was when she tried to get a punch in, missed, and fell to the ground face first. After that, all Aoki had to do was just sit on her back.

When she snuck a peak at the girl, Tsukiko saw the smug look she had on. It made her want to march over there and strangle her. _"She didn't try fighting me! She just kept moving out of the way!"_

"Alright, the day of demonstration is over," Umino-sensei said as he stood before all of them. "I would like to say that you all preformed as expected but I will admit that some of you have been able to surprise me."

"_Why do I get the feeling I've been able to sink to a new low now?"_ she asked herself at those words. She had tried to do her best today and ended up doing worse than before. Kami, she wasn't looking forward to going home. He had seen everything.

"Your quizzes have been marked and graded. Your parents will be notified of your scores during the next week," their teacher declared as he started handing the papers back to them all. He walked among them all, giving the papers back. The last person he reached was Arashi. "Most impressive," he said as he handed the paper back. "I never expected you to reach second place."

That got everyone's attention. "What do you mean second place?" Ichiro demanded, his voice coming out funny due to the way his nose was bandaged. "Who was first?"

"Me," Shikatsuno said with a bored tone and a raised hand.

"What? That's impossible! You barely break even in the lower ranks!"

He yawned with boredom. "You don't have to remind me. It was a pain in the ass to begin with."

He was a Nara and the grandson of Shikamaru Nara, so the fact that he could reach first place on a quiz wasn't a surprise to Tsukiko. What was the surprise was Arashi. "How the hell could he get second place?" she demanded. "He's never been here before."

"How do you think he was able to reach second place, Tsukiko?" Umino-sensei asked her in return.

"I don't know, that's why I'm asking!"

"What a pain," Shikatsuno groused.

She turned her gaze onto him. "What? Do you know how he did it?"

"Of course I did. He cheated."

She hadn't expected that answer and it threw her for a loop. "Wha…how could he do that? I thought that if someone was cheating, their grade was going to be automatically zero!"

"It's not cheating unless you get caught," Arashi told her.

"And I didn't catch him cheating," Umino-sensei finished. The blonde stared at him for a moment with a frown on his face. But it quickly vanished. "Add to what he's done today, he's earned the top spot of the demonstration. You all could learn a thing or two from him."

Again, all eyes turned to Arashi, who seemed content on ignoring the looks he was getting. Tsukiko knew that some of the looks the girls were sending him might've as well been shaped like a heart. She was just content on scowling at him. He came here for one day and already he was showing off. The bastard didn't have the grace to be humble about it.

The bell start to ring as Umino-sensei walked down to the whiteboard. "Alright, get out of here before I make your lives miserable," he told them all. Everyone stood up and started heading for the door. "Tsukiko, Arashi, you stay."

"_Oh Kami, I didn't do that bad, did I?"_ Tsukiko asked herself. Oh hell, who was she kidding? She was the Great Loser after all. She could do that bad. But what the hell was the new kid staying for? Everyone was already heading out, Hiro flashing an apologetic look before disappearing beyond the door.

The clock ticked away from it places on the wall while they sat. She thought that they were going to be there forever when her father and Rin walked into the room. "Dad!" she shouted, coming out of her slouch.

He looked at her for a moment and gave a brief smile to her. "One moment, Tsukiko," he said before turning his head to Umino-sensei. "Well?"

"Arashi, bring that paper down." The blonde clumped down the steps and handed his quiz to her dad.

He took it and looked at it with Rin over his shoulder. "How?" he asked after a couple of moments of silence.

"I cheated," Arashi answered.

"If that's the case, you should've gotten first place," Rin told him.

"Thought of that, figured it was too risky," he replied. "It was better to get most of the answer instead of getting all of them and risk getting caught."

"You could've gotten caught all the same when cheating."

Again, he gave a look at Umino-sensei and this time, Umino-sensei smirked at him. "Took me a couple of minutes to figure out how to cheat, after that it was a matter of figuring out when the best time to move was. The timing took me to the end of the time and I only had those last couple of questions left. It was better to leave them unanswered and be safe rather than rush and be caught."

For some weird reason, that just made Rin smirk beneath her mask. "Well?" she asked Dad.

He looked at her and then at Umino-sensei. "What do you think, Hidote?"

"If it were up to me, I'd say make him skip the Academy and make him a Genin right away," he answered. "I don't think this village has seen that kind of talent and genius since the Yondaime Hokage."

Oddly enough, Arashi shuddered. "Don't call me that," he told the teacher, who ignored his words.

"Even the Yondaime had to go through the Academy," Dad said as a point.

"But you think that he belongs here in the graduating class," Rin said back with something akin to triumph in her voice.

"…Yes, I do."

"Hey, standing right here," the new kid said with a frown. "You guys are doing it again."

They looked at him with a glance. "Sorry, Arashi," the Hokage said to him. "So, everything you have done today has been exceptional. You have great potential but the choice still yours. Do you wish to become a shinobi of Konoha?"

"Of course I do, that's why I'm here," he answered.

"That's good to hear," the teacher said. "We can file out the paperwork over the weekend so we're not here until it is dark outside. Then there's his residency to deal with."

"He can live with me," Rin said instantly.

The Hokage turned to look at her with a smirk on his face. "A young boy living with an adult woman who isn't his mother?" he asked rhetorically. "Rin, I didn't know you had preferences."

Arashi recoiled with a slight look of disgust, which he pointed at the guy. He knew enough to understand what the guy was saying and to know it was gross. "Madara, keep that up and your wife will finally learn just how exactly you got a bathhouse harem for a day," Rin said to him, the same look of disgust on her face too.

He winced but held his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright, I'll admit that was a bad joke."

"Very bad," she said.

"I get it, Rin. But the fact remains the same. He really can't stay with you. I've seen your apartment, a kid can't live there."

"So where is he going to stay then?"

"With me and my family," he answered.

"What?" Tsukiko all but shouted as she stood up, getting their attention. "You mean I'm going to have to live with that show-off 24/7 now?"

"Show-off?" he repeated. "I'm not a show-off."

"Oh, really?" she asked. "Then what do you call today?"

"Tsukiko, enough," her Dad told her. "He will be staying with us."

She could've argued further, but the look in his eye would have no argument. So she flopped back down into her chair, pulled out her phone, flipped it open, and began scrolling through the messages. When she glanced up, she saw the blonde was staring at her. "What?" she demanded.

"What is that?" he asked, his voice betraying his curiosity.

"It's a phone."

"That's a phone."

"Yeah, it is." Honestly, how could he not know what a phone looked like?

"…Okay." He turned his head back to the adults and she turned her attention back to the phone. The upcoming future was going to be unbearable, she just knew it.

**End**

**Author's Note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

I had been planning this story long before the ending to _Naruto_ came out, which meant I had planned for who would be Hokage. I'm going to be sticking to that. So that means there's not going to be any of Sarada. And no, Kakashi isn't going to be the Rokudaime Hokage. I had someone else in mind when I started this.

And now you have the reason for why Rin had just charged in. She had been there before and she didn't want anyone else to suffer the same fate. When it comes to slavery, Rin goes into autopilot. That's not always a good thing.

As you've probably already guess, Tsukiko's and Arashi's relationship is going to be like their grandparents at the start. The irony here is that Arashi is the genius and she is most definitely not. But Tsukiko's not as lonely as Naruto was. She has some friends among the kids of the other clans. And it's not going to be easy for Arashi either. He's going to feel the need to prove himself to these people, again and again.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	20. Settling in and getting things

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 20: Settling in and getting things

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Konoha)

"Would you hurry it up already?" Tsukiko demanded of Arashi as she walked down the street beside her father.

"Hey, I have no idea where I'm going here," he told her as he trailed behind them, keeping his pace casual. He was hoping that it would hide his nervousness. Everywhere he looked, he saw things that reminded him that he wasn't in Republic City anymore.

If what he copied on the quiz was right, this place was well over a century old and yet, it looked like they were still building in places. There was one thing he noticed about the village. In the inner part of it, the buildings were unique and flowed together with nature as well as one another. But on the outer part, the buildings were all uniform. Oh, they still flowed, but they all looked the same and the side facing the walls of the village seemed thicker.

"What's that got to do with anything?" the Hokage's daughter asked, knocking him out of his observations.

"Well, I for one don't like getting lost." He hadn't liked it before the fire and even more so after it. "I'm just trying to find my way through this place."

"That is good thinking," the Hokage told him approvingly.

"Thanks." Tsukiko threw him a dirty look for a brief moment. He looked at the back of her head. What was that all about? "…Sooo, how far away is your house?" he asked, deciding to change the subject.

"It's only a few minutes away. But we don't live in a house."

"Oh, you guys live in an apartment? It's okay; I've lived in one with Jiji for the past few years."

"And what kind of grandfather let's his grandson know prostitutes?"

"Well, it wasn't my Jiji. It was my uncle, and technically speaking it wasn't him either."

"That doesn't make sense," Tsukiko told him.

"My uncle was the leader of a gang back home and his guys knew me. Sometimes, I would go with them to places."

She turned her head and looked at him. "So you're saying that a couple of criminals took you to see prostitutes and you were fine with that?"

He did something unexpected: he blushed. "They said it was a lunch run," he muttered, just loud enough for them to hear and no one else.

"So one of Lord Naruto's sons became a criminal?" Madara shook his head with a sigh. "That's disappointing."

"Hey, my dad wasn't a criminal. That was my mom's brother," Arashi retorted hotly, burning a hole in the back of the Hokage's head with his glare. "And he's still my uncle."

"_Loyal to his family,"_ the Hokage thought to himself. He approved of that. "Very well," he said to the young blonde.

"And we're here," Tsukiko announced, coming to a stop. So did her dad.

Arashi stopped too and looked around. All he saw was a wall to his right with a gate. Besides that, there was only the street. The other buildings were further away than usual. "Where's the apartment building?" he asked them, looking around. "I'm not seeing it."

"When did we say that we lived in an apartment, moron?" she asked him with a snigger.

"Tsukiko, be nice," her father told her, making her stop the snigger. "Arashi, if you look through the gate you will see where we live."

He did as he was told, ducking his head under the flaps hanging in the air. When he brought his head up, he froze. "…Are you kidding me?" he asked after five seconds of silence.

"Nope," Tsukiko said as she walked past him. "Welcome to the Uchiha Clan complex." She laughed at his stunned expression as he stood there, staring at it all.

It wasn't anywhere near as big as Asami's place had been (and now that he thought about it, it had probably been a little too big) but it was certainly big enough. If he turned his head and squinted his eyes just enough, he could barely make out the walls that surrounded the compound. The house itself was about two stories high; pushing it to three in some places, and was painted in simple colors of white in the walls, brown in the wood, and blue in the tiles. There was stone path leading from the gate to the front doors and everything else in sight was grass.

He walked on the path to the door, his eyes still taking in everything. He realized that it held something that Asami's place hadn't: a presence, something that said a family with a history lived here. It was a quiet thing, quiet but there.

He watched as Tsukiko went up to the door and opened it. "We're back!" she shouted.

A small stampede went off and she suddenly took two steps back. "Tsuki, you're home!" the little boy hanging around her said with excitement.

"Woof!" she cried. "Itachi, what have I told you about doing that?"

"To stop," he answered.

"And what have I told you to do?" their father asked.

"To aim low and move fast!" he answered with a big grin.

"Dad!" cried Tsukiko.

"Yes?" he replied with a grin on his face. Clearly, he was enjoying this.

Just as soon as he had appeared, the littlest of the Uchihas let go of his sister and appeared in front Arashi. "Who are you?" he asked with a curious voice, tilting his head like he was a dog (or a puppy).

"I'm tall," Arashi said, looking down at him. He shared the same dark eyes and black hair as his sister but didn't have his hair falling straight down to his neck. "You are short."

"No I'm not," he protested.

"Then why do you only come up to my stomach? I'd say that you are quiet short."

He giggled at the funny man. "I'm Itachi!" he said with a big grin.

"Hello, I'm Arashi. It's nice to meet you, Short-stack."

"It's Itachi!"

"I heard, but I'm going to call you Short-stack."

Madara laughed at what he saw. "If the two of you are done, perhaps we can go in now?" he suggested.

Tsukiko didn't even bother to wait. She just walked on through the door. "We're home!" she called out.

A woman's voice called back, "Welcome home!"

Itachi ran over to his dad, who picked him up without even looking. The two of them followed Tsukiko into the house, leaving Arashi outside. He stayed there for a second, and then he went inside. The first thing he noticed was that all the shoes and sandals that everyone had been wearing were neatly placed against one another. The actual wood floor of the house was a step above where the shoes were. Madara had put Itachi down and currently taking off his shoes.

"_Guess this is where the shoes go,"_ he thought to himself. There were enough indicators. He knelt down and began taking off his own sandals. The shopkeeper had sworn up and down that he would not have to break them in but that's what the last guy he got shoes from said and he still got sores.

But when he took off the shoes and put his foot down on the wood, he didn't feel any pain. He looked down and tried the foot again. No pain. "I'll be damn," he remarked.

"What's wrong?" the kid asked him.

"Nothing," he told him.

"Okay." He turned and ran down the hall.

"Itachi, don't run!" Madara called after him but to no avail. "I am not looking forward to him being a teenager," he declared.

"Why's that?" Arashi asked him.

"Because then he won't listen _and_ he'll be a pain in the butt about it."

"I distinctly remember your parents saying the same about you when we were teenagers," the same woman's voice said as the woman it belonged stepped into view. She was pretty in a mature way in her dark blouse and pants. Like them, she wore nothing on her feet and her red hair was tied back into a ponytail, reminding Arashi of his dad for a moment.

"Hello, dear," Madara greeted her warmly, walking over to her and pecking her on the lips.

"Hello to you too," she said as she returned the peck. "How were the demonstrations? Did Tsukiko do well?"

"She…didn't do as bad as I feared."

She sighed. "So she did not do as well as what the others expected of her." It was like she had been expecting that outcome. "Did she get into trouble?"

He shook his head. "No."

"Well, at that's a good thing." She looked past him and finally saw the blonde standing there. "Oh? And who is this little cutie?" He blushed and she laughed.

"Mito, stop tormenting him," Madara told her.

"But you never bring any cute boys home for me to tease and I can't tease your brothers, they know me."

He just shook his head. "You keep it up; I think his head is going to jump off his head due to the amount there." He turned to the blonde. "Arashi, this is my wife, Mito Uchiha."

"Uh, hi," he said with a wave of his hand. "I think we might be related."

"Oh really?" she asked with a curious tone to her voice.

"Yeah," he answered.

"How interesting, I'll have to find out more later."

Suddenly, there was a loud noise coming from down the hallway. "Tsukiko, turn it down!" Madara shouted.

"I did!" came her indignant cry.

"Well turn it down some more! I can hear from the front door!"

"Fine!" she said with Arashi was certain was an annoyed huff.

"What was that all about?" he asked. He went past them both and down the hallway. It lead into what he guess was the living room. Itachi was nowhere in sight but Tsukiko was sitting on one of the couches.

But she wasn't reading or fiddling with that device she had called a phone (it didn't look like any phone he had seen before). She was staring at a big…flat rectangle thing. The weirdest thing (but also the most stunning) was that the rectangle had pictures on it and the pictures were moving! He had never seen anything like it before!"

"Hey, what's the matter with you?" Tsukiko said to him, getting his attention.

"Wha-what is that?" he asked, pointing at the rectangle.

"What? You've never seen a TV before?" She scoffed at that. "What kind of backwater are you from?"

That sounded like an insult. But he wasn't going to press on it, not yet. "Is it anything like a radio?" he asked her.

She laughed. "Yeah, if you're from the Stone Age," she told him, still laughing.

Okay, now he was going to press on it. "Tsukiko, be nice," her mother chastised her as she came into the living room alongside her husband. "Remember, he's not from here."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, Mom." Her tone was flippant and her attitude was obvious.

"Then remember your manners," she told her sharply.

The younger Uchiha quelled beneath the order her mother gave her. But her attitude didn't disappear entirely. With an annoyed sigh, she turned the…TV (sounded weird to Arashi to call something just by letters) off and got up off the couch. "Hey, Dad I'm going to show him around the place," she said, jutting her finger back at Arashi.

Madara was already sitting at the nearby table. "Alright, but be back in time for dinner," he told her,

"Relax; I'm not giving him the complete tour." It would take too long to do that. "Come on," she said to Arashi. She walked out of the living room, heading east.

Arashi followed behind her as they left the living room, going down another hallway. "Sorry for making you miss your…show?" He was assuming that she was watching some kind of show. He wasn't exactly sure.

"It's nothing," she said, waving it off.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I was just watching crap." And it wasn't even good crap. She had been that bored. They past the large room that apparently was so large the blonde had to stop and look at it again.

"Whoa, look at the size of this thing," he said as he looked at the large dining room. The dinner table alone was longer than Jiji's apartment! Uncle Zolt could've fed the entire Triad at the table with room to spare.

"It's just the formal dining room," she said carelessly, stopping as well. "It's nothing special."

"Are you kidding me?" Then he heard her words. "Wait, formal?" he asked.

"Yeah, formal," she answered. "That's where the entire clan meets for dinner, all the aunts, uncles, and cousins."

He looked at her. "You mean they all live here?" he asked.

"This is a compound for a clan. Of course they live here."

"How many do you have?" He kept eyeing the table. It was huge. He could've swum on that table.

"A lot," she told him with an air of finality. She had asked that question of her parents once and all they told her was that her grandparents had been busy. It was only after she had gotten the talk that she figured out what that meant and felt very disturbed. She vowed to never ask that kind of question regarding her family again.

She started walking again and he followed. "That's the rec room," she said, waving her hand at the next door in the corridor.

"Why do you need a room to wreck?" he asked. "Is it a training room?"

"No, it's a rec room."

"If it's not a training room, why do you call it a wreck room?"

"…You know what? Forget it." Why does she even bother? They continued down the hall until they came to a split in the hallway. She turned the right and went to the door. She opened it. "This is the bathhouse. You wanna get clean? This is where you do it."

"Bath…house?" he repeated as he looked through the door. He didn't see any kind of showers or tubs, just a place to put the towels and your clothes. The primary color in there was white with little spots of black on the tiled floor.

"Oh for the love of Kami, you don't know what a bathhouse is?" Just how backwater was the place he came from?

"I know what a bath_room_ is. I've never heard of any bath that needed a whole house to be in."

"It's not actually a whole house."

"Then why do you call it that?"

"We just…do." She never thought about it. She never had to. She closed the door with a slam and turned around to go the other way. "These are the stairs that go up to the second floor." She pointed at the stairs at the end of the corridor. "You do know what stairs are, right?"

He gave her a long look. "No, we just take really big leaps to get to the next floor," he said with really obvious sarcasm. "Of course we have stairs."

She ignored that and started going up them. He followed her up to the second floor. The first room he saw as he came off the stairs had a desk and a chair behind it. That was all he saw through the door. "That's my dad's office," Tsukiko told him. "Go in there and you die."

"Are you serious?" He would've laughed at her words if she hadn't been sounded completely serious. She didn't answer him. "Hey!" he called after as she started going down the hallway. "Are you serious about that or not?" She didn't answer. He could only follow her down the corridor.

"Okay, the third floor is my parents' room," she said, gesturing at the nearby stairs going upwards but not down. "You go up there and you die."

"Got it," he answered.

She looked back at him. "What? You're not going to ask me if I'm being serious?'

"That's the parents' room. You're serious." They kept going down the hallway, going past door after door. When she came to a stop before one of them, so did he. "Why are we stopping?"

"Ssh!" she whispered to him as she opened the door quietly and looked inside.

"Why are we whispering?" he asked in the same level of voice.

"They're sleeping."

"Who's sleeping?"

"The twins," she answered as she closed the door. "Mom must've put them down for their nap."

"You have more siblings?"

"Of course I do." Why wouldn't she? She kept walking, going away from that door. "That's Itachi's room; enter at your own peril." She pointed at a door a couple of doors away from the one she had looked into. A weasel that looked cartoonish hung on the door.

"Why? Does he have a trap rigged or something?"

"No, he'll just drag you in there and never let you leave."

"Oh, I doubt that." Meelo had done that to him a couple of times and he always managed to get out with his life intact.

"Your funeral," she told him as they started walking again. There was another set of stairs on the other end that would lead back down to the first floor.

"So, where's yours?"

She came to a sudden halt, tripping over nothing to stumble and almost fall "What?"

"Where's your room?"

"Why the hell would I show you my room?" They were near it but there were too many doors here for him to actually figure it out. If she inched her way towards it, she might be able to stop him from trying to get into it.

"You were showing me every other room that your family lives in. Why not show me yours?"

"I didn't let you into the rooms and I'm not going to let you into mine, you pervert!"

He was confused and it showed. "How is wanting to see your room being perverted?"

"Well…who knows what you're going to do in there?"

"Take a look around like a normal human being?" he asked rhetorically. He saw her inching and saw where she was going. "Are you trying to block my way to your room?"

"Um, no," she said quickly, too quickly and with a hesitation at the beginning of it.

"Uh-huh." He looked past her at the doors she was trying to step in front of. There were only three of them left and they all had the same kind of wood for a door. But only one of them had something hanging from the door, just like Itachi's door had. It looked most like a full moon.

"_I guess that's the one."_ He looked at Tsukiko. "Now you're just making me curious to see what's inside."

"Forget it, it's not happening."

He jumped at her, using the wall and her shoulder to hold him steady as he swung his legs over. He landed right behind her and sprint for the door before she had even turned around. "Hey!" she called out. But his hand was already on the knob and he pushed the door opened.

When she got to the door, he was already inside and looking around. He didn't see a lot of girly things in there. But then again, he didn't really know a lot of girly girls (the girls and women he knew could kick his ass). "Nice colors," he commented as he glanced at the walls. They were a soothing mixture of red and blue.

She stood there, staring at him. "That's the first thing you notice? The colors?" she couldn't help but ask him.

"Well, where you say it like that, it sounds stupid." He turned his head around and saw some kind of blocky object on her desk. It was white except for the side facing him, which was black and looked a little like glass. There was something lying right in front of it but he didn't know what it was. There was also something to the side and it looked like it was attached to the bigger thing with a wire.

"So what's this thing?" he asked her as he came forwards to it.

"That's my computer, don't touch it," she practically snapped at him as she came into the room.

"I wasn't going to. I was just taking a closer look. Sheesh, ease up, would ya?" He spun around the thing. If he got any closer to it she might actually attack him for it. It would be for the best if he didn't do that. So he turned to the bookshelf and saw a very familiar set of books there. He wanted to be sure, so he walked over to it for a closer look. Sure enough, they were what he thought they were. "You read the Shiro Ryū series?"

She swung around and looked at the shelf in question. "I…might've read them once in a while," she answered.

He knew what that meant. "I get it. You're a fan." There were two kinds of fans he had met when it came to his Jiji's books: the ones who didn't admit it out loud and the one who did loudly (Jiji had told him that there was a third kind who were normal fans, but he had his doubts about that). She seemed to be of the former.

"What about it?" she asked him, stepping around so she stood in his view of the shelf.

"Just checking," he answered. "So, I take you're waiting impatiently for the next one to come out? The last one left you on a bit of a cliffhanger."

Wha…? How did he know that? "Yeeeaah, I am."

"Don't worry about it. It'll come out soon."

"And how in the name of Kami do you know that?'

He just gave her a long look. "Have you forgotten who my Jiji is already?"

And again, she felt like an idiot. Of course he would know when the book is coming out. His grandfather is the author! "Look, just forget I said that."

He just smirked at her, filing it away for later notice. "So, this place likes Jiji's books, huh?"

"What do you mean by 'this place?'" she asked.

"This place, the Elemental Countries," he answered with a big wave of his hand over his head.

Once she knew what he meant, she could easily answer. "Of course this place likes them. These books have got a fan base that stretches across the countries!"

"Huh, okay."

She couldn't believe he'd just dismiss it like that. "You don't read them?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm a casual reader. After you've been used as a sounding board for ideas, you don't take a big interest in the finished work."

She could only stare at him like he held the biggest secret in the world and he didn't feel like sharing it with anyone. The only thing she could think to say was, "Are you done in here?"

"What's the rush?"

"How about the fact that you're _still in my room_?" she practically shouted.

"Alright, alright, yeesh," he said in surrender. He turned and went for the door.

"Finally," she muttered as he went out of her room.

* * *

When dinner came around, they all sat down at the table in the living. It wasn't as big as the formal table he had seen but it was big enough to accommodate him, the entire family, and have enough for other people if need be.

It was at the table where Arashi met the twins. As it turned out, they were toddlers, a boy and a girl. The boy was named Fugaku and the girl was named Mikoto. They were named after the Hokage's grandparents. They looked exactly same with the same dark eyes and same black hair. The only way he could tell them apart was by the onesies they were in. Fugaku was in a dark blue one while his twin was in a bright red one.

He turned his attention away from the twins, who were happily making a mess of their food, to the dinner laid out in front of him. It was a nice spread and was all made by Mito. He took a bit of the fish he had put on his plate found that he liked. "This is good," he declared as he took another one.

Mito smiled at his reaction. "I'm glad to see that you approve. If I had known we were going to having someone over, I would've made your favorite dish."

"It is okay, this stuff is good enough for me. More rice, please?" he asked holding out the bowl to Tsukiko. She was the one who was closest to the machine that kept the rice ready.

She frowned at him but gave him the rice. "Here."

"Thanks." He took it, added on a few more things to add the flavor, and started eating it.

"So tell me, Tsukiko," Mito said to her daughter. "How did your demonstration go today?"

She couldn't help but flinch. She should've expected this kind of answer. It was this day after all. But she didn't want to talk anything about it, not after being shown up by the blonde sitting opposite of her. He made it look like he wasn't even trying. However, she also knew that her mom was waiting for an answer and she would have to give it sooner or later. Better sooner than later, less painful that way. "It went fine," she answered.

"Is that all?"

"Yes."

"Tsukiko…"

"What, Mom? I did as people expected of me as the Great Loser. I didn't do great. The only thing I did well was that I didn't get into trouble."

"Hmm, I see." She shared a look with her husband. He hadn't been lying.

"You forgot to mention that one kid was picking on your friend and you didn't do anything about it," Arashi added absentmindedly as he kept eating the food in front of him.

Mito looked at him and then at her husband. "Is that true?"

"Unfortunately, yes," he answered. "Ichiro was bullying Hiro again."

She looked at her daughter. "And why didn't you do anything about it?"

Tsukiko stared at her. Did she really ask her that? "I always get into trouble for that and I didn't want to get into trouble on demonstration day." She didn't want to disappoint Dad anymore then she usually did, not today.

"Did anyone do anything about it?"

Oh Kami, she had to ask that question. _"Way to go, Mom. Now I'm going to feel even worse for not doing anything,"_ she thought to herself. "Yeah, he did," she said, pointing at Arashi, who was currently devouring a piece of fish with rice.

Mito looked at her guest with a question on her lips and in her eyes. "Why would you do something like that for someone you've never met, Arashi?" she asked him.

"I don't like bullies," he answered simply.

"Is that all?"

"Yes." He didn't like bullies. There was nothing else to it.

"Wasn't this Ichiro boy the top of the class?"

"Yeah, he likes to think he's going to be the Rookie of the Year," Tsukiko told her with more than annoyance. "What's worse than that is he's able to back it up."

"Then how were you able to beat him then?" she asked, looking at Arashi again. Being a candidate for Rookie of the Year was nothing to be sneezed at.

All he did was shrug his shoulders. "It wasn't that hard. All I had to do was make him take the first move. After that, all I had to do was blind him with my coat."

"And then knock him to the ground and wail on his ass," Tsukiko added. "Oh, and don't forget breaking his nose."

"I don't like bullies," he said again. "And I didn't see you trying to do anything about it."

"Did you not hear what I said? I didn't want to get into trouble. Every time I try stopping it, all the teachers see is me trying to attack him. I get punished and he gets away scot-free."

Madara looked at her with a renewed interest. "How long has this been going on?" he asked her.

She averted her eyes from his gaze, suddenly not interested in the conversation. "Um…well…"

"Tsukiko, tell me. How long?" he asked again.

"…Since the second month of my first year," she finally answered, really not wanting to have this conversation with her dad.

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" he demanded, getting angry. His daughter had been unjustly punished and he had not been told about!? There's was going to be a change about that!

"I didn't want to be that kind of Hokage's daughter, trying to her dad's name to get out of trouble. I wanted to do this kind of thing on my own." If she used her dad's name every time she got into trouble, she wouldn't get anywhere as a kunoichi. She wanted to be able to stand on her own two feet.

"_That's admirable,"_ Arashi thought to himself. But his mouth had something else to say about it. "You're going the wrong way about it."

She swung her attention onto him. "And what, pray tell, would you have done about it?"

She didn't see it? She really didn't see it? How could she not? It was so simple. "You just have to get his attention onto you and then get him riled up enough so that he'll lose his temper and try to attack you. You force him to throw the first punch, that's what they'll see."

She stared at him while he continued to eat his rice, her mouth hanging agape. _"How could I not have seen that?"_ she asked herself. It was completely obvious! But she wasn't going to let him know that's what she thought. Instead she just muttered a barely audible "Show-off."

"Tsukiko, be nice," Mito told her.

"Come on, Mom. He was just showing off there!"

"No, I wasn't," he replied as he put the bowl down. "I was just telling you how to do it. I wasn't showing off."

"Yeah, like how you weren't showing off today either?"

"I wasn't showing off than either."

"Of course you weren't," she told him with complete and utter sarcasm.

"I wasn't," he repeated. "I just took what I knew and applied it."

"And what exactly did you know?" Madara asked him. "What I saw today was very impressive and yet, you're saying that you learned them from somewhere else?"

"Yeah," he answered. "I learned how to do that quiz by watching some of the guys in Triad gamble. The good ones don't win consecutively. They always lose a few. That way, it makes the poor sucker who joined in the game think he still has a chance to win. Plus, what I said in the classroom still applies."

"Indeed. And the jutsus, what about them?" the Hokage asked, now very interested in what he had to say. Mito let the two talk shop, turning her attention to the twins. Tsukiko leaned in; interested to know what he knew despite what she might think of him. Itachi just looked bored with the shop talk.

"I saw a pair of twins do a street act where they would always spin around and around in place before asking the crowd who they thought was who a couple of times. Jiji always took me to see them, wanting me to try and figure it out for myself. I didn't usually get it right, but I knew how to do the trick. I just needed a twin to do it with. The switching one was simple, it's just a distraction. A couple of guys showed me once how to disappear from sight once the distraction was made. It was just a one-two-three combo."

"But the log was right beside Hidote-sensei," Tsukiko objected. "You couldn't have just vanished like that."

He turned his head to look at her. "You mean you didn't notice the other log behind the adults?"

"…There was another one?"

"Yeah, I saw as we walked over to the obvious log."

"And the race, I'm assuming that was something you learned too?" Madara asked him.

He turned to look at the Hokage. "What do you mean by that?"

"I had assumed that you tricked Hidote into making that obstacle course."

"I just pointed out the obvious. There was nothing else to it."

"…So you say." He took a drink from his cup.

"_So he's not completely perfect,"_ Tsukiko thought to herself. That made her just a little bit happier. It was nice to know that he couldn't everything off the top of his head.

"So, what's going to happen now?" Arashi asked. "I just go to the Academy come Monday?"

Madara put his cup down on the table. "No, it's not that simple."

"Okay, what do I need to do?"

"We'll take care of it tomorrow."

"But what do I need to do?" he repeated himself, sounding more insistent.

"In the morning, I'll take you to the hospital so we can establish your records and get a file on you. It'll take the morning to do so, are you fine with that?"

He nodded and said, "Of course I am. I came here to be a shinobi. If that's what I gotta do to be one, I'll do it. And after that?" he asked as an afterthought.

"A much needed shopping spree?" Tsukiko suggested with enough sarcasm to make it obvious. It earned her a small glare from the blonde.

But she wasn't alone in that thought. "Yes, that's what we will be doing," her father said. "You will need more clothing then what you have on. You will also need supplies, both for the school and for the shinobi life." He paused for a moment, thinking about it all. "You know what? Let's make it a family outing. Once we're done, we'll go for dinner."

His daughter perked up at those words. "You mean…?"

He nodded. "Yes, we'll go there for dinner."

"Yes!" she whooped, fist-pumping the air. They rarely went there for food.

"You still have to eat this dinner first, Tsukiko," Mito reminded her.

"What do you think I'm doing, Mom?"

She looked away from the twins and fixed her with a look. "Watch that tone, young lady."

She winced slightly and bowed her head. "Right, sorry."

"Hey, I wanna talk too!" Itachi said loudly, waving his arms wildly trying to get everyone's attention. He certainly got the attention of the twins, for they started looking at him with very interested expressions (as interested as a toddler could get).

Madara turned to his son, a fond expression appearing on his face. "What do you want to talk about, Itachi?"

"I wanna talk about how my day went!"

"Itachi, inside voice," his mother told him.

But his father smiled. "Go on, Itachi," he said. "Tell us." The little boy grinned and began animatedly telling them about the day he had, complete with exaggerating hands and sound effects. Arashi smiled at the sight of him doing that. It was like watching Meelo talk about his day, just without farting involved when he really got into it.

(Location: Konoha Hospital)

Madara waited in the head doctor's office as they finished up the kid's examination. It was taking a bit longer than he had expected. He remembered being there for the examinations every one of his brothers and sisters as well as his daughter. He knew the time it took to do it and they should've been done an hour ago. Whatever was taking them this long, he was concerned about it.

When he heard the door open, he turned to see the head doctor walk in, holding a folder in his hands, while his hound padded in alongside him. "What took so long, Kuro?" he asked the man. They had known each other from their Genin days and were informal with one another when it came to respect and titles.

"There were some additional things we needed to take care of during the examination," he answered. His hound, Gurei, sat down beside him, his long face solemn and quiet. That was never a good sign.

"Like what?" These things were usually on the dot when it came time to finish. To hear him say such meant something was serious. "Was it because the kid's from the other side of the planet?"

"In a way," he replied.

"A straight answer, Kuro, please."

"I am more concerned about what happened to him over there."

"What do you mean?" Kuro handed the folder to him. He took it and opened it. The first picture made him pause and stare at it longer. The photo was recent, coming from the hospital's own camera. "What the hell is this?"

"That would be the kid's back. The nurse discovered it when she went to get his blood type and saw something on his upper arm he was trying to keep hidden. She asked him to remove his shirt and he didn't want to, at first. When she finally was able to coax it off, she saw it and called for a doctor."

He continued to stare at the sight on the picture. It was a tapestry of burn marks and stabbed areas of varying degrees that had healed over time but not at the same time. It even looked some burned and then stabbed or the other way around. It was a sight that had he seen before but on adult men and women, rarely on a young boy and even rarer still one alive. He called it a tapestry because it looked like someone had taken a great deal of enjoyment doing this.

"Was this it?" he asked, finally taking his eyes off the picture.

"No, that's the worst of it. Keep looking," Kuro told him.

There were more pictures beneath that one. The next one was of his front; the next few were of his legs at different angles, and the next were of his upper arms. They were not as heavily hurt as his back, but enough to be recognizable. "What the hell happened to him?"

"We asked him the same question. The city he lived had been attacked by terrorists and he had been one of the many who had been taken captive. He was held for a week before the terrorists were driven to ground and he was rescued."

"What in the name of Kami did they do to him that got him that kind of scarring?"

"In his words, and I'm quote, 'They were using me as a personal stress reliever.'"

His face paled and a sick taste entered his mouth. "You don't mean…?"

Kuro shook his head. "No, from what he's told me, they didn't rape him. They just beat and tortured him, trying to break him. Apparently, there had been a bet on how long he would last and he lasted longer than expected."

"When did this happen?" Madara asked him, ignoring the last part he said. Kuro had a habit of inserting little tidbits of information about the subject of the conversation into the conversation itself.

"A couple of months ago, perhaps a month or so before Rin got there. But there's more to it. The burn marks came from electricity being channeled off of a rod-like instrument. I believe that kind of torture along with how long he had been held has given Arashi an intense phobia of lightening."

"How intense?" he asked. His brother Taka had the same kind of phobia when he was child but on a smaller scale and he eventually grew out of it.

"We put him a room alone and played the sound of thunder booming along with the flash of lightening. When we came in, he was hiding under the bed, clutching the undersides for support. If he comes up against a **Raiton** jutsu, he's likely to freeze."

"Kami take it," he muttered. He stared at the photos a bit longer and then at the profile beneath them. "Is that it?"

"That's as far as we took it without a delving into his mind."

"…What's your recommendation?"

The doctor didn't answer right away and the silence stretched outward. "…How serious is he in becoming a shinobi?" he finally asked.

"He hid the bowels of a ship that was sailing from another continent before sneaking aboard a train to come here. All this after seeing one of our own in action. If we don't get him, one of the other villages might."

"Then I would recommend that he gets treatment for the phobia. The scaring can be treated and should be before it gets worse. But it's going to require a deft hand at healing, something that's beyond me."

"But you're the head doctor of the hospital."

"I am aware of that, Madara. But this is going to require someone more skilled then me at healing scarred patients."

"So what you're basically saying is that…?" He left the question hanging because there was no real reason to finish it. They both knew who he was talking about.

"Yes, we're going to need your mother." Gurei barked once in the affinitive to add his support to it. "Tell me, when are Lord Sasuke and Lady Sakura coming back from their vacation?"

"As luck would have it, sometime before dinner tomorrow. Which means that we'll be having another clan dinner," he added with resignation.

"You don't sound happy with the idea," Kuro remarked while Gurei tilted his head curiously.

"I've just been leery of the thing after the one dinner celebrating my promotion to Hokage."

"To be fair, that was the one where your friends had crashed the party and brought the sake."

"I am aware of that, Kuro. You and Gurei were there too and the next morning. He was sleeping on the bed and you were the one on his back on the floor dreaming about chasing a rabbit," he reminded him, jabbing first at the hound and then him. "I am just glad Tsukiko was young, went to bed on time, and decided to sleep in." The aftermath of that dinner was not something he wanted to explain to his five year old daughter.

"Duly noted," the head doctor said without a hint of remorse or shame. "So, your parents are coming back tomorrow, I'd suggest that we start the treatment on Monday, say after the Academy lets out?"

He nodded in agreement. "That'll work. It gives my parents time to get used to the idea of him before Mom has to start helping him."

"Why's that?"

He gave his friend a look. "Have you forgotten my parents' teammate was?"

"No, of course not," he answered with a straight face. "I also know that we are dealing with his grandson."

Madara stared at the head doctor for a moment longer before rubbing his forehead. "Why do you keep doing that, Kuro?"

A small smirk appeared on his lips. "How else would I keep you on your toes?" Even Gurei looked amused.

"Alright, you've had your fun. Now let's get Arashi in here so we can explain what's going to happen."

(Location: Konoha street)

"Where are they?" Tsukiko wondered out loud as she stared down the length of the street. "They should've been here by now!"

"Be patient, Tsukiko," her mother told her. "They'll get here when they get here."

"You always say that."

"And it's true every time." She was sitting down on a bench beside the stroller holding Fugaku and Mikoto. The twins were strapped in and watching everything that passed by with great interest. They especially enjoyed watching their sister pace around irritated. Itachi sat on her other side, obviously enjoying the same thing.

"Dad said they'd be here," Tsukiko said to her as she kept pacing.

"And they will be. Now calm down and relax."

"She can't relax, she's still too wound up from this morning," Itachi told her with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"What do you mean by that, Itachi?"

"Itachi, don't you dare," Tsukiko warned her little brother.

He just grinned widely. "Why not?" he asked in that innocent way that just made her want to punch him and then strangle him.

"If you do, you won't like the outcome."

"Hmmm…nope, doesn't scare me."

"Itachi," she said again.

But he just turned to look at his mom. "She's wound up because Arashi came through her window this morning without a shirt on."

"Come here, you little snitch!" she shouted, leaping at him with claws outstretched. He shrieked and leapt off the bench, getting away from her. When she turned to get him, she found a hand holding the back of her shirt. "Mom!" she said in protest.

"Hold on there, little lady," Mito said to her calmly. "You're not moving until I get an explanation."

"But he's standing right there!" Itachi was just a few feet away, giggling at the sight of his mom holding his big sister hostage. People passing by barely paid any, if at all, attention to the sight. It was a sight they had gotten used to seeing. In fact, some of them there said hello to Mito as they passed by and she returned politely.

"Explanation, now," she told her daughter while waving hello to a nearby baker returning to his shop with more wares. "You are far too young to be having that kind of relationship with a boy, especially one you've just met."

"It's not like that!"

"What a pain in the ass," muttered a familiar voice. The Uchiha family looked to the left and saw Shikatsuno coming their way with Inoji and Chōichi behind him.

"Language, Shikatsuno," Mito told him in a firm voice.

"Sorry, ma'am," he said without sounding actually sorry. "So, she up to her usual antics again?" he asked, looking at the struggling Tsukiko.

"She'd have to be," Chōichi remarked as he crunched down on a chip. "Itachi's out of reach and giggling."

"Got you again, did he?" Inoji asked her.

"Shove off," she snapped at him.

"So that's a yes."

"Oh look, there's Dad," Itachi said as he looked down the other way of the road and saw two familiar people coming his way. "Hi Dad!" he said happily, waving at him.

Madara took one look at his wife holding back their daughter and how far his son was away from them both. "Alright, what was it this time?" he asked, entirely too used to seeing it by now. Arashi saw it and just decided not to say anything. Practically living with Airbending kids taught him a few things.

"I believe that is a question we should be asking our new guest," Mito told her husband, turning her attention to Arashi.

"What do you mean?" he asked when both sets of eyes fell on him.

"Would you mind explaining why you were coming through my daughter's window this morning without a shirt on?" She said with a severe warning in her voice, telling him that if he answered wrong, it would be bad.

"What a pain in the…butt, in the butt," Shikatsuno said quickly amended his words when he saw Mito turning to look at him. She was one of the few women he respected and feared.

"Aren't you a little young for that?" Chōichi asked Arashi, chomping down on another chip.

"Yeah, I am," he replied.

"Then why did you do that?" Inoji asked. "Not that I'm condemning you or anything."

"…Huh?" he asked.

"I'll give you props but points off for not going farther."

He stared at the other blonde for a long moment. "Alright, ignoring the pervert over there, there's a perfectly good reason for what happened."

"Do tell," Mito said to him, that warning still in her voice.

"I was up early in the morning to run across the roofs and when I was done, I miscounted the number of windows where I started and climbed down into her room instead of mine." They had put him in the room right next to hers. That might've meant something else if he actually knew them better but at that moment, it had been the only one properly furnished for someone to live there.

"Without a shirt?" she asked pointedly.

He had an answer to that. "I only had the one shirt and I didn't want to look too gross when I went into the hospital." The pants he could work with, but not the shirt. Besides, once she saw him and screamed, he was out the door and in his own room.

"Dude, you train on a Saturday?" Shikatsuno said to him.

"Yeah," he answered, looking over at the Nara. "Don't you?"

Tsukiko had an answer to that and it came with a laugh. "Shikatsuno couldn't train even if he was motivated to do it. He's too damn lazy!"

"Tsukiko, language," her mother reminded her.

"But he is too damn lazy!" she protested.

"I am," Shikatsuno admitted without shame.

"It's not the fact that you train that surprises us," Inoji said to Arashi. "It's the fact that you're training on a Saturday."

"What's wrong with that?" the blonde asked the other blonde.

"It's the weekend, man," Chōichi told him. "Who the hell trains on the weekend?"

"I do. So does Jiji."

He stared at him for a second. "But it's the weekend. It's the time for chilling out and sleeping in. Do you sleep in?"

"I think the fact that he was up running on the roof is proof that he didn't sleep in," Shikatsuno told him.

"Do you ever sleep in?" he asked Arashi.

"Not since Jiji started waking me up at five in the morning to start training," he answered honestly.

"Really?" asked Itachi. He couldn't imagine getting up that early. He usually woke up at seven or eight. "You never slept in?"

He looked at the kid with a serious expression. "Me asking for something even remotely close to 'five more minutes' earned me a big bucket of ice cold water. Jiji told me to get up, I get up. There's nothing else to it." And he had gotten enough buckets to make getting up early to train something he did even when his grandfather wasn't there.

But the kid couldn't comprehend that if he tried. When he heard the bucket part, he stared wide-eyed at him. "Really?" he asked.

"Really," he answered. "And he usually made me clean the sheets too."

"What? You don't have any servants in the mansion you lived in?"

He couldn't help but laugh at that. "What made you think that I lived in a mansion?"

"Isn't your Jiji rich and famous?" Itachi knew that his sister loved those books like a lot of people in the village, so Arashi's Jiji must be rich. And he also must be famous from all the stories he's heard about him. Therefore, he must live in a mansion and a mansion didn't come without any servants.

"Yeah, he's famous and I guess he's rich."

"You guess?" Chōichi repeated.

"I've never asked to see his bank account. I got an allowance and he had enough, that's all I needed to know."

"So he's rich and famous," Itachi repeated, wanting to get back on track,

"I guess so but he didn't live in a mansion. He lived in an apartment."

"The big one?" he asked.

"The big one?" the blonde repeated, confused.

"He means the penthouse. Did you live there?" Madara clarified for him.

"Nope," he answered once he understood. "And we didn't have any servants either. Jiji made me do my own chores, which is why I had to clean the sheets." To be perfectly honest, now that he was surrounded by the servants in the Uchiha complex, it was a little weird.

"You know, while this is all very fascinating, I have a question too," Tsukiko said, still in her mother's grip. "What took you guys so long?"

"I took a wrong turn heading for the bathroom and ended up in the nurse's shower," he answered. "They didn't seem to mind." He said it all with a completely straight face.

"Are you serious?" she asked him. He didn't answer.

"Damn, some people get all the luck," Inoji declared.

"Okay, we're all here," Madara said, dragging the conversation away from where it was going. "Let's get going on that shopping spree."

"Oh joy," Arashi said in deadpan. "This is going to be fun."

"Well, see ya around," Shikatsuno said as he and his friend walked away rather quickly. If the blonde knew them any better, he might've called them traitors.

* * *

They took him to a giant building where there were many shops inside. He had never seen anything like it. The closest comparison he had was the Arena during a match night. There were people going everywhere and all he could hear was noise, noise, noise. It wasn't even noise that made sense to him. It just blended all together like he and Rin were trapped.

The second he thought about that memory, it began engulfing him. His arms were down but he could still feel the weight pressing down onto them. Was it getting harder to breathe? Why could he feel the heat of a fir—?

"Hey, you okay?" Itachi asked him, standing right in front of him.

He snapped out of the memory. His breathing became ragged but quickly settled into a sense of normalcy. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," he told the little Uchiha.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Oh, okay."

"What's the matter? Never seen a mall before?" Tsukiko asked the blonde as she hung back.

"A mall?" he repeated, testing out the word on his tongue.

"Yeah, a mall," she said to him. "You know a place to go hang out and kill a day?"

"Never heard of a mall before," he replied. "The closet thing we've got to this in Republic City is the market."

"Jeez, you really are a backwater boy."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Watch it. That's my home you're talking about."

"Whatever. Get a move on, would ya? We're for you after all."

He walked right past her and up to Madara's side. "Where are we going?" he asked with squared shoulders.

The Hokage saw this and was amused. "This isn't a prison sentence, Arashi," he told him. "Relax a little."

The shoulders slumped a little but were still squared enough. "Alright," he said.

"As for where we're going, I know a place."

"Dear, you're the Hokage," Mito said to him. "You know a lot of places."

"That is very true."

"Dad, could we get going?" Tsukiko asked him. "And please tell me that we're not going to _Ye Old Shinobi_."

"What's wrong with _Ye Old Shinobi_?"

"That's where you always go when it comes time for clothes shopping."

"That's because they have good clothing for decent rates."

"They're cheap, Dad."

"Exactly!" he declared with a big smile.

She groaned and rolled her eyes at him. "You are such a cheapskate."

"It's called being frugal. You would be wise to understand what that means."

"Hey, we're just standing here!" Itachi told them all, waving his hands impatiently. "Let's go already, huh? I wanna see if that new game came out already."

"We're not here for you, twerp," Tsukiko told her little brother.

"We're not here for you either," he retorted instantly.

"Children, behave," their mother said, quieting them both down. Fugaku and Mikoto were enjoying the spectacle from their stroller seats. One could tell just by looking at their grinning faces. "You are right; we are not here for either of you. We are here for Arashi." She looked at the blonde in question.

He held up his hands in surrender. "I have no idea what is where and is what. I'm just going to follow his lead." He pointed a thumb at the Hokage.

"_Ye Old Shinobi_ it is then," Madara declared. "Follow me, Arashi. I know the way." He started off into the mall and Arashi followed.

"We know," Tsukiko and Itachi said together. But then they noticed that they were being left behind and quickly followed after.

As they walked through the large building, Arashi kept turning his head every which way to try and take everything in. This place was big enough to have trees growing inside. How was that even possible? Were those stairs moving up and down? Agni that was something! Was that music he heard playing in the air? Where was it coming from? He looked around but saw no bands playing in corners or on the side. How weird.

If any of the Uchihas saw his gawking as weird, no one said anything to him. Tsukiko hung in the back while Itachi had latched onto his mother's free hand while she pushed the stroller with the other one. Madara was in the lead and Arashi followed him. The people who passed them either bowed their heads in respect to the Hokage just waved a polite hello.

"You guys sure are popular," the blonde remarked as yet another person bowed their head to Madara.

"They know who I am and what I would do for them," the Nanadaime Hokage told him.

"Which is what? You lead the village?"

"It's more than that. To be the Hokage to be this village's shield when it is attacked, to protect the people who live here like a father should protect his children."

"…Oh," he said as they came into one of those moving stairs. It was weird to see the place move around him without him needing to do anything.

"Do you understand what I'm saying, Arashi?"

"Yes, I do actually." It sounded like what Korra and his Jiji do. She protects the Bending Countries from threats both inside and out. Jiji and the other Paragons protect the Bending Countries from her. But it all came back to that one word: protect, to have the willingness to be a shield for people. It was something that he found admirable.

Madara smiled at him. "I'm glad. It was something that the Rokudaime Hokage taught me before I took his place."

"How is that dear old man?" Mito asked her husband.

"Still alive and kicking," he answered with a grin. "Of course, whenever he decides to come by, he always waits for about five minutes while I drag myself through the paperwork. I'm sure he gets a laugh out of it."

"And you'll do the same to your successor, I'm sure," she said drily. He just grinned again.

"Who's the Rokudaime Hokage?" Arashi asked him, curiosity showing in his voice as they reached the top and stepped off the moving steps.

"He is someone your Jiji would have known. He often spoke of the man fondly."

"That doesn't answer my question," he told the Hokage.

"He's got you there, Dad," Itachi said with a big grin. From behind them, Tsukiko just rolled her eyes.

"Hm, fair point," Madara conceded with a laugh. "We'll take a left here."

"Could I have an answer here?" Arashi asked as they made the turn.

"I'm getting there. You're impatient, Arashi."

"Still waiting," he said in reply.

"His name is Konohamaru Sarutobi. He had been the Hokage since before I was born." He looked at the blonde expectantly.

He understood what he was waiting for. "Never heard of him," he announced.

A small look of surprise crossed Madara's face. "I would've thought that your grandfather would talk about him at some point."

"Nope, not once," stated Arashi.

"_This might make his meeting Mom and Dad just a little rougher,"_ he thought to himself. Outwardly, he smiled warmly. "Well, it doesn't matter in the long run of things. And we've arrived." He came to a stop before the store.

Arashi came to a stop and looked at the store. It didn't look like much but neither did the rest of the stores he had seen and passed on his way here. Plus, he had been taught to never judge a book by its cover. So he went inside to take a look around.

The store was dark inside. Not pitch black, but dark enough to make him think that he had stepped out of the mall and into a darkened room. Okay, that wasn't true. There were lights on and he could see where everything was. Something caught his eye and when he turned his attention to it, he couldn't help but sigh in relief. It was a modeling statue, like the ones he had seen in women's store. And like those, they were showing what the latest fashion was.

"Can I help you?" a woman's voice asked him. He turned his head to in front of him and saw a tall woman standing before him with something that was akin to amusement on her face. She had brown hair that was cut in a shaggy way. If Pema was there to see her torn clothes, she would either force her into a new clean set or possibly chastise her.

"Uh, yeah," he replied, staring at the tattoos on her cheeks. Where had he seen them before? "I'm here for clothes."

"Obviously, kid." She looked past him to the next person that came through the door. "Hey, Madara," she greeted the Hokage casually with folded arms.

"Hello, Yuki," he said warmly. Arashi suspected that if they were in any other kind of situation, he might've hugged her.

She looked past him to see everyone else walk in. "I see you brought the herd this time around."

"It's a family outing."

"Uh-huh." She looked at his wife. "Mito," she greeted casually.

"Yuki," Mito greeted her back. Even though the words were spoken casually, there was something in those words. Whatever they were now, those two had a history.

"Can you help us out here, Yuki?" Madara asked her as he clasped his hand on Arashi. "This guy needs a lot more clothes. He only has what he wearing right now."

She gave the blonde an once-over and smirked. "Sure, I can help him. You guys just need to stand there and look cute." She reached out and grabbed hold of Arashi. "Come on, kid." She practically dragged him away.

"Hey, I can walk on my own!" he said in protest. She didn't listen.

* * *

By the time the spree was done, the sun was beginning to set on Konoha. Arashi had spent probably about two hours in that clothes store and he was certain that the family had stepped out to do some other shopping while he was trapped there. All he really needed was a few sets of clothes, nothing fancy.

But Yuki refused to let be as such. "Don't blend when you can make a statement!" she told him constantly in those two hours. Whenever he asked that if shinobi were supposed to be stealthy why would he be making a statement, she had blatantly ignored him. She let him make his choices in some places but took the lead, again ignoring him when he said he could shop for clothes.

In the end, he had to thank her for what she done. He was getting looks from the girls he passed in the mall after leaving that store. Even Tsukiko had given him a long look when he came out before going back to treating him like he was normal. He was still wearing black pants but now he wore an orange shirt under a crimson red hooded jacket. He was a guy with simple tastes in clothes and while the jacket would stay, he did have other colored shirts that went with it and the black pants.

After that, it was a shopping spree to the other stores. He got papers, pencils, a pack, and a dozen other stuff that he couldn't remember the name to at the moment. He would've gladly gone shopping for the weapons but Madara was adamant about the fact he wouldn't need them until he became a shinobi. So that just meant he'd get them by himself at some point.

"So, what's this place you guys were talking about for food?" he asked as he followed the Uchiha family down the street. He had thought that they were going to have to make a pit-stop at the complex to drop off all the things he had got but a couple of people were waiting for them when they left the mall who gladly took the bags to the complex.

"It's just up ahead," Tsukiko told him. "It's something of a family place."

"It's right there!" Itachi said excitedly, pointing down the street at the restaurant.

The blonde looked down the street at the restaurant. It was a decently sized building that stood at the end of the street, right next to the intersection. It was probably done on purpose so they could get more customers. The name of the restaurant was up for everyone to see. "Ichiraku Ramen," he said the name out loud to get a feel for it. "What's ramen?" he asked the siblings.

"You don't know what ramen is?"

He looked at the kid. "Would I be asking if I did, Short-stack?"

But he ignored it. "Dad, we need to get in there! He's never had ramen!" he shouted up to his father.

Madara looked back at them with an expression that was so horrified that it had to be comical. "He's never had ramen? The horror!" he exclaimed. "We must hurry!"

"Why? What's the big deal?" Arashi asked. But he, his son, and his daughter were already rushing down the street to the restaurant.

Mito just laughed as she and he took a slower pace to the restaurant. "Don't worry, when it comes to Ichiraku Ramen, my husband and his family always gets like this. Their parents used to take them there when they were kids and got them hooked on the stuff." A thoughtful look appeared on her face. "I wonder if Ayame will be in today."

"Who's Ayame?" he asked her.

"The owner of the restaurant," she told him. "Her sons run it now but she will occasionally come in and help. She would definitely be interested in meeting you."

"Why's that?"

"She and her dad used to consider your grandfather their favorite customer. She would be delighted to meet you."

"Oh." He couldn't exactly say the same thing. He understood that this was his Jiji's birthplace but he had hoped that he would be able to make it on his own, not have people remind him of the old man. He didn't want to be in his grandfather's shadow for the rest of life. He wanted to do more. He could do more. But that wasn't something he needed to say out loud. So he just put on a polite smile and said, "That would be nice."

He had a feeling that Mito saw right through it as they joined her family in the restaurant.

(Location: North Pole)

The elevator was silent as it went downwards into the ice. Naruto stood alone inside, having come alone. He had surprised the White Lotus men who were on guard rotation there but they let him in all the same. No one questioned why he was there. They knew who he was.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. The cold blew inwards and through him, making him shiver. He used his chakra to keep himself warm as he stepped out onto the snow. He was a giant underground cavern held open by steel beams above him. In this cavern, Katara had formed two structures from the ice. One held the elevator; the other held the reason for this place. The gap between them was so wide and deep, to jump off would be a suicide wish. There was only one way to reach the other side and that was by a metal bridge.

He took that bridge to reach the other structure, a metal prison cell with two White Lotus guards standing before it. "Lord Naruto," they said with the utmost respect to him. In the cell, a shadow moved.

"Leave us," he said back.

The surprise on their faces was obvious. "…My lord, we can't do that," the one on the left finally said.

"I wish to be alone with her. You can be on the other side of the bridge."

"My lord—"

He turned to look at the guard. "Do you think that I would try to break her out?" he asked.

The guard fell silent, so the one on the right answered, "No, my lord."

"Then leave us alone for a few minutes." At that command, they obeyed. They walked down the length of the bridge and came to a stop at the other end. They were close enough to see but not to hear.

Once they were over there, Naruto walked closer to the cell. He sat down and pulled out a scroll from inside his coat. He laid it on the ground and rolled it, revealing a seal. He unsealed the contents, which was a pot of still hot coffee and a pair of mugs.

The shadow came out of the blackness in the cell, revealing it to be a hooded woman chained with an iron plate strapped across her forehead. "What are you doing here?" she asked him in a voice that was shivering with the cold.

He poured the coffee into the cups and took them in hand once they were full. He held out one through the cell bars. "You must be cold," he said.

A harsh laugh echoed through the bars. "Understatement of the decade, old man," she spat at him.

"I am willing to offer you some warmth, something that they had kept from you. If you can keep yourself polite, you may have it." His voice was calm and collected as he spoke. He knew how to handle her.

Her answer came not from her mouth but from her hands. She took the offered cup and drank from it. "Spirits, it burns," she all but moaned with satisfaction as she felt the hot liquid run down her throat. When she was done, she looked at him again. "You haven't seen me for twelve years. You didn't have the courtesy to come tell me that he had died, I had to learn that from them." She cast a murderous looking eye at the guards so far away. "Why have you come now?"

"I felt a visit was long overdue," he said as he drank from his own cup.

"You felt? After what happened, after you kick me out—"

"You left by yourself," he reminded her. She always liked to think that she had been kicked out but that was never the case.

"—and after you imprisoned me here, you felt like you needed to visit?" she finished, ignoring everything he had said. "No, something has happened. Tell me."

For a moment, he hesitated. Why should he tell her? But then he reminded himself that she was imprisoned here and had no chance of escaping. "Arashi is gone," he finally said. She drew back a breath in surprise before he continued. "He left for my homeland."

The breath vanished and was replaced with a mocking laugh. "Are you feeling a bit of an empty nest?" she asked him. "You must be. Why else would you come to see me? It must truly irritate you to do so. That's good. I haven't felt this happy since I heard the bitch died."

"Her name was Xiu. Don't disrespect the dead by insulting them."

"He was mine. She stole him from me. I'll call her whatever I damn well want to."

"And yet, you've claimed that you would gladly watch over her children," he commented.

He saw the anger on her face. "They were _his_ children."

"And they are my grandchildren. After what you had done, do you really think Sozin would have left them with you if you were out?" He drank from his cup and fell silent for a long moment. "This isn't why I came to see you, P'Li."

She laughed again at that. "You wanted to talk to family. Why else would you have come, Dad?" His eyes hardened at that last word.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

I've gotten some questions about the tech in Konoha in modern times. It's a mixture of 90s tech and what we've got now. So they'll have a flat screen TV and they'll have a blocky computers and flip phones. It'll be enough to make Arashi do double-takes the first couple of times.

Arashi will meet the people who knew his grandfather in later chapters and he will have to cope with that. He came to Konoha to get out of Naruto's shadow but it's going to be a difficult fight wherever there are people who knew him. What's more is that they'll expect him to know them. To say things are going to be awkward will be an understatement.

While the majority of the chapters now will focus on Arashi in Konoha, it will not solely be that. There are going to be scenes of what's happening in the Bending Countries, as you've already seen with the last one.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	21. Meetings and dinners

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 21: Meetings and dinners

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: City Hall)

"_Is it too late to run away?"_ Tenzin asked himself as he rubbed his head to try and calm the headache that was emerging. But that wasn't going well, mostly due to the fact that the entire government of the United Republic were shouting at each other with no real regard of what anyone else was saying.

When he looked up from his rubbing, he saw that Bumi was standing nearby. Usually his brother would've been amused or laughing at something like this (having once said that it was like watching headless artic hens flap around). But since he was a part of it, he wasn't finding it any more fun than he was.

They shared a look. _"Should I get them to shut up?"_ Bumi silently asked him.

"_Yes, please,"_ he silently answered.

He lifted up the semi-large hammer in his hands and swung it at the giant gong he had dragged into the room (for once, Tenzin was glad he done something like that). The gong reverberated into the air each time he swung at it, its loudness causing everyone to shut up and cover their ears.

When the echoing stopped, Bumi lowered the hammer. "Anyone else feel like talking about crap we don't care about?" he asked them loudly.

"What exactly do you mean by that?" someone shouted at him.

The gong rang once more, making everyone cover their ears again. "Anyone else feel like talking about crap we don't care about?" he asked again loudly. This time he didn't get an answer. "Good! Now let's get this show on the road!"

"Thank you, Bumi," Tenzin said to his brother.

"No problem."

"Now could we please get back on track here?" Kang asked the assembled members.

"We were on track," someone shouted.

"Arguing with one another is not what we came together today," Jīyán said to them all. "We came here to discuss who would become the president of the new government."

"Not an Earthbender!" someone shouted.

"Or a Firebender!" someone else shouted. "Not after Hui!"

Whoever revealed what his former Councilman and her grandson had done, Tenzin was very tempted to strangle them (or at the very least, tossing them into prison on a desolated island and throwing away the key). She wasn't really popular to begin with but after that was let out, whatever support she had went down the chute.

"It's not going to be a Waterbender either!" a third person shouted. "After Amon and Tarrlok, there's no way we would let some slimly sludge-thrower take the office."

"Why should we even let a Bender take the office?" a fourth asked, turning all eyes to him. "It's not like they've done a great job!"

That proved to be the wrong thing to say. "Equalist!" people started shouted at him.

"You're an Equalist!"

"Amon-lover!"

"Bender-hater!"

"Get rid of him!"

"Throw him out!"

"String him up!"

"Gut him!"

"Bumi!" shouted Tenzin.

The gong rang once more, silencing everyone there. "No one is doing anything to anyone else," Bumi told them all. "Keep that up and I will personally throw you out of this hall! Now sit down, all of you!"

They did as they were told. "We must keep this choice fair," Tenzin said to all of them, his voice calm where his brother's had been commending. "Both Benders and Nonbenders have a choice."

"If I might make a suggestion?" asked another person, standing up.

"Are you trying to cause another fight?" Bumi asked her, already lifting up the hammer.

"No, no," she quickly assured him. "But why not choose someone that everyone in the Bending Countries already knows and is respected by all. I'm sure that everyone in this room would have no serious objection if he had been chosen to run."

"Who are you talking about?" Kang asked.

"I suggest that we ask Lord Naruto Uzumaki to run for this presidency." Already there were people in the seats talking about it.

Jīyán and Kang also seemed to silently agree with what was being said. But Tenzin couldn't and wouldn't. "If I may?" he said to the people in the hall, standing up. He pulled out a letter from his robe and held it out for the assembly to see. "This is a letter that Lord Naruto wrote. He asked me to read it if someone ever suggested what you have right now." He opened the letter and began to read.

To the person who suggested that I run for leadership of the United Republic.

First let me say this:

ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY?!

I've got enough on my plate with training my apprentice, keeping an eye on the Avatar to make sure that she doesn't lose herself and goes insane, and family matters. I do not need leading the United Republic added to that plate, thank you very much! And really, you don't think I wouldn't have divided loyalties? I'm the Paragon of the Fire Nation; of course I'm going to have divided loyalties if you decide to put me in office!

Whoever decided that I would be a good choice for the leader of the United Republic, just sit down and don't speak for the rest of the meeting.

Thank you.

Naruto Uzumaki, Paragon of the Fire Nation.

But she wasn't ready to sit down yet. "Would he not even consider it? I mean—"

But there was more to the letter and Tenzin continued to read.

I said SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP!

After the Airbender roared out the last part, she found that she was already sitting down. "For the record, those were Lord Naruto's words and not mine," Tenzin told them all. "Are there any questions regarding his stance on the matter?"

They all had the same question and they asked it at the same time. "How does he do that?"

Fortunately (or unfortunately), Naruto had an answer for that too.

Why do people always ask me that question when they know they're not going to get the answer? Seriously, why? And no, Tenzin, I'm not making you try to find that answer. Now will you get back to work on finding someone?

Naruto

"That is a good idea," Jīyán said.

"Yeah, it is," Kang agreed. "Let's get back to work here."

(Location: Uchiha Clan complex)

Now that she was awake, she could actually hear Arashi on the roof. It wasn't a constant sound in her ears, more like something that seemed like it would fade away but then it came back louder and louder. It was enough to keep her going back to sleep when she started to doze off again.

"_Oh for the love of Kami,"_ she mentally groaned as she heard the sound of his feet running over her ceiling again, waking her once more. She could understand training in the morning on Saturday. But this was _Sunday_! This was the day people were supposed to sleep in! Surely even his grandfather recognized that!

"_Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away,"_ she chanted as the sounds faded from her ears. For a moment, she was hopeful. _"Thank you. Now I can finally sleep—"_

_Thump! _

_Thump!_

_Thump!_

_ThumpthumpthumpthumpthumpTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMP!_

"_Oh come on!"_ She grabbed the nearest object she could find, a wadded up sock, and threw it at the ceiling. "Some of us are still trying to sleep here!" she shouted up at it.

The sounds came to a stop and she breathed a sigh of relief. But then that sigh turned into a yelp of surprise when Arashi's head appeared upside down at her window. "You know, most people would be up now," he told her conversationally. "Is everyone here lazy or is it just you?"

"It's Sunday, you backwater weirdo. Who the hell trains on a Sunday!?" she demanded as she sat up in her bed, now fully awake. "And would you stop doing that?"

"Doing what?" he asked.

"That!" She pointed at him.

"What?"

"That!"

"I need a little more details here." Now he was getting annoyed.

"That. What you're doing right now!"

His annoyance was now mixed with confusion. "What? Talking to you?"

"No, talking to me upside down! It is weirding me out!"

He rolled his eyes. "That seems easy enough to do. Hang on." His head disappeared from sight. She heard grunts of effort and then his entire body descended onto her windowsill, landing in a crouch on the rail. "Happy now?" he asked her.

"Yes, I am." She was also glad that he was wearing a shirt now. It was a loose one without any sleeves. _"Don't go thinking about that!"_ she told herself. "Why are you doing that whole running thing anyway?"

"I told you that yesterday. First thing I do in the morning is run."

"Even on a Sunday?" she asked him. "That's gotta be some kind of blasphemy right there. And why could I hear today when I didn't yesterday?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I was doing laps on the main house building."

"Oh, is that all?"

She asked it sarcastically but he took it seriously. "Yes."

She groaned and threw her head back into the pillow. "Would you just go back to bed?"

"Can't, I'm already up." He hopped down from the rail and strode into the room.

"Whoa whoa whoa what are you doing?" she demanded, leaping from the bed.

"I'm walking through your room to get to the door so I can get back into my room."

"Why can't you go through the window?"

"The door is easier." He opened and was through it before she could make any further complaints. She wanted to throw something at him but since she couldn't see him, what would be the point.

And when she laid back down on the bed, she found that she couldn't fall asleep. She scowled as she got out of it, walked out of her room and over to his to open the door. She found herself staring at him as he was about to take the shirt off, his hands at the hems. "Yes?" he asked with a puzzled look.

"I just want to know how much I hate you right now."

He looked her up and down. "You're telling me that in pajamas with cartoon bunnies on them with hair that needs a brush through it?"

She looked down at herself and realized that was what she was indeed wearing. But she was too annoyed to be embarrassed about it. "Yes."

"Oh, okay." He began to bring the shirt up and off, only to pause and look at her again. "Do you mind?"

"Why should I mind?" she asked, still irritated. "You don't seem to have a problem randomly barging into my room."

He shrugged his shoulders and said, "Your choice."

"_He wouldn't dare,"_ she thought stubbornly. She was standing right there. He would wait for her to leave before undressing. But as he pulled off the shirt, she went red, stepped out, and slammed the door close. "Don't you have any sense of modesty?" she shouted through the door.

"Hey, I asked!" he shouted back.

"Tsuki, are you up finally?" her mother shouted up the stairs.

She looked at the direction of the stairs. "Yes," she shouted back, but it wasn't by her choice.

"Good. I made some good food for breakfast."

She sniffed the air. She couldn't tell what it was, not yet. But whatever it was, it smelled good. "What is it?" she asked.

"Come down here and find out."

* * *

She was happily enjoying her breakfast (which was indeed made with good food) when Arashi came downstairs, dressed in clean clothes. "Morning," he said in greeting to all.

"Good morning, Arashi," Madara replied, looking up from his paper. "Have a good sleep?"

"Yeah, it was decent." He sat down at the table without saying a word else.

"What? Nothing else to say?" asked Tsukiko as he took some of the food on the table and started eating.

"No," he said through a full mouth.

"Arashi, please do not speak with a full mouth," Mito said to him sternly. She was sitting across from her husband with a book to the side.

He swallowed. "Sorry. So what's the plan today?"

"There isn't one."

"Not so," Madara told his daughter. "Your grandparents are coming home today."

She looked at him. "Really?" she asked with a smile on her lips. "They're back?"

"Not yet. They'll be arriving later in the day. Which means that there'll be another family dinner," he told her.

She almost deflated at that last part. "Oh no," she groaned.

"Oh yes."

"Is there any chance I can get out of it?"

"Not a chance. If I have to be there, so do you. And you like these dinners."

"I did…until Benihime started feeling that she was better than me just because she became a Genin before I did." Her cousin would lord it over her every time they were together, which was why she took pains to stay away from her. "Can't I just stay over at Hiro's for dinner?"

"This is a family dinner, Tsuki," he told her. "That means everyone is going to have to be there. Don't worry, though. I'll have a talk with my brother beforehand and make sure he has Benihime behave herself."

She sighed in defeat. "Alright," she said. Even though he said that, she wasn't sure it would work. For all she knew, Benihime might find out about it and start calling her a "daddy's girl," something she was trying to avoid as much as she could.

"So, do you guys want me to stay out of the way while you have your dinner?" Arashi asked Madara.

The Hokage turned his attention to him. "Why would we do that?"

"Well, you said it was a family dinner, and I'm not family."

"_He has a point,"_ Tsukiko thought to herself. _"Please, please don't make him have to come to the dinner. I will gladly put up with Benihime if he isn't there."_ Kami knows he would just show off again.

But unfortunately for her, her dad didn't share her thinking. "You may not be family, Arashi. But you are a guest under my roof. I would like you to be there so the whole clan can be able to meet you."

When he put it like that, there wasn't really a way for him to say no. "Okay, I'll be there."

Tsukiko silently groaned. _"Why do you hate me, Kami? Why? Was it something that I did? Is that it?"_ Now she knew the dinner was going to be unbearable. She just knew it!

"Hey, where's the Short-stack?" the blonde asked as he looked around. He didn't see the little guy anywhere around.

"He's probably still sleeping," Mito told him.

"So he's not the only one to do that then."

"It is a Sunday after all."

"Tell that to him," Tsukiko muttered as she turned her attention back to the food in front of her.

"What do you mean by that, Tsukiko?" she asked her daughter.

"I was up early on the roof again," Arashi explained. "I might've stopped her from sleeping in."

"Might've?" she repeated, looking at him with a glare.

"You could learn something from him, Tsuki," Mito told her.

"Mom, it's a Sunday! Who the hell trains on a Sunday?"

"Language," she said with a slightly stern voice.

"Oh come on!"

"Is that your catchphrase or something?" Arashi asked her. "You seem to say that a lot."

"What are you talking about?"

"You know, a catchphrase? Something that you say that people know is yours?" Didn't they have that here? He thought they would.

She frowned as she thought about his words. "You mean like Shikatsuno's 'what a pain in the ass?'"

"Tsukiko," her mother began.

She threw her hands up in surrender. "Hey, those are his words, not mine. You know that, Mom."

"Yeah, like that," Arashi said with a nod and a smile.

"No, it's not my catchphrase. I don't have a catchphrase!"

He tilted his head at her. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure!"

"If you say so," he said, going back to his food. She glared at him for another second and then went back to her own food.

But her family wasn't done with the conversation. "Have you heard a lot of catchphrases, Arashi?" Madara asked him.

"Oh yeah," he answered. "Practically every Pro-bending team had one." It hadn't really been an issue with the Fire Ferrets. They were more concerned about winning the tournament. "I've heard them say things from 'We will rock you!' to 'Wipeout!'"

"Pro-bending?" he repeated, trying out the word on his lips. "What is that?"

"It's a sport form where I'm from. It's popular when the season's going."

"What's it about?"

By the time that Itachi came downstairs to finally join them, he was halfway discussing how one could move forward or fall back in the game using a piece of paper napkin and a pen Madara had given him. The Hokage was fascinated with the game and how it worked. Both he and Arashi poured over the napkins that were beginning to grow.

Itachi had quickly gobbled down his food and raced out of the house. "Please be careful!" his mother warned him as he disappeared from sight.

All she got a vague answer in reply. "Yeah, fine!" he called back, his voice already growing fainter as he left.

"And be home for dinner! Your grandparents are coming home!"

"Okay!"

"Where's he going?" Arashi asked, looking at the way he had left. If he focused, it was almost like a dust trail had been left behind.

"To a friend's house," Mito told him.

"I'm heading out too," Tsukiko declared as she stood up from the table.

"Hold on there, young lady," she said, stopping her daughter before she could even walk away. "You're going to have to stay home for now."

"Why?"

"Your father and I have some things to do in town and we need someone to stay to watch the twins."

"But I was planning to go over to Hiro's," she protested. Her friend needed someone to talk to after what happened Friday and she had forgotten about him in all the excitement of yesterday.

"I'm sorry, Tsuki. But you'll have to watch your siblings while we step out."

"I can stay here and watch them, if you like," Arashi offered. One look at Tsukiko told him how much she wanted to go over to her friend's house. _"Does she have a crush on him or something?"_ He remembered how women used to coddle him when he was younger and shorter, always saying how cute he was. Perhaps she was the same with this Hiro kid?

"Arashi, as much as I already like you, you're still a relative stranger to us," Madara said to him in a kind but firm voice. "I'm not going to leave my children with you, not yet at least." In a few years down the road he might, but not today.

"I understand." He knew that he was practically a stranger in this house. He wouldn't leave his kids with someone he barely knew. "I'll help her watch the twins, if you like."

"Thank you," Mito said to him. "That would be most helpful."

"Do I get a say in all this?" Tsukiko complained.

"I don't think so, no," he said to her.

"Was I asking you?"

"Tsukiko, you are staying home and watching your little brother and sister," Madara said in a voice that declared the conversation to be over.

She knew the voice and also knew that there was no real hope of trying to get out of it once he used it. "…Can my friends come over, at least?" She didn't want to be completely alone in the house, not with just him and the twins.

"Of course they can, so long as they don't leave a mess and aren't too loud."

"I got it, the usual rules."

* * *

Once they had left and after she had made the call to Hiro wondering if he could come over, she sat down in front of the TV alongside with the twins and Arashi. Since she had to look after the twins, she figured that the best way to do that was to put in a movie that they knew and liked. It was a good call.

The twins were staring at the screen with the utter fasciation she knew that they would have. But Arashi had the same fasciation on his face and it was hard not to laugh at him. This was a baby movie and he was watching it with the same fasciation the babies had. _"Kami, he really is from a backwater place,"_ she thought to herself.

But even if he was, he certainly knew enough about kids to properly hold Fugaku and Mikoto on his lap. He made it look easy but she knew that it wasn't. The first time she had held Itachi, she had been afraid that she would drop him and quickly gave him back to Mom. But he sat there and kept the twins on his lap as they watched the movie.

_DING-DONG_

"Is that the doorbell?" he asked, staring his eyes from the screen.

"Yeah, it must be Hiro," she answered, standing up from where she was lounging on the couch. "Just stay there, I'll take care of it."

She walked over to the front door. When she was about to reach for the doorknob, she heard the distinct sound of a dog barking. And it wasn't just any dog she was hearing either. She sighed in exasperation. "Hiro, if I open this door, am I going to see Aoimaru?" she asked through the door.

"Shush, you're going to get us caught!" she heard Tsume whisper loudly on the other side.

"_Too late,"_ she thought to herself. She opened the door to see Hiro standing there with apologetic look on his face. Behind him was Tsume and Aoimaru, the former trying to stick the latter down her jacket.

"Hey, Tsukiko," Hiro said to her.

"Hey, Hiro," she said back. "I take it Tsume decided to follow again?"

He looked away from her, obviously embarrassed by it. "Yes."

"Hiro, I keep telling you. Stop letting you do that. When was the last time it was just you coming over?"

"That would be never," Tsume said, having finally stopped struggling with Aoimaru.

"Was I talking to you, Tsume?"

"You are now."

She would've said something rude if that had been the first time they had done this dance. But it wasn't and she didn't. So instead, she turned around and said, "Come on in then. Close the door behind you."

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

She walked back into the living room and sat back down to watch the movie. "We've got company," she told Arashi.

"Really?" he asked.

"Really," she answered, already turning her attention back to the screen.

"Who is it?"

"It would be us," Tsume said as she and her cousin walked into the room with Aoimaru buried inside her shirt. While Hiro sat down on the couch, the twins saw Aoimaru and Aoimaru saw the twins. The reaction was funny to see.

"Pup!" shouted Mikoto as she leaned forward and made grabbing motions at the dog. Fugaku actually tried to get away from Arashi and start crawling to him. Aoimaru yelped and tried hiding deeper in the shirt, with no success.

Tsukiko could only smile at the sight as she paused the movie. "You knew this was going to happen, Aoimaru," she told the dog. "You might as well let it happen." That just made the dog try to hide deeper down inside.

"Would you stop that?" Tsume demanded of her. She turned her attention back to her dog. "Would you stop moving around like that? It's getting uncomfortable!"

"Whoa there," Arashi said as he grabbed hold of Fugaku, pulling him back from the edge of the couch where he had been.

"Want pup!" the toddler demanded.

"It's not your puppy," he told him.

"Want pup!" he repeated in what he thought was an authoritative voice (which didn't work. In fact, the older people there were trying hard not to coo or laugh at him).

"It's not your puppy."

"Want pup!"

"It's not your puppy."

"Want pup!"

"It's not your puppy."

"Want pup!" Then he tried a different tactic. "Miko want pup too!"

"Oh really?" the blonde asked amusedly.

He nodded. "Miko want pup!"

"No, she doesn't."

"Does!" cried the toddler in question, again making the grabbing motion for Tsume. There was a faint whine of panic from inside her shirt at the sound of the toddler's voice and the obvious lump in the shirt moved around more.

"Hey, Aoimaru, sit still!" said Tsume as she struggled to keep her partner from falling out.

Arashi looked to the struggling toddlers and then to the Inuzuka. An idea came to him, making him turn his head to look at Tsukiko. "Could you hold the twins for a moment?" he asked.

She raised an eyebrow at that. Why would he ask such a question? Was it something to do with Aoimaru? "Yeah, sure," she said, interested in seeing where it went. She got up and walked over to the twins, taking hold of them as he got up.

He walked over to Tsume. "May I take him?" he asked her, looking at the lump.

"_He_ is a _she_, moron," she told him. "And you will ask her."

If he was surprised by those words, they didn't show on his face. He simply lowered his head to the lump. "Aoimaru, can I hold you?" There was a whine coming from the lump. "Don't worry; I'm not going to hurt you. You can trust me."

There was silence for a moment and then he heard a small yip. "She said fine," Tsume told him.

"Okay. So, am I going to have to reach down and get her?"

"If you'd like," she said with a suggestive grin.

Hiro blushed at her implication but Tsukiko looked more disturbed. "Tsume, we've got babies here!" she said, trying not to shout and only halfway succeeding. The twins gave her a look when she said that, telling her that they don't approve of her words.

"What? It is not like I said anything wrong," she said with a full-blown grin on her face. She reached down her shirt and grabbed hold of her partner. "Out you come, Aoimaru."

The puppy was plopped down into Arashi's hand. He took a careful hold on her and went back to the couch. "Okay, Tsukiko, bring one of them close," he told her. Aoimaru started to try and get free but he held her there. "It's going to be okay," he said to the dog. "Trust me."

Aoimaru barked once. "She's asking why she should trust you," Tsume translated. "And personally, I'd like to know too."

"I could've just set her on the couch and let both of the twins come," he told her. "But I'm holding her and only one is coming to her at a time."

Tsukiko picked up Mikoto and brought her over to him, putting her back down on the couch. Once she was in sight of the dog, she started crawling over to her, gurgling excitedly. But before she could reach Aoimaru, Arashi stopped her. "Hang on, Mikoto," he told her.

"Want pup!" she said excitedly, trying to reach out and grab Aoimaru, still in his arms.

"Wait, you can't just try grabbing her. You'll scare her if you do that."

"Want pup!"

"Just wait, Mikoto. Now, I'm going to put Aoimaru down on the couch. You can pet her if you do it gently." Aoimaru looked at him sharply and proceed to bark at him for several seconds.

"She's asked if you were crazy," Tsume translated.

"Tell her that I'm not."

"You can tell her yourself. She can hear you."

He looked down at the puppy. "I'm not crazy. You'll be fine."

She whined but did not fight him as she was put down on the couch. Mikoto instantly went to grab her but Arashi pulled her up. "Want pup!" the toddler demanded.

"Don't grab her, Mikoto," he said back. "If you try to grab her, you won't get her. Do you understand me?"

She frowned up at him. "Want pup!" she told him in that same authoritative voice her brother had tried to use. She didn't have much luck with it either.

"Mikoto, if you grab at the pup, no pup for you. Do you understand?"

She kept frowning but nodded her head once. He put Aoimaru on the couch again. Mikoto reached out but not to grab this time. Instead, she placed her hand on Aoimaru's side gently. When the puppy didn't do anything, she grinned and began petting her. "Pup!" she said gleefully.

"Gently, Mikoto, gently," Arashi told her when he noticed that her petting was becoming faster. "You don't want to scare the puppy, do you?"

"No," she said.

"Good." Slowly, he let go of Aoimaru, watching how they both would react. Mikoto kept petting Aoimaru carefully and gently. Aoimaru didn't panic and try to bolt off the couch at her touch. In fact, he leaned down and licked her face, making her giggle.

"Wow," Tsume said as she watched it all happen. "I never would've thought it would happen."

"We still need to do Fugaku," the blonde told her. "Tsukiko, could you swap them out?" While the twins' big sister took Mikoto, he took hold of Aoimaru.

Fugaku was practically wriggling with excitement as he was put down on the couch in front of Arashi. "Want pup!" he demanded already crawling for the dog.

"Fugaku, gently," Arashi told him as he began lowering Aoimaru once more. It seemed that he was able to understand the point just as quickly as his twin. Soon, both twins were petting Aoimaru and the dog loved every minute of it.

"Holy crap," Hiro said as he looked at the sight.

"I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it," Tsume stated as she watched her partner lick Fugaku on the face, making the toddler giggle. "She's always been afraid of them."

"That could just mean you're not a good Inuzuka," Tsukiko said.

"What was that?" she growled at the Uchiha.

"You heard me. What kind of Inuzuka would let her partner be afraid of a pair of toddlers? Seriously, they're on size with her."

"Uh, Arashi?" said Hiro, recognizing that his cousin was rearing to go for a fight and wanting to change the subject.

"Yeah," the blonde said back, looking up from the toddlers and puppy.

"How did you do that?"

"What?"

"That." He gestured at the twins and the dog.

The blonde shrugged his shoulders. "It was nothing hard. I just did what Bolin did with me when I first saw Pabu." But it had been quicker for him since he had been older than the twins.

"Who's Bolin?"

"Who's Pabu?" Tsume asked.

"Bolin's my friend. Pabu is his fire ferret," he told them both, hoping that would stop the questions. While he did miss his friends, he came to be his own person, not be reminded of what he left behind.

That didn't stop the questions. In fact, it just made them all a little more confused. "What's a fire ferret?" Hiro asked him.

"It's obvious," his cousin told him. "It's a ferret that has to do with fire."

"What a stunning observation," Tsukiko said sarcastically. "So how do you think it comes about? They set the ferret on fire?" It was clear that she was mocking the Inuzuka, who started growling at her.

"Well, if that was the case, there would be a lot of Pabus with Bolin," Arashi remarked. "How about we get back to the…movie?" he suggested, trying to remember the word Tsukiko had used. "I want to see how it ends."

"What? That movie?" asked Hiro, looking at the frozen screen. "Everyone knows how it ends, the—"

"Shush!" the blonde commanded him. "Don't ruin it for me!"

"What?" he said, completely surprised by the words.

"He hasn't seen it, Hiro," Tsukiko told him.

"But everyone's see that movie!" He had yet to meet someone who hadn't seen it.

"Well, he hasn't. Heck, the place he's from is so backwater they don't even have TVs, just radios."

"You have got to be kidding," Tsume said.

"My hand to Kami, I am not."

"Wow." She stared at the blonde like he was some kind of mutant creature that didn't belong.

"Could we please get back to the movie?" he asked them all.

Tsukiko shrugged her shoulders. "Fine," she said, taking hold of Fugaku and putting him on her lap as she sat back down. She grabbed the remote and started the movie again. Arashi took Mikoto and put her on his lap. Tsume grabbed Aoimaru and put her on her head. Both she and her cousin sat between the two of them and watched the movie.

They stayed there, watching the movie in comfortable silence. Even though only one of them didn't know how it ended, they all enjoyed it. Once it was done, another was put in. It was followed by a third. They spent the better part of the morning and afternoon like that, watching kid movies.

Even though they had long claimed that they were too old for those kinds of movies nowadays, Tsukiko and her classmates still enjoyed them all the same. But the truly amusing thing for them was to watch Arashi react with the twins. Even though he was their age, he was acting like the toddlers in watching the movie, just a little more vocal in his cries of wonder, excitement and sadness.

"Kids, we're home!" Madara called out from the front door as they were about halfway through the fourth movie.

"Back already?" Tsukiko asked in surprised as she paused the movie.

"It's almost four," Arashi told her, looking over at the clock.

"Whoa, time flies."

"We've also brought someone over!" Mito called out. "Your grandparents are home!"

Both of the twins got excited at those words. "Jiji!" cried Fugaku.

"Oba!" cried Mikoto. Both started to climb down the sofa.

"Whoa there!" said Arashi as he grabbed Mikoto before she fell.

But she wasn't happy with his move. "Oba!" she told him with a cross expression.

He was lucky that he could figure out what she meant with that simple word (the fact that Mito said grandparents and he knew what Jiji meant helped too). "I know that your grandmother's here, but you don't want to fall and hurt yourself, do you?"

"Oba!"

"Just give her to me," Tsukiko told him, already standing up and holding Fugaku.

"You've already got one in your hands."

She scowled at him. "I can hold both my siblings, thank you very much."

"Alright, alright, I was just trying to be helpful." He stood up and handed Mikoto to her sister, who took her and held her to her side opposite of her brother.

"Thanks." An idea crossed her mind and then showed on her face. "Why don't you wait here while we go meet the old people?"

"Uh, shouldn't I meet them with you?" That would be the polite thing to do.

She smirked mischievously. "Yes, but doing it this way would make way more of an impact."

"Oh Kami, you're not doing this again," Tsume said with a roll of her eyes. Tsukiko seemed to make it her life's mission to find some way of tripping up her grandparents. So far, she had not succeeded.

"Yes, I am. Come on." She walked out of the room with Tsume and her cousin following her, having no choice about it.

So Arashi waited as he listened to the twins shout out "Jiji!" and "Oba!" once they had reached the front door.

"Hello you two," a kind and gentle voice that belong to a woman spoke. "Have you gotten bigger? I do believe you have! Yes, yes, yes!"

"And who is this lovely young woman?" a strong but warm and aged voice belonging to a man asked. "This cannot be Tsukiko."

"That's my daughter, Dad," Madara spoke.

"I can speak for myself, ya know," Tsukiko said.

"We know you can, sweetie," the woman's voice said. "But we like saying nice things about you. You are such a little cutie."

"Oba! Not in front of them!"

"Don't bother trying to stop them," Tsume said, clearly amused. "We've seen this before. Remember how they used to do it to you when we were first at the Academy?"

"It was cute," Hiro added.

"Not you too," she groaned aloud. "It's embarrassing enough as it is. Don't make it worse."

"Too late," Tsume told her.

"Alright, that's enough teasing of my daughter," Madara declared. "We'll save that for later."

"Yes, please." There was a second of pause before she spoke again. "By the way, we've got a surprise for you two."

"Really?" said the man's voice, interested.

"Yeah, it's waiting for you in the living room. Come on."

"Hold on, Tsukiko. Let us get in the door."

"You already did that. Come on, you'll want to see this surprise."

"We'll just be on our way," Tsume said.

"It was nice to see you again," Hiro spoke. The sound of the front door opened and then closed after a few seconds. The cousins had left.

Arashi heard the sounds of feet walking across the floor, coming towards him. He stepped out of the way of the sofa but leaned against its side. He waited for only a few seconds longer before Tsukiko appeared with a confident smile on her face.

Her grandparents soon followed her into the room. Both the man and the woman wore travel-stained clothes but they did not walk with a frailty. Instead, they walked like a person their son's age. They both had white hair, which he kept in a ponytail and she wrapped up into a little bob at the back. Both of their faces had wrinkles on them that were well-worn and proper. She held a cane in her left hand while her right hand held his left. They both had content smiles on their faces. They were the picture of an old loving couple.

His dark eyes and her green ones scanned over him for a moment and then stopped cold before slowly widening in shock. They stared at him like he was some ghost out of their pasts that shouldn't be there. _"What's with the looks?"_ Arashi thought to himself. Maybe it would be best if he just introduced himself. "Hey there, I'm Arashi Uzumaki."

That didn't do the trick. In fact, it just made them stare at him more. "Say hi to your surprise," Tsukiko told them with a grin.

"Sasuke, he's…" the woman said.

"I know, Sakura," her husband replied.

That second name got Arashi's attention. "You're Sakura Haruno, right? Rin's sensei?" he asked her.

She seemed a little surprised but also…hopeful for some reason. "You know who I am?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Not really, I just know that your Rin's sensei."

They shared a look with each other at his words. When they turned their heads to look at him again, they were certainly more focused on him. "Has your grandfather ever talked about us?" the man asked him.

"Nope," he answered. "I don't even know who you two are, no offense."

For some weird reason, that just made them both smile. "Well, he's certainly politer," the woman remarked.

"Indeed," the man agreed. "If it wasn't for the hair and the eyes, I would've thought it wasn't him."

"That is true."

"Somebody want to clue me in here?" Arashi asked, looking at everyone and being thoroughly confused by their words.

"Tsuki," Madara began.

"On it," she replied, leaving the room without him finishing.

"Arashi, these are my parents, Sasuke and Sakura Uchiha."

"Oookkkayy?" the blonde said, still not understanding what this was all about. Why was it so important that he knew their names?

"He really didn't tell you anything, did he?" Sasuke asked him. He sounded sad and disappointed for some reason Arashi didn't know.

"Tell me what?"

"Got it!" shouted Tsukiko as she came back in, holding a picture in her hands. "You guys left here last time before you left."

"Thank you, Tsukiko," her grandmother said, taking the picture from her and handing it to him.

He took it and looked it over. It was a picture of four people, one adult and three kids, against a natural background. The adult, a masked man with a headband with the insignia of the village over his left hair and grey hair, looked like he was somehow smiling with his hands on the two boys in front of him. A girl with pink hair stood between them. She was happy for some reason. What he did not know. The boy to the left of her had black eyes and wore something between a frown and a scowl on his face as he stared forward. Both them wore the headband the adult wore.

But then his eyes came across the boy to the right of the girl. He had his arms crossed, his teeth bared, and a glare directed at the other boy. None of that mattered at the moment as he looked at the other details, as he looked at the blonde hair on his head, the blue eyes set in his face, and the whiskers on his cheeks. He had those same eyes and the same hair but not those whiskered birthmarks. However, he did know who did have them.

"Is this my grandfather?" he asked, holding the picture so they could see it and pointed to the angry blonde.

"Yes, it is," the old man told him.

He looked at the adult. "I'm guessing this is Rin's dad?"

"Yes, that is Kakashi Hatake," said the old woman.

"So who are these two?" he asked, pointing at the other boy and the girl.

"You're looking at them, backwater boy," Tsukiko told him with a grin, pointing at her grandparents with her thumb.

"Tsukiko, mind your manners!" Mito snapped at her daughter.

But Arashi looked back at the picture and then at them, more than a few times. Finally, he held the picture up beside them to compare and he saw the similarities. There was a vast age gap, but he could see them all the same. Suddenly, their surprise and questions made a lot more sense. "You knew him," he said shortly, lowering the picture.

"Yes, back in our Genin days," Sakura told him. "He was our third teammate in Team Seven."

"…Okay." He put the picture down on the nearby table, letting it face the ceiling.

"You're not going to ask what happened between us? What drove him to the Bending Countries for such a long time?" Sasuke asked with a curious voice.

"Would it change anything?"

"No."

"Then why bother asking?" There wasn't any point to it.

"Very well," he said. One small look from his wife told him that she had a question. All he gave was a small shake of his head. They had met him and he knew who they were now. If he wasn't going to ask about the past, they shouldn't press him. Let him come to them.

Meanwhile, Tsukiko's grin had turned into a frown. "Is that it?" she demanded.

"Is what it?" Arashi asked her.

"All of that and _that_ was your reaction to them finding out that they knew your Jiji?"

"Yes."

"Oh, come on!"

"See? There's that catchphrase again."

* * *

Night came and so did the rest of the Uchiha clan. The formal dining room soon became crowded as dinner was laid out before them all. Arashi had never seen such a big family (and an actual family at that) in one place before. If he looked down the table, all he could was a virtual forest of black hair, with one or two strangely colored one.

At the beginning of the dinner, Arashi had been introduced to the entire clan. While they did not have the same level of surprise Sasuke and Sakura, they knew about their teammate and were surprised that his grandson sat among them (most of them had thought Naruto had died in a ditch somewhere).

Naruto sat beside Tsukiko. They sat far down on the table close to the door, where the kids sat. While Tsukiko was the oldest of Madara's kids, she wasn't the oldest kid there. She had plenty of cousins who were older than she was who could sit with the adults. She saw Benihime sitting next to her dad, Uncle Akamaru. When she noticed, she flashed a smug grin at her.

She turned her head back down to her food. _"Don't think anything of it,"_ she told herself. If she thought about it, she would look again and that would give Benihime the excuse to come over and make her life miserable.

"Hey, could you pass the sauce," Arashi asked her.

It snapped her out of her thoughts and made her look at him. "What?"

"The sauce," he repeated himself. "Could you pass it over?" He pointed at the sauce in question.

"Yeah, sure," she said, reaching over to the sauce and giving it to him.

"Thanks." He took it and promptly handed it down to one of her younger cousins. "And here you go."

"Thanks!" the cousin said before taking it quickly from him.

"You know that's not going to be used for food, right?" she asked him. Already she could see the glint in the eyes of her cousins. Even Itachi had it.

"Of course it is," he replied. "What else would they use it for?"

"_Kami, he's naïve,"_ she thought to herself. "Have you ever been in a food fight before?"

"Yes, with kids who could throw things harder and faster via blasts of air." Tenzin never did look at that wall the same way again, not after that plate got embedded halfway deep there.

She stared at him. "What?"

"You heard me. Have _you_ ever been in a food fight before?"

"Of course I have. These dinners always turn out like this."

"Really?" he asked.

"Yeah, they do."

He looked down the table where the adults were. The blurred noise they made talking to one another was a sharp contrast to the excited babble coming from the kids. For their part, they looked like they were having a normal family dinner. Both Sasuke and Sakura sat at the head of the table, looking over their family. They had changed out of the clothes they wore on the road into clean ones. "And the parents don't notice?"

"No, we kids are smart. We wait for them to start before we do."

He looked back at her. "You've done this before?"

"Since I was six," she told him. It was a point of pride for Uchiha kid. Well, it used to be for her. "But I've stopped recently. I am getting too old for it."

"Ha, you getting old for it?" a new voice asked from behind them. "That's a laugh."

They both turned to see who it was. Arashi saw a girl a little older than them staring down at them condescendingly. She had a headband wrapped around her neck and her dark hair was highlighted with red. Tsukiko saw something different. "Hey, Benihime," she said in wary greeting.

"Hey, loser," Benihime said back. "I heard you went to Ichiraku. Is the old hag still working there?"

She clenched her hand into a fist. "Ms. Ayame wasn't there that night, if that's what you mean."

"She finally croak? Kami, I hope so. Her ramen is disgusting. Why the old people keep bringing us there, I'll never know. Now move over."

"Benihime, just go—"

"I said move over, loser. I want to talk to the new guy." She pushed her with her knee and sat down in her spot. Once she was there, she looked over at Arashi. "So, you're supposed to the grandson of the farts' teammate, huh?"

He frowned at her. "Are you talking about your grandparents?"

"No, I'm talking about the puppy I brought home last night."

"…Ah, sarcasm," he said in realization. "You're joking."

"Duh, and you still haven't told me what I wanted to hear."

"What did you want to hear?"

Tsukiko did her best to hide her snigger and was successful in doing so. She realized what he was doing. He was doing the same thing that he had done to Ichiro when they had sparred on Friday. _"I wonder if she'll blow up like he did,"_ she thought hopefully.

Unfortunately, her wish wouldn't come true. "Sheesh, you're an idiot. Can't you remember what I was asking you just a few seconds ago? I asked if you were supposed to be the grandson of the farts' teammate."

"That's what they've told me."

"And we must listen to what they say, right?"

He looked past her and at Tsukiko. "What exactly is her problem?" he asked.

"I've been trying to figure that out for some time," she told him. "So far, I've figured that she's just a bitch."

"No, your friend Tsume is a bitch and she's got the mutt to prove it," Benihime said with a cruel laugh that managed to stay quiet enough for the adults not to hear her.

"Watch it, Benihime."

"Or you'll do what? Try to attack me? I'm a Genin now, moron. I'm better than you, always was and always will be." A laugh came above the din, making the three of them turn their heads to the adults. Madara was laughing alongside his brother Akamaru. The kids ignored the adults, as usual, while the other teenagers and pre-teens talked amongst themselves.

"_Sheesh, he's says he doesn't like these dinners but then he gets into the swing of things,"_ Tsukiko thought to herself whilst rolling her eyes. But even though she thought that, it was with fondness for both her father and her uncle.

"Che, pathetic," Benihime spat. "I can't believe that sad excuse for a man is my parent. It would've been better if he just died somewhere."

"Benihime, that's your dad!" her cousin hissed at her. On the other side of her, Arashi's face became cold and hard.

"So what?" she asked back, not caring about her volume. "He's pathetic. He couldn't even activate his **Sharingan** and didn't even bother trying to become a shinobi. I've done both, I can call him what I like." A giggle entered her ears and she turned to look at the children, at a boy about Itachi's age or just a little younger. She scowled at him.

Arashi saw her scowl and turned in the direction of her scowling. "Is that your brother?" he asked.

"Unfortunately," she replied. "He's just as pathetic as my dad, not wanting to become a shinobi without even trying. Kami, why am I the only strong one in my part of the family? The others should just die or disappear." Besides her, Arashi began clenching his hand.

"Benihime—"

"What? Are you going to tell me that's my little brother I'm talking about? Don't think that because you're the Hokage's daughter you can boss me around. I can damn well say whatever I want."

"You're still talking about your family!"

"So what?" she asked condescendingly. "I would be so better off without them. Kami, I can just imagine what life would be like without them. No parent telling me to do this or to do that. No snot-nosed little brat following me around all the time asking questions that aren't my concern. No mo—"

Arashi suddenly grabbed her by the neck, catching her by surprise, and pushed her away from the table. The sudden sound of her shouting and falling back silenced the room and made all eyes turn towards them. Before she could recover and get back up, he was already on her, pressing down on her throat and using the headband to aide him.

"You think it would be better if they were gone?" he asked as he kept pressing down. "You have no idea what it is to be alone in this world. You don't know what it feels like and you would gladly wish to see your own family gone? _You're_ the pathetic one. You make me sick. Don't speak of things you have no idea about!"

"Arashi!" shouted Madara, standing up from his place along with his brother. Both of his parents were watching what was happening with sharp eyes.

The sound of his name brought him of his rage-filled moment. He loosened his grip on her throat and stood up. He turned around and saw everyone was looking at him. "Sorry, I've ruined the mood," he apologized. "I will go." He walked out of the room before anyone could stop him. Once he left, it seemed like the joy and festive mood had left with him. Now they all just stared at Benihime, Sasuke and Sakura especially with hard eyes. They had heard everything.

* * *

"AHHHHH!"

Tsukiko came failing awake at the sound of the scream. _"What the…? What was that?"_ her still groggy mind asked as she looked around the room, trying to figure out where the scream came from.

"AHHHHH! NO! STOP, PLEASE!"

"_That came from next door!"_ she realized. It was coming from Arashi's room. She leapt out of the bed and ran for the door, not even pausing in front of his. She entered and saw him thrashing around in the bed, sweat caking his head and a look of horror and fear etched on his face. The light of the moon shined through the window, highlighting everything about his state.

She went to his side and grabbed hold of his shoulders. "Arashi, wake up!" she told him.

He lurched up with a loud exhale, coming awake. He looked at her for a moment like he didn't know who she was. Then his eyes recognized her. "Tsukiko," he said. He breathed in and out, trying to calm himself down. "Was I dreaming?"

"I don't a dream would've waken me up," she replied. "I think you were having a nightmare."

"I see." He didn't sound surprised by it. To her, that meant he had them often.

"Are you going to be fine?"

"Yeah, just…just give me a moment." He swung his legs out of the bed and put them on the floor. He looked at the hands on his shoulders and then at her. "You can let go of me now," he told her pointedly.

"Oh, right." She took her hands off but didn't move from his side. She was willing to bet money that he didn't want to be left alone right now. But she also another reason for staying and that was her burning curiosity. "Arashi, can I ask you something? It's probably something I should've asked sooner."

"What is it?"

"If you have parents, why were you living with your grandfather?"

If she was leaning on his shoulder, she would've felt him freeze in place. "Are you really asking that question?"

"Yes, I am." She had been close enough to hear the venom in his voice when he spoke to her cousin and she remembered a story her grandparents told her about their Genin days. It hadn't been one of the happier ones and it dealt with what they thought about their teammate. When she saw him trying to strangle Benihime, she saw the similarities between them and her grandparents at that moment. It had to come from somewhere.

He didn't say anything at first. He only stared at the floor in silence while she looked at his face. "If you don't want to tell me, I—" she started saying.

"A few years back," he suddenly spoke, "they died in a fire that burned our house down."

"Oh. I'm sorry for your loss." She didn't know what else to say.

But he wasn't done. "You don't know enough to say sorry. They shouldn't have died in the fire. They were Firebenders! They could've calmed the flames down and saved themselves! It wasn't just them who died. I lost my grandmother there too! Only my sister and I were able to get out alive!"

He wasn't shouting but his voice had raised a little. She looked at him carefully. "You've never mentioned her before. Is she still living with your grandfather?"

"No."

"Then where is she?"

"I don't know. We both got out but I don't know where she went afterwards. I lost her. But that's not the worst thing. That would be that everyone but me believes that she's dead! Even my own grandfather thinks she's gone!

"And do you think it is great living with my grandfather? The bastard isn't even there half the time! He'll leave me and if I'm lucky, he'll be back in a week and I'm rarely lucky there. He was gone for half a year once. Half a year! What was he doing that required him to be gone for half a year?! He left me alone for half a year!"

She wasn't sure if he was expecting an answer or not. But she knew that he was getting angrier and might make him louder. So she did the only thing she could think of to calm him down: she grabbed hold of him and pulled him into a hug. He was caught a little off-guard by the move and he stared at like she had grown another head. "What are you doing?"

"Hugging you," she answered.

"Why?"

She didn't know exactly why herself but he was looking for an answer. "You look like you needed a hug." It was something her mom or dad had done to her whenever she felt too sad or too angry. It was always comforting.

"…Thank you." He returned the hug from the side.

"Do you have any idea where your sister is?" she asked him.

"No, I don't."

"Maybe you'll still find her."

"I _will_ find her." He never gave up on Natsumi. He wouldn't star doing that now. "Thanks again, for being here."

She broke the hug. "Well I couldn't exactly fall asleep with you screaming like you had lost your mind," she told him with a slightly cross tone to her voice. But what she really meant was something else entirely. _"You looked like you needed help."_ She might've detested him for continually showing her up without even trying but that didn't mean that she would just leave him like this.

"Far be it from to interrupt your beauty sleep," he replied sarcastically. But he knew what she meant and had replied in kind. _"I'm grateful."_

She punched him lightly in the shoulder before standing up. "Get some sleep and try not to wake up the house, backwater boy." She walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

He stayed sitting on the bed for a couple of seconds longer before laying back down. He stared at the ceiling as he waited for sleep to take him again. _"I don't know where you are, Natsumi. But just hold on. I'm going to find you and I'm going to bring you home."_

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

One of my readers had suggested that Naruto be President of the Republic instead of Raiko. That letter from Naruto is his reply and mine. Trust me when I say he's got enough on his plate and it's not going to get lighter any time soon. Just look where he went, for crying out loud.

The way I see it, how to learn to pet a fire ferret who doesn't know you is like petting a dog or puppy that doesn't know you. You have to be careful and gentle, lest you spook the animal in question. Arashi was an innocent kid once and he would've been excited to see such an animal like Pabu. One wrong pet and he would have hostile Pabu for the rest of his life.

And now, Sasuke and Sakura have entered the scene but their meeting with Arashi didn't go like they would expect. However, they're not going to hold it against him or his grandfather. They've long accepted the fact that Naruto wouldn't be coming back and all they could hope was that he spoke of them fondly. So it's a mixed blessing when he doesn't speak of them at all.

But it would've been an unpleasant surprise when they heard their granddaughter speak like that. For Sakura, it's a particular flash to the past when she acted just like that, albeit to Naruto instead of her own family.

As for Arashi's outburst, the first time his grandfather vanished, leaving him alone, he was sent to live with Tenzin and his family. While he does cherish them, there's the feeling his grandfather had abandoned him. And that was the first time. Can you imagine how he would feel each time it happened? Sure, he might mask it with annoyance and irritation, but that's not all there is to it.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	22. First days and old people

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 22: First days and new things

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Konoha)

"Tsukiko Uchiha, get your butt down here now!" Mito shouted up the stairs. "If you dawdle any longer, you will be late!"

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" her daughter shouted back from above. They could actually hear her stomping around above their heads.

"Is it always like this in the mornings?" Arashi asked the Hokage. They were both sitting at the table, eating breakfast.

"No, she's usually much later," Madara told him as he sipped his coffee. "I think your running around on the roof woke her up."

"Don't make it sound like that was a good thing, Dad!" Tsukiko shouted down the stairs as she came into sight. She practically leapt over the sofa to reach the table and started scarfing down the food in front of her.

"Wow, sis, you're actually here," Itachi told her with a wide eye expression that was so innocent that there was no way it could be true.

She fixed him with a look but turned to look at her mother. "We wouldn't keep having that problem if you just let me leave by skipping breakfast."

"And I have told you before, I will not let my children leave for school without proper food in their stomachs," Mito told her firmly. "Besides, you are here now and you can take time to enjoy yourself. What do you say about that?"

She thought about it for a moment and then turned to look at Arashi. "Why don't you try running a little louder next time? I only slept in for five minutes."

"As you command," he told her as he took a bite of his toast.

She stared at him with a slightly gaped mouth. "For Kami's sake, I was kidding!"

"You know, you could always join me," he offered. "It'll get you up in the morning."

"And miss the chance to sleep? Are you nuts?"

"You two better get going," Madara told them as he looked up at the clock. "It wouldn't do for you to be late on your first day, Arashi."

"Wasn't that Friday?"

"Your first day of actual class," he clarified. "Now, do you have everything you need?"

"Yeah, I think so." He had gone over the stuff before he had gone to bed last night. Everything he need was there in the pack they had gotten him and that pack was now sitting against his chair.

"You sure?" asked Mito.

"If he doesn't have something, he doesn't have it," Tsukiko said, finishing the last part of her breakfast and standing up from the table.

"That was fast," Arashi said, looking at her plate.

"No, you're just taking too long. Now hurry it up so we can leave."

"Alright, alright, take it easy." He finished what was in his hand and stood up from the table too.

She took that as her cue to leave. "Bye, Mom! Bye, Dad!" she shouted as she left the house in a run.

"Bye, Tsuki! Have a good day!" Mito called after her.

Even though she was upbeat for the day, what lay ahead put a small damper on it. _"I won't have one if Ichiro is going to be there,"_ she thought to herself.

"Hey, slow down, would ya?" Arashi said as he caught up to her. He didn't even have the decency to pant, the jerk.

"Relax, I wasn't going that fast."

"You ran out of the house."

"That was a jog. Get your eyes checked, backwater boy." But she did slow down a little bit. That running out of the house was to show her parents that she was indeed leaving.

"My eyes are fine. You need to check your legs."

"And why are you looking at my legs?" she demanded, feeling a little self-conscious at that moment about them.

"I wasn't, I just said you need to check your legs." He rolled her eyes at her. "And check your ears too." She threw another punch at him which he promptly avoided. "Hey, last night was a freebie. It doesn't mean you can keep it up."

"Whatever."

They walked down the street as the morning sun slowly climbed the sky. As they moved from the residential to the commercial part of the village, they saw people opening up their shops and getting ready for the day. When they saw Tsukiko, they greeted her warmly as "Lady Uchiha," bowing their heads to her. And while she did take the greetings and returned them politely, she really wished they would stop doing that.

With Arashi, they regarded him with a faint curiosity. They did not know him, save that he was with Tsukiko, which probably meant that he was a friend of hers. For Arashi, he was glad for the cluelessness. Every time he had gone down a street in Republic City, the people who saw him greeted him as "Lord Uzumaki's grandson." He had heard it so many times that he could've been sick from it had it been a disease. But being here, he felt like he was one step more away from just being that person.

When they turn the corner to the Academy, they came across Tsume and Hiro. "Hey," Hiro greeted them both with a smile. Tsume gave a little wave while Aoimaru barked a greeting from atop her head.

"Hey guys," Arashi said back with a smile on his face.

"This is new for you, Tsukiko," Tsume said. "You're not running to make it on time for once."

"Shut up," she replied as they kept walking.

"You know it's true."

"Tsume, please stop teasing her," Hiro told his cousin.

"Aw, but I never get to tease her!" she whined exaggeratedly. He rolled his eyes at her, along with Aoimaru. "Fine, have it your way."

"Thank you."

"Yeah, thanks for that, Hiro," Tsukiko said to him. He smiled shyly at her but didn't say anything in return.

"Sooo, pumped for your first day, man?" Tsume asked Arashi as they turned another corner. The Academy was getting closer in sight. They could hear the sounds of other kids walking, talking and playing inside the grounds.

"Wasn't that Friday?" he asked back, wanting to see if she gave him the same answer.

"Nah that was a show off day," she answered.

"Ain't that the truth," Tsukiko muttered.

"I heard that," Arashi told her, swinging his head to look around to look at her.

"You were supposed to, backwater boy."

"I am not a show off." He had made it a point to never be a show off. He hated those kinds of people. If they couldn't back it up, why would they bother to open their mouths in the first place? It was stupid.

"Then what do you call Friday?"

"Showing what I could do."

"And we call it showing off," she retorted.

"It wasn't showing off," he protested.

"Trust me, it was."

"Not to interrupt your little lovers' quarrel," Tsume said to them as she and Hiro came to a stop, "but we've got a problem up ahead."

"What kind of problem?" Tsukiko asked her, coming to a stop as well. She followed her gaze to the Academy and saw Ichiro standing at the gate with his cronies behind him. "Oh, that kind of problem," she said in annoyance. A quick look beside her showed that Hiro was already halfway hiding behind Tsume.

"What are we going to do?" he asked them all.

"Maybe if we keep our heads down and just keep moving, they won't bother us," she suggested.

"You really think that'll work?" Tsume asked with more than a degree of disbelief.

"You got a better plan?" This was the only she could think of that wouldn't get them into trouble or Hiro hurt (much).

"No," she admitted. "Sorry, Hiro," she told her cousin.

"It's okay," he said back.

"It's not okay. It's definitely not okay."

"You can't try fighting him, Tsume. Aoimaru will end up in the hospital again." She growled at the thought. The one time she had tried to defend her cousin; Ichiro had his cronies hold her while he kicked Aoimaru around, breaking two of her paws. Then he had pulled out a kunai and warned her never to do it again, all out of sight of the teacher. Not wanting to have Aoimaru hurt like that again, she obeyed. But Hiro never thought badly of her for it.

"Come on, we might as well get it over with," Tsukiko told them both.

"You guys go in first," Arashi told the three of them. "You should probably be able to get past him if he sees all three of you together."

"What about you?" Hiro asked him.

"I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" Very few people could stand up to Ichiro, to the Hyūga's knowledge. All of them were teachers and that was why Ichiro kept his bullying out of their obvious sight.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"If the backwater boy says he'll be fine, we should let him be fine," Tsukiko told her friend.

"Oh, okay." He did handle Ichiro last week in front of everyone. If anyone could handle him, it just might be Arashi.

"Come on, let go already," Tsume said. The three of them walked to the entrance. When they reached it and started to walk past Ichiro and his cronies, an amazing thing happened: they walked past.

But then Ichiro put his hand out and stopped Arashi from going in. "I wanna talk to you," he said.

Arashi looked at the hand on his chest and then at the kid. "Alright," he said. Tsukiko, Hiro, and Tsume all stared back at him. He saw and waved them away. "Go inside."

"You three stay right there," Ichiro told them with a snap, making them freeze in place. "I want to watch this." He turned his head back to look at the blonde. Now the entire school grounds were looking at them all.

"_He's angry,"_ Arashi thought to himself, seeing that anger burning in Ichiro's eyes. Luckily for him, Dad had taught him how to deal with that emotion, especially when it came to bullies. "What exactly do you want with me, Ichiro?" he asked.

"I want to teach you a lesson," the other kid replied.

"Isn't that what the building behind you is for?" He gestured to the Academy. The other three sniggered at his sarcastic question.

Ichiro swung his head to look at them. "Shut it!" They promptly did and he looked back at the blonde. "You think you're funny?"

"No, I think that's already been established." Nobody dared to snigger but the idea was placed in their minds and they were very tempted to do so.

"I'm going to pound your face in."

"Really?" he asked.

"Really," Ichiro replied.

"Well, I think we're going to have a problem with that."

"A problem?" he repeated.

"Yes, a problem. Several of them, actually," the blonde replied.

"I don't have any kind of problem in making an example out of you." In fact, he looked like he was going to be enjoying the process.

But Arashi wasn't fazed by his threat. "It's not the kind of problem that you would have, but the kind of problem you would see. And I see several problems."

"Like what?"

"There's one, there's another, there's a third, and there's fourth…" he counted, pointing casually at each and every one of the cronies standing there. No one interrupted him as he counted because no could even think of stopping him at that moment. Each crony looked annoyed and angry when he counted him.

But Ichiro was the one who got the most annoyed and angry. "Is there a point to this?" he demanded when the blonde finally stopped counting.

"Why yes, there is a point to this."

"What is it?"

"What is what?" he asked, tilting his head like a dog listening to a new type of sound.

"The point, what is the point, you idiot?"

"Oh, right, the point," he said, making it sound like he had remembered what he was talking about. But then his voice turned hard and cold. "The point is that you're such a big man that you need your goons to help you beat down one guy. Real tough of you," he remarked with utter scorn in his voice.

He turned to look at his cronies, seeing each and every one of them. "Back off, guys," he ordered.

"You sure about that?" one of the cronies on his left asked him.

"Do I need to repeat myself?"

"No, we just want to be sure, Ichiro," a crony on his right said.

"Well, I'm sure I want you to back off, so back off!"

"Alright, man. We're doing it." They backed away from him, stepping into the Academy grounds and giving the sense that he stood alone. Now everyone on the grounds was paying attention.

"Feeling better now, punk?" asked Ichiro of Arashi as he cracked his knuckles, readying himself for the beating. "I'm alone and so are you."

"Yeah, you're right there. But…"

"But what?" he demanded, getting more angry at him. Why couldn't he just accept the fact that he was going to be taught a lesson and go along with it? With any luck he would be able to make to the nurse's office before the first class.

"We don't have enough room right here." He gestured to the entrance, which was a gate standing between two low grey walls. He could easily jump over the walls to get onto the grounds but that wouldn't do anything with Ichiro.

"Room for what?" asked a very angry Ichiro.

"For the fight, of course," he replied.

The other kid laughed an ugly laugh. "It's not going to be a fight. It's just going to be me beating your ass into the ground."

"Perhaps, but for me to have a sporting chance, we'd need more room to actually move around. So let's just back up onto the grounds. That way, we can move around more easily."

"You really think that more ground is going to save you from this?"

"If it's not, you don't really have anything to worry about. Do you?" he asked with a slight smile of his face, like he was making pleasant conversation with a friend.

Ichiro wanted to pummel him right then and there but really? What did he have to lose? More space or not, he was going to pummel this little creep into the ground. The only reason he was caught off-guard last week was because he wasn't prepared for it. Now he was and he was willing to make a concession. "Fine," he declared.

"Thank you."

He backed up onto the grounds, letting the blonde follow him in. All eyes were on the two of them as they came to a stop. Ichiro was ready for the fight. "Come on. Let's go, punk."

"Ready when you are." But he didn't look ready. He still had his backpack on.

"Here I come then."

"Wait, what's that?" he asked suddenly, pointing to the left. "It's a naked woman!"

"What?" He whipped his head to where the blonde was pointing. But he didn't see anything. What he did hear was people laughing. When he looked back, the blonde wasn't standing in front of him. _"Where he'd go?"_ he thought, looking around to try and find him. It was only when he turned fully around that he saw him walking towards the building, along with the other three. "Hey! Get back here!"

Arashi ignored him and kept walking towards the building, entering it without saying a word to him. Once they were all inside, Tsume, Hiro, and Tsukiko started laughing. "It's a naked woman!" Tsume howled as she went for the stairs. "That's got to be the best thing I've heard all day!"

"That was brilliant!" Hiro declared as he laughed, really laughed this. "How come no one else has thought of doing it?"

"I don't know, but we need to remember it so that we can do it again!" Tsukiko declared.

"I hear that," Tsume agreed.

When they reached their floor, they met up with Shikatsuno and his group. "What was that all about out on the grounds?" Chōichi asked while he munched on chips.

Tsukiko told them as soon as she was able to get her laughing under control. When she was done, they started laughing too. "Oh that is good!" Inoji said as he held his sides.

"I can't believe that we missed that!" Chōichi laughed with his mouth still full of chips.

"Dude, close your mouth!" Tsume told him, seeing the chips and was instantly disgusted. Her laughter was gone because of that. "We don't need to see what you're eating!"

"Whoops, sorry!" he apologized instantly.

Shikatsuno rolled his eyes. "What a pain in the ass." Even though he was the only one who didn't laugh when he was told what happened, he did smirk and nod his head at Arashi in approval.

"Why did no one think of doing that before?" Inoji asked as he tried to calm himself down from the laughter.

"That's what I asked," Hiro told him. It sent them both into more gales of laughter.

"Guys, come on, it wasn't that big of a thing," Arashi told them. "Anyone could've done it."

"Yeah, but you did," Tsukiko told him, getting her laughter under control as well (and succeeding better than her friends). "You've got some balls, backwater boy."

"I would, I'm a guy," he drily replied.

Even though he found that funny, Hiro finally managed to calm himself down. "Come on, we should get to class," he said to them all. "If we get caught hanging around in the hall, we'll get into trouble. You wouldn't want that on your first day, Arashi."

They walked down the hallway, Arashi letting them take the lead. It allowed him to watch them all interact with one another. He had their friendships over the weekend and now he could see them in the entire group. They were the genuine thing. They reminded him of Team Avatar, something that brought a small smile to his lips. He had been the youngest of them and there were times he didn't feel like he was actually a part of them. Hopefully, he wouldn't feel like that with this group.

When they reached the classroom, Hiro opened the door and saw an old man sitting in a chair in front of the blackboard. He held a long staff in both of his hands like it was the only thing supporting him to the earth. His hair was cut short around his hand and there was a goatee around his chin, both were white as snow. What could be seen of his face had wrinkles showing just how old he was. But what couldn't be seen of his face was covered by the headband he wore over his left eye. There was some scarring beneath it, a hint of what lay under. He wore a simple robe that was probably just as old as he was.

When the door had opened, he barely turned to look at who had come in. "I heard there was a bit of a commotion outside," he said casually, like they were already part of a conversation. "I don't suppose you had anything to do with that now, do you?"

"Lord Sixth!" Hiro said, half in surprise and half in excitement. Whenever the previous Hokage popped in, the day would always prove to be interesting.

It got the attention of the rest of the group and they all quickly scuttled into the room, bowing their heads in respect to him. "We are glad to see you, Lord Hokage," they said in unison. Even Aoimaru looked respectful. But Arashi hung back, unsure of what was happening. Better to observe then try to follow and botch it.

"Liars, every one of you," he said with a kind amusement.

"We are not lying, Lord Hokage."

"Oh, you are not?"

"No, we are not."

"I don't believe any of you."

"It's the truth."

He stared at them and then smiled. "Very well, I will accept it for today."

"Thank you, Lord Hokage," they said once more in unison, their heads still bowed in respect.

He laughed at that. "Oh get your heads up already, children." His smile turned into a grin then, the very picture of a kind old grandfather.

They brought their heads up and smiles were on all of their faces. "It's good to see you once more, Lord Hokage," Inoji told him. They all changed their respectful stance to a more casual one.

"I am not the Hokage anymore, Inoji," he admonished the Yamanaka child, standing up from the stool with a little stiffness in his legs. "I am a retired shinobi now. Tsukiko's father is the Hokage now and has all the problems—I mean privileges that come with it." Even though he corrected himself, they could all tell that he made the slip-up on purpose.

"And my father curses—I mean thanks you for it every day, old man," Tsukiko told him, making the same mistake he had made.

He smiled at her and gave her a little nod of acknowledgment. "Now tell me, what was the commotion on the grounds? Did something interesting happen?"

They all shared looks with one another and had to forces themselves to not laugh out loud again. "You could say that," Tsume told him. Between her and Aoimaru, only she was still trying not to laugh. Aoimaru had stopped now.

"You didn't see it, Lord Sixth?" Chōichi asked him, his cheeks quivering with laughter he was holding in, just barely.

"Of course not," he answered. "I've been in here." He pointed his staff at him and gave it a little disappointed shake. "Shame on you, young man, for not realizing that," he said accusingly. "Aren't you training to be a shinobi?"

"Yes, sir, sorry for not recognizing that," he replied instantly.

"Good." He looked at everyone else. "Now perhaps you will tell me what exactly happened?"

"Someone got the best of Ichiro, Lord Sixth," Hiro told him, his lips curling into a smile at the thought of it.

"Oh? And how did it come around?"

"Cleverly and funnily," he answered, the smile getting wider on his lips. "It had us laughing the entire time we walked in here."

"I see. And who was it that was able to get Ichiro?" He had heard of the boy in question and how he tormented those he thought were beneath him because of his skill and talents. Needless-to-say, he did not approve of such things and was glad to hear the other students get the better of him when they could. "Was it one of you?"

"No, sir," Tsukiko answered. "We would've been content to walk around him and hope that nothing bad happened. Someone else did it."

"Who was it?"

She turned her head to introduce said person, only to realize that he was standing in the back, beyond the door back, of them. "Hey, what are you doing, backwater boy? Get up here and introduce yourself," she told him.

"Alright, I'm coming up." He walked forward, going through and coming to a stop in front of the old man. "Hey there," he said casually.

The old man looked at him silently for the longest moment. The humor and the smile on his face froze before sliding away so realization, understanding, and surprise took their place. "…They had told me about you but I didn't think it was possible. How wrong I was."

Arashi looked at him for a long second. Only one question really came to his mind at this point. "Do all the old people in this place know my Jiji?"

"So you know me?"

"Not a clue." He said it with no shame in his voice.

"Are you sure?"

"Yep," he answered with still no shame in his voice.

"That is…disappointing." The old man truly did sound disappointed to have heard those answers from him. "They had told me that too, but I had hoped I would be different."

The blonde could only shrug his shoulders. "Sorry. But if it's any consolation, I do know who you are."

"I thought your grandfather didn't tell you about me." His eye came alight with confusion and also suspicion.

"He didn't."

"Then how do you know me?"

Was he serious? It was completely obvious. "I listen. You're the Sixth Hokage and your name, I believe, is Konohamaru."

The suspicion and confusion vanished and was replaced with a small smile on his lips. "Indeed. I am Konohamaru Sarutobi, the Rokudaime Hokage and once, a very good friend of your grandfather's."

"Okay." He couldn't really say anything else, not without offending somebody (and the way he figured it, the odds on that were not in his favor).

"So, tell me. How did you get the best of Ichiro?"

"I tricked him."

"How?" he asked. "Details, boy, I would like some details."

"I pointed off to the side and pretended to see a woman."

"…That's it? You pretended to see a woman?"

"_Ooh man, he sounds really disappointed at that. It might be best for a bit more description,"_ Arashi thought to himself. "It was a naked woman."

But that didn't do the trick. If anything, the old man looked more disappointed and even depressed. "If your grandfather could see you now, he would hang his head in embarrassment," he declared, pointing his staff at him.

Anger started to burn in his chest. He might've come here to get away from the old man and his shadow, but he was still his grandfather and no insult would be given where he could hear it. "What is that supposed to mean?" he asked with a challenge in his voice.

"You distracted him by faking a naked woman? You're an Uzumaki and Naruto Uzumaki's grandson at that!"

"So?"

"So?" he repeated incredulously. "Is that all you have to say about it? Surely you know of the **Oiroke no Jutsu**?"

What kind of jutsu was that? He hadn't heard it before. "Was it one my grandfather used or something?"

"He created it!"

"Well, never heard of it before and he's never shown it to me." The most common he had seen were the clones. The more destructive ones, he had only seen when he had snuck after his grandfather to watch him train.

That didn't calm the old man down. "You mean to tell me that you can wield chakra and your grandfather has never taught you the **Oiroke no Jutsu**?"

"That's what I just said, old man," he replied, his anger slowly growing. He was happy to let the man think that he had chakra all his life. Trying to explain that would be…complicated, not to mention confusing.

The former Hokage simply groaned, clasped his head with his free hand, and shook it. "This is truly a sad thing to hear."

"And why is that?" the blonde asked him, his voice starting to show the anger he had.

"Maybe it's time we should take our seats?" Hiro suggested, not wanting to see an argument happen. Their meeting had already turned sour. It shouldn't get any worse.

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Arashi agreed, reining in his anger. He walked past the old man with barely a look at him, climbing the steps to the seat he had taken last Friday. Everyone else quickly found their own seats. They waited for the bell to ring, uncertain if something else would happen.

Ichiro came stomping through the door with his cronies a few steps behind him. He looked at Arashi with a glare but the blonde just stared out the window, acting like he was bored of everything that was going on. _"Smug bastard,"_ he mentally growled at the sight of him. But then he saw Hiro sitting down near the front and a grin came onto his lips. _"Oh good, I can enjoy myself."_ The little brat saw him and flinched, making his grin get wider. _"Good, he knows his place."_

"Ahem," a voice coughed behind him. He turned around to see the old fart that always came to visit. "Is there something that you need, Ichiro?" he asked.

"No," he answered shortly. He was aware of the disrespect he was giving. But this was the previous Hokage. He didn't lead the village. He was an old fart .Why should he be given respect?

"Are you sure?"

"I already said no," he said with a sneer.

"Alright, I am just making sure."

"Of course you are."

"Excuse me? I'm afraid I didn't hear you properly. Could you please repeat that?" He placed his hand on his ear, tilting it towards Ichiro.

"Of course you are, _sir_," he told the old fart, his tone completely disrespectful. This was something he always did when they talked, pretending to be deaf until he had been given the respect he didn't earn.

"Thank you. You may go to your seat." He acted like the kind old schoolteacher one might find in a child's story. But Ichiro knew that was an act. As he walked to his seat, the old fart spoke again. "And Ichiro, do try to behave yourself today, you and your little group."

He sat down in his chair and leaned back in it. "What the hell do you think I'm going to do, old geezer? I'm here to learn how to be a shinobi, nothing else."

"I'm sure you are." He looked at the cronies and smiled at them. "Come in, boys. Go find your seats and sit down." There were no snarky comments from any of them. Unlike their leader, they had proper respect (and fear) of the old man. They did what they were told to.

The door opened again and Umino-sensei walked in. "Good morning, Lord Hokage," he said respectfully to Konohamaru.

"Good morning, Hidote," he said back. "How are your parents?"

"They are fine."

"That is good to hear."

"Thank you. Do you mind?" He looked pointedly at his desk and then the blackboard.

"Not at all," Konohamaru told him, walking off to the side. He used the staff for support as he walked as his movements showed the stiffness he had.

Hidote-sensei walked over to his desk and then looked out at the class. "Good morning, you hopeless idiots," he said to them all.

"Good morning, Hidote-sensei," the entire class replied. Well, all but one.

"Is something the matter, Arashi?" Hidote asked the blonde.

"No."

"Then why did you not greet me?"

"I didn't know we had to do that."

"Well, now you do."

"Yeah, you're right. Morning," he said casually and with a wave of his hand. Some of the kids near him looked at him like he did something unbelievable while some looked at him with admiration in their eyes (with also something a little…more).

"I assume that you got the reading required of you?"

"Yes I did. That's what is taking up most of the space in my pack." He held the thing up from the floor to prove the point. The thing felt like a weight in his hand.

"Good to hear. I have been informed of your morning exercises, so I will keep you from my morning exercises. Instead, devote your time to reading those books. When we get back from the exercises, there will be a quiz on them. It is not in your best interests to fail."

"Could you make that sound any more ominous?" he asked, trying to be flippant and sarcastic but still feeling a chill crawling down his spine.

"Oh, yes. I can." And that feeling increased tenfold, making the blonde gulp. The sight of the gulp made the teacher grin at him.

"Perhaps you would've been more suited to Interrogation," Konohamaru commented from where he stood, clearly amused. "Your mother trained you well."

"I thank you for the complement, Lord Sixth." He looked at the class, who were still sitting in their chairs. "Well? What are you waiting for? You all heard what I said. Get moving outside!" Everyone, with the exception of Arashi, got up out of their chairs and quickly left the room.

"Hidote, keep an eye out on Ichiro," Konohamaru told him quietly as they watched the children leave the room. "I have a feeling after what happened Friday and out on the grounds, he's going to feel vengeful and try to take it out on Hiro."

"I understand."

"Good."

(Location: Air Temple Island)

Tenzin sighed in relief as he entered the temple proper. Today had been another long day in figuring out how to create the new government. At least there had been some headway in figuring out how to make it so, narrowing down the presidential candidates to a select few.

But now, there were new trouble in trying to figure out how they should run, if they had to run by themselves or could they publically show supporters and other whatnot. It was enough to give him more than one headache. All he wanted right now was to seat down and have a cup of tea.

When he first saw Naruto sitting at the table smoking his pipe, he first thought his hopes were dashed. "Lord Naruto, what is the matter?" he asked, feeling that something bad had happened.

"Nothing's the matter, Tenzin," Naruto replied. "Come sit down and have some tea."

He saw that there was already a pot of tea and a pair of cups resting on the table, waiting to be used. He sat down and poured himself a cup. "Would you like one as well?"

"No thanks. I'm good."

He took a sip of the tea and relished in its taste. _"Aaah, that was what I needed,"_ he thought in contentment. Of course, since the Paragon of the Fire Nation was there, his curiosity came bubbling up. "Why are you here, Lord Naruto?" he asked.

"…The apartment seems a lot smaller and quieter now," the older man replied before taking a drag from the pipe.

"I see." They had all been shown the letter soon after he had gotten it. Bolin had started weeping, declaring that he would "miss his bestest friend in the whole wide world!" before proceeding to define why exactly he and Arashi had been the best of friends, completely with hand gesturing and accents. Mako had been more busy with trying to make sure his brother didn't go completely out of control then show what he was feeling, but he too was a little sad for the blonde to have left.

Asami didn't react, having been shown the letter before the rest of them, but she was just as sad to know that Arashi was gone. Korra was a bit more visible in her sadness, having stared down at the table in silence. There was a question on her mind, Tenzin could've guessed that much. But what it actually was, he didn't have any clue and chose not to ask. Lin, Bumi, and Yue did not show their emotions about it and kept like that. Pema was sad as well as were Jinora and Ikki. Meelo was just as sad but he tried to cheer everyone by declaring "Arashi will be back soon!" He didn't get the reaction he had been hoping for, but there was enough conviction to make them smile and hope.

That had been more than a few weeks ago. Naruto disappeared again barely a week afterwards. While the adults were used to that kind of thing happening, it was the first time that he had done it without leaving Arashi behind. It made them worry that he was going to try to go after his grandson and bring him back by force.

But here he was, with no Arashi in sight. "Where did you go?" Tenzin asked him.

"Up to the North Pole," he answered shortly.

His brow narrowed in confusion. "Why would you go there?" The last time he had done that was when he vanished and ended up living in the slums of the capital. But other than when he had to go up or down to the Poles, the old man preferred to stay in warmer climates.

"I went to see someone."

"Who would that be?" asked Tenzin. "You have no one up there to vis…" His voice trailed off as he realized just who Naruto had gone to see. "You went to see her?"

"Yes."

"Why? I thought that you swore you would never lay eyes on her again."

"I never said that, I implied it. There's a difference."

"But still, why did you go? After all she's done?"

"There's no need to remind me about what's she done, Tenzin. I remember it clearly," he snapped at the Airbender, his face morphing into a harden scowl. It vanished a second later, making him look tired and more his age than ever before. "Sorry."

"It's alright. I take no offense." They both fell silent as he sipped his tea and the Paragon smoked his pipe. The silence began to feel a little awkward to the Airbender as he had an urge to say something, anything, to plug it. "Have you heard from Arashi?"

Normally, he would've expected some kind of sarcastic or snarky reply to the question. But Naruto simply puff his pipe for a long second before replying with, "No, I haven't. Have you?"

He shook his head. "No. Neither has Lin, Bumi, or Yue."

"I see." He puffed a ring from his pipe and watched as the smoke floated through the air.

"…Lord Naruto, why did you go to see her?"

"Why do you want to know?" he asked, a faint annoyance betraying his apparent disinterest.

"You have never gone to see her before. Why now?"

"You make it sound like I plan to visit her again. Trust me, Tenzin. I am not."

"But why did you go in the first place?" He wanted to know the answer.

"…Do you want to know that truth?" the grey-haired man asked as he took his pipe out of his mouth and held it in his hand.

"Yes, I do."

"I'm not sure myself." For some reason, he just decided to go up and see her. "Maybe she was right. Maybe I was feeling a bit of an empty nest." It galled him to concede that she may have been right.

"**Gaki, get over it,"** the Kyūbi told him in boredom. He was about to fall asleep from this conversation.

"_Oh, shut up."_

"I think I can understand why she would say that," Tenzin said to him. "After all, she was your—"

"That's the word, Tenzin: _was_," he replied, cutting off the Airbender. "After what she did, she lost any right to be called my family." And it was easy to do so. He put the pipe back into his mouth and went back to puffing.

"But even you must admit that what she did had surprised everyone of us." They had known her since she had been a child playing alongside them on this island. He could remember her as a child, uncertain looks turning into confident smiles, eager to be a part of their group. It was easier to think of her as a child then an adult, for the child held no betrayal in her.

The door to the side opened and Pema stepped inside. "Tenzin, you're home," she said to her husband.

He stood up and went over to hug her. "Hello, Pema," he told her as he breathed in her scent. It was the smell of the leaves falling in the autumn. He always did enjoy that season when it wasn't cold enough to wear heavy clothing, but not hot enough to make him sweat in his normal robes. "When are the kids?"

"Rohan's asleep," she told him as they broke the hug and sat back down. "And the rest of them are out and about on the island." She noticed the smoke coming from the pipe in Naruto's mouth. "Lord Naruto," she began.

"The deal was that I don't smoke around the kids and the baby," he reminded her, cutting her off before she could begin. "They're not around. I'm fine." He tapped some ash out in the tray by his arm.

"Very well," she said in slight defeat. It was an agreement that they had come too when she had been pregnant with Jinora and Naruto had often smoked while on the temple. It was a compromise and she was always trying to make him stop smoking entirely (with no success). She sat down at the table and poured herself a cup of tea. "So what were you talking about before I came in?"

"P'Li," Tenzin told her.

She stiffened slightly at those words. "Oh. I see." Both of the men knew why she had stiffened. When she had been a girl, she and P'Li had been close friends, almost inseparable. Whenever she came in discussion (rare as those), Tenzin would wonder if Pema was the one hurt the most when she betrayed them. "Why were we talking about her?"

"Because I went to go see her," Naruto said as he blew out a ring of smoke again.

"You did?" she asked, just as surprised as Tenzin had been. "Why?"

"I don't know." From now on, that was going to be his answer to that question.

"**Here's hoping it doesn't come back to bite you in the ass,"** Kurama remarked.

Pema looked at the old man. "Perhaps after all she's done, there's a part of her that you still see her as a daughter."

He snorted at that, drawing the smoke back into his nose. "That isn't me. It has never been me. The minute she betrayed us was the day she was no longer my daughter, the same way that all of you stopped thinking of her as a friend. No, the only one who felt like that was Sozin, even after she had been imprisoned."

"Truly?" asked Tenzin. He had always thought Sozin was like the rest of them in thinking of her as a traitor, more so considering that they were brother and sister (and after what happened between them and Xiu). Had they been wrong this entire time?

"Yes. He once wanted to take Arashi to see her when he was four. Both Azula and I told him that there was no way that he would do that."

"**Ah, yes. The one time you had to put your foot down. I'm fairly certain that people in the Fire Nation heard that stomp."**

"_Shut up, fox."_

"How about we discuss something else?" Pema suggested brightly, wanting to change the conversation from where it was going.

"Yes, please. Let's do that," he agreed wholeheartedly.

"How do things go at City Hall, Tenzin?" she asked her husband.

He sighed tiredly. "As they have been ever since we began talking about the change of government, slowly."

"I thought that you people had finally made some headway," Naruto remarked. Talk about the change was all they talked on the streets and in the bars. He had learned enough about what was going just walking through the streets.

"We have. We've managed to get candidates for the presidency, but we're still figuring out how to proceed with the elections. And ever since the news got out, we've had people coming into Republic City to give their support to one of the candidates, sometimes more than one of them."

He looked sharply at the Airbender. "When you say people, are you also talking about…him?"

Tenzin nodded grimly. "He's hasn't gotten here yet but we have gotten reports of him sailing this way with quick speed."

He groaned softly, taking the pipe out of his mouth. "That man can smell blood in the water faster than any shark. Is Yue still in the city?"

"Yes, she is," Pema told him, knowing full well who they were talking about.

"We need to get her out of here before he makes port. If either of them find out the other is here, things are going to get ugly." And that was the last thing that this city needed.

"Perhaps time has cooled their tempers to one another?" Tenzin suggested hopefully. Yue had been quite the wild child when she was younger but now she had a calmer head upon her shoulders.

But to that, he just snorted. "If anything's cooled between the two of them, it's their libidos. Personally, I would've preferred it like that. There was less of a chance of them trying to beat each other black and blue and more of a chance of them sleeping with each other."

"Please don't remind me." He could still remember that one time he had accidently walked in on them in a _very_ compromising (but also flexible) position. What really made him blush about the memory was the fact that he heard them continue after he quickly left.

"What if we keep them apart from one another and tell them to behave themselves?" Pema suggested.

"Pema, we are talking about the two people who actually started _fighting_ each other during Sokka's funeral. Katara had to freeze them up to their necks to get them to stop. And that was after Sokka told them both, with his dying breath, to try and get along." He had been in that room when Sokka made them both promise that they would and it only took them two days to break it.

"Oh, yes." Now she remembered. It was truly a sad thing to see them interact nowadays. "They used to be so close and now they hate each other."

"I think they more detest each other rather than hate each other," Tenzin said to her. "If they hated each other, they would've tried to kill each other. Instead, they just try to hurt one another. They were friends, once."

"They weren't friends, they were rivals," Naruto said in a knowing manner. "It just turned sour once Sokka made his decision."

"So you're thinking that if Lord Sokka had made different choice, things might have been different."

"No, Sokka made the right choice. We both agreed on the fact that being a Paragon was not something to be merchandised as a part of a growing empire. That is what would've happened if he had been chosen. Yue was the right choice."

They all fell silent, trying to think of a way to keep the two apart when he finally arrived. But they couldn't think of a good one. In the end, they would have to rely on the one thing they had very little hope of: Yue being gone from the city by the time he arrived.

(Location: Konoha)

"Gah, does my back feel sore," Arashi grumbled as he walked down the street. "Well, better my back then my hand." He probably had never taken so many notes before in his life. It didn't help that teacher didn't slow down as he lectured. He probably missed about half of what the guy was saying. The books in his pack weighted down his shoulder as he walked. While everyone had gotten off easy with the exercise, he had been stuck inside trying to cram as much information into his head and he was fairly certain at least half of it leaked out of his head.

To top it off, after the school day was over, he had to go to the hospital for treatment of his back. Why? His back was fine; it wasn't hurting him in anyway. Sure, there was the scarring but it didn't stop him from doing anything. But the Hokage had told him that he was going to get treatment for it and there was nothing he could say otherwise. He hadn't realized that the person who would be healing his back would be the Hokage's mother until he had walked into the room. He was lucky that she was more focused on healing him then actually talking. He had a feeling that she would've wanted to talk about his grandfather and he didn't want to.

As he walked down the street, his eyes saw the people going about their business. _"Man, this place really is different from Republic City,"_ he thought to himself. Even though Konoha could rival the size of Republic City, it didn't feel like a city to him. There was an energy in a city, a buzz that made someone want to get out there and do what they came to do but while avoiding everyone and anyone they didn't know. Here, it felt like everyone knew everyone's name and got along well. The energy in this air felt more like something that made that same someone want to take the day easy, at least on the surface.

He was taking his time going back to the clan complex, wanting to be more fully aware of the village. He didn't like getting lost and the best way to beat that was to figure out where everything was. And since Jiji wasn't here to keep an eye on him, he had more free reign in exploring. He had been given general directions to get from the hospital to the complex and he was fleshing those directions out.

He heard a jingle from a nearby store and turned to it, a reaction that came with him from the other side of the planet. He saw an old man come in a green robe walking out of the store with his hands full of bags. He walked slowly and his hands were trembling ever so slight. To Arashi, it looked like he would about to drop the bags at any second. "Hey, mister, you need some help?" he asked the old man, changing course and walking over to him.

"That's alright, young man," the old one replied, looking down past his bags at the blonde. His hair was completely white and long, hanging around his head. "I am quite capable of carrying these bags home. I've done so for a long time now."

"But you look like you're about to drop them. Let me take some of them off your hands." His parents had raised him right and always told him to help when he could.

"Don't try running off with my groceries, boy. I may be old, but I am not slow."

"I wasn't going to. I'm actually trying to help you out here." He was a little offended by the accusation.

The man's eyes stared at him for a long time and he returned the gaze. It allowed him to see the man's face fully and think to himself, _"Man, those are some seriously bushy eyebrows."_

"Very well, I believe you. Here, please take the ones in my hands." He jiggled his trembling hands, which were just as full of bags as his arms were.

"Sure, you got it." He took the bags from him, about four in total, into his own hands. They weren't heavy like his pack felt like, so he was able to hold onto them without any problems.

The old man rearranged the bags he held so he could hold them more easily, allowing the rest of his face to be shown. His bushy eyebrows sat above sad eyes and a long beard hung down from his mouth to his waist. "You are very…you are very helpful, young man," he said to Arashi.

"It's not a problem," the blonde replied as he kept his grip good and tight on the bags. "So, where're we headed?"

"Just follow me."

He did just that, walking after him down the street. Soon, he found himself making an effort to stay with the guy. Despite being old, he sure could move. He also didn't exactly live right next to the store. Instead, he was walking a good distance away from it, going down block after block after block. Whenever he wasn't focused on following the old man, Arashi would take a quick look around to see if he could figure out where he was.

What he did figure out was that he was nowhere near the hospital, the clan complex, the Academy, or the Hokage building. Any telltale buildings that would've alerted him to which one he would've been going to weren't there. Wherever he was in Konoha, he didn't know it. But that was good. That was what he wanted, to know about the place he was in.

"Hey, we're there yet, mister?" he asked after what felt like a half hour of walking.

"As a matter of fact, we are." The old man came to a stop in front of a single level house that between two much more taller buildings which looked like they were apartment buildings that had been abandoned. Only his house looked like it was being used. He managed to pull out a key from out of his robe and open the door while his arms were still full of bags. "Come in."

Arashi followed him through the door and into the room. Unlike the Uchiha house, there was no entrance area with a corridor to the rest of the house. Here, he could see the house itself. The kitchen and the living room were one and the same. There was a door on the other side of the house that led out to the backyard, which looked big from what he could see. As he walked on the floor, seeing no place to take off his sandals and therefore kept them on, he could hear the wood squeak. He also noticed that the walls were in need of a good paint job. But aside from that, it looked relatively fine.

"Where do you want these?" he asked the old man.

"Put them on the kitchen counter," he answered, placing his own bags on the counter that separated the kitchen from the living room. Once he had done that, he turned and walked away a short corridor and disappearing behind a door, closing it behind him. As Arashi walked over to the counter, he heard the sounds of the bathroom being used.

"_Well, at least he didn't tell me he was doing that,"_ he thought to himself. He put the bags on the counter and then looked around. On the other end of the room there was a shrine and a row of pictures beside it on a shelf.

He walked over to the shrine and saw that it had three pictures in it. One was of a man in a green flak jacket along with a green leotard sporting a bowl-cut for hair. He was holding his right thumb out in some kind of nice-guy pose and was smiling too. The picture on the right was one of a girl with brown hair in puns. She was holding a kunai up by her finger and was smiling brightly with her eyes closed. The third was of another man, also with brown hair but this one was long. His pale eyes told Arashi that he was a Hyūga and he wondered if he was related to Hiro. He had his arms folded but there was a content smirk on his lips. The only thing all three photos had in common was that they all wore the headband of Konoha on their body.

"_They must be dead,"_ he thought to himself. Why else would they be in a shrine? The question was how did they die? _"Ah, no use wondering about it,"_ he decided. He looked up at the other photos on the shelf. Those three were in these pictures as well, long with a young boy who could be a clone of the man with his bowl-cut hair and green leotard. _"This must be the old man when he was younger."_ An obvious tip-off was the bushiness of his eyebrows (seriously, how bushy could those things get?).

The pictures showed the old man's past and with picture, another event was happening. The pictures were of him and his team, posing for the shot in almost all of them. But most of them were taken naturally. They showed them doing regular things, arguing, sparring, having a fun good time, and enjoying each other's company. But there were photos with more than just them in them. He saw other teams of three and more adults, the same scenarios as the ones with only his team.

But it wasn't until he saw the photos with a younger Sasuke, Sakura, and his grandfather that he finally stopped looking. _"Of course he knew Jiji," _he mentally groaned. _"Am I going to find an old person here who didn't know him?"_

The toilet flushed and he heard the door open. The old man came back into sight and saw Arashi standing by the photos. "I see you found them," he remarked lightly.

"You knew my Jiji," Arashi told him.

"Yes, I did. We were friends once, perhaps even kindred spirits." There was something in his voice when he said those words. Was it bitterness? Or was it fondness?

Arashi couldn't tell but that wasn't important now. "And you know me."

"I saw it when I first laid my eyes on you. It wasn't hard."

"Okay. So who the heck are you?"

"My name is Rock Lee. It is nice to meet you, Arashi Uzumaki."

He froze for a moment. "I never told you my name."

"No, that would've been Sasuke and Sakura when they called me about you and that you had come to Konoha."

"I thought you said you figured out who I was."

"They gave me a name. A name without face is just a word. But when I saw you, I knew who you were related to."

Silence stood in the air as they looked at one another. Arashi wasn't sure about what to say. The old man wasn't asking if his grandfather had talked about him like Sasuke and Sakura had (if for a brief moment) or comparing him to his grandfather like the old Hokage had done. While it was nice, it left him a little uncertain of what to do next.

But then he remembered something and as much as he didn't want to use it, it would probably help a bit. He also kicked himself for not recognizing those eyebrows earlier. "You know, my Jiji told me about you," he said.

"Really?" he asked.

"It wasn't a lot and it was only after Rin had first brought you up. But he told me that you were a shinobi that couldn't use chakra and that because of that, you focused solely on Taijutsu."

"Yes, that is true."

"What was that like?"

He smiled a small smile. "Perhaps if you continue to help me I will tell you, my youthful friend." He looked back at the counter for emphasis.

"Sure, alright," Arashi agreed, heading straight for the counter. He was interested in what this guy had to tell him.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

There are many different kinds of bullies out there in the world and if you're lucky when you're a target of a bully, you'll get the kind who does it without really thinking it through and gets caught by someone. But there are the kind of bullies who are smarter than that and will use those smarts to bully you, usually keeping it underhand and out of sight of everyone who could possibly see it all the while pretending to be a upright kind of person that would never do something like that. Ichiro is that kind of bully.

But the best thing about those kinds of bullies is that when you managed to get out from under their thumb and expose them for who they really are; it's much more satisfying than having the not so smart ones get caught. It's even better when they do it themselves. But you have to be careful about what happens afterwards, because all bullies have their pride. Think about that when reading upcoming chapters.

One reader had suggested that I make Arashi a side-story instead keeping it going like this. I cannot do that. Arashi is integral to the story. I had always planned to take him to Konoha. If I put him in a side story, the main story would just be _Legend of Korra_ with a few added characters. Some readers might accuse me of doing that already, but I assure you that I'm not.

The way I'm looking at the Avatar world is that they've never really had an actual presidential democracy. The four countries are most autocratic with one theocratic. Sure there might be some mayoral elections for towns and small cities, but nothing on the size of a country. I don't think that the members of the United Council were actually chosen by the people. They were chosen by the leader of their home country. That's why they have to figure all out now.

I've noticed that for some time now, I haven't been getting a lot of reviews for each new chapter I put up on the site. Perhaps you guys can help me out here and tell me what exactly I'm doing that's causing the loss?

I'll see you all next chapter!


	23. Hard stuff and free help

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 23: Hard stuff and free help

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Republic City Police HQ)

"Mako, front and center!" roared Tóng. He was walking down a line of recruits in the police gym. The recruits stood at attention in workout outfits against the wall.

"Sir, yes sir!" Mako replied as he stepped forward out of the line.

"Congratulations, you've been in a pain enough of peoples' asses to be promoted. You're the first of this batch to get out of basic training," he told the young man.

A brief smile crossed his smile before vanishing back into stoicism. "Thank you, sir!"

"Don't thank me yet, kid," he told him, a grin forming on his face. "You might be getting out of basic training, but you're not done training."

The looks of the other recruits, which had been disgruntled and/or annoyed at first, turned to satisfaction as they looked at him. They had all been through the hell that was the Republic City Police HQ basic training. Throughout it all, Mako had been the first in practically everything. He had put it down to having trained for Pro-bending but they didn't care for what he said it was. Now, they hoped that whatever came next wouldn't be so easy for him.

Mako was nervous about it, but he stiffened his shoulders and his back. "Yes, sir!" he said to the officer in charge of them. "Thank you, sir!"

"That's very good to hear!" Tóng looked at the other recruits. "Are you ladies waiting for an open invitation? Give me forty laps around the gym, now!"

"Sir!" they said in unison before taking off.

"Mako, head to the locker room and change out."

"Yes, sir," he said to Tóng, saluting before turning to the gym's doors. Going through them and then turning to the direction of the lockers, Mako kept his face calm and expressionless. But inside, he was crowing with delight. He had joined only two and a half months ago and already he was graduating from that to something more. He was putting all he could into this and it was paying off.

He reached the locker room soon enough. He hadn't gone on the morning workout so he didn't need to take a shower, going straight for his locker. But when he opened it, he didn't find his recruit uniform hanger there. Instead, it was the uniform of an actual cop. "What's this doing here?" he asked aloud.

"If you're being serious about that question, then I'm going to start regretting kicking it up a notch for you," Tóng said from behind him.

He turned around and asked, "Sir? I thought I was moving up to the next level of police training."

The cop snorted at that. "Kid, when I said that you were a pain in the ass, I was talking about how impressed people were with you."

"Yes, sir, I had noticed that." He wasn't deaf and he could figure it out.

"Well, they were impressed enough with that they decided enough to officially welcome you to the police of Republic City. That's your uniform hanging in your locker."

"…Are you serious?"

"Am I serious, what?"

"Sir," he added quickly.

"Yes, I am." His face hardened into something stern. "But I meant what I said earlier. You're still in training. You'll just be training in real life. The founder of our force, Toph Beifong, had a simple policy when it came to training new recruits: teach them how to swim then chuck them in the deep end. Welcome to the deep end, kid."

Mako felt a little overwhelmed by what he had just heard. He was already joining the force after just two and a half months? He didn't think that it would be so soon. But he had a feeling that he would do just fine. "Sir, will I go out alone?"

His instructor laughed at that, his laughter echoing throughout the locker room. "Relax, Mako. You'll have someone showing you the ropes for the first couple of weeks. But after that, you're on your own."

"Who will be my trainer?"

He smiled at the kid. "You're in luck. I managed to shove the rest of the trainees onto Hui. You'll be learning from me."

Mako smiled back. Unlike the others, he liked the training under Tóng. It felt like Pro-bending training and he was already used to that. This was just a little bit more harder. Now he would be getting work done. "Thank you, sir."

"Don't thank me yet, kid. We haven't even begun yet. But for the love of the Spirits, we're going to be partners. Don't call me sir."

"Alright, Tóng," he replied easily enough. "Once I change, can I go make a phone call?"

"What? Going to go tell your girlfriend that you're promoted?" It was no secret that Mako was dating the Avatar, not especially after she waited for him at the end of each day with a polar bear dog at her side.

That had crossed his mind but there was someone else that he needed to tell. "My brother," he answered.

There was a glint in the beefy man's eye that looked something like approval. "Don't let me stop you. Just make sure that you change. Once you're done with that call, meet me outside. And you only get the one call." He walked out of the locker room in a stroll.

Mako quickly changed into the uniform of a Republic City beat cop. It slipped on him and it was made to fit. He wondered when they had managed to get his measurements for the uniform. They had the recruits running ragged in training. There really was no time to stop and take measurements. But it's not like he was going to complain about it.

Once he was dressed in his new uniform, he left the locker room and found the gym's resident phone. "Okay, what was that number again…?" he asked himself as he held his finger over the dial, trying to remember the new number to their apartment. Once it came to him, he dialed right away.

The phone buzzed busy for a couple of seconds before it was finally picked up. "Hello, this is the mighty fine Bolin of the Fire Ferrets," his brother spoke on the other end, trying to sound smooth and confident. "What can I do for you right now?"

"Bolin, it's me."

"Mako?" he asked in surprised voice, losing the confidence and smoothness in his voice.

"Yeah, it's me, bro."

"What are you doing calling me? I thought that you had training today." There was a hint of bitterness in his voice at that last bit.

Mako winced at the sound of that hint. It was something Bolin was carrying ever since he left the Fire Ferrets and joined the cops. "I don't have training anymore, at least not basic training."

"What does that mean?"

"They promoted me. I'm an actual cop now."

"Really, are you sure? It might just be like that time I had thought we had tickets to see the Avatar Aang play but it turned out that we didn't."

"Bro, how many times am I going to say this? You had a bad batch of seaweed noodles and were coming up with the weirdest things. And this isn't like that."

"They really promoted you?"

"Yeah, they did."

"Way to go, Mako! I knew that you had it in you!" his brother shouted over the phone but even as he shouted happiness, there was still that hint of bitterness in his voice. "I can finally call you my big brother officer!"

"…Please don't." It just sounded weird and wrong, very wrong.

"Wait, if you're an officer now, does that mean you'll arrest me when you come home?"

That got his attention and he narrowed his eyebrows slightly. "What are you doing in our apartment, Bolin?" he asked his brother.

"Nothing! Nothing! There's nothing going on here!" Bolin quickly tried to assure him. But it fell through when he shouted, "Hey, I told you don't bend the water in the sink! Put it back!"

"Bo, what are you doing?"

"Don't worry! Everything is perfectly fine." A noise like something collapsing and then burning went off in the distance through the phone. "Don't just stand there with that fire! Get that stuff extinguished! No, don't use her to do it! I don't care if she's a Waterbender!"

"Bolin, what is going over there?"

"Nothing! Just, uh, just a little audition, that's all."

"An audition?" he repeated. "Why is there an audition going on in our apartment?"

"Just trying to find new members for the Fire Ferrets," Bolin rapidly told him. "I gotta go, bye!"

"Bolin!" began Mako, but the phone already started the dial sound. He stared at it for one long moment before putting it back in its cradle. He could understand why Bolin was doing this. With him joining the police and Korra finishing up healing all those who Amon had bent (there were considerable less after the investigation of them all), and even Arashi leaving for the other side of the country, Bolin had been left alone on the team.

While he and Korra had felt bad for leaving him like that, Mako couldn't help thinking about Tóng's words and he saw the truth in them. Pro-bending was a young man's sport and they weren't getting any younger. It was best to find another job while he could. That was what he did and he wished that his brother would do the same.

But there was nothing he could do about it now. His trainer was waiting outside for him. Today was his first day on the force and he was ready to learn. He could tell everyone else about what happened at the end of the day. He walked away from the phone and started heading for the front door.

(Location: Konoha)

As Hiro walked out of the Academy, Ichiro walked up behind him and gave him a hard shove, sending him to the ground. "Out of my way, stupid," Ichiro told him. "And watch where you're going. I thought that the Hyūga were supposed to be all-seeing." His cronies laughed with him as they left Hiro on the ground.

"_You ran into _me_,"_ he thought to himself as he got back up to his feet. But he knew better than to say that out loud, lest his personal tormentor make his life even more miserable. It was better just to suffer in silence.

"Hiro, why do you take that?" Arashi asked from behind him.

He turned to look at the blonde. In the week that he had been here already, Arashi had been making waves. He was already far ahead in the extra reading that had been given to him and was in the top brackets of the class in terms of lessons, slowly but steadily making his way to the top position. The only thing he was still working out was his control of chakra but with the way that was going, it seemed to be a minor thing at best.

"It's the best option," Hiro told him.

"No, it's not."

"Yeah, it is."

"No, it's not." There was a stubborn tone to his voice as he repeated his words.

"_Why can't he see it?"_ the Hyūga asked himself. "Yeah, it is."

"No, it's not. That's not anyway to live, Hiro."

Anger started to grow in him at that. But he didn't let it go any further, squashing it down so that he would not let it burn. "It lets me live without getting beaten to a pulp every single day."

"Why don't you stand up to him? He's a bully."

"I know that." Kami, did he know that.

"Then why do you let it happen?"

He looked the blonde straight in the eye, even as the other students were passing them by. "Not everyone can be amazing as you, Arashi. Some of us just got into the Academy because of our clan name." He was only marginally better than Tsukiko when it came to getting the good grades, both on paper and in the ring.

"You can't seriously believe that. And that's beside the point. Ichiro's a bully."

"I already said that I know he's a bully, Arashi. But the fact is he's also a smart bully who knows when to torment me and when not to. The last time I tried to say something, he acted all innocent and swore up and down that he hadn't done anything to me. I was reprimanded for disrupting class and for lying about a classmate. And after that, he cornered me out of sight and gave me a hard punch to the stomach. When I threw up my lunch, he made me do it on my own legs and then forced me to keep wearing them for the rest of the day."

Arashi was beginning to go from disliking Ichiro to just outright hating him. For the past week he had been coming after him, trying to intimidate or harassed him. But Arashi wasn't impressed by his harassment or his intimidation. He ignored the guy whenever he did that and when he tried to make it physical, all it took was one disarm move to put him on the ground.

But it was others who got his attention when he couldn't get Arashi's. More so, he seemed to be pouring it on and making their lives even more miserable. "So because of that one time, you're just going to not do anything about it?"

"It wasn't just that one time, Arashi. Look, don't try and help me."

"Like hell I'm not! You can't go on like this, Hiro."

"And what exactly do you want me to do?" Truly, he wanted to know just what the blonde would want him to do.

"Stand up for yourself. Don't let him push you around like that. Don't let him bully you or torment you."

"_So he's just like everyone else,"_ he thought in disappointment. He was really hoping that Arashi would be different. "Arashi, Ichiro is bigger than me and able to thrash me without even trying. What would be the point?" He didn't wait for an answer before he turned to leave for the entrance. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"…Yeah, okay," Arashi said quietly as he watched the Hyūga leave the grounds.

(Location: Uchiha clan compound)

"Hey, I'm back," Arashi called out as he stepped through the door and took off his sandals. His own body was aching but it was the sweet kind of ache that one got from going through training well. But even though he had that sweet ache, his mind was on something else entirely.

He walked to the living room and came across a sight he never thought he would see. Both Tsukiko and Benihime were sitting on the sofa and watching the same show on the TV. He froze, not entirely sure of what to do next. "…Is everything okay?" he finally asked them.

"What are you talking about, backwater boy?" Tsukiko asked him, barely tossing a look his way.

"The two of you are sitting on the same sofa."

"Yeah, and?"

"You're not fighting." Ever since that dinner, Benihime made it a point to stay away from both him and her after she was made to apologize to him in front of the entire clan. While that was a modifying effort on someone's part (he wasn't sure who's), everyone could see that whenever they met, Benihime wanted to tear Tsukiko down and Tsukiko wanted to attack Benihime for said tearing. The tension was so thick between them that one could smell it in the air, take it home, and then use it as a spice to cook meals with. And now, they were sitting on the same sofa, not doing anything to each other.

"The tube over in my house is being hogged by the brat," Benihime said shortly. "So I came over to watch my show."

"And I like the same show," Tsukiko added.

"Oh, okay." Maybe it was like sharing the radio, liking the same serial. If there was only one, peace was made until the show was over.

"Where the hell were you?" Benihime asked him, looking him over. "And what the hell happened to you?"

"I was training with Rock Lee after the Academy got out. He's been training me in the **Gōken**."

That made her freeze in place. "What?Rock Lee?" she repeated incredulously, "as in the Hermit Rock Lee?"

"Yep, that's the guy. You know him?"

"He was the best Taijutsu user in the history of the village! It was said that he could shatter rocks with a single punch and send twenty shinobi flying backwards with a single kick!"

"Benihime's kind of a Taijutsu nut," Tsukiko said, still watching the show.

Her cousin didn't glare at her for such a remark. "How in the hell did you get him to start teaching you the **Gōken**? He's the only one who fully knows it!"

"It's not a big deal. I helped him take home his groceries and once I found out who he was, we got to talking. Before long, I asked him if he could train me and he said yes." Personally, he thought it would've taken a lot more than just simply asking, but he was wrong.

"When did this happen?"

"After my first day at the Academy," he answered.

She stared at him for a long moment. "You mean to tell me that you managed to convince Rock Lee to take you as a student after being here for three days?!"

"Yep," he replied like it was no big deal and to him it wasn't.

She stared at him in utter silence. Then she saw that her cousin was still watching the show. "How are you not surprised by this? You know who Rock Lee is!"

"That old guy brought him back the first day and told the grandparents what they would be doing," Tsukiko told her. That had been the day she was surprised, her and the rest of her immediate family. Only her grandparents in the entire Uchiha clan had known where the famed Konoha no Kedakaki Aoi Mōjū had been living and had long promised him that they wouldn't reveal his location to any wishful students (who were many).

"And you didn't think to tell me?"

This time, she did look at her. "Do you want the first obvious reason or the second obvious reason?"

"You…I…Argh!" she tried to say before finally giving up and flopping down back into the sofa. She went back to watching the sofa.

But Arashi was curious. "What are the reasons?" he asked.

"The first is you two had just a fight the day before and the second is that Rock Lee is infamous for not taking any students."

"Oh yeah, good point. I forgot about that."

"Of course you did, backwater boy."

He just shrugged his shoulders and went for his room, leaving the cousins alone while he could get changed and have a quick shower. When he was done, the show was over and Benihime had gone. "Hey, Tsukiko," he said to the remaining Uchiha, sitting down on the sofa beside her. "Can we talk about Hiro?"

"What about him?" she asked, turning to look at him after muting the TV.

"Have you ever tried to help him with Ichiro? Like trying to stop that asshole?" he asked her.

"Of course I have, backwater boy. All of Hiro's friends have tried helping him. But that just makes Ichiro turn his attention onto us and makes us regret ever trying to help him." The one time she hadn't been glad that someone didn't pay attention to her status as the Hokage's daughter was when Ichiro and his cronies kept cornering her out of sight from the teacher.

"And that just makes you stop?" If anything, that should've made them fight back harder. He knew he would.

"It's not just that. Every time one of us tried to help, not only Ichiro turn his attention onto us but he doubles the attention on Hiro."

"Why has no one done anything about it?"

"Ichiro is too smart. He always makes sure that his bullying is out of sight of the teacher or manages to portray himself as innocent to a teacher that likes him."

"Well, how many teachers are like that?" If he knew the number, maybe he would be able to figure something out.

"Enough for any plan you're thinking of to be a bust," she told him, knowing full the look he had on his face.

"Damn." There went that plan.

"Why do you even care about Hiro anyway?" she asked him.

"I shouldn't care about my friend?" he asked back, looking at her like she had lost her mind.

"You've only been here a week."

"He's still my friend. Plus, I don't like bullies. Agni, there must be something I could do."

She snorted in disbelief at those words. "Let me know if you ever figure that out."

"You wouldn't do anything to help him?"

"I already told you that what would happen if I did. Believe me, if there was a way to help Hiro beat Ichiro I would gladly to do. But there is no way. Right now, we're all just hoping to graduate and get out of Ichiro's way and also hope that he'll die while on a mission."

"That's no way to live."

"Then tell me, backwater boy, what is your great idea to stop it. Please, tell me."

"I don't have one." He rubbed his forehead in concentration, trying to figure out some way to help his friend. "Gah, I wish I could talk to Tenzin right now, or even Lin. They would give me something to work with here."

"Huh? Who are they?" she asked, confused about what he said.

"A couple of adults I know. They live on the other side of the world."

"Why don't you just ring them up on the phone?" She pointed over to the house phone, nestled in its cradle on the stand up against the wall.

He looked at the phone for a moment, then back at her, and then at the phone once more. "…Do you think I could reach them from here?" he asked her.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Have you tried?"

"No." If he was being truthful, he never thought that he would call them (or rather, call _him_). He went over to the phone and picked it up. The dial tone buzzed from the receiver as he stared at it for a moment.

"Weeeelllll…" she asked him, looking back over the sofa. "You going to try and call them or what?"

"Yeah, yeah, just hang on." He wasn't even sure if doing it this way would get him straight through to where he wanted to call. It was best to go the simple route first. He dialed in the number that his dad had made sure he remembered and waited in silence as the ringing began.

"Republic City phone center, how can we help you?" the person on the other end asked once the call went through.

He let out the breath he had unconsciously been holding in the entire time. It had worked! He didn't think it would but it did. "Um…yes, I would to reach Air Temple Island," he told the operator, getting his voice back.

"Please hold while I transfer your call."

He waited as the ringing came back. He was halfway there. "Yes, who is this? It's eight in the morning!" Meelo's voice spoke on the other end.

He couldn't help but smile at that voice. "Ah, the farting runt," he said in an exaggerated tone of voice. "How lovely it is to hear you without needing to smell you. Tell me, have you gassed anyone recently?"

"Arashi?" he asked in complete and utter surprise.

"Yes, I do believe that is my name."

"It's Arashi!" His voice became a little faded with that shout, which must've meant that he was shouting out into the room.

He smiled as he waited. Then he noticed that Tsukiko was looking at him weirdly. "What?" he asked as he clamped his hand over the receiver.

"Farting runt?" she repeated.

"You'd have to know the kid." There was no other way he could explain it.

"Arashi! Arashi! Arashi! Is it really you? Huh? Huh? Come on tell me!" Ikki shouted into the phone, her voice already excited.

"Hello, hyper runt. How are you?" he asked conversationally.

"_Hyper runt?"_ thought Tsukiko as she watched him talk. Where the hell did he come up with those kinds of names?

"It's really you!" she shrieked in happiness at the sound of his voice. "Are you coming back soon? Pleasepleasepleaseplease say that you're coming back!"

"Easy there, I still need my ears, ya know."

"Are you—hey wait!"

"Arashi, are you okay?" Jinora asked him.

"Did you take the phone away from your sister, all-knowing runt?" he asked back. "That wasn't very polite of you, was it now?"

"Okay, seriously," Tsukiko said to him. "Where do you come up with these nicknames?"

"Little busy here," he said in a quick whisper before turning his attention back to the phone. "Is your dad there? I'd really liked to talk to him."

"We're in the middle of breakfast here, Arashi," she told him.

"Really?" he had to ask. "It's the afternoon over here. But seriously, is he there or not?"

"Yes, he is. Just hold on, I'll go get him."

"Thanks, I'll hold," he told her with a little sarcasm in his voice.

"Here, you talk to him."

"Eh? Who are you putting on the phone, runt?"

"The last time I checked, I was older then you, Arashi," a new voice said to him.

When he heard that voice, he smiled widely and said, "Korra! Hey, how are ya?"

"I'm fine. How about you?" she asked him.

"Oh, I'm just hanging in there." He tried to make it sound casual but wasn't sure if he had struck it.

"That's good to hear. We thought that you would've died out there in the world."

"Hey, it's me we're talking about here. When have I ever let you down?"

Even though she could only hear half of the conversation going on, Tsukiko could see Arashi. She saw the smile on his lips and how relaxed his posture had become when he said that first actual name. _"Someone's got a crush,"_ she thought to herself. Now if only she knew who that crush was, she could really make him sweat.

"So what's going on over there?" Arashi asked Korra.

"Well—oh wait, hang on." Her voice became a little more distant. "That was fast, Tenzin."

"Arashi, are you alright?" Tenzin spoke, taking the phone in hand.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," the blonde said reassuringly. "How's everything going over on that side of the planet?"

"We're fine."

"That's good to hear. I would've been worried if you weren't. Agni only knows what kind of trouble Korra would've gotten herself and the others into." He was joking, of course, but even he knew that being around the Avatar was just begging to be a magnet for trouble.

There was a moment of silence from the other end of the conversation and then Tenzin came back. "I pass your words onto to Korra. She finds your lack of faith in her disappointing."

"You weren't supposed to pass that on, Tenzin." Sheesh, was the Airbender trying to embarrass him? He was just glad there wasn't kind of broadcasting feature to the phone.

"I wasn't?" Even though his voice was full of mock surprise, the blonde knew he was kidding. And it didn't take him long to admit it either. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding."

"I hope so."

"So why have you called us, Arashi? We were beginning to feel that you never would. Were you calling for your grandfather? We can send for him if you'd like."

"No!" he said almost too quickly. He calmed himself before he got any further (but he did see the look that Tsukiko gave him when he spoke like that). "Actually, I wanted to talk to you or Lin."

"Oh? What about?" asked the Airbender.

"I've made a friend over here but he's being bullied and he's content to just let it happen to him."

"Does he not have any friends that will help him in this?"

"Yeah, he's got friends but they won't help him." He looked over at Tsukiko and saw the annoyed look on her face as he spoke. So he held up a finger, silently telling her to wait. "They've tried but the bully just turns his attention onto them and doubles the attention on him. What's more, he's the smart kind of bully who manages to keep what he does out of sight."

"I see. That is truly a problematic thing."

"Yeah, I know. The bully's already tried to get to me."

"What?!" shouted Tenzin.

He was fairly certain that he wasn't the only one who had shouted that word. "I said that the bully already to get to me."

"Why would he do that to you?"

"I may have pounded his face in the first day I was here."

There was a long sigh of suffering. "Arashi," Tenzin began.

"Hey, I saw the guy picking on my friend and no one was doing anything about it. What was I supposed to do? Not do anything about it?"

"…No," he admitted. "How badly did you beat him?"

"Got him down to the ground in one move and then pounded away on him," the blonde told him. "I humiliated him."

"That is not something to be proud of, Arashi."

"Anyone else would say differently. Besides, you haven't met the kid." He had, after all.

"Arashi, are you sure you don't want to speak to your grandfather? This might be something you should talk to him about."

"Yes, I'm sure," he snapped. "I called you guys because I wanted to talk you, or possibly Lin. I didn't want to call Jiji."

"Alright, alright," Tenzin said placating. "So, what exactly do you want from me? Lin is already at the Police HQ."

"How do I help my friend stop getting bullied? How do I help him stand up for himself?"

"Hmm, I will be honest with you, Arashi. This problem of yours sounds like something Lin would be better for advice rather than me."

"So you're saying that I should call her?" That didn't sound like the best of ideas to him. He had made the mistake of prank-calling her once while she had been at work and Jiji had come home to find him dangling from the ceiling with a police wire wrapped around him tightly.

"While that might be the best course, I believe I can help you by giving you her advice."

"Thanks." Tenzin would know why he was hesitant to call Lin. Jiji had told everyone about the prank call. Meelo and Ikki couldn't look at him for a month without laughing and Jiji had left disappeared the next day, meaning that he stayed at the island again.

"I believe that she would tell you to follow the idea of the police when it comes to training their recruits."

"Seeing as I've never joined the cops, I don't know what that is. You mind telling me about it?" A brief thought came to him about asking how Mako was doing but he wanted to stay focused on the problem he had right now.

"It is this: once you've taught them to swim, chuck them in the deep end."

"…Is that an actual thing they say?" It couldn't be.

"From the mouth of Lin's mother herself," Tenzin told him.

It sounded ridiculous and yet…an idea started to come into his head around it. Maybe, perhaps just maybe, it could be something that he could work with. But it was going to take a couple of things to work. "Thanks, Tenzin."

"I am happy to help. Now, tell me about you. How have you been over there?"

"I already said that I'm fine. Look, I gotta go. A plan's coming to mind and I need to work on it."

"Is there anything you want to pass onto your grandfather?"

"Nope, I'm good here. Look, I might call back later. Bye." He put the phone down back in its cradle.

"You really don't want to talk to your Jiji, huh?" Tsukiko remarked, getting his attention again.

He looked over at her. "I came here to get away from his shadow and I found that some of it is still here too."

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"I wanted to be my own man, not just the grandson of Naruto Uzumaki, Paragon of the Fire Nation and writer of the Shiro Ryū series. I figured that coming here would be the best place to do it. Instead, there seem to be old people coming out of the woodworks that knew him."

"Oh yeah, I can get that," she said feeling his pain. She was the daughter of the Hokage and the granddaughter of the Kurojishi no Sharingan and the Konoha no Sakura Hō-ō, after all.

He fixed her a look as he sat down on the edge of the sofa. "Yes, but you know these people. You've known them your entire life. I've been here a week."

"And yet, you've made quite the impact with the old people."

"…Is this about what happened between me and Hiro's grandmother?"

"Come on, backwater boy. That would've been the first time a Hyūga had ever deemed someone outside the clan worthy to learn the **Jūken** and from the clan head too. And you went ahead and said no." She never would've thought someone would refuse Lady Hinata and he did, in front of everyone too.

"I had my reasons."

"Care to share them?"

"No." He stood up from the sofa and walked over to the table.

"What are you planning on doing now, backwater boy?" she asked him.

"Coming up with a plan to help Hiro," he answered. "And I'm going to need a map."

"Of what exactly?" she asked.

"Of Konoha and where the gangs and the red light district are in it." He knelt down where the maps were kept in the room and began looking through them.

"The village doesn't have that." They were living in a village of shinobi for the love of Kami.

He looked back up at her. "You're cute." He went back down to looking through the maps.

(Location: the Academy grounds)

"_Another day lived, another torture survived,"_ Hiro thought to himself as he walked towards the entrance to the grounds. If anything, Ichiro had been less focused on him and more focused on trying to get Arashi in trouble (with very little effect).

"Hey, Hiro!" a familiar voice shouted out to him. He turned his head to see Arashi coming his way quick.

"What's going on, Arashi?" he asked.

"I need to borrow you for the afternoon."

"Why?"

"I'm going to help you with your problem."

Now he was confused. But he had a feeling about what he was talking about. Perhaps it was best to play dumb at the moment. "What are you talking about? I don't have a problem."

"Hiro, don't try that with me. You and I both know you have a problem with Ichiro. I'm going to help you with him."

"Don't you have something to do?" Practically everyone in the Academy knew that he was being trained by Rock Lee. Tsukiko had spilled the beans on Tuesday (in an annoyed fashion).

"The old guy cleared me for this afternoon and so did your grandmother."

"You…You talked to my grandmother?"

"Yeah, is that problem?"

"Well, no. But considering how the last time you two were in the same room went…"

The blonde grimaced at the implication. "Are you guys going to hold that against me or something?"

"No."

"Then why are you bringing it up in the first place?"

"I just—"

"Look, I got her approval and your parents too. You're good to go."

This was getting out of hand, he needed to stop it. "Wait, wait, wait. Just hang on a moment! What exactly are we going to be doing?"

"I told you, we're going to fix your problem. Come on." He took hold of his shoulder and started walking towards the entrance.

"Hey! Where are we going?" Hiro asked him, trying to get out of his grip as he walked. But he wasn't having any luck with it. The blonde had one tight grip.

"We're going to go exploring!" he proclaimed.

"We're what?"

* * *

By the time that they had stopped walking, Hiro could no longer recognize anything that was a part of the village. Everything around him looked dirty and disgusting. The streets looked like they could've used a very good cleaning and the buildings weren't any better. Some of them were even on the verge of collapse (while some _had_ collapsed). "Where are we?" he asked Arashi, nervously staring at all the people around them. They were given the two boys looks that he didn't like.

"I have no clue," Arashi said cheerfully. "But I do know that we're in the part of Konoha a lot of people don't want to be in."

He would've been nervous about the second part of that sentence if he hadn't already been freaking out about the first part. "We're lost?"

"No."

"But you just said that you have no idea where we are!"

"That's what I said."

"So that means that we're lost!"

"Keep your voice down, will you? You're making other people stare and that's something you don't want to do if you're not known in these kinds of parts."

"But you're the one who brought us here! This is your—Hmfpgh!" His mouth was covered by the blonde's hand, preventing him from saying anything else. Then he was dragged into an alley by said blonde, out of sight from the street.

"Hiro, you need to calm down. If you panic now, they'll find out and jump you like a pack of dogs on a bone," Arashi told him in a serious and quiet voice. "Now, I'm going to take my hand off your mouth. Take a deep breath and calm down. You shout or scream, the hand comes back down, got it?"

He nodded in a frantic kind of way. The hand came off and he was tempted to do what he was told not to do, to scream or shout. But the look in the blonde's eyes told him that he was serious about what he would do. So Hiro started taking deep breaths. With each breath he took, he began to calm himself. When he finally trusted himself to speak, he had a question. "Are we lost?"

"No, of course not," Arashi said easily.

"So you know where we are."

"Nope," he said just as easily.

"So we're lost."

"We are not lost. We are exploring."

"What?" That didn't make any sense! What in the good name of Kami was he going on about?

"It's something my dad used to tell me whenever we walked through Republic City. I used to think that we were lost and he would always tell me that we weren't lost, we were exploring." It had been the mantra that kept him going after the house had burned 'til Jiji had found him. It was also something he used to help get through the times he actually was lost.

"Okaay…?"

"So we shall explore. Back out onto the street we go!" He walked out of the alley to the street with Hiro in tow.

But they didn't even to the entrance when they were blocked by three men. "Well, well, well what do we have here?" the one on the left asked.

"Uh…is that a rhetorical question?" Hiro asked them. He was seriously hoping that it was a rhetorical question.

"Of course it was a rhetorical question," Arashi said with easy confidence. "They obviously know what they have. They have two young boys caught in a trap. No, no, no. The question is not what they have here. The question is what they are going to do to us."

"What…what are they going to do us?"

"Well, I don't know what they're going to do to us, Hiro. You're going to have to ask them." He gestured at the men with his free hand. "Go on, ask them."

He didn't want to but the blonde was expecting him to. "What are you going to do to us?" he asked the men, trying his best to hide his nervousness.

"Oh, I don't know," the one in the center said lightly. "We could just go with you giving us your money and we'll leave you be."

"But we don't have any money."

"Don't try conning me, kid. I can tell by those eyes alone that you're a Hyūga. That means you got money. Now hand it over."

"But I really don't have any money." He was given enough to pay for lunch at the Academy and that was usually taken by Ichiro whenever he had forgotten his own lunch (which seemed to be a lot nowadays). But other than that, he had no money.

"And I don't have any money either," Arashi told them. "Usually I try to steal it myself. Of course, I don't come up and try to intimidate my targets. Tell me, is that a tactic that actually works? I've had my doubts about it. It just seems too straight-forward to me." The way he spoke, Hiro wasn't sure if he was being really sarcastic or being serious about his question. He was afraid to ask too.

"Well, actually," the guy on the right began to say, only to fall silent when the other two turned their heads to glare at him. "…Never mind. Just give us the money."

"Or what?" asked Arashi.

"Or you won't like what happens next," the guy in the center told him.

But he laughed briefly. "Seriously, that's the best you could come up with? Come on. Try for a little originality here."

"Kid, you're about two seconds from getting your face punched in."

"See? That was better."

"Uh, Arashi?" said Hiro. "I think he's serious."

"Of course he's serious. Anyone can see that."

"Give us the money," the guy on the left ordered them.

The blonde rolled his eyes, still not taking this seriously. "And now we've gone full circle. We already told you that we don't have money."

"You're lying."

Arashi managed to look offended by his words while Hiro still just looked very, very nervous. "If we had money, don't you think that we would've given it to you already? We're not stupid."

"No one gives us their money right away."

"And that says a lot about your track record in this line of business. Just pointing that out for your sakes," he told them with a raised finger.

"Gaki, last chance," the guy on the right growled. "Give us the money."

He looked like he was thinking it over, putting his hand on his chin and frowning in concentration. "Hmm…I have a better idea," he finally said.

"What's that?"

He looked over at Hiro. "Run!" He twisted around and sprinted down the alley, away from the men. For a half second, Hiro just stared at him running in shock. Then reality set back in and he went after him with every ounce of speed he could muster.

"Get after them!" he heard one of the men shout behind him.

Hearing that wasn't going to make him stop. If anything, it just made him run even faster. The alley started to blur around the edges of his vision. He quickly caught up with the blonde. "What are we doing?" he shouted as they ran.

"Running for our lives!" he answered.

"Why!?" the Hyūga shouted.

"Do you want to give them our money?"

"We don't have any money!"

"Exactly!" he declared as they turned the corner, keeping the speed constant. "We just need to keep going."

"What makes you say that? Those guys are older than us. They're going to catch up to us!" He was beginning to panic again. His breath was starting to come in short gasps as he ran and he was certain it wasn't coming from being tired.

"No, they won't. They have no training as shinobi. You can barely even hear them now." He was right. The angry shouting and panting that had told them both that the adults were following them could barely be heard now. They were putting distance between them.

While that was good news to hear, Hiro couldn't slow down to enjoy it. His fear of them actually catching up to them made him keep going, matching pace with Arashi as they ran through the alley, going from one to another. On a normal day, he would've had difficulty figuring out how one alley was different from the other. Now, they all just sort of fused together into one long alley that didn't seem to end.

They kept running for what felt like the longest time to Hiro. The sound of their feet slamming against the ground as they ran filled his ears. But it wasn't the only sound that he heard. He could also hear his heart pounding away like crazy inside his chest. It was like a beat that kept the other sound he heard constant. It kept telling him, _"You must run. You must run. You must run. You must run."_

When Arashi finally stopped, Hiro went a few steps beyond him before stopping himself. "Why are we stopping?" he asked in a panting voice, his hands resting on his knees and his butt up against a piece of dirty wall. From out of the corner of his eye, he saw that the alley lead out into a different street.

"Listen," the blonde told him from where he was leaning against the alley wall opposite of him. He was panting too, but not as hard (which Hiro found a little annoying).

"Listen for what?" he asked as he stood back up.

"Just listen." He did as he was told and listened. He could hear the faint sounds of people in the street, a slight wind blowing through the alley, even a cat or two. But he didn't hear the men after them.

"Where are they?" he asked Arashi.

"We lost them."

It took him a moment to figure those words out. "We…we lost them?"

"That's what I said."

He breathed a huge sigh of relief at that and all but sagged against the alley wall. "Thank you, Kami," he said aloud.

"Why are you thanking a spirit? You should be thanking me."

He spun his head to look at the blonde, fixing him with a hard glare. "You're the reason we were running in the first place!"

"I know that. Like I said, you should be thanking me."

"I don't think so." He stood himself back up and started going down into the alley again.

"Where are you going?" Arashi asked him, watching him as he walked past.

"Back the way we came so we can go home."

"You want to go back down the way we came and possibly run into the men who were trying to take our money?" He laughed hard but brief at that. "Have a good time. And besides, do you remember the way back clearly? I know I don't."

Hiro stopped walking as he listened to that laugh. He had a point, as much as the Hyūga didn't want to admit. It had all kind of blurred together for him and while he was fairly certain that they had taken a couple of turns while running, he wasn't sure when they happened. "Shit." A part of him wanted to start crying but the rest of him squashed that urge immediately. Hyūgas do not cry.

"Well, we're even more loss, so we might as well keep going." The blonde got off of his wall and walked out onto the street. He stopped and looked back at Hiro, who hadn't moved yet. "Well come on. We need to get going."

"_Why is this happening to me?"_ Hiro silently asked as he stepped out into the street. Unlike the first one, this was a completely deserted street. There wasn't even a cat or a person in sight. The lack of people (and cats) confused him. _"Didn't I hear people and cats in the street just a few minutes ago?"_ He was fairly certain that he had. But now he didn't see anything. "Oh great, I'm going insane," he said to himself.

"Not yet, you're not," Arashi said to him. "Come on, we still have things to find and see."

"But we're lost!"

"We're not lost! We're exploring! Come on!" He strolled down the street.

"Kami, if you're there, spare me," Hiro prayed.

"Come on, Hiro!" the blonde called out to him. He followed, seeing that he had no real choice in the matter.

They walked down the silent street. Hiro kept looking around for signs of people but saw nothing. He was all kinds of nervous and scared. He didn't understand why this was happening to him. Arashi wouldn't explain anything and if he did, it was really cryptic, confusing, and annoying.

At first, he thought that he was imagining the sounds of people talking. But then it got louder and louder and he realized that he wasn't imagining it at all. "Do you hear that?" he asked Arashi.

"Yep," the blonde replied, walking casually down the street as opposed to his frantic but contained walk.

"Where is it coming from?" He looked around again, trying to find the source of the noise while he came to a stop.

"Probably just a little further down the street," he said, gesturing at the street as he stopped too. "I wonder what it is."

"What are we doing just strolling this street? If there are people down that way, it's possible that they can help us." The Hyūga started to quicken his pace, only to feel a hard grip on the back of his jacket.

"Whoa, hold on," Arashi said to him, holding him in place. "You can't just go running to something when you don't know where you are."

"Whose fault is that to begin with?" he shot back, trying to get out of the grip.

"Just take it easy, Hiro. We'll walk there, not sprint." He released his grip and started walking again, keeping it casual. Hiro followed his example, even though he didn't want to. He wanted to run down the street and find the people there to ask for help. He wanted to go home. He wanted to go home and just forget this was all happening.

But when they finally came across the people that they heard, Hiro was glad to have been forced to listen to Arashi. The people didn't turned out to be the normal kind of people he had usually met in the street. They were friendly, kind, or polite to him. The people he was looking at were crowded around the steps of one building and when the two of them came into sight, they watched them like a dog protecting a territory (he had actually seen Aoimaru with that look a couple of times).

Even though they didn't have any obvious weapons, Hiro had the feeling that they were dangerous if provoked. They didn't wear any headbands, which meant that they weren't shinobi. There were more men than women in the group, so much so that he actually had to look for a woman. The age varied from person to person, with the youngest being just a little bit older than Hiro or Arashi, and the oldest having hair that was starting to go grey. "What do you want?" the man closest to them asked with a suspicious voice.

Hiro waited for Arashi to start talking, only to get a nudge in the back. He snuck a quick look at the blonde and found him waiting expectantly. _"You can't be serious,"_ he silently said, realizing what the blonde wanted him to do in an instant.

"_Of course I am,"_ Arashi silently replied.

"_I can't talk to them!"_

"_Why can't you?"_

"_I don't know what to say!"_

"_And you think I do?"_

"_Yes."_ The blonde always seemed to know exactly what to say that would make things easier for them. He just had that kind of way with people and words. Hiro, on the other hand, could barely string together a sentence when pressured.

"_Well, too bad for you."_

"_Come on, help me out here!"_

"_Nope, you're doing this on your own."_

"Hey, I asked you a question," the man asked again, his voice slowly becoming threatening. Hiro looked at him for a moment, terrified at the thought of talking to him. Then he looked back at Arashi for help.

"_Go on,"_ the blonde told him.

"_Come on, help me out here!"_

"_I am. I'm making you talk."_

He looked at the man, who was standing on his own two feet now. He was probably about twenty five or somewhere near to that number. He wore a shirt with no sleeves, allowing his bulky arms to be seen by everyone. Hiro couldn't tell if those muscles came from working out or hard working. But he could tell that those arms would be put him in a world of hurt if he did a single thing wrong.

His throat was dry, like it was telling him to not open his mouth and let the blonde do the talking. But his mind reminded his throat that the blonde wasn't going to talk. He was leaving it up to him and he had to speak. He swallowed and opened his mouth. "Sorry, what was that question again?" he asked. Inwardly, he started banging his head against an imaginary wall. He didn't need to antagonize them!

The guy scowled and he flinched under the sight. "I asked you what do you want?" he said.

"Oh, my friend and I don't want anything from you guys," Hiro told him. "We're just…on our way."

"I don't think so. No one goes their way down this street, not unless they got a death wish. This is Iron Blood territory."

"I-Iron Blood?" he couldn't help but repeat. It certainly sounded intimidating.

"You deaf?" the man asked, making it sound like it was a bad thing to be.

"No."

"Then don't repeat everything you hear. It's annoying."

"Y-yes, sir," he said.

"And don't call me sir. I ain't one."

"That, we know," called out another Iron Blood, making them all rumble with laughter.

Hiro didn't know whether to laugh or not, so he went with not. That might've been the wrong choice. "You didn't find that funny?" the man asked, him glaring at him.

"_Come on, Arashi. Help me out here!"_ he mentally cried out. Now would've been the perfect time for the blonde to step in and take over. But he was just standing there!"

"Hey, I asked you a question."

He stared at the man, visibly trembling. _"This is worse than Ichiro!"_ he cried out in his head. But he forced himself to speak again. "I, I think it might be funny if, if I knew you better."

"He's got you there," another Iron Blood told the man.

"Hmpf, get on out of here," the man told Hiro. "Take your mute friend with you."

"Mute?" He got a nudge in the back and he realized that he was talking about Arashi.

"Yeah, your mute blonde friend right there. What? You can't see him or something?"

"_No, I got the point,"_ he thought to himself. But aloud he said, "Yes, I can see him. Sorry. Sometimes he's so quiet that I forget that he's there. It's a pity that he can't speak. That way, I'd be able to notice him. Well, you know what they say about blondes, right?"

To his surprise, that got a rumble of laughter from the group. "Get moving, smartass," the man told him, although there was the barest hint of a smirk on his face.

Hiro and Arashi walked away from the steps, the former trying to mimicking the latter's casual stride to hide his panic. When they were finally far away from the Iron Bloods and out of sight too, he swung a punch at Arashi's arm. "You asshole!" he said.

"Ow. What was that for?" Arashi asked him, rubbing the arm.

"You really need to ask? You left me to talk to that guy! I could barely tell him anything!" He never had been so afraid before in his life.

"But you were able to talk to him, so I'll consider that a good thing. Now, onward we go." He kept on walking like there was nothing wrong.

Hiro wanted to hit him but he was getting away. So he stifled his anger and followed after him. They kept walking down the street and he wasn't sure if it was his imagination or not, but the street actually looked like it was getting dirtier and nastier. After a few minutes (was it more than a few? Time kinda felt like it was slowing down for him), he came to a stop. "Hang on."

"What's the matter?" Arashi asked him, coming to a stop as well.

"I have to go."

"We are going."

"No, I have to _go_."

His eyes lit up in recognition. "Ooh, that kind of go.

"Yeah, that kind of go." He could start to feel it really build up in his bladder. He had to go soon or it wouldn't be pretty.

"Is it number one or number two?"

"Does it matter?" He had to get to a bathroom either way.

"It kinda does. So, is it number one or number two?"

"Number one," he answered. It was something he was glad for. It meant that he would be able to get quicker. "You have any idea of where the bathroom is?"

"Not a clue."

He scowled at the blonde. "You're helpful."

"Sorry. But you do realize that you don't need a bathroom, right?"

He looked at Arashi like he had lost his mind (which he had). "Yeah, I do need a bathroom. How else am I supposed to pee?"

"There's an alley right there." He pointed off to the right at the alley in question. It didn't look any different from the alley they had run though.

"What about it?"

"Go pee in there."

He stared at the blonde in stunned shock. "…Are you nuts?" he finally asked him, his voice rising to a slightly higher pitch (and breaking as he did). He couldn't go in there!"

"No," he replied, acting like there was nothing wrong with what he had just said.

"I can't pee in an alley!"

"Why not?" asked Arashi. He made it sound like he was curious to know why. There were times Hiro wandered what they said about blondes was true when it came to him.

"It's disgusting to say the least. And it's filthy too."

"So? I'm not seeing the problem here. Look, if it was number 2, I would help try and find a bathroom. But since you do need to go pee, you can just step into the alley and pee there. Once you're done, you're done."

He wasn't so sure about it. He had a feeling that the blonde was up to something. But his bladder was telling him to go already. He went into the alley, found a crate to stand behind. Once he was out of sight, he unzipped his pants and aimed at the wall. The pressure quickly left his bladder. _"Ahhh,"_ he thought to himself as he went.

When he was done, he stepped back and zipped his pants back up. "Alright, I'm done," he called out as he stepped out of the alley. But Arashi was nowhere in sight. He froze in place at the mouth of the alley. "Arashi?" he said, looking around. He saw no sign of the blonde.

His first reaction was to fold his hands into the seal that had been driven into him mind since he could first mold chakra, channeling said chakra into his eyes. **"Byakugan,"** he said. The veins around his eyes bulged to noticeable sight as his eyes activated.

Right away, he could see practically everything around him out to a couple of feet. That was the farthest he could see right now but he was working on making it see farther. But even when he used his **Byakugan**, Arashi was nowhere in sight, not even when he stepped out of the alley and onto the street itself.

"_Where is he?"_ he asked himself as he kept looking and looking, trying to find that damn blonde. But he couldn't find him. He was alone in the street in a part of Konoha that he didn't know and felt like he shouldn't be here.

His fear and panic started to rise up again. _"I'm dead. I'm dead. I'm so dead. I don't know where I am. I'm lost. I'm scared. Someone, please help me. Please."_

But then, another part of him, a small but loud part, spoke out. _"Suck it up. You can't just stand around like this, quivering in fear."_

"_But I don't know where I am."_

"_So? Keep it moving. You need to keep going."_

"_But where?"_ he asked himself. _"Where do I go?"_

"_The way you were going before you had to pee. It's the only way you were going before."_

"_But what about Arashi?"_ he asked. _"I don't know where he is."_

"_You'll have to make do. You're on your own now. You have to find a way back to the part of the village that you know."_

"_Where is that?"_

"_You'll have to find it. Now suck it up and move!"_

He took one step and then another, then another, then another, then another, then another, then another, until he was walking down the street all on his own. His nerves were racked in fear and he had to restrain himself activating his **Byakugan** just so he could see better. If people saw him without it activated, they might think he was just blind. He could work with that.

He heard something behind him that made him turn to see, only to see nothing there. "What was that?" he asked himself out loud. It had sounded like someone stepping just a little too quickly on a stone. Was someone following him? Was Arashi hiding from him? "Arashi, is that you?" he called out.

"Who the hell are you talking to?" A voice from behind him asked. He turned back to the way he had been walking and saw a boy his age staring at him. Other boys were coming out of nowhere and started to surround him.

"Uh…nothing, I was talking to nothing," he said quickly.

"No, I don't think so. You were talking to someone," the boy said. He had a nasty look in his eyes that said he wanted to do harm to someone or something. It was something that reminded him of Ichiro. But unlike his personal terminator, this kid was scrawny. He looked like he could use some decent meals.

"No, no I wasn't." An idea came to him and he was desperate enough to go with it. "Hey, look could you help me?"

"Perhaps," the boy said. But as he said the word, the nastiness in his eyes was mixed together with something that spoke of slyness. "It all depends."

"Depends?" Hiro repeated.

"Yes, depends."

"Um, depends on what?"

"On what exactly do you need help with?"

"I'm not from around this part of the village. I kinda got lost and I'm just trying to find my way back." It was the safest thing he could think to say. It wouldn't get him into any trouble and would probably save him a couple of questions.

"Yes, I'm aware you're not from this part. I mean, why else would a Hyūga be walking down our street if he wasn't lost? He sure as hell wouldn't be slumming it!" The boys started to laugh at his joke.

"_I'm in trouble,"_ Hiro thought to himself. Maybe asking for their help wasn't a good plan in the first place. "I'm just lost."

"You said that already. And I think I know the perfect way to help you out." He looked everyone else there. "Beatdown time, guys!"

They all cheered at those words. They sounded eager for it. Hiro looked around, seeing that he was fully encircled and cut off. They had balled their hands into fists and started approaching his personal space. And yet, he didn't see any actual fighting stance in their posture. They were just waiting to swing a punch.

"_They're trying to intimidate me with that?"_ He might not good in the Academy but even he could easily fight them off with that much of a lack of training. "We don't have to do this," he told them all.

"Aww, what's the matter? Are you scared?" the leader asked, his voice full on mocking him. "You shouldn't have come down this way."

"I'm lost. I'm just trying to get home."

"Too late for that now," he said with a smirk.

"Come on, I don't want to fight." But even as he said those words, he started shifting his weight to a more even setting.

"You say that but I can see you moving your feet." The smirk grew wider. "I was hoping for a fight."

He slid into a stance that Hiro had learned in the Academy. He had had never used it, since he had been trained in the **Jūken**. But he knew enough of the Academy style to know that the boy in front of him…had a really pathetic stance. It wasn't something to be frightened of. More like laughed at.

"Were you in the Academy?" he asked the leader.

"Yeah, I was. I was there long enough to know everything I needed to know."

"_Obviously not everything,"_ he thought to himself. He had that kind of pathetic stance in the first years and they managed to correct themselves in the first couple of weeks, if not days. This guy probably didn't even make past the first month. "Look, I just want to go home. Can we skip all of this and move on. If you don't want to help, I'll just leave."

"Oh no, you're not getting away that easily." He looked around at his gang. "Get him!"

"**Byakugan!"** said Hiro, activating his eyes as the first boy attacked from behind. He swung around and struck him in the arms, making them go limp. One solid kick to the legs and he was down on the ground.

The next two came at him from the sides, trying to get him from different angles. He just leaned backwards, letting the guy on the right throw his punch right at his friend rather than him. It connected and sent him to the ground. The right guy looked surprised. Hiro took advantage of that, jabbing him in the stomach with his elbow.

The next three all fell when he went low and spun around in a kick. As he stood back up, he took down the next two with jabs at their chests. They fell down clutching their chests. But even as the number of fallen bodies grew, the rest of the boys didn't seem to take the hint. They kept coming at him, eager for a fight.

He handled them all easily, fending them off and knocking them down without even trying. "Come on, guys! Stop this!" he tried pleading to them even as he threw one to the ground off his back.

"Get him!" one of them shouted.

"No, I got him," the leader shouted.

Hiro saw him move in and countered his punch easily. He was more competent then the others but he was still easier to handle. It just took longer to knock him down. _"Thank Kami for that,"_ he thought as he saw the boy go down.

When the fighting was finally done, he was standing in the middle of a ring of unconscious boys. He wasn't even panting hard. He had never fought so many before. His nerves were on an all-time high. His eyes were looking every which way, trying to see if there was any more coming out to fight him. But when he saw none and finally looked down to see all the boys he had knocked out, he started to panic again.

"_What did I do? What did I do? What did I do? What did I do?"_ The question repeated itself again and again inside his mind. He had to get out of there. He had to get away. If there were more of them or anyone else, he was a goner.

He did a little hop out of the ring and started running down the street at a break-neck pace. He didn't stop for anything, not even when the street started becoming crowded with people. He weaved through them all, ignoring their looks and shouts of surprise. He knew they would wonder why he was running so fast but that didn't matter to him. He just had to find a way out of this mess.

But no matter how far or fast he ran there didn't seem to be an end to the street. He could not see anything that looked the littlest bit familiar to him. All that he saw was just strange people and strange places. He ran until his breath turned to panting hard, out of breath. When he was unable to run anymore, he saw another alley and leapt into it. A quick look showed him that he was alone there.

He sent a brief prayer of thanks to Kami and then slumped to the ground, his back pressed against the wall. He didn't care if it was dirty or not at that point. _"Why is this happening to me?"_ he asked himself. He didn't ask for this. He didn't ask for any of this. He just wanted to go home.

"You know, you seem to like alleys a lot," he heard Arashi's voice say to him.

He looked up and saw the blonde standing over him. Relief surged through him, though it was quickly replaced by anger. He stood up and leapt at him, slamming him into the opposite wall. "You fucking asshole!"

"Whoa, you've got a mouth on ya."

"Why are you doing this to me? Why!?" he almost shouted, pulling it back at the last moment.

"I'm trying to help you, Hiro."

"Help me!?"

"Yes, help you."

"I don't need any help. This entire thing is—"

"You do need help!" Arashi shouted suddenly, silencing him. "You've needed help since I first saw you, Hiro!"

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do!" He pushed him off, sending him to the other wall, but did not go after him. "You can't go living like you have with Ichiro, Hiro."

"Yes, I can." He's been doing it long before the blonde had arrived in Konoha.

"No, you can't. If you're not going to accept help, I'm going to have to shove it down your throat."

"What? Because of what you've done to me? You call being threatened into giving money, being intimidated by one gang, and getting attacked by boys my own age a good thing."

"Yes. There are worse things out there then him and if you buckle under him, then you're not going to make it. Hasn't what you've seen shown you that already?"

He opened his mouth to speak, only to close it before he said anything. Now that he had heard those words, they made sense to him. Each encounter he had, he had been completely terrified, more so then he had ever been with Ichiro. In fact, he was beginning to pale against the others of today. He had a feeling that tomorrow, he would be less afraid of Ichiro then he had been before. "…Yes, it has," he finally said, quietly.

"I'm sorry? What was that?" Arashi asked him. "I didn't hear you."

"I said it has."

"It has what?"

He gave the blonde a look. "Are you really going to be like that? You know what I'm talking about."

"It has what?" he repeated in the same tone of voice.

He wanted to growl, snarl, or do something like that to the blonde. But his parents had raised him right, so he wouldn't sink to that level. Instead, he took a deep breath and said, "It has shown me that there are worse things than Ichiro. I think I'll be less scared of him next time I see him."

He was hoping to see a look of acknowledgement or something like it on Arashi's face. But all he got was disappointment. "I guess my work isn't done yet."

"What? What do you mean?" He didn't like the sound of it.

"I don't intend to have you be less afraid of Ichiro. I'm going to make you completely unafraid of him." He looked out at the street. "And we should probably start running now."

"Why?"

"We'll have to move fast too."

"Why are we running?" Hiro asked, feeling very scared for his life now.

"I found the biggest, toughest-looking guy that was surrounded by his gang in public and spat on his feet."

"You did what!?"

"THERE HE IS!" a deep voice roared from out in the street. When he turned to look, he saw a group of people looking at the alley. "HE'S GOT A FRIEND WITH HIM!"

"GET HIM!" someone else roared.

"Like I said, we should start running," Arashi said conversationally. Then he took off into the alley.

Hiro took one look at the men coming at them from the street and went after him. "THEY'RE GETTING AWAY!" he heard someone shout.

"GET THEM!"

"I HATE YOU RIGHT NOW!" he shouted at Arashi's backside when he caught up.

"I'M AWARE!" the blonde replied. "KEEP RUNNING!" They ran for their lives, going deeper and deeper into the dangerous area of Konoha.

(Location: the Academy)

Hiro walked onto the Academy grounds, bone-dead tired. Even though he was able to get home before midnight yesterday, he could barely sleep and was still tired when he got up this morning. Yesterday's…adventure had been long, tiring, and hectic. He didn't know whether to thank Arashi for what he did or attack him the next time he saw him.

"Hey, freak," Ichiro said in a way of announcement, standing in his way along with the rest of his cronies.

Normally, this would've been the point where he'd start quivering in fear at the sight of him. But again, he was too tired to deal with him. "Morning, Ichiro," he said before trying to go around him.

But a hand stopped his progress. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To the classroom so I get a little more sleep. I'm tired."

"I don't think so, punk." He loomed over him, trying to be intimidating.

But after all he had been through yesterday, after Kami only knows how many times he had been scarred for his life, he didn't see Ichiro as a scary thing anymore. If anything, he was an annoyance. "Let me pass."

"Where do you think—?"

"I already answered that question," he said, cutting him off. That simple reply made everyone stop and look in their direction. He had never talked back to Ichiro. It was something new. "I'm too tired to deal with you, Ichiro. I've run for my life about eight times, incited riots twice, gotten ambushed by people about my size or bigger at least ten times, hidden in three or more brothel, and have stolen more things then I can count. So please, for the love of Kami, leave me alone so I can try and get some sleep."

He walked right past Ichiro and his cronies. No one tried to stop him. They were all watching him walk into the building with one thought in their heads. It ran along the lines of _"What the hell just happened?"_ They had just seen Hiro stand up to his bully, on his own. It was a sight they never thought that they would see and they just saw it happened.

And while Ichiro stood there looking very angry, Arashi walked past him with a victorious smile on his lips. Ichiro saw the smile and wanted to go after him. But he knew that he would lose in a straight up fight. So he just stood there and watched as that smile walked past him.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

Yes, I roll past Arashi meeting Hinata. She had only gone to him to see if he wanted to learn how to use the **Jūken **and he refused her. I felt like that was something that was going to be so short that it wouldn't be worth writing about.

I'm sure some of you will find that Benihime being in the same room as Tsukiko to be a bit odd. But hey, they're family. When you're in the family house, there's a silent agreement to let things lay, at least for a while.

As to Tsukiko's belief about the village, that's not true. Every village, town, or city has one. It just takes a little bit of looking to find. Even Ba Sing Se has it. …You know, now that I think about it, I could've used that back in the original story. Ah, well, bit late for that anyway.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	24. Jealousy and resurgence

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 24: Jealously and resurgence

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: the Academy)

"Alright people, listen up!" Hidote-sensei shouted as they all walked out onto the field behind the Academy. It was a nice warm afternoon and the sun was shining down on them. Right in the middle of the field was a large stone column that was easily the size of the Academy building itself. It was an even square column with the edges sharp and obvious. "Anyone got an idea what this is all about?"

"We're looking at a really large column?" Tsukiko asked. Her question got the required snickering from the rest of the class.

"Very funny, Tsukiko," he said to her, looking back at her.

"It's the truth, isn't it?"

"Yes but there is something else to it as well," he replied.

"Sensei, what are we doing out here?" Hiro asked him. "It's almost time for to school to let out."

"I know what time it is, Hiro."

"Just making sure," he said. Ever since the "kidnapping" by Arashi a couple of weeks ago, there had been a change in him. He didn't take any more of Ichiro's bullying, becoming more vocal and confident. Only a few days ago, he managed to get Ichiro to try and bully him right in front of a teacher that had first thought the world of him. Everyone had seen it and saw the change in him. They all wondered what had happened to him (with the exception of the old people). But he didn't say anything about it.

"This, people, is extra credit," their sensei told them. "Four at time, you will all try and get up this column and reach that kunai. You fall down; you go to the back of the line."

"Sensei, that column is too smooth to climb up," Shikatsuno said. He could see the smoothness of the column's surface from where he stood up at the front. Add to the fact that this column had just appeared out of nowhere meant that it was jutsu created.

"Who said anything about climbing?" he asked them. "This is where the extra credit comes in. You all will be going up the column on your feet. Like so." He walked up to the column and then walked up it like it was nothing out of the ordinary. When he reached the top, he pulled out a kunai and stabbed it right in the center of the column's top. He turned around and crouched down into a squatting position, looking down at everyone. "Get the picture?"

Everyone was too busy staring at him in surprise to properly answer him. It was only when he leapt down back to the ground that someone finally said something. "How do we do that?" Inoji asked him.

"You channel your chakra into your feet. And don't worry. Any damage you might do to the column will be fixed." He checked the watch on his wrist. "School lets out in about an hour. You've got that long to figure out how to get up there. Have fun." He walked through them and then back to the Academy.

By the time he returned with a chair and a snack, they had mostly fought out the formation of the line. Four people were already trying to get up, only to fall on their butts or get completely blown off. The craters that the blown-offers made quickly repaired themselves. Hidote smiled as he watched them struggle. _"Easy entertainment,"_ he thought himself as he began to enjoy his snack.

Over the chaos that was his class trying to get up the column, he heard the sound of another person approaching. "Having fun, Hidote?" one of the other teachers in the Academy asked him, coming up to his chair. He was a short guy but had muscles that showed he was no stranger to the field.

"Why else would I be sitting here?" he asked back. "Care to join me? They've just started."

He looked at the column and then at the students. "Sure. I'll be right back with my own chair." He turned around and walked back into the Academy. He came back quick and sat down in his own chair. "So, do you think that any of them will make it up this time around?"

"No." He watched as Ichiro was sent flying through the air and landed hard on the ground. Nobody laughed at him since they were too busy trying to get up the column. There went Arashi, falling right down off the column. But he got up and looked at it with a hard gaze.

"Are you sure about that? We might be surprised this time around." It was common practice to let the graduating class to try and figure out to get up the column, usually with hilarious results.

"Perhaps, but right now I'm enjoying the show." Another of his students fell down with a _thump_!

"…You're right. Why ruin the show?" They fell silent and continued to watch the show.

(Location: Uchiha clan complex)

Even though it wasn't a Friday, Tsukiko was able to convince her parents to let her have a sleepover with some of her friends. They had a blast chilling in front of the TV, watching any kind of movie they wanted while also eating there too. Once that was over with, they were in her room. But they weren't going to go to sleep, not just yet.

"Soo, do tell, Tsuki," Tsume said from where she laid against the bed. She hadn't brought Aoimaru with her (her host had insistent on it).

"Tell you about what?" Tsukiko asked from where she sat on her bed, her back resting against the headboard.

"Come on; tell us about what it's like living with the genius of the Academy?"

"Ichiro's been living here?" asked Yūki, one of the civilian girls in the class that Tsukiko got along with well. Her brown hair fell against the nape of her neck, nicely brushed and very orderly. Her being was Tsukiko's attempt to get to know her better (she needed more friends who were girls. Too many were guys).

Hana Yamanaka, Inoji's younger sister by a year, laughed from where she sat on the floor. She was often told that she looked like her grandmother when she had been younger, albeit with shorter hair. "Yūki, I'm not in the same class as you guys and _I've_ heard about the grandson of Naruto Uzumaki."

"Oh, sorry," she said with a blush on her cheeks.

"Wait, you like Ichiro?" Tsume asked her.

"No!" she protested instantly, her face morphing into one of distaste. She had once tried to help Hiro in that regard, only to back out when Ichiro turned his attention to her. "I thought that he was the Academy genius, that's all."

"Not any more, he isn't. That's being taken over by Arashi." She turned her attention back to Tsukiko. "So, what's it like?"

"It's annoying as all hell," the Uchiha in the room declared. "Have you ever known what it's like to be woken up by the sound of stampeding bulls in the middle of a thunderstorm every single damn day?"

"Uhh…no," she answered. "No I don't." Of course she didn't know what it was like. She didn't live here!

"That's what I have to listen to every morning when he goes running on the roof. Just when it starts to fade away and I think I can finally sleep, he comes pounding back and wakes me right back up again!"

"Well, since my brother's told me about your habit of being late, wouldn't that be a good thing?" Hana asked her. "You're up early and you're able to get to the Academy on time."

She threw the younger girl a look. "For your information, I am perfectly able to get up on my own to get to class."

"Yeah, you just choose not to," Tsume said sarcastically.

"Heard that," she told the Inuzuka.

"Supposed to," she replied easily.

"Anyway, it's not just the weekdays anymore. I haven't slept in since he got here."

"Are you serious?" Hana and Yūki asked her in unison. They knew the joys of sleeping in when they could. It was a privilege that should be considered sacred and holy. To break it would be blasphemous and yet, they were hearing that someone was doing just that.

"Did you think I would something like that for the hell of it? Of course I'm serious. He does the same thing on the weekends and he always wakes me up."

"Have you tried convincing him to sleep in?" Yūki asked her.

"That's what I did the first week. He actually slept in for one minute one Saturday and raised enough of a noise to wake me up. When I demanded what the hell it was all about, he told me that he had been waiting for the ice bucket."

"The ice bucket?" she repeated, unsure of what to think of those words.

"Yes, the ice bucket."

"Ooookaaay…?"

She looked at the girl for a moment. "Haven't I told you about the ice bucket?"

She shook her head. "No, no you haven't."

"I don't know either," Hana said, raising her hand up into the air.

"Hana, put your hand down, we're not in class," Tsume told her with a roll of her eyes.

"Whoops, sorry." Her hand quickly came back down. She looked back at the Uchiha. "So, do you mind telling us about the ice bucket? Why would Arashi be looking for one?"

"It's not that he was looking for one, he was looking out for one."

Now that was a confusing thing to say. "Huh?"

"_Right, take it slow, Tsuki,"_ she told herself as she leaned against her pillow. "When he was young, his grandfather would wake him up early in the day to train. When he tried to get five more minutes out of him, the grandfather would instead throw a bucket of ice cold water onto him to wake him."

The other three girls stared at her in stunned surprise. "Lord Naruto really did that to him?" Yūki asked her.

"Apparently if that morning was anything to go by," she replied. After she had managed to convince him that there was no ice bucket coming towards him, he instead went right into heading to the roof and running around, thus preventing her from sleeping in (again).

"Have you tried asking your parents for help in convincing him to sleep in?" Hana asked her. That seemed like the best thing to do in that kind of scenario.

She looked at the Yamanaka like she had just said something a little dumb. "Of course I did," she said. She just hadn't done it in the first week that was all. "I even went to the grandparents and asked them to help me convince him to sleep in."

"And did it work?"

"No. They just smiled like what I had said was something funny and said that I would get what he's doing soon."

"So, no help at all?" she asked.

"None whatsoever," Tsukiko declared. She shuddered a little. "I can't imagine being woken up that early in the morning just to train. Lord Naruto must've been one hell of taskmaster to get Arashi like that."

"Well, you did say he'd throw a bucket of ice water on him."

"What's Lord Naruto like?" Tsume asked her.

"How the hell should I know?" she asked back. "I've never met the guy."

"You know his grandson, moron. Surely Arashi must talk about him sometimes. Like 'Granddad once said,' or 'Granddad would do this.' You know something like that?"

"Sorry to tell you this, Tsume," she said to the Inuzuka, not sorry in the slightest. "But Arashi makes it a point to not talk about his grandfather." The reaction she got from the other three girls was exactly what she wanted: a mixture of surprise, shock, and "Are you kidding?"

"He doesn't talk about his grandfather?" Hana repeated.

"Not in the slightest."

"Wow. Just…wow."

"You could hardly blame him. I know I don't. He came here wanting to get away from his grandfather and found out that we know him too."

"Why, Tsukiko, I do believe that you are defending him," Tsume commented.

"So what if I am?" She saw nothing wrong with that.

"Do you like him?" She drew the question out like it was supposed to mean something.

But she just gave the Inuzuka a long look. "Tsume, just because I live with the guy and he sleeps next door to me, doesn't mean that I like him," she told her.

That didn't stop her. "Interesting that you would mention the fact that he sleeps in the room next to you," she said to herself but loudly for the others to hear her.

"Don't go reading into it, Tsume." That was a headache that she did not need right now. If Tsume didn't let it go now, she wouldn't let it go, period. And that would be vastly irritating to Tsukiko.

And as luck would have it, she didn't have any. "Too late," Tsume said with a grin on her lips.

"_Dear Kami, help me,"_ she silently begged.

"You sleep next to Arashi?" Yūki asked her, her cheeks beginning to blush.

She snapped her head over to look at the brown-haired girl. "I sleep into the _room_ next to him," she repeated, placing the weight of intention on the word "room."

"Oh, right. Sorry." Her blush was still there.

"_Oh great,"_ she thought to herself. She just knew that would bite her in the ass somehow. Somehow, rumors about her sleeping with Arashi would be going through the Academy by Monday.

"I just realized something," Tsume said.

"That your brain is in Aoimaru and not your own head?"

She actually chuckled. "Funny, Tsuki, funny. But no, that's not what I was talking about. I was talking about the fact that we strayed from the main point of this conversation. What's like living with Arashi?"

"I told you that already."

"Actually no, you haven't," Hana chimed in. "You just told us what it's like to be woken up by him in the morning."

"Yeah, you haven't actually told us anything," Yūki added.

"So tell us," Tsume commanded.

She stayed silent as she thought about her response. What could she say about Arashi? She could say a lot of things, some of them nice and some of them weren't. She had only known the guy for a few weeks, that wasn't really enough time to actually know him. That would be a few years. "Well…" she began, still uncertain on what to actually say about him.

"Come on, we're waiting."

"I know that, Tsume."

"So hurrying up and tell us already. You're killing us with the suspense here."

She scoffed. "I really doubt that."

"Just hurry up and spill."

She decided just to go with it. "He's confusing to live with. Sometimes, he's this guy from a backwater country and sometimes, it's like he has all the answers. Like what he did with Hiro."

"Wait that was him?" asked Tsume, looking at her intently now.

"Yeah," she answered.

"Jeez, does he know what kind of panic he had caused with that move?" Both the Hyūga clan and the Inuzuka clan had been called out in force to find her cousin. They had searched about half of the village before he came back to the compound, completely worn out.

"Yeah, I should've mentioned that he can also be annoying. When I told him that the village didn't have any bad places or red light districts, he looked at me like I had said something stupid and amusing. He even called me cute!"

"And that's a bad thing?" Hana asked her.

"It was the way he said it."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes I'm sure about!" Now she was the one who began to blush. In the first second that he called her cute, she had thought that he was talking about her. She wasn't much to look at. Her black hair was often a mess from all her running around and getting into fights. She did give it a wash and a brushing but it didn't take much to get it mess again. Her body was much like her hair, often getting dirty with most of it showing on her face. She also still had a kid's body, having not hit puberty at all. But in that second, she thought that he had looked past all that. Then she realized he was mocking her and got angry at him.

"You know, we can help you with that problem," Tsume suggested to her, wriggling her eyebrows as she spoke.

Tsukiko knew instantly what she was talking about and started shaking her head. "Uh-uh, no way, there's absolutely no way that is happening, got it?"

"Oh come on, you're making it sound like torture. It's not that bad."

"Tsume's right. You could use some help," Yūki agreed. She was a daughter of people who ran a beauty parlor, so she knew a few things. One of those things was that Tsukiko needed a makeover.

"No, I'm fine." She wasn't a girly-girl and she wasn't going to look like one. She was already the Great Loser. She didn't need any more titles after that.

"I'll let you do my hair if you let me do yours," Tsume cajoled her. She knew that compared to Tsukiko's, her hair was complete and utter disaster. But it was on purpose and she often challenged people to try and fix it. So far, she knew two things: that every person who had tried to tame her hair had failed and that the only person who she hadn't gotten to yet was Tsukiko.

Unfortunately for her, Tsukiko wasn't interested in trying to tame her hair. "Pass."

She signed in defeat. "Well, I guess there's only one way to do this." She looked at Hana and at Yūki. "Grab her!"

"Wha—Hey!" she cried out as the three of them leapt at her. Hana pushed her down onto the bed away from her pillow and held onto her legs, locking them into place. "Lemme go!" She tried to move her legs but they wouldn't budge.

"Yūki, did you bring that stuff we talked about?" Tsume asked from where she sat on Tsukiko's body.

"Would you get off, Tsume?" demanded Tsukiko. "You're heavy!"

"Yeah, I did," Yūki said, ignoring the Uchiha.

"Well go get it already!"

"Right!" she replied before leaping up to her feet and running for her backpack.

"Wait, you guys were planning this!?" the Uchiha in the room shouted, her voice rising with panic.

"Of course we did," Hana told her.

"Like Yūki said, you need help," Tsume said.

"I don't want it!" she told her.

"Too bad," she said with a shrug of her shoulders.

As Yūki opened her backpack and began to rummage through it, the door to the room opened and Mito looked in. Everyone else in the room froze at the sight of her. "…Should I ask what is happening here?" she finally asked them after a long moment of silence.

"Mom! Help!" Tsukiko said to her, relief in her voice at the sight of her.

"We're helping her out with a makeover, Ms. Uchiha," Tsume explained.

"I see," Mito said. Then she smiled. "Would you like a couple of tips?"

"Yeah, that'd be great."

"Mom!" protested Tsukiko.

"You do need a little help, dear."

"You're supposed to be on my side."

"I am. I'm making sure that they don't go overboard." She looked over at Tsume. "While we're on the subject of makeovers, would you like to have your hair fixed, Tsume?"

"You're welcome to try, Ms. Mito," she replied.

"What's going on?" Itachi asked from the doorway, yawning tiredly.

"Just girls things, Itachi," his mother told him. "Go to bed."

"Okay." He walked out of sight before Tsukiko could even ask him for help.

(Location: Academy)

"Gah, I still can't believe you did that to me," Tsukiko whined as she scratched the itch while walking onto the school grounds.

"Stop that," Yūki told her, slapping her hand away. Both she and Tsume were walking by her side, keeping an eye on her so she wouldn't do anything.

"But there's an itch there."

"There's no itch, you're imaging it so you can mess up all our hard work."

"You call this hard work?" She pointed at her hair. It had finally been calmed down and straightened out, falling to between her shoulder blades. Her face had been cleared of all dirt and other whatnot she had been carrying.

"Yes, because you kept thrashing around."

"You were holding me down against my will!"

"We had to get to it somehow," Tsume said casually while she rubbed Aoimaru's fur. Her partner was resting in his normal place, atop her head. "We did offer you the chance to do it peacefully."

"No, you didn't."

"Yes, we did."

"When?" challenged the Uchiha.

"When I offered you to try and do my hair." Once she was doing that, the others would've snuck up on and made sure that she wouldn't be able to go anywhere once it was her turn.

"That? I thought that was just the usual sucker bet you make everyone."

"Well, that too."

She growled and made to attack her, only to realize that everyone on the ground wasn't going inside, but around the building. They were moving quickly and the babble coming from them all was jumbled and confusing. She shared a look with both Yūki and Tsume. They shared her confusion in what was going on. "Hey, what's going on?" she asked a nearby student, stopping her with a hand on the shoulder.

"The genius is climbing up the column!" she replied, wriggling her shoulder out of her grip and continued running.

Again, the three of them shared a look. _"Could she mean…Arashi?"_ Tsukiko thought to herself. She had thought it weird when he didn't show up at the complex yesterday. She had just assumed he had stayed late with Rock Lee to train. But now he was here?

"Why are we just standing here?" Tsume demanded. "Let's go!" Aoimaru barked in agreement with her.

They followed the crowd around to the back of the Academy. Once there, the babble of the crowd fell into awed silence. The three of them fought to the front of the crowd. When they saw what everyone saw, they stopped. "Holy crap," someone else said. They agreed.

Arashi was slowly walking up the column. His face was knit tight in a look of concentration. Sweat dripped down the back of his head and fell to the ground. His feet were glowing blue with chakra. He took one step in front of the other slowly, making sure each step was right. He was going slowly but he was farther up than any of them had made it yesterday.

He took another step but there was something wrong with this one. He began to waver and wobble. Then he fell, making people gasp and groan. But he had fallen forward, towards the column rather than away from it. As his body smashed against it, he threw his arms out and grabbed hold of the edges. He stayed there, holding onto the column with hands burning just as bright with chakra as his feet.

"_That was close,"_ Tsukiko found herself thinking. He had gotten that far up. He could probably get higher. "Get up off your ass, Arashi!" she suddenly shouted, getting the attention of everyone there. But she didn't care. "Are you just going to give up right there!?"

"What are you doing?" Yūki asked her in a whisper.

"I'm motivating him."

"By shouting at him?" she kept asking.

"That's the idea."

And it was one that worked. Arashi pushed himself back up onto his feet, letting go of the column. He wobbled for a moment, making the audience fear he would lose his grip. But then he steadied himself and started climbing again.

While they watched, everyone seemed to follow what Tsukiko had done and started shouting up encouragements to him.

"You can do it, man!"

"Keep going!"

"One foot in front of the other!"

"You're doing fine!"

"Go man, go!"

"Just a few more steps!"

"You're going to make it!"

"Do us proud!"

"Come on, Arashi!"

The chanting swelled up into a roar as he got closer and closer to the top. _"Almost there, Arashi,"_ he told himself. _"No pressure or anything. Just keep moving."_ The sounds of the chanting were like a dull background noise to his ear. He wasn't focused on them. He was almost to the top, he could make it. He could do it. He could do more. He could keep going.

Just a few more steps…

"You're almost there!"

"Keep going!"

Five more steps…

"That's it!"

"You can do it!"

"Get on up there!"

Four more…

"Arashi!"

"Arashi!"

"Arashi!"

Three more…

"Arashi!"

"Arashi!"

"Arashi!"

"Arashi!"

Two…

"Arashi!"

"Arashi!"

"ARASHI!"

"ARASHI!"

"ARASHI!"

One…

"ARASHI!"

"ARASHI!"

"ARASHI!"

The crowd exploded into cheers when he reached the top and pulled out the kunai. He stood there, taking in the sound of it. It sounded like the roar of the crowds in the Arena during Pro-Bending season. It was a sound that he never though would apply to him. It was loud. It sent shivers up and down his spine. And he found that he loved it.

The kids beneath him kept chanting his name, until the teachers appeared at the edge of it. "Alright, what's going on here?" Hidote-sensei called out, looking out at everyone there. No one said a word. "Well?"

Arashi crouched down and judged the distance from him to the ground right in front of the teacher. Once he had it, he leapt into the air, flipping once and then hitting the ground in a roll, landing right in front of him. Everyone else stared at him in surprise. _"Holy crap,"_ was the general thought they all had. They had thought that the height would've been too much for him to land on.

But for him, it was a jump that he had done before, just without the safeties Jiji would put in. He landed in a roll and sprang up right in front of his sensei. "I believe this is yours, Hidote-sensei," he said, holding out the kunai.

He looked at the kunai, then at the blonde. Everyone else had fallen silent as they waited for his reply. "Cute, kid, very cute," he said, taking the kunai off of his hands. "If you could do this yesterday, why didn't you show it?"

"I couldn't do it yesterday."

"What? A genius like you couldn't figure it out in one go? I don't believe it."

He shuddered at the sound of that word. "Don't call me that. I'm not a genius."

"Alright, then tell me how you did it. In fact, tell us all how you did it." He spread his arm wide as if to encompass everyone in the yard. They all leaned forward, eager to know his secret to the success. They had all seen how the previous graduating classes had attempted the feat and each of them had failed. His was the first and they wanted to know how he did.

"I just kept at it. Every time I fell, I got back up," he said as he turned to look at everyone there. That was all he did. There was nothing else to it.

They were rather disappointed in his answer. It was bland and irritatingly simple. They had thought the answer came to him in some other way. "Are you sure?" someone from the crowd asked him.

"Of course I'm sure. I was here," he replied.

"Arashi, look at me," Hidote told him. When the blonde swung his head to look at him, he saw the rings under his eyes. "How early did you get here to try climbing the column?"

"I haven't left the Academy since yesterday," Arashi answered him truthfully.

Everyone was staring him again, this time in shock. _"This is where he's been?"_ Tsukiko thought to herself. It was beginning to make sense. He had still been here when she had left but she thought nothing of it. He had spent the entire night trying to climb the column and had only now just succeeded.

"Sooo…what exactly is the extra credit I get?" he asked Hidote-sensei.

He stared at the blonde, for once at a loss for words. Since no one had ever made it to the top, there had been no real thought put into the extra credit bit. He started thinking fast, trying to figure out a way that'll work. When he saw the bags again and saw how Arashi was beginning to sway, he had his answer. "Your extra credit is that you can have the day off. Go to the nurses' office and get some sleep. You look like you need it."

Arashi wanted to smile at him, but found that he was just too tired. So he just nodded his head. "Alright, I'll do that." He walked toward the building, determined to reach the nurses' office and that bed.

"Everyone else, get to class," Hidote ordered. As the students dispersed, more than a few eyes watched the blonde leave.

* * *

Arashi felt at peace as he dozed in the bed at the back of the nurses' office. It had only taken one look at him from the resident nurse to get him a bed of his own. He was glad for it. He had been running on adrenaline for the second half of the night, going on autopilot. If he hadn't been so determined to get up there and going on autopilot, he probably would've passed out either on the ground or halfway up the column.

But now he was here and he had a day off from the Academy. Things were looking pretty good. His trips to the hospital were showing results. The virtual tapestry of scarring on his back was now obviously disappearing. It would probably only take a few more visits until he would feel fine taking off his shirt in front of others and not bolt through rooms when he didn't have it on. He was also learning from Rock Lee and it was training that really benefited him. And he was helping Lee come back to his old self, according to Tsukiko's grandparents (and after having the previous self explained and described to him, he wasn't sure that was a good thing. He probably couldn't handle all those cries of "YOUTH!").

In the midst of his dozing, he heard the door to the office open. He thought nothing of it, thinking that the nurse had come back. But at the edge of his hearing, he heard someone say, "Hurry up. Hurry up."

"_Huh? What's that?"_ he asked. Something inside him told him he had to get up, that he was surrounded by enemies. He raised his head and began to open his eyes, only to feel a sharp burst of pain from the back of his head. He fell back down, completely unconscious now, not even feeling himself be picked up out of the bed and dragged out of the nurses' office.

* * *

As Hidote-sensei talked and drew on the board, going over the lesson, Tsukiko kept looking back at the empty space that Arashi sat in. His chair was in the same spot he had been in the first time that they had met. Seeing it empty now was a sight she wasn't really comfortable with. She kept picturing Arashi sitting there, leaning back against his chair and watching the teacher with intense concentration.

"Tsukiko Uchiha, am I boring you?" Hidote-sensei asked her in a sharp bark of a voice.

Admit the sniggering from the rest of the class she whipped her head back to the teacher. "No, Hidote-sensei, you are not," she said quickly.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes sir."

"Really?" he asked, clearly enjoying this little game. "You seem to be enjoying staring at Arashi's seat."

"Ooooh!" the entire class said at her (well, most of them. There was that one group of girls that was giving her death glares). She blushed hard at the sound they made. They were taking it was out of proportion. She didn't think like that about Arashi.

"You're mistaken, sir," she told Hidote-sensei.

"Am I?" he asked her.

"Yes."

"How am I wrong? You've been looking at his chair ever since the class has started."

"I've just gotten use to him being there, that's all."

"Uh-huh." He didn't sound like he believed her.

"It's the truth, sensei."

"Of course it is." He still didn't sound like he believed her.

"Yes, it really is, Hidote-sensei," Tsume said in a voice that was just so full of sarcasm, they could all taste it. "Tsukiko is not interested in Arashi in any way, shape, or form."

"Are you making fun of me, Tsume?" she asked the Inuzuka, her eyes focused solely on her.

"Me?"

"Yes, you," she said.

"I'm hurt, Tsukiko. Surely you wouldn't think I would say anything that wasn't the truth about you and Arashi?" Her face was so full of innocence, it had to be faked. "I would certainly never tell them about the time Arashi accidently walked in on you during your bath and you didn't tell him to leave."

Everyone was now looking at her hard. She wanted to sink into the shadows and hide from their sight. "That never happened!" she quickly told them all. "He's never done that to me and I haven't done it to him!"

"Yet," the Inuzuka said with an amused voice.

"Shut up, Tsume! You're not helping!"

"I know." That grin was still on her face. And even though Aoimaru didn't outwardly show his agreement, Tsukiko just knew that she agreed with her partner.

"If you are all quite done, perhaps we can get back to the lesson?" Hidote-sensei asked the class as he turned to look back at the blackboard. "We can worry about Tsukiko's and Arashi's budding romance later."

"We don't have a romance!" the Uchiha heir cried out.

"Yet," Tsume said again.

Hidote-sensei whipped his head back to the class. It seemed to grow twice in size and turned into a terrible expression. **"Are you all quite done now?"** he asked in a great and terrible voice that made them all fall silent. **"Good."** His head shrunk back down to normal size and he went back to the board. "Now, as I was saying, this—"

"Hidote-sensei," Hiro spoke out.

"**What?"** he asked, the head becoming terrifying again.

The Hyūga gulped but continued on. "Sensei, where is Ichiro?" he asked. "He's not in his seat." He looked at the seat in question, suspiciously empty. So too were the seats of his cronies.

Hidote looked at the seats, his head going back to normal size. Ever since Arashi had arrived, Ichiro's power and control over the class had begun to slip. It lost a considerable amount when Hiro finally stood up to him and managed to get him in trouble. As his loss grew, so did his anger. It had been very loud when yesterday Hidote had announced that Arashi was the one who looked like he was going to be Rookie of the Year by graduation time.

And now, his seat was empty when he should've been in class. This didn't feel right. "Alright, people," he suddenly said to the class. "Practical lesson time: spread out through the Academy and find Ichiro. I want him found before he does something he's going to regret."

"Like getting his ass kicked again by the resident genius?" someone in the upper seats asked out loud. There was a general snigger to that; they all knew how easily Arashi could handle Ichiro in a straight up fight.

But their sensei wasn't laughing. "Get moving," he told them. "And be quick about it. The soon he's found, the better."

* * *

The first thought that Arashi had as he came back to the realm of consciousness was _"Why am I wet?"_ He could feel water raining down on him in a constant movement, getting his clothes wet. Then he began to feel a dull throb in the back of his head. He shook it, trying to figure out why it was hurting.

"He's awake," he heard someone say. It sounded like one of Ichiro's cronies. Why was that?

"Open his eyes," he heard Ichiro's voice command.

He felt fingers on his eyelids, yanking them open. Bright lights pierced his sight. He wanted to close his eyes again but those fingers held them in place. He was forced to wait until the light dimmed down to the normal setting. "Ow, ow, ow," he said as the fingers left his eyelids. He looked around to see Ichiro and his cronies were standing in front of him. He also figured out that he was chained to a shower stall and the water was going. His arms hung over him but came to level when he stood up.

"Nice to see you're back with us," Ichiro said conversationally.

"What's going on here, Ichiro?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing much," he replied while his cronies sniggered. "It's just a little lesson in humility."

"Humility?" he repeated, already not liking where this was going.

"Yes, humility," Ichiro told him. "You see, I don't like you."

"That much is obvious."

"Ever since you've shown up here, you've been a walking disaster for me. You humiliate me in front of everyone more than once. You get others to ignore me. You keep getting higher and higher in the rankings until you're almost on par with me. And it's all because you're some guy's grandson."

The mention of his Jiji being the reason for his success made him angry. "I've earned what I've gotten, each and every one of them."

Ichiro laughed loudly and rudely at that. "Are you kidding? It's so fucking obvious. You're getting the easy track because of who your grandfather and his dad are." They had been there in class when they were discussing previous Hokages. And while he didn't show it, he just knew that the blonde had gotten smugger when it was revealed the Shinobi Kikan was the son of the Yondaime Hokage. "You've ruined a lot of my fun and you've taken great pains to make me a laughingstock," he continued to speak to him.

"You did that by yourself, Ichiro," he said back.

"And now, I'm going to make you a laughingstock," he went on like he hadn't heard him. "And I know the perfect way to do it." He turned to look at one of his cronies. "Hand it over."

"You got it, boss," he said, handing the pole in his hands over.

"What is that?" Arashi asked as he looked at the pole. It was long and glinted metal in the light of the bathroom. The tip ended in two spikes and there was a line coming out of the rubber handle. Ichiro only held it by the handle. That meant something would happen with the metal.

"This is going to be your humiliation. You see, I followed to the hospital one time and I saw you getting healed by Tuskiko's old hag of a grandmother. I wondered why you had to go there because, let's face, that woman is too old and ugly for her to be screwing her."

Despite the situation, Arashi still felt disgusted by those words. "Dude, I'm twelve. She'd kill me if I did something like that."

"Anyway," he continued, still ignoring him, "I was curious and so I broke into the record room to find your file. There wasn't much in there but it did tell me one thing." He smiled a cruel and viscous smile. "You're afraid of lightening, which means you're afraid of electricity." Something must've happened because the tips of the pole started conducting lightening between them. "This is a cattle prod. It conducts electricity. And I'm going to enjoy this."

The second he saw the electricity dance on the tips, Arashi was filled with dread. He tried to move around, to try and get free. But the chains were holding him in place. "Oh look, he's already trying to run," one of the cronies said, making them all laugh.

"You that scared of a little lightening, genius?" another asked him.

Despite the situation, he shuddered. "Don't call me that," he told the crony.

"Aw, is the wittle baby scared?" That got more laughs from everyone but him.

He turned his attention back to Ichiro, only to find he was right there with the cattle prod. He felt the tips against his chest and pain roaring through his body. He faintly heard the sound of electricity crackling but he was too busy arcing in pain and screaming "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

When the prod moved away, he slumped forward. All around him he heard laughter as he looked at the wooden floor. _"Wait, wooden?"_ he thought to himself, suddenly realizing what he had thought. The floor was supposed to be tiled. Why would be it wooden? Unless… _"No, I'm not there. I'm not there!"_ He closed his eyes and opened them again. The floor was tiled.

"Here it comes again, loser!" he heard Ichiro declare.

He felt the prod against his chest again and once more, he screamed, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" His body rocked back and forth in the convulsion from the shock. He could feel nothing but pain. When the pain faded and the prod pulled away, he slumped forward again. He was beginning to fall unconscious.

_SLAP!_

His head rocked to the side from the slap as he was brought back to the land of the living. "Oh no, no," Ichiro told him, that smile still on his face. "You're not going to fall unconscious on me, little fucker. I want you to stay awake for the entire thing. You blacking out on me would ruin the fun."

"Ichiro, you don't need to do this." He could feel everything about his body, the weight of the chains on his arms, the feeling of water hitting his backside and making his clothes wet, how each breath hurt, and how much his chest hurt too.

"Oh, but I do." He shoved the prod back into his chest, hard.

The pain came back, doubled and harder. His body shook so much from the pain that he rattled the chains (if his mind was rational at that moment, he probably would've wondered where exactly they had gotten the chains). He clenched his teeth, trying not to give Ichiro the satisfaction of screaming. But the screaming came. He only managed to keep it muffled inside his mouth.

The prod pulled away from him and he let out his breath in an explosive gasp. He was seeing spots and the floor was wooden again. _"No! No! I'm not there!"_

"There's no need to try and hold your breath," Amon's voice told him. He looked up and saw the masked leader of the Equalists. "I want to hear you scream." He raised the prod up and suddenly, it wasn't Amon anymore. It was the Lieutenant and that grin was on his face. "So scream."

"No, no, please—" The prod struck him again, this time in his side. He swung side-to-side but the prod still stayed to his side. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" he kept screaming. He couldn't stop.

"That's right! Scream!" Ichiro ordered him.

"Ha! Look at him swing!" one of the cronies said, laughing hard at him. They were enjoying this.

He could hear them laughing but the most he could hear was his own screaming. When the prod went away, the pain lessened (but not by much). He slumped down, inhaling and exhaling hard, even though that it hurt just as much. His sight was going blurry on him. Each time he breathed in, it hurt. Each time he breathed out, it hurt. Everything hurt but nothing felt like it was burning. He just felt cold.

The prod struck his other side and again he screamed, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" He tried to move away from the prod with his swing but it followed.

He started to lose understanding of time passing. When the prod left, he was still in pain but he didn't scream. When it came back, the pain doubled and he screamed. It was an endless cycle that kept repeating again and again. Every time he tried to put himself into unconsciousness, he felt a hard slap across his face, waking him back up. All he could hear was the sound of pain and laughter. Was he crying? He didn't know.

The prod struck again and he screamed. It left and he stopped. It struck again and he started up again. Faces were beginning to swim in his blurry sight. Was it Ichiro who was doing this? Was it Amon? Was it the Lieutenant? He couldn't tell anymore. "Just…stop," he wheezed out. But all he could hear was the laughter.

The prod came again and he screamed. Was his scream echoing in the bathroom? He didn't know. Were those tears running down his cheeks? Was he crying? "Oh look, the little baby is crying!"

"Loser!"

"Wimp!"

"**WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN HERE!?"** roared a demonic voice from beyond his sight.

"_What…?"_ Arashi tried to think, but he was already going back to the land of the unconscious. No slap came and he started sinking deeper and deeper into it. Someone was talking to him, but he couldn't hear them. He was so cold. Wasn't today supposed to be a day off for him? Hadn't he earned it? The pain was everywhere. He was cold. He couldn't feel his arms. Did they move? Was the floor getting closer? His sight was going dark. He welcomed it. He just wanted to get away from the pain and the cold.

(Location: Konoha hospital)

Tsukiko sat by the bedside. Arashi lay there unconscious, with only the beep of the machine showing that he was still alive. He had been like that ever since they pulled him out of the Academy. She had been the one to find him, along with Hidote-sensei, Hiro, and Tsume. She had been the one to pull the chains off him and kept him from hitting the ground as he fell unconscious. Classes had been canceled that day and she had been here since.

"_I hope Ichiro dies for this,"_ she thought to herself. She never thought that he would have gone this far. She had thought it would stay petty. She was wrong and she didn't like it. It was just a glimpse of the cruel world that she lived in.

When the door opened, she turned her head and saw her father walking in. "Dad," she said, standing up.

"How's he doing, Tsukiko?" he asked her. The situation had been brought to his attention but this was the first time he had come to the hospital.

"He's still unconscious. Grandmother said he might've fallen into a coma because of what happened."

"Damn."

"Dad, please tell me that Ichiro isn't going to get off for this," she begged him, looking him straight in the eye. "Tell me that he's going to get it."

"He's going to get more then it. He and his friends are getting kicked out of the Academy."

"That's it?"

"No, it's not. I may not have the power to have them fully banished from the village but I am going to do my best to make sure they never have a decent job in the village. They'll have to scrape by with what's offered to them." His voice was firm, showing that he was going to do what he said he would. "Not even the gangs will take them in."

She would've been surprised he had said that but after Hiro's adventure, she was made aware of the criminal parts of the village. "Are you sure you can trust them like that? They're scum. They can easily break their word."

"Tsukiko, what has your grandfather always told you?" he asked her, his voice turning on her quickly.

She winced at the quickness of it but replied all the same. "To never assume about people until you meet them."

"That's right. You haven't met the gang leaders, but I have. They may be scum, but they are scum with standards and lines. Torturing a child because of pettiness is not something any of them agree with."

The door opened again and Sakura and Sasuke walked in. "Is he still the same?" Sakura asked her granddaughter.

"He hasn't even moved," she replied.

"I see."

"Where are the others?" Sasuke asked, looking around. "I know that Arashi wasn't shy about making friends. I would've thought that Hiro and Tsume would be here at the least."

"They are here. So are Shikatsuno, Inoji, and Chōichi."

"Where are they?"

"They stepped out. Some went to the bathroom, others went to get something to eat or drink." She had been the only one who stayed. She thought that he shouldn't be alone.

"Tsukiko, have you left this room since you've gotten here?"

"No," she told her grandfather. "He shouldn't be alone."

He smiled and nodded approvingly. Tsume and Shikatsuno came through the door. They were surprised to see the adults in the room. "Lord Hokage! Lord and Lady Uchiha!" Tsume said with the surprise obvious in her voice. "What are you doing here?" Atop her head, Aoimaru just rolled her eyes.

"We cannot check in on our houseguest?" Sasuke asked her.

"And I cannot check on my patient?" Sakura asked as well.

"No, no! That's not what I meant!"

"Then what did you mean?" she asked.

"Yes, please tell us," her husband agreed. They both had serious looks on their faces as they waited for her answer.

She stalled and stumbled around, trying to find one. She suddenly felt like that if she answered wrong, she would be in a lot of trouble. "Well, I…um, I…" Then she saw the amused look on the Hokage's face and the fact that Tsukiko was trying to hide a snigger. That was when she got it. "You're playing with me."

"Took you long enough," Shikatsuno told her.

"Hey, what's going on?" Inoji asked as he, Chōichi, and Hiro came through the door.

"My grandparents are teasing Tsume," Tsukiko told them.

"Is that all?" Chōichi asked.

"How is he doing?" Hiro asked, going to the bedside. He stared at Arashi's comatose body. He wanted to say something but what could he say? He should've realized that Ichiro would have come after Arashi in such a viscous way. He had come after all others that had tried to help him and with how Arashi had deflected him all those times, he should've known his tormentor would done something brutal.

"He's still sleeping," Tsukiko told him, coming to the other side of the bed. "But Grandmother said that he'd be fine."

"Will he wake up soon?" he asked Sakura, turning his head to look at the old lady.

"It all depends on him," she said back, looking at the blonde. They all turned to look at him, with the beep of the machine being only the noise in the room. _"Come on, Arashi. Wake up,"_ thought the younger people in the room. The elders just watched and waited in silence.

* * *

"Arashi! Natsumi! Dinner!" shouted Arashi's mother up the stairs to the training room.

Arashi looked down them, stopping in his movement once he had a solid stance. "Coming, Mommy!" he shouted back at her. He had been training in his Firebender, going over what he knew to make them even better. If he just focusing on them to make them better, he knew he would soon bloom into a great Firebender. And the way he figured it, it was best to train when it was the weakest time for a Firebender during the day, at sunset.

Natsumi hopped off the rock she had been sitting on. "Having fun getting nowhere?" she asked him. She enjoyed watching her brother getting nowhere with his Firebending. It made her feel special.

He looked over at his little sister. She had been often told that she looked like Oba's mother Ursa, just with blue eyes. Her dark brown hair was kept in a braid and when she smiled, one could the gaps where her teeth had fallen out. Those who didn't know her found to be cute, more so when she smiled at them.

Arashi, however, knew her. "We can't all be prodigies like you," he told his annoying sister. "Just you wait; I'll get better at it."

"Not before me," she declared.

He rolled his eyes in annoyance. He hated it when she got like this. She always rubbed her status as the better Firebender of the two in his face when she could. But with Oba eating with them, hopefully she wouldn't do that at the dinner table. Natsumi looked up to their grandmother and their grandmother frowned on her doing things like this, saying that it reminded her too much of her own childhood. "Come on, let's go."

They walked down the stairs and quickly washed up. Once they were done, they made their way down to the dining room and took their seats at the table. Their father was there, still dressed in his work clothes but the jacket was off. "Hi, Daddy!" they both said to him in unison. Then they realized what they did and glared at them.

Their father laughed. "Hello, Arashi, Natsumi," he said to them. "How was your day?"

"It was great!" Natsumi declared loudly. "I was able to learn a new Firebending moving from Grandma today!"

He looked at Oba. "Mother, what did you teach her?" he asked.

"The same thing I taught you when you were that age, Sozin," she replied with an amused smirk. Arashi knew that people who didn't know his Oba underestimated her at first glance. She looked like a kindly old grandmother with her short white hair wrapped up in a short bun at the back of her head and polite manners to all strangers. But Arashi knew that beneath that, her golden eyes were sharped and watched all and she could kick anyone's butt (having been on the receiving end of a couple kicks himself).

"And did you learn the same thing, Arashi?" Daddy asked him.

He shook his head. "No, I just went over the basics, again."

Natsumi looked like she was about to laugh at him when Oba fixed her with a look that all but told her to not say a word. "It's alright, Arashi," she told him. "You'll catch up to her soon."

"I want to catch to her now," he told her. "Do you have any idea what it's like to be constantly beaten by your little sister?"

She arched an eyebrow and he instantly felt like a dum-dum. "You're going to talk to Zuko for that one."

"Yes, Oba." He took the hint to be quiet.

Then she smiled at him again, a smile that she only had for her family. "Don't worry, Arashi. You just need to have patience." She turned to his sister. "And you need to stop bothering your big brother like that. It won't be so fun in the future."

"But—" Natsumi tried to say.

"No buts, Natsumi."

She huffed and then pouted. "Fine," she said. But Arashi knew that she wouldn't do it. Once Oba had left, things would be back to normal.

Mommy came out of the kitchen carried a pot. "Sozin, a little help here?" she called out.

Daddy stood up from the table and went over to her, grabbing the other side of the pot. Together, they carried it to the table and set it down in the middle of it. Then they both went back to the kitchen and carried out the rest of dinner. "There you go," Daddy said to Mommy once everything had been put down on the table.

"Thanks for the assist." They sat down and everyone began to eat. "So, what happened at work today?"

Daddy groaned a little at that. "Jian was a bigger pain in the—"

"Sozin," Oba said warningly. "Your children are present."

"I was going to say butt, Mom."

"Of course you were."

"I was. Anyway, he's been a bigger pain in the butt," he eyed Oba as he said those words, "then usual today."

"What was it this time?" Mommy asked him.

"A myriad of things," he replied. "He's being more aggressive to take my seat ever since last month." He took a bite of the picken meat. "Maybe I should just let him have it, see how much he'd like it."

"Don't even joke about that, Sozin."

"She's right," Oba agreed. "You know how bad it would be for the Republic and the countries if he were to take the seat of the Fire Nation representative. Jian has no control and only cares for things that benefit him."

"And yet, he's managed to make his way into being my replacement if something should happen to me."

"Well, if you had accepted your father's offer—"

"Absolutely not," he said instantly. "No matter what Jian's done, that doesn't need to happen."

Oba frowned. "On that, we disagree."

"Mom, I will get Jian out of politics for good. You just have to trust me."

"I have an idea," Mommy said. "How about we talk about something different?"

"Yeah, please do," Arashi said. "You're being boring again." They always did this at the table, talking about Daddy's work. But it was so boring to listen to; it actually put him to sleep once. Across the table, Natsumi nodded in agreement.

Daddy and Oba laughed. "You're right, we were being boring," he said. "So, what would you like to talk about?"

"Pro-bending!" shouted Natsumi, very excited about it.

"Yeah!" agreed Arashi. If it was one thing they both shared, it was a love of the sport.

Oba smiled. "How's that boy you're training coming along, Sozin?" she asked Daddy.

"He's doing fine," he told her. "Heck, I'd be willing to bet that with the proper training, when he's fully grown he'd be able to beat you or Uncle Zuko in a fight."

"If we live that long, we might take you up on that offer."

"You'll never die, Mom. You'll just get smaller," Daddy said with a very big grin on his face. "And Dad will just keep getting taller too."

"Yes, and then you'll get old too. Then you'll see what it's all about."

That was a weird thing to say to Arashi but he didn't pay much attention to it. He focused more on his meal. But then he looked up. "Hey, Daddy, can we go to the opening night of the season? Please?" Opening night was one of the best nights to go watch Pro-bending. Everyone knew that.

"Hmm, let me see." He leaned back in his chair and started thinking it over. "Hmmm…when is the opening again?"

Arashi frowned at him. "It's in three days. You know that!" The day that Daddy didn't know when the opening night of the season for Pro-bending was the same day Agni finally decided to cool off.

"Yeah, you do!" Natsumi agreed. "I wanna go too!"

He looked at them both and laughed. "Alright, alright, I'll see what I can do."

They both smiled widely at him. "Thank you, Daddy!"

_Knock-knock-knock!_

They all turned their heads towards the front door, pausing in eating dinner. "Huh, that's strange," Daddy said before looking at Mommy and Oba. "Was anyone expecting anyone to come around this time?"

"I haven't," Oba told him.

"Me neither," Mommy said too.

"Maybe it is Jiji," Natsumi said. Jiji had to go out of the city because of something. Maybe it was done and he was back.

"It's not him," Oba said. "He's not back for another week."

"So who is it?"

_Knock-knock-knock!_

"Perhaps we should find out for ourselves?" Xiu suggested, using the dry sarcasm that would send her children into giggles (which it did).

"Alright, give me a moment." Daddy stood up from the table and walked out of the dining room. They all sat and waited as they listened to him walk to the door and open it. "Yes?"

"Sozin Uzumaki," a voice said. It didn't sound like a question to Arashi, which he found weird.

"Yes, that's me. Can I help you?"

"Is your father here?"

"No." Something changed in Daddy's voice. Something that made both Oba and Mommy stand up from the table and motioned for him and Natsumi to do the same.

"Is your family here?"

"I hardly think that is any of your business. What do you want?"

"I'm here on business from Jian."

"What kind of business?"

"The business of—"

_SLAM!_

"_That was the front door,"_ Arashi thought to himself. _"Why would Daddy—?"_

"MOM! XIU! GET THE KIDS OUT!" Daddy shouted. "GET THEM OUT! THE HOUSE IS ABOUT TO—"

_Boom!_

_Boom!_

_Boom!_

_Boom!_

All Arashi could hear was the sound of explosions before something sent him down to the ground. A screaming noise burrowed into his ears, making it all he could hear. Everything he could see was bright, way too bright. It hurt his eyes. His body hurt and he was so confused. What was going on?

When he could finally see, he saw the house on fire. Everything was burning. Why? Why was everything was burning? He looked around and only saw Natsumi on the ground near him. "Natsumi!" he called out to her, scrambling to his feet. He raced over to her and picked her up by her shoulders. "Natsumi, wake up!"

She came awake and when she looked around, she was scared. Then she saw him and there was relief in her eyes at his sight. He helped her to her feet and she stuck to his side instantly. "What's going on?" she asked him.

"I don't know!" He didn't know why everything was burning.

"Where are Mommy and Daddy?"

He looked around but he didn't see them either. Panic started blooming in his chest. Where were Mommy and Daddy? Where was Oba? He didn't see them. All he could see was everything on fire. The two of them may have been Firebenders, but this was too much fire. They had to get away from it.

"Come on!" he told Natsumi, pulling her along as he started to get out of the dining room. But when they stepped outside into the hallway, they saw that the house was still burning: the parlor room where they would spend many afternoons playing with each other, listening to the radio, or to their grandparents tell them of their adventures, the stairs that led upstairs to their bedrooms, and the kitchen where they had helped Mommy and Daddy cook food. It was all being consumed by the fires.

He could hear the fire destroying everything too. He could hear wood cracking apart, collapsing the furniture all around them. He could the fires hissing and spitting as they burned everything in sight of him. He could hear the whimpered sounds coming from his sister. But what he could hear was the sounds of fighting. He turned his head to look at where the fighting was coming.

He wished he hadn't. "MOMMY!" he screamed. She laid there on the floor, a knife stuck in her throat, blood leaking out of it. Her eyes were opened and fixed at the ceiling. Even as he screamed and silently willed her to get back up, he covered Natsumi's eyes.

"Mommy?" she said.

"Don't look, Natsumi," he told her.

"What happened to Mommy!?" she demanded, trying to pull his hand off her eyes.

"Don't look!" He looked around for Daddy or Oba. But he couldn't see them, just Mommy. He could hear fighting but he couldn't see them. "DADDY! OBA!" he shouted out, hoping to get their attention. "WHERE ARE YOU?"

The fighting stopped for a moment, leaving them alone with the sounds of the house burning. But then someone stepped out into the hallway. It wasn't Daddy or Oba. It was a guy in in dark clothing, which was made dark by the fire's light sucking out all the color. He had a knife in his hand and he smiled a sick smile.

Arashi held Natsumi tighter to him but his eyes kept locked on the knife. But then he was pulled away from them and into the parlor. He slammed into one of the chairs and caught fire, screaming as he thrashed around. Arashi just watched as he died, horrified by what he saw.

"Arashi, get your sister out of here!" Sozin told him. "Go through the back door!"

"What about you and Oba?"

"Don't worry about us!"

"But—"

"GO, Arashi!" he ordered. "Keep your sister safe!" He turned away and disappeared into the fire.

His son obeyed. "Hold on," he told Natsumi, taking hold of her hand. Together, they raced through the house. The fire was blinding and the smoke and traveled into their lungs. But Arashi didn't stop. He pulled his sister through the fires and out the back door.

When their feet touched pavement, he didn't stop. He kept pulling Natsumi through the backstreets and alleys. They had to keep running. They couldn't stop. The alleys took on their own shape in the dark. He thought that man lay in wait behind every corner and street. He thought sprits would come out of the darkness and shadows to chase them down. Natsumi didn't anything and if it wasn't for him feeling her hand in his, he would've thought that he had lost her.

They ran and ran and ran, hearing only the sounds of the house burning, their bare feet hitting the ground, and their breath panting. It was only when a man suddenly appeared in front of them that they finally stopped. They both stared at him in his black coat and hood and then turned around to leave. But the way back was blocked by another coated and hooded man. Any other way out was blocked by other guys.

"Arashi," Natsumi started to say, completely scared. She wasn't the little sister that would rub her superior Firebending in his face when she could. She was his little sister that was terrified and needed his protection.

"It's alright, Natsumi," he told her reassuringly. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

"Found them," one of the men said.

"Good. That is good," spoke another voice, echoing all around them. It was a voice that sent shivers up Arashi's spine and tremble in his feet. It was a dry rasp of a voice that just sounded evil, like a dull knife being slowly pulled over stone. One of the men stepped to the side and a fifth walked forward. This one was different from the others. He was hunched over like something heavy was on his shoulders. He walked slowly like he was shuffling rather than walking.

He came towards them both. Arashi couldn't see his face; it was hooded like the others. When he stopped, it looked like he was examining them. Both Arashi and Natsumi stood in place, frozen in fear. "Perfect, they are perfect," the hooded rasped.

"What about the house?" one of the other men asked him.

"Leave it."

"Are you sure, my lord?"

"Yes. Jian has provided a good enough of a distraction. His ego will blind him to the fact that the real prize is now under my control." He turned away and shuffled away. "Take the girl."

"You stay away!" Arashi shouted in a shrill voice as they moved in on him and Natsumi. He wanted to fight them all off, but they were too many and too strong. He and Natsumi were just kids. One man held him in place while another grabbed hold of Natsumi. The siblings held onto each other just by their hands.

"Arashi! I don't wanna go!" his sister wailed, trying wiggle free.

"Natsumi, just hold on!" he told her, keeping her hand tight in his.

"I'm scared."

"Look at me, Natsumi. Look at me. I'm right here. I'm right here!"

"Don't let them take me! Please!"

"Alright, time to let go now," the man holding her said, knocking her out with a chop to her neck. She went limp but he still held onto her. That is, until she was taken away from him.

"Natsumi! Natsumi! Bring her back! Bring her back right now!" He wanted to get free of the hand holding him and go after his sister. But he could move. She was getting further and further away, disappearing into the dark. "NATSUMI!"

"Prepare the boy," that voice commanded.

He found the air was moving around him and then suddenly his back hurt a lot. When the pain dulled, he was up against the alley wall with that man standing over him. He reached out with his big hand and stretched towards the little blonde. It began to encompass all he could see, covering his eyes with darkness. And he found himself screaming.

* * *

He came awake with a giant gasp of air, sitting up in the bed. He panted in great gulps of air as everything came back into focus for him. He could see that Tsukiko was sitting by the bed, surprise obvious on her face. He could feel the sweat on his brow trickling down his skin. But most of all, he could remember. He remembered what happened that night. He remembered!

Without looking at Tsukiko, he began to pull every needle they had stuck in him and climb out of the bed. "What the hell are you doing, backwater boy?" she demanded.

"I need a phone," he told her urgently.

"You need to stay in the bed."

"No, I need a phone!"

"Dude, you were tortured with electricity. You need to rest and recover." She put her hands on his shoulders. "C'mon, get back in the bed."

He shook her hands off of him and looked around wildly. When he found the door, he bolted for it, throwing it open with a slam that rattled the walls. He ran into the hall, eyes looking all around to find what he was looking for. "Arashi!" he heard someone call for him. He ignored it and kept running.

He ran past people, pushing past when he was forced to. He didn't care if they were the patients or the doctors, they didn't matter. Someone tried to get in his way but he twisted around them and kept running. He found the nurses station and saw the telephone resting in its cradle. He went for it and almost tore it off of its cord taking it out of the cradle. The nurses were saying something, but he wasn't paying attention.

He was so focused on putting in the number that he hadn't realized that he was surrounded until he looked back. He saw Tsukiko, Hiro and the others from the Academy, Tsukiko's parents and her grandparents. "Arashi, you need to get back to bed," Sakura told him.

"Not yet," he replied, keeping his ear to the phone, hearing the ringing.

"Arashi, you will go back to your bed."

"Not yet."

"Republic City phone center, how can we help you?" a voice through the phone asked.

"Let's go, Arashi," Madara said, placing his hand on his shoulder. It was a gentle grip.

He shrugged it off. "Yes, put me through to Naruto Uzumaki's apartment." Everyone went silent at those words.

"Please hold while I transfer your call."

"Come on, come on, come on," he urged. When he saw a finger reach out and press down on the speaker button, he looked at the man responsible. "What are you doing?" he asked of Sasuke.

"Do you think I'd be willing to pass up a chance to talk to my old teammate after seventy years?" he asked. His wife nodded in agreement with him.

He might've said something about wanting to keep it private if the ringing stopped. "Hello?" Jiji's voice spoke. The entire hall went silent at the sound of his voice and everyone seemed to lean in to listen.

"Jiji!" he said, suddenly relieved to hear his voice. He hadn't realized until now just how long he had been away from his family.

"Arashi," he said with some kind of emotion in his voice. Besides that, his voice was cool and calm. "Is there something you need?"

"I remember, Jiji."

"Remember what?"

"The night the house burned. I remembered what happened that night. I remember what happened to Natsumi!" he said, the words all but rushing out of his mouth. "I didn't lose her, Jiji! I didn't lose her. She was taken from me after we ran. Five men took her from me!"

"Can you describe them?" Even though he asked the question, his voice did not change its tone.

The rush of excitement Arashi had felt when he first woke up and remembered that night began to fade away. "…No, I can't," he said dejectedly. He couldn't see their faces.

"I see."

"I'm going to find her, Jiji. I'm going to find her. I'm going to find my little sister and bring her home."

"And where is your home now, hm?" The question caught him off guard and he didn't have an answer for it. The silence that followed lasted longer than it should have. "The ones that took her, you will not touch them."

"What?"

"You will not touch them."

"But I—"

"Arashi, you. will. not. touch. them."

"Why?" he demanded.

When his grandfather spoke once more, he finally heard emotions he knew: anger and rage. "They are _mine_." The whole hall seemed to get colder at the sound of those words.

_Click._

The phone went dead, leaving the buzzing sound in his ear. He stared at the phone for a moment before putting it back in its cradle. A small smirk appeared on his lips. His grandfather had made a promise. Those guys, whoever they were, were dead men walking.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

If anyone guessed that I took the whole column bit from the movie _Mulan_, you would be right. Personally, I found the ending part to "Make a man out of you" to be really cool and inspiring. Someone is given a task that is thought to be impossible to achieve, but do so after constant effort? Yeah, that's Arashi to a T.

Speaking of Arashi, he's gotten his memories of that night back. It was bound to happen. How else would you guys know what happened or what happened to Natsumi? Keeping that kind of stuff hidden indefinitely would not have worked out for the better.

Even though he was in a hall filled with people, I wanted to have Arashi's talk with his grandfather to be a one-on-one thing, hence why no one else actually talked during the conversation. And for most of them, they didn't really think to do it. They just heard the voice of a legend that they never thought they would meet, let alone actually hear his voice. For Sasuke and Sakura, it's the opposite. They were hearing the voice of their old teammate so much that they couldn't speak.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	25. Old troubles and rough sailing

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 25: Old troubles and rough sailing

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Asami)

There were times when Asami wished she was an Airbender. That way she could just fly through the sky and clouds, with barely a care of the world. She used to imagine herself doing just that. Just fly away from all her problems on a giant sky bison.

Well, she was close to that now, if she substituted a plane for the bison. It was probably a whole different feeling when sitting in the saddle of a bison rather than the cockpit of a plane. But that didn't mean that she wasn't enjoying the sensations she was feeling right now. The sharp blast of air in her face, the rumbling of the plane coursing through her body, and the sound of the blades spinning through the air were like music to her ears.

"_I could get used to this,"_ she thought to herself as she took the plane through another barrel roll, double checking its capabilities and found them satisfactory. Despite what her father had done for the Equalists, he was still a genius when it had come to inventing new things. After being given her teacher's advice and choosing one of the things that her dad had created for the Equalists, she had done her best to make it appealing to the public masses

The landing strip was in her sights and while she wanted to stay up here, she knew that she would have to go down sooner rather than later (even when she didn't even like later either). She started bringing the plane down into a controlled dive. She landed it safely and taxied it until it came to a complete stop.

She hopped out of the cockpit and out of the plane itself, landing on the ground. One of the engineers, a veteran of the company, came over to her as she took off her helmet and approached him too. "I think these planes are finally ready to ship," she said over the sounds of the blades slowly dying down. Her voice was hopeful and optimistic, like she knew that the machine behind her could be a big hit with potential customers.

But the engineer didn't exactly share her agreements. "I hate to mention the elephant-rhino in the room," he began, which meant he was going to do just that. "But since your father was thrown in prison, no company will work with us. We're nearly bankrupt."

She smiled at him. "Don't worry. I'm going to the South Pole to meet with someone who can help us put Future Industries back on top," she said with a pat on his shoulder.

He didn't look so confident. "Are you sure about that, ma'am?"

"Yes, I am. With a little bit of luck, we're going to be right back where we were." She walked past him, heading for the locker room. But once her face was out of his sight, the upbeat look and attitude vanished. Even though she had followed Naruto-sensei's advice, business was not booming and she knew it. She had done everything she could to make the opposite happen. Now she had to go this far.

Once she was inside the locker room, she stripped and took a quick shower, washing off the sweat she had gotten while testing out the plane. While the water was soothing, it didn't help distract her from her worries. She didn't stay in there long, turning off the water when she was certain she was clean. She stepped back out into the locker room, drying off with a towel as she went.

But she suddenly stopped and looked around. The locker room was bright lit, shining light everywhere and allowing for no shadows. The rows were neat and orderly, even spaced out in the room with the exit on the opposite side of the showers. Everything had been done in neutral colors, proclaiming neutrality in loyalties to countries. It looked like a locker room should be: a place to change and perhaps clean up a little.

But something was off. Asami knew it, she just couldn't see it. She kept looking around, trying to find what exactly was wrong with the room. _"Wait, I've had this feeling before,"_ she realized. She relaxed just enough, but not completely. "Sensei, I thought you said you weren't going to attack me in the shower anymore," she called out to the locker room.

"Are you in the shower right now?" the voice of her sensei asked her, his voice echoing all around the room.

"No."

"Then there's nothing stopping me from attacking you."

"Except for the fact that I already know you're here," she replied as she began walking to the locker she had used. When he had started this whole thing, he had promised her that if she recognized him, he would not attack.

"Yes, there is that. And here I was looking so forward to seeing how you would the towel to try and stop me." There was an amused sound to his voice and she just knew that he was smirking as he spoke.

"If you were anyone else, I would say that you're a dirty old man, sir," she replied.

"It's a good thing you know me, then."

"Yes, sir," she agreed. Being attacked in the locker room was not the weirdest place he had ambushed in her.

"Nevertheless, I am impressed with you, Asami. Your sense of things is coming along quite nicely. If we keep this up, you'll be able to attack me instead me attacking you before long."

She felt pride at those words and it was hard-earned. Not too long after his grandson had left for the other side of the world, her sensei had started these random attacks on her. The first couple of times he had gotten her so well that she would lay half-awake in bed, waiting for an attack that would never come. "Does this mean you will be coming with me to the South Pole, sensei?" she asked as she finished dressing in normal clothes.

"No. I don't go unless I have to. I like warm climates, thank you."

She paused when she heard that. She had assumed that he would be coming with her when they left. To hear that he wasn't was surprising. "Are you certain, sir?"

"Of course I'm certain, but that does not mean you're not going to be training," his voice said back to her, still bouncing around the locker room.

Now she was confused. "How am I supposed to train if you're not there to teach me?"

"I assume you know how to do that by yourself. Think of this trip as a lesson in self-reliance. Also once you're down there, check in with Yue."

"Of course, sir," she said. Yue had left the city a mere week before Asami first found the way to help turn her company around. She didn't know why the Water Paragon had left but it seemed like her sensei knew. "Shall I report back to you on her?" She got silence for a response. "Naruto-sensei?" she called out. But there was only silence.

(Location: Air Temple Island)

Korra was racing through the temple grounds alongside Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo on top of air scooters. Officially, it was so she could get some more practice in on how to Airbend. But the truth of the matter was that they were having fun going around and around the grounds like that. They were so good that whenever they came across someone they were about to hit, they were able to avoid them (although Korra was certain that Pema would be having a word with her kids later on).

They had done four laps around the island and were now in the home stretch. Ikki and Korra were in the lead with Jinora and Meelo right behind them. Tenzin's second eldest child and the Avatar were neck-and-neck as they raced for the finish line. Ikki had a small lead on Korra. It wasn't much but it would be enough when it came time to cross the line.

Feeling confident about her win, Ikki looked back at Korra with a victorious smirk. _"I don't think so, Ikki,"_ Korra thought to herself. Turning her gaze to the finish line, where she could see Bumi standing there with a checkered flag in his hands, she reached inward and activated the Avatar State. Her eyes glowed white and she sped past a surprised Ikki, right through the gate and the finish line.

As she slowed down and came to a stop, hopping off the scooter and landing in a kneeling position, she heard Bumi declare, "The Avatar is the winner!" She stood up and let the power from the Avatar State fade from her conscious grasp.

She could hear Ikki marching over to her and looked at her correctly, with the slightly condescending look of a victor."No fair!" the Air Nomad complained. "You can't go into the Avatar State to win!" Korra just blew a raspberry at her.

"You did what!?" said Tenzin as he approached them all, walking right towards Korra. "The Avatar State is not to be used as a booster rocket! You are toying with a dangerous power that you obviously do not appreciate!" he told her.

"It's the Avatar State and I'm the Avatar," she replied. "Who appreciates it more than me?" It had given her back her Bending when she thought she had lost it. That alone made it appreciable.

But Tenzin wasn't impressed by her words. "Clearly you need more training to grasp the depths of your spiritual connections, not to mention that you're still a long way from mastering Airbending."

She laughed at that last part. "I have mastered Airbending!" She turned around and threw three punches enhanced with Airbending at the trees. "Punch punch punch!" she cried out with each punch. The air blasts struck the trees and sent leaves flying. As usual, her form and stance were flawless. "See? Mastered," she declared when she was done, looking at him with confidence.

Bumi walked up to his brother's side and looked at the leaves floating in the air. "Looks pretty good to me," he declared jokingly.

Tenzin looked at his brother for a moment and sighed in defeat. They both knew that she still needed work. Why would he urge her on like this? "Is it too late for you to unretire from the United Forces?" he asked. He knew that Bumi had talked about retiring but never thought that he actually would.

And yet, he had. He was already beginning to show the weight for it on him, having gained a few extra pounds already. "The paperwork's gone through, little brother. From now on, it's 24/7 Bumi time!" he declared loudly before grabbing his brother's cheeks.

Tenzin shrugged him off and turned his attention back to his student. "You've mastered Korra style Airbending, now you need to master real Airbending. Hopefully our visit to all the Air Temples will give you the inspiration you need to look more deeply into your studies." He opened up a map of the countries with each of the four temples marked on it.

Korra looked at it but her eyes were more focused on the little cartoon Tenzin on the map, hand folding into a thumbs up. _"Did he really have to put that there?"_ she asked herself. The trip was already promising to be boring. Putting a little cartoon on it was not going to make it any better.

If anything, his kids were more excited than she was. "Can we see where Grandpa Aang was born?" Jinora asked.

"How many lemurs can I have?" asked Meelo.

"I wanna get tattoos! But instead of arrows, I want lightning bolts!" demanded Ikki.

"You can't get lightning bolts," her sister told her. "That doesn't make any sense."

"_You_ don't make any sense!" she said back angrily.

"_Nice comeback,"_ Korra thought sarcastically to herself. She couldn't help it; it was just too good to pass up.

"Fight, fight, fight!" chanted Meelo, urging his sisters on.

They were about to, even putting their heads together and growling at each other, before their father separated them. "No one's fighting! We're going to have a wonderful time!" he declared with authority. It lasted for about a second before he let go of their heads and sighed. "Now that the president is in office and I'm not needed on the council, I can finally relax with my family and give Korra the attention she needs."

"Great, _more_ attention," Korra said mostly to herself as she looked away. Even since she had that little brawl with Asami, she had realized that everyone had been smothering her a little bit and it got old real fast. But there was nothing really she could do about. She was living on the island and after what happened at the hospital, Tenzin took no chances. The second that she had healed the last patient, she was out of there quicker than she could blink.

"Hah! Relax…" laughed Bumi as he walked up and leaned up on his brother shoulder, poking his finger in his chest. "I'd pay money to see that. Maybe I'll tag along just to see 'Vacation Tenzin.'"

"You're not invited," Tenzin told him.

Korra turned her attention to the kids, crouching slightly so she was more to their level. "Before we go on your dad's study trip," she said to them, making a slight mockery of her words, "we're gonna have some real fun in my home town at the Glacier Spirits Festival. They've got rides, games, and all kinds of fried food on sticks.

"Yay!" they cheered as one. They quickly started running around their father and uncle, shouting in joy at the prospect of the fried food.

Tenzin just watched them all run around in defeat. "Yep, there's Vacation Tenzin," Bumi declared, throwing an arm around him. "And you can't stop me from going to the festival, Mom already invited me." His eyes widened for a brief moment and then narrowed in frustration. He knew already he would have to deal with Kya when he got there and he could handle one of his siblings at a time. But two of them at the same time was a punishment he didn't want to have.

Bumi looked at the frustration in his little brother's eyes and took pity on him. "Someone has to keep an eye on her," he said in a whisper, looking over at Korra. Wherever the Avatar went, a Paragon would be there to watch her.

"I thought Yue was already down there," Tenzin replied just as silently.

"She is, but since when do two pairs of eyes hurt?"

(Location: Konoha Academy)

"Congratulation, all of you who are here have passed graduation," Hidote announced as he looked at all the students sitting there in his class. Most of the class had passed the requirements yesterday and now, they all wore the headbands of the village. "I had wondered how many of you would actually make it. Color me surprised at the number of you."

"Thank you for the complement, Hidote-sensei," Tsukiko said to him, her headband fitted nicely around her forehead. It was a new weight that she was still getting used to.

"Don't thank me yet, Tsukiko," he told her. "You might have the headbands and you might be considered shinobi by everyone else. But that also means that you are not children anymore. You are adults now and you are about to be introduced to the real world."

"You trying to freak us out, Hidote-sensei?" one of the civilian girls asked him. She was confident in her tone of voice and wore her headband around her neck, which glinted in the light as she leaned back in her seat.

"It is what you think it is, Maru," he told her cryptically. Then he turned his attention to the rest of the class. "As you are now Genin, you will be assigned to a team of three watched over by Jōnin as your sensei." He lifted up a piece of paper in his hand. "I have the teams right here. Pay attention for your name, team number, and your sensei, you're going to have to know these things."

He started listing off the names and Tsukiko tuned him out, waiting for her name to be said. She went over the past couple of weeks. She had thought that she would not be able to make it to graduation. No matter what she did, she didn't do it too well. People still called her the Great Loser and even though she had passed the graduation requirements, she suspected it was because her father did a little leaning. She had no proof and quite frankly, it didn't matter. She was a kunoichi now. Her chance to prove herself was out in the field. She would prove to everyone that she was no Great Loser.

"Team Seven will Tsukiko Uchiha, Hiro Hyūga, and Arashi Uzumaki," Hidote announced, his eyes barely flickering up from the paper. But even as he said those words, the whole classroom was engulfed in a virtual avalanche of groans, moans, and protests from the so-called Arashi Fan Club. It was a good portion of the civilian girls and they were just the ones in this class (apparently, there were more).

"No fair!"

"Please don't let it be so!"

"That's favoritism, sensei!"

"Arashi should be with me!"

"No, he should be with me!"

"**Be silent,"** Hidote ordered, his head growing to terrifying size. Those two words made them go silent and his head shrunk back down to normal size. "That's the team, get over it. And congratulations on becoming the Rookie of the Year, Arashi," he added as an afterthought.

Tsukiko turned to look at her house and now teammate. "Thanks," he said shortly, idly scratching the cloth of the headband. The hand then moved from the headband to his hair, which was now a deep red, just a little bit darker than his jacket, which was slung over the back of his chair. She wasn't sure when that change had happened. She had woken up one day and found that Arashi had dyed his hair red, claiming that he wanted to "feel more like an Uzumaki." She was still getting used to him being a redhead. It just felt a little off to her, like he was trying a bit too hard (of course, the Fan Club approved).

But he did earn that Rookie of the Year award, especially after Ichiro had been kicked out of the Academy along with his cronies with their chakras sealed permanently. She hadn't seen him since but she did hear the news about what had happened to them. Someone had ambushed them late at night and beat them to such an extent that they could barely be recognized.

The most brutal of them was Ichiro, who had both of his hands broken so badly that they wouldn't be able to heal proper, and whose balls so thoroughly damaged that he lost the ability to have any kids. Even though that all happened to them, there was no real sympathy for them. But Tsukiko couldn't help noticing that the attacks had occurred after Arashi had gotten out of the hospital.

"You're Jōnin sensei will be Rin Hatake," Hidote continued. Arashi brightened up a little at those words, smiling a small smile. She wasn't surprised. He had known her beforehand. She turned her head to look at Hiro, who smiled back at her.

Hidote continued down the list until he was done. Once there, he put the list back down on the table. "You will await your sensei here. Follow them when they come to collect you." He gave them all a look. "One last thing, you may be shinobi now and you may be adults, but you are still my students." He smiled a warm and caring smile at them. "Make me proud out there."

"Yes, sensei," the class said as one.

(Location: Mako &amp; Korra)

They were out at sea on a ship along with Tenzin's family, Bolin, and Asami. They were only a couple of days away from the South Pole. But for now, they were resting against Naga's back, looking up at the night sky and enjoying the company of each other. "So I walk up and say: 'Looks like you had some car trouble. Good thing the police are here,'" Mako said to Korra, telling her of an arrest he had made a few days before they had sailed.

She chuckled at that. "Did you write that beforehand?" she asked him. He had gone from being a trainee cop to one of the motorcycle group (apparently, the motorcycles were something Asami had given them as a gesture of goodwill, or so she was told). And he was going a great job of it.

"Yeah!" he said as he pulled out a piece of paper from inside his jacket. "I had a few others. Let's see, uh…" He began looking down the list, trying to find a good one. "'Looks like you guys should put more 'try' in triad,' huh? Or, 'when you get to jail, tell 'em Mako sent ya.'" He pointed at himself for emphasis.

"Ooh, I like that one," she told him.

"Okay, I'll use that next time," he said as he put the paper away. "Beifong says if I keep it up, I could make detective soon." Now that was a goal worth getting to. If he could make it to detective, he could do some real good.

She looked a little wistfully at him. "That sounds so fun. All I do is train all day. It's like Tenzin's totally forgotten how I beat Amon." It was really grating on her nerves.

He placed a comforting hand on hers. "Tenzin's just trying to help you become the best Avatar you can be."

"Of course you'd take his side!" she snapped as she yanked her hand out of his.

"I'm not taking his side," he protested. "I'm just…"

She stood up as he tried to find the right words."I'm gonna take a walk."

Both he and Naga watched her walk away. "Why is it so much easier to bust triads than it is to get through one conversation with my girlfriend?" the Firebender asked the polar bear dog. He didn't get a response and he wasn't really looking for one.

Korra, on the other hand, kept walking until she was out of sight of her boyfriend. Then she slowed her pace. She knew he meant well but it was annoying how easily he took Tenzin's side. She didn't want to stay cooped up on the island anymore. She wanted to get out and explore the world. Maybe she could go and visit Arashi. But she stopped herself from going down that path. That would be impossible to do, just by Lord Naruto himself. She knew what happened to Tenzin's sister when she tried it.

As she walked, she heard the sound of someone crash up near the bow part of the ship. She quickly ran that way and found Bolin just lying there on the deck. "Hey, you alright, Bolin?" she called out to him as she ran up.

He popped his head up and saw her. "Hey, Korra," he said half-heartedly, still lying there.

She came to a stop when she reached his side and looked around. She didn't see Pabu anywhere around, which was weird by itself. The fire ferret was always near Bolin. But the other weird thing was Bolin himself. He wasn't his cheerful, upbeat, slightly wacky self. If anything, he was slightly depressed. "You okay?" she asked him.

"No, no, I am not. You must've heard that the Fire Ferrets lost the championship."

"Uh, yeah, I did." She felt a little embarrassed to be talking about that now. She had practically quit the team after everything that happened and with Mako joining the cops.

"It never would have happened if you and Mako were still on the team," he said accusingly.

"Whoa, hey, that's not entirely my fault," she said, putting her hands up in surrender.

The anger in his voice and on his face vanished just as quickly as it had appeared. "I know." He sat up and looked out at the sea. "There goes my glorious Pro-bending career," he said to himself. He really couldn't do anything without Mako, could he?

"Do you want company?" Korra asked him, uncertain if he did or not.

"No, it's fine. I'll just stare out at sea until I'm good."

"Okay." She walked slowly away, keeping him in sight until she could not anymore. She did feel bad for him but there was nothing they could do about it now. Perhaps once they got back to the city, she and Mako could help him find something that would be his style.

(Location: South Pole)

When the ship was finally docked and the gangplank lowered onto the harbor, Meelo, Ikki, and Jinora were down it first, heading straight for their grandmother. "Gran-Gran!" they cried as one as they hugged Katara around the waist.

"Oh…you've all gotten so big," she said as she looked at each of them. They had been shorter and smaller the last time she had seen them, even if it was only a few months ago.

When she was done hugging her grandmother, Jinora turned to the tall grey-haired woman beside her grandmother and hugged her as well. "We missed you, Aunt Kya," she declared.

"Ohh, I missed you, too," Kya said, returning the hug. As they broke the hug, Tenzin and Pema came down the gangplank with their youngest in her arms and Bumi right behind them. Kya noticed them coming and remarked, "Your father doesn't bring you to visit nearly enough." She walked over to her brother. "He's probably scared I'll beat him up like when we were kids." She punched him in the shoulder as she talked.

"I'm not scared of you," he replied before rubbing his shoulder, "anymore."

"Of course you're not," Bumi said with a big grin before turning his attention to Kya. "Hey sis," he said.

"Hey, bro," she replied.

When he heard feet coming down the gang, he turned and saw Asami coming down along with the rest of Team Avatar. "Hey, Asami, come over here," he called to her.

"What is it, Bumi?" she asked, quickly hurrying over to his side. He had told her that he would keep an eye out for her since Naruto wasn't there during the trip down. She was grateful for it.

"I want you to meet my sister, Kya. Kya, this is Asami, Naruto's apprentice."

"No kidding?"

"No kidding."

"When did this happen?" she asked as she started looking Asami over, leaning one away and then the other.

"Um…" Asami wasn't quite sure what to say or do in this kind of situation. She had been fending off random attacks from her teacher; she wasn't used to having people look her over like she was a piece of good meat.

"It happened before I got to Republic City," Bumi told his sister.

"Did he cave to the nagging?"

"No, I don't think he did."

"Dang, that means I lost the bet," she said with a disappointed look on her face as she pulled her face away from her.

"Huh?" she said, clearly confused.

But Katara understood what it meant. "Kya, were you betting on Naruto again?" she asked her daughter. She had a look of curiosity on her face but her children knew that look could turn into one of disappointment and stern in a moment.

Kya flinched, realizing that she had been caught. "Um…no?" she offered.

Her mother just sighed. "When are you going to learn? You do not bet on something that has to do with Naruto."

"At least it wasn't like that one time."

"That is your defense?" she asked her daughter. "As I recalled, it had a very painful and humiliating ending for you. Tenzin, take that smirk off your face," she ordered her youngest without even looking at him. "What happened to her is nothing to laugh at."

"Yes, Mother," he said. Asami had a feeling that there was a story here, but one look at everyone told her that she wouldn't be getting it.

Meanwhile, Korra was done hugging her parents. "You remember Mako," she told them, gesturing at her boyfriend.

He walked up to her father and offered his hand. "Sir," he said.

Tonraq just crossed his arms and looked at him sternly. "I hope you're not getting my daughter into any more trouble up in the city."

He lowered his hand, feeling very nervous for his life. "Uh…no…uh…I…no," he tried saying, not finding the right words. Korra's father was a man much bigger than he was and had the muscle to back it up. It was hidden under the fur coating but it was there.

But Korra could see through the sternness on her father's face. "Knock it off, Dad," she told him. The sternness melted off his face and he chuckled before shaking Mako's hand.

Bolin wandered over, seeing the giant crowd surrounding them on the dock. "Wow! Look at all these people that came out to greet us," he remarked.

Korra looked at him. He put up a good front, but she couldn't help remembering seeing him on the ship's deck looking depressed. Still, it was best to go with his attitude. He was wrong about something. "Uh, no, they came to greet _them_," she told him, pointing at the other ship that was coming in. They had come in a standard ship that was plain and unassuming, designed to do its job and nothing else.

The ship that was sailing into dock was definitely not unassuming. It was long, ornate, done in various shades of blue, and had the symbol of the Water Tribe where everyone could see it. But as the crowd cheered, Tonraq frowned. "The great chief of the Northern Water Tribe comes to grace us with his presence. Hooray."

"Just relax Tonraq, he'll be gone soon enough," Senna told him, placing a comforting hand on his arm. He made a little growling sigh, but didn't say anything else.

The gangplank was placed down and an honor guard started down it. They wore no armor and only carried ceremonial spears. Behind them walked a tall, thin man in furs of exemplary quality. He held himself regally and walked the same, while his face was a solemn expression. Behind him walked two teenagers, dressed in the same quality of furs. But unlike the man, they walked slumped slightly forward. The only way one could tell one from the other was that the one on the right had purple eye paint.

"Whoa! Who are the lovely ladies?" Bolin asked, looking at the teenagers with his "lady-killer" smile.

Korra looked at him with an amused smile. "That's Eska and Desna, the chief's children. Desna is a guy."

He had a brief look of surprised horror before recovering. "Oh, no, sure, I knew that." He looked at the twins closely. "Uhhh…and which one is Desna?

She might've teased him about it if the chief and his children hadn't walked to them, "Good to see you again, Avatar Korra," the chief said, bowing briefly to her.

"Good to see you too, Chief Unalaq," she said, returning the bow.

He turned to look at her father. "Tonraq," he said in a slightly cold voice.

"Brother," Tonraq said in the exact same tone. At that word, Mako and Bolin shared a surprised look. They were brothers?

"Oh good, we managed to make it," Yue's voice said, making them all turn to see her coming their way. Her hair seemed a little shorter and more ragged then before, like she had been cutting it with a knife. Her clothes seemed to be a little worn and she didn't have her glove.

"Hey there, Yue," Bumi said, waving at her.

"Hey there, Bumi," she said, waving back at him. She walked up to him, going right past Unalaq and his children. "Asami, what are you doing here without Naruto?" she asked the girl as she strode up to her.

"He figured that I could go out on my own," Asami replied.

"Ah, I see. I'm looking forward to doing that to my apprentice. Akela knows he's going to need it."

"You have an apprentice now?" She was completely surprised by that. But now she was a little excited. She thought she would be the only apprentice to a Paragon. Now there was one more.

"Yep, he's around here somewhere." She turned around and started searching the crowd. Finally, she put her fingers to her lips and blew a sharp, piercing whistle that traveled across the water and echoed in the air. "Hey, where are you!?" she shouted when she was done whistling.

"Gah, there was no need to whistle, sifu. I'm coming," a voice replied. "You've just got a longer stride then me."

It was a voice that made the Fire Ferrets (both former and current) go still before swinging their heads to the direction of the voice. They saw a teenager their age, maybe just a little older, coming towards them. His hair might've been shaved until to the extent that it was now growing back as a buzz, but they recognized that skin tone, eye color, and voice (even though it had lost its arrogance). "Tahno!?" they said as one in complete surprise and shock.

"Hey," he said simply.

Korra couldn't help but keep staring at him. He had never shown himself in the hospital when she was healing people, not even when his teammates had shown up. "You…wha…how?" she tried asking him.

"I'm her apprentice now," he said, pointing at Yue.

"How?" she said once more.

"You said that already."

"She's looking for an answer, Tahno," Yue told her apprentice. "And for your answer, short-stack, I found him in the trash feeling a little suicidal. So I decided to take him as my apprentice."

* * *

Once they had gotten over the initial surprise of Yue having apprentice (and learning it was Tahno of all people), they all began walking through the stalls that had been set up for the festival. There were a great many of them and they were all brightly colored. Adults walked between them while children ran. The air above them was humming with the sounds of their happiness and joy at the festival.

But the chief of the Northern Water Tribe had a few words to say about it all. "It's a shame the Southerners have abandoned all connections to the spirits. Even during the most hallowed times," he declared.

Korra didn't understand why he thought like that. "I've always loved the Glacier Spirits Festival. It's fun," she told him as she looked around at the stands with a smile on her face.

"This festival used to be a solemn time of fasting and meditation," he told her. "Now it's just a chance to watch some rube try to stick an entire arctic hen in his mouth." When he turned his head to the right, everyone else did the same and saw Bolin doing exactly that.

He turned and saw them, making his eyes go wide in surprise. He then proceeded to say, with a mouth full of arctic hen, "What? Oh, it's so good." To add emphasis, he closed his eyes and tightened up his hands. Both Korra and Mako closed their eyes and looked away. It was a little embarrassing to see him like that.

Tahno wasn't so merciful. "Oh look, a rube," he said aloud. All Fire Ferrets there glared at him (including the rube).

"Traditions change," Tonraq told his brother, ignoring the other part of the conversation. "It's not the end of the world."

Unalaq turned to face him. "Tell that to the sailors who are being attacked by angry spirits in southern waters. Some traditions have purpose," he replied with a frown on his face.

"Wait, spirits are attacking ships?" Korra asked. She hadn't been aware of that. In fact, the trip down to the South Pole was peaceful.

But he nodded in acknowledgment. "I'm surprised the Avatar doesn't know about that. Apparently you haven't been given all of the information you need. It would be my honor to instruct you in the spiritual ways of the Water Tribe."

"I wouldn't mind learning about fighting spirits," she admitted, passing a glancing look at Tenzin. "Airbending is getting pretty boring." The Airbender in question fixed her with a stern look but she ignored it all the same.

But her father stepped in. "Tenzin is Korra's instructor. He can give her all the training she needs."

"So you've said." But Unalaq didn't sound convinced as he left them.

"I'm sorry but I have to go now," Asami said to them as well. "There's a business meeting that I absolutely must get to on time."

"I'll come with ya," Bolin said, instantly coming to her side. He'd do anything to get away from Korra and Mako and their whole lovey-dovey thing. There was only so much he could take without being hit with memories of good times. Pabu leapt up onto his shoulder and got comfortable.

Asami smiled and nodded her thanks to him. "Who are you going to see?" Bumi asked her.

"The head of a global enterprise that's from the South Pole," she answered. "I heard he was here for the festival and was able to get a meeting scheduled. I have to be at his boat in a couple of minutes."

The expression of happiness on Yue's face vanished when she said those words. "This head you're talking about, Asami. His name wouldn't happen to start with a V, would it?"

"Actually it does, yes."

"Did you contact him or did he contact you?"

"Um…" She didn't give an answer but both Tenzin and Bumi were beginning to look uncomfortable.

Apparently that was enough for her. "Tahno, you're going with her," she ordered her apprentice.

"Why am I doing that?" Tahno asked her.

"Someone has to keep an eye out for Asami when dealing with Varrick."

"You know him?"

"Unfortunately," she said shortly.

"Then don't you go?"

"Because if she goes, they'll likely to tear apart the boat in the fight," Bumi told him. When the teenagers looked at him and saw the seriousness on his face, something that should always be considered, they knew that he wasn't joking.

"Just go, Tahno," Yue ordered him again.

"Alright, alright, I'm going." He walked over to Asami and said, "Shall we?" She nodded and they left. A quick from the stands and they were standing on another dock in front of another ship. While not as ornate as the one that brought Unalaq and his children to the South Pole, it was still eye-catching.

Unsure of what to say to Tahno, Asami turned her attention to Bolin instead. "I'm glad you came with me to this meeting," she told him. "Varrick is one of the richest men in the world, and he controls the entire global shipping business. So, you're my assistant. Just stand there and don't say anything."

"No problem, Pabu and I are natural assistants," he declared.

"And you won't have to worry about me," Tahno told her. "I'll keep my mouth shut." He had no idea why his sifu wanted him hear but she had taught to listen and watch. Perhaps this was just a training exercise.

The three of them began to walk up the gangplank to the ship. "Man, this is nice! I got to get into this whole business thing," the Earthbender said as he looked around.

"You wouldn't make it," Yue's apprentice told him.

Once they were on the ship, someone who looked like security came up to them. "Can I help you?" he asked them, making sure his arms were out for them to see.

"Yes, my name's Asami Sato," she introduced herself. "I have a meeting with Mr. Varrick."

He looked at her for a second longer and then nodded. "Alright, follow me." He led them down the deck to a door. "Go inside and then take a left down the stairs. You'll find Mr. Varrick and his guests there."

They did as they were told, going inside and then taking the left to go down the stairs. They found Varrick in a big room surrounded by people. Each one of them had a different fashion color that proclaimed their nationality. But there wasn't a majority of one country. They all seemed equally mixed and they were all staring at Varrick. The man himself wore a purple cape over a very good business suit. He was sitting on the ground with a large pillow beneath him and with a woman beside him taking notes. He had his hands on his head and with a severe look of concentration on his face.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes and grinned widely. "Did ya see that? Levitation!" he declared with open arms and a laugh. "I was a foot off the ground! Is that incredible or what?" Everyone sitting with him began clapping for him. As they talked among themselves, he stood up, letting the cape fall off his shoulders and bowed to them all.

But while Asami and Tahno politely clapped, Bolin was confused. "You looked like you were just sitting on a pillow," he said aloud. Asami stopped clapping and covered her face in her hands as the people there gasped and looked at him.

"_As usual, no tact,"_ Tahno thought to himself.

Varrick looked up, a shocked expression on his face. The shock turned to anger as he stomped up to the Earthbender. "Are you saying I wasn't levitating?" he demanded in a calm voice that didn't really seem calm.

"Uh…no?" offered a very nervous Bolin.

"…Well, why didn't anyone tell me?" demanded Varrick, suddenly turning around to look at the crowd. "Now I look like an idiot! Swami, you're fired!" He pointed at the old man with a white beard in a blue coat with a red hat. He glared at Bolin for a moment, then got to his feet and literally backed out of the room while bowing low.

They all watched him leave and then it was back to business. "I like you, kid, you're a real straight shooter, just like me," Varrick told Bolin then quickly turned to Asami. "Miss Sato, he's with you?" She nodded in agreement. "Brought your tiger shark with ya to do business, huh? Now that's moxie!" He grabbed hold of Bolin and led him into the room. Asami followed but Tahno stayed in the background. They walked over to some pillows, which the woman who had the notes waved the people on off. "Get over here and pop a squat. Zhu Li, get some tea for my guests!" She did as she was told, bringing over a tray of tea.

"Thank you for meeting with me," Asami began, still standing up. "As you know, Future Industries is looking for a partner to handle our shipping."

He cut her off before she could really start. "Sure! But first you gotta check out my new venture! Moving pictures! Zhu Li, do the thing!" The woman promptly pushed the trey of tea into Bolin's lap and rushed over to something covered in cloth. She pulled off the cloth, revealing the projector beneath it and started it up. "You're gonna love this!" Varrick told Asami as he sat her down. He directed her attention, and everyone else's attention, to the screen opposite of the projector.

In a few seconds, the screen came alight with a picture of an ostrich-horse. Normally, that wouldn't be something worthwhile to see. But what caught their attention was the fact that the ostrich-horse was _moving_! They could actually see the creature moving down a grassy plain. It was something they had never seen before. "Mind-blowing, right?" asked Varrick, standing in front of Bolin's view of the screen.

"Yeah," said the very impressed Earthbender. He had never seen such a thing before.

"Now forget that!" the Tribesman suddenly shouted, swinging his arms wide. "That's the past! Shut it off, Zhu Li!" She did as she was ordered almost as soon as he had said the words, walking over to Bolin and taking the tea off his hands. "Imagine watching this! Ginger, come over here and do your poses."

Bolin watched as a sultry-looking, red-headed Tribeswoman walk towards him in a stunning blue dress. As she pulled off a couple of poses, he was instantly smitten, drool coming out of his mouth at the sight of her. Tahno rolled his eyes. _"She'd eat him alive,"_ he silently declared.

"Spectacular!" Varrick declared as he stepped in front of Bolin's view and squatting down, blocking his view of the woman. And, we tell a story; there's romance, action, some funny animal stuff for the kids. You know, whatever! Thanks, Ginger, go rest your gams," he told the redhead. Then he sat down between Bolin and Asami. "How about that, tiger shark?" he asked Bolin. "We're gonna do big business with these movers, as I call them."

Asami was a little caught off guard by it all. "Okay…but I'm just concentrating on getting Future Industries back on track. If we could hammer out a deal…"

"Stop!" he said suddenly, putting a hand in her face and then getting in real close with his own, pressing their foreheads together. "Look me in the eye." She didn't know why he was doing this, but she would accept the challenge, staring right back at him. She needed this. Her company needed this. She couldn't afford to back down.

The staring kept going for a few more seconds before Varrick suddenly declared, "We got a deal!" Amidst the clapping, he pulled her up to her feet and starting shaking her hand. "We'll hammer out the details at the royal feast tonight," he told her before turning to everyone else. "Now, who wants a rocket boat ride?" His guests cheered in approval and they all ran out of the room.

"Is that how business usually goes?" Bolin asked Asami once they had all left, still very confused.

She just swung around, gave him a hug, and then ruffled his hair. "You _are_ a natural assistant!" Tahno didn't say anything. He just smirked in amusement.

(Location: Konoha Academy)

After Hidote-sensei had announced the list of teams to sensei, he had walked right out of the room. Tsukiko watched the door with apprehension. She knew of Rin's father and his legendary habit to be late. While she knew that some of his children did the same, she didn't know if Rin was one of them. She didn't want to wait two hours but it wasn't like she had a choice.

But Kami must've been listening to her. The door to the classroom opened and Rin appeared. Her eyes scanned the room and found Tsukiko, Hiro, and Arashi. "Team Seven, with me," she said aloud before turning around and walking back out the door.

The three of them quickly stood up and headed for the door. "Later, people!" said Tsukiko to the rest of the class as she closed the door behind her.

"Why did you do that?" Arashi asked her, putting on his jacket.

"Because I could and because we were the first ones out." She looked around but didn't see their sensei around. "Hey, where's Rin?"

"That's Rin-sensei to you, Tsukiko," Rin said suddenly, appearing upside down beyond the window.

She almost leapt out of her skin at the sound. "Gah!" she yelped. Her new sensei smiled beneath the mask. "Why did you do that?"

"To see if you were alert," she replied, still hanging upside down from the window. It was a little more than distracting the way she kept doing that.

"Could you please stop that?"

"Stop what?"

"That." She gestured to her and the window.

"What?"

"That thing you're doing. You're weirding me out!"

"That's just something you're going to have to get used to." Without warning, she suddenly dropped down out of the sight.

"Whoa!" She rushed over to the window and stuck out her head. "Where did she go?"

"Have you tried looking down?" Arashi asked her, joining her at the window.

"I was just about to do that, backwater boy," she told him, looking at him.

"Of course you were."

"Hey, watch that sarcasm!" She did not need it.

"Is Rin-sensei alright?" Hiro asked, joining them at the window.

"It's nice to see that someone actually cares about me," Rin said from the ground, standing perfectly fine on her own two feet. Her hands were on her waist and she looked up at them with an amused look. "Meet me at Ichiraku's in ten minutes or you fail."

"Fail what?" Arashi asked her as she walked away. She seemed to take her time doing it, which was a little weird.

"Do I need to give a reason? You'd better hopped to it." Once she said that, she vanished outright. He then realized that she had been waiting for one of them to say those words.

"Come on, we need to get moving!" Tsukiko bolted down the hallway before anyone could say a word otherwise. Both Arashi and Hiro shared a look with each other before going after her.

"Hey, wait up for us!" Hiro shouted at her.

"No, you hurry it up!" she shouted back. He didn't reply as he was too busy running to catch up to her and then out of the building itself.

* * *

They made to the restaurant with barely a minute to spare. They stood there outside the doors, panting lightly. "Now I wish that this place was closer to the Academy," Hiro said. Out of the three of them, he was panting the most. He had never really realized how far away Ichiraku's was from the Academy.

"We're here, aren't we?" Tsukiko asked him.

"Yes, we are."

Arashi paused in his panting and looked at them both. "Wait, is being at Ichiraku's mean standing outside the door and wait or go inside?" he asked.

They looked at him and then at each other. They didn't know the answer. If they went in and looked around for their sensei but couldn't find her, they might get thrown out of there. But if she was in there and they stayed out in the open, it wouldn't be good for them. The question hung over their heads: to stay outside or go inside? Which one should it be?

"The clock is still running," Hiro said, breaking the silence they had accidently fallen into. "I say we go in." It was a risk that they would have to take. They had to find their sensei.

"Alright, let's go," Tsukiko said, already reaching for the doors. When she opened them and stepped in, the two boys followed her.

The waiter standing at post saw them as soon as they walked in. "Good afternoon," he said to them. "If you're looking for Rin, she's at the bar."

They all shared a look again. "How did—"

He smiled. "This isn't the first time she's done this. You should probably hurry. You don't have a lot of time left."

That comment made them walk right past him and into the restaurant. Walking in such a hurried state blurred the rest of the place for Arashi but he remembered it well enough from his previous visits to know what it looked like. If anything, it reminded him of Kwong's except bigger, roomier, with a much more comfortable feeling and a lot less blue too.

He kept his eyes focused on the path they were going, which led straight to the bar. The bar was not the usual sense of a bar. It did not serve alcohol but ramen. As he had been told, where the bar was and what was around it was what remained of the original restaurant. Everything else was built and rebuilt around it.

They found Rin sitting on one of the stools at the bar, completely relaxed. She barely turned her head to see them. "You made it," she said. "Take a seat."

They did that, sitting down on stools to the left of her. "Why did we do that?" Hiro asked her.

"I wanted to see if you'd make it here on time," she replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Is that it?"

"Well, I'm guessing you guys wouldn't mind a free meal from Ichiraku's."

"Nice try, Rin," the old lady wearing a cooking apron from behind the bar told her. "Just because you're a regular here doesn't mean you get free drinks."

"I had to try, Ms. Ayame."

"No, you did not." Even though she said those words with a stern expression on her face, there was enough of a smirk to not make it seem serious. Beside her, the two young men tried to mimic her stern look but they were having a harder time of it then she was.

"Alright, alright," Rin said, rising a hand in surrender. She looked down the row at her new students. "Go ahead, place your orders."

"I'll take a shio ramen," Tsukiko told her.

"I'll have the tonkotsu ramen," Hiro decided.

"Very good," she said before turning her attention to Arashi. "And how about you, Arashi?" she asked him.

He was silent for a moment. There were a lot of options to choose from and he hadn't tried them all yet. He wanted to but he had barely broken through the first column of the lists. "I'll take the miso ramen," he finally decided, choosing to have one he already knew he liked.

"My boys and I will get right on them. You just wait right there." She turned around along with her sons and got to work. Soon, the water behind them began to boil and hiss as it heated up. They began mixing the noodles with the ingredients and spices, making a pleasant aroma in the air.

But even though it was a pleasant aroma to sniff and smell, it was something that was a little confusing to Arashi. "Why do they cook here when they have a kitchen?" he asked his new team. It had been bothering him for a couple of days now.

They looked at him like he had blasphemed or something. "You want to get us kicked out of here?" Rin demanded in a whisper.

"No," he replied.

"Then keep your voice down." She looked quickly at the cooking trio. "They like doing this and they get insulted when someone makes a comment like that."

"I was just curious."

"Well, don't be. Not on this. It is an honor and privilege to sit at this bar."

"Alright, alright," he said in surrender. But she did have a point. In the few times he had been in here, he had never sat at the bar.

They only waited for a couple more minutes before the ramen was placed in front of them. "Enjoy your meal," Ayame said to them. She placed Arashi's order in front of him with her own two hands.

"Thank you, ma'am," he told her.

She smiled kindly at him. "Arashi, I've told you before. You don't need to call me ma'am."

"But I want to." They had met before once, when he had come in for a lunch. Out of all the people who were here and knew his grandfather, she was the one who bugged him the least (if at all) about the man. For that, he was willing to be respectful to her.

"So why are we here?" Tsukiko asked Rin before beginning to eat her lunch. As the noodles went down her throat, she relished the warmth and taste they left in her mouth. This had to be one of Kami's greatest creations right here."

"Well, I thought that since we are all together now, being new to a team and a sensei, we should all introduce ourselves and talk a little," she explained, looking at the three of them. "Likes and dislikes, our dreams, you know; that kind of thing."

"Oh, okay." She was more concerned with her food right now then doing that.

"Wait don't you go first, sensei?" Hiro suggested.

"Hmm?" she said. "What was that, Hiro?"

"Why don't you go first?"

"Why should I?"

"Uh…because you're the sensei and should the example?" he asked rhetorically. From his perspective, it seemed rather obvious. He couldn't help but wonder if being in a high-ranking shinobi meant that one would lose a few IQ points. If that was the case, he should probably just stay a Genin or a Chūnin. Then he remembered that if he didn't become a Jōnin, he was fairly certain that his parents would kill him (and if not them, his grandmother).

"Hmm…" she said, taking a small thinking pose with her hand on her chin. She spun the chopsticks in her other hand as she thought. "…Eh, I guess you have a point there." She shrugged her shoulders like she didn't care.

"Thanks."

"Now let me see…" She turned her head away from them. "What can I tell you about me? What can I tell you about me? Hmm…this might a bit long."

"Please remember that we're young, Rin," Arashi told her as he slurped down a noodle.

"What's that got to do with anything?" she asked him. Before he could answer, she kept talking. "Well, as you already know, my name is Rin Hatake. Yes, my father is _the_ Kakashi Hatake. No, I did not get a **Sharingan** for an eye when I was born or anytime else. No, none of my brothers or sisters got a **Sharingan** either. I'm single, but I consider myself married to the job. As for likes, well…I have plenty of them and I've got a few dislikes too. That's about it."

All three of her students looked at her with varying levels of disbelief, annoyance, and a little bit of anger. "So all we really know is your name and who your dad was," Tsukiko summed it for the rest of them.

"I told you about my family," she replied.

"No, you told us about what your family doesn't have." She already knew that much from her family. The Hatake clan had always called Kakashi, in their own words, "A onetime thing," making the Uchiha clan relax a little better because of it.

"Now that's rude."

"It's the truth."

"Uh-huh," she said in a dismissive tone of voice, "your turn then." She was the one sitting closest to him.

That, she could do. "My name is Tsukiko Uchiha. I'm the daughter of Madara Uchiha. I like Ichiraku Ramen, my family, and…um…" She faltered, trying to think of something else to add to that list.

"We're waiting," Rin reminded her in a voice that was slightly sing-song.

"I know that, hold on," she snapped back, still thinking furiously. "I like hanging out with my friends and enjoying a day off. I _really_ dislike Shikatsuno's cousin and all those damn Fangirls in the Academy." She threw a look at Arashi as she finished her sentence.

"Hey, that's not my fault," he said in protest.

"They weren't there before you showed up." Really, it was amazing just how fast the damn creatures appeared once he had gotten going in proving he was a prodigy (what was weirder was the fact that when she mentioned this to her grandparents, they shared a look and a chuckle. It was confusing).

"Is this point you're trying to make?" Rin asked her, getting her attention again.

She swung her head back around to look at the masked sensei. "No."

"Then try to get back on track, hmm? Do you have any dreams?"

"Hell yeah I do. It's to be the best damn kunoichi in the village. That way, no one will ever call me the Great Loser again!"

"_Hmm, she sounds rather determined to do that."_ That was good. She wanted to prove herself and seemed to be willing to do the work to get there. Of course, there remained the question of her **Sharingan** and whether it had been activated or not. She was an Uchiha, that was going to be a question that to be answered sooner or later. But she was willing to let the clan take care of that part for her. "Alright, Bluey, you're next," she said, pointing her chopsticks at Hiro.

"Bluey?" he replied, a little offended at the word.

"Waiting," she told him. _"If he gets offended that easily by a little insult, he's going to be in trouble out in the field. I'm going to have to toughen him up."_

Hiro huffed a little but spoke anyway. "My name is Hiro Hyūga. I like reading, the quiet moments, having a good round of Sudoku, studying new things, and being around my friends."

"_I guess that would make him the bookworm of the group. Perhaps I can work that up into a mind of an analyst. It would help them greatly in the field,"_ Rin thought to herself as she listened to him.

"My dislikes are a few but they're there. I don't like being picked on and I don't like being thrown into things by surprise." Again, a look was pointed at Arashi when those words were spoken.

"Hey, it helped, didn't it?" the blonde asked him.

"You could've given me fair warning."

"You would've said no if I had!" That was why he dragged him into that little adventure in the first place. If he had asked he wouldn't have gotten anywhere with it and that wouldn't have solved the problem.

"Do you have any dreams or goals?" Rin asked Hiro, pulling his attention away from the blonde.

He shrugged his shoulder, focusing more on his meal. "Just wanting to do my family and my clan proud," he said.

"_Hmm, I wonder if he has self-esteem issues."_ That may be something they would have to work on. But it might be a good thing. She had heard how Lady Hyūga was shy in her youth. But now, she could unsettle someone with a raised eyebrow. She leaned her head further down the line to look at the last person. "Alright, you're last."

"You already know me, Rin."

"Humor me, Arashi. It's not that hard to do. And that's Rin-sensei to you now." She looked at him intently, waiting for him to finally do it.

It didn't take long "Alright. My name is Arashi Uzumaki. I like training in the morning, even though I disliked it at first."

"Freak," Tsukiko muttered as she slurped down a couple of noodles from the bowl.

He looked at her. "I heard that."

"You were supposed to," she fired back. Who trains on the weekend, after all? It was abnormal.

"Tsukiko, you already had your turn," Rin told her. "Arashi, continue."

"For dislikes, well…" He paused and began to think it over. Everyone waited in silence for him to open his mouth again. "…I think that's a little too much for everyone to hear," he finally decided.

While Hiro and Tsukiko looked a little annoyed with his words (she more than him), Rin listened to the silent meaning behind them. _"What's happened to him has gotten to him, both here and at Republic City."_ He was only twelve and already he's suffered trauma that was extensive. It hurt worse for her since she had learned about the first torture he'd been through and wasn't there to stop the second. If she could've, she would have hamstringed the little brat who ambushed Arashi like that. "And what about your dreams or goals?" she asked him, curious to hear them.

He was silent for a long moment. "…I…don't know."

(Location: South Pole)

By the time the sun had finally set, the high society of the South Pole had gathered in the Great Hall for the traditional feast. There was a small area set aside around the middle for dancing but there was no band to do dance to (at the order of Unalaq, who felt that the feast to be a solemn occasion. A few people had a problem with that but said nothing). People sat in circular tables that were within easy walking distance of the food tables. At the back of the hall, directly opposite of the doors, was a dais that held the table of honor. Chief Unalaq sat there with his children and his brother sat there with his family too. Yue and her student sat there too, at the far left edge of the table.

"This is a wonderful feast in your honor, Uncle," Korra told Unalaq as she had the honor of sitting on his right. She hadn't been to many feasts but this one was definitely one of the best. The lanterns hanging from the ceiling glowed with candle fire, giving the hall a more natural light rather than the static light that came from a bulb. The food was great and she heard the pleasant buzz that came from chatter of many people.

But her uncle wasn't that impressed with it all. "This is nothing," he declared. "When this festival was founded, the tribal elders would commune with the spirits. People would watch the brilliant displays of light as spirits danced in the sky."

"Wow, I've never seen that," she admitted. It sounded like a wonderful sight to see.

"And that is a shame, since the Avatar is the bridge between the material world and the spirits. That is why I want so badly to teach you. To help you fulfill your destiny."

"I thought I had made it clear that Tenzin is teaching her," Tonraq reminded his brother, joining the conversation on his own.

He ignored his brother and focused more on his niece. "Every Avatar before you traveled the world to learn. It was Tenzin and your father who kept you secluded at the South Pole."

Korra was a little stunned to hear that. "I thought Aang ordered the White Lotus to keep me down here?" she asked her father, turning to look at him.

"We all did what we thought was best for you," he told her.

"And actually, you're wrong," Yue said to her, joining the conversation as well. "It was Naruto's decision to put in the compound. He was worried that Aang's stupidity would be inherited along with the Avatar Spirit."

That wasn't something she wanted to hear. "Who I train with should be my decision, Dad, not yours or Tenzin's or even Lord Naruto's," she declared while folding her arms.

"Yue, kindly treat Avatar Aang with the respect his memory deserves," Unalaq told her sternly.

"And why should I?" she asked him.

"Because I have commanded you to do so," he explained.

She barked out a laugh at that. "Yeah, like that would work on me. Just because your dad was able to make me listen with that doesn't mean you can, Unalaq."

"I am your Chief," he said to her.

"And I am the Water Tribes' Paragon." She kept her attention on the food on her plate while he frowned at her.

Meanwhile, Tenzin was sitting at the table on the ground with his family but he was more focused on keeping watch on Korra. "Looks like someone's trying to take your place as the Avatar's stick-in-the-mud mentor," Bumi told him as he nudged his shoulder with an elbow. They weren't close enough to hear what was being said, but they could take a guess just by how Unalaq.

"Bumi, don't pick on Tenzin," said Kya. But she too was playing with her youngest brother. "You know he's always been sensitive."

"I'm not sensitive!" Tenzin all but shouted defensively, huffing and then crossing his arms like a little child.

Both of his siblings laughed at him for his response, Kya poking him in the shoulder as she laughed. On the other side of the table, Katara watched her three children with a sad and serious expression. They had always been like this, even before they had split up and before their father had passed on. She looked down at the sleeping Rohan in her arms and smile a little as she began to slowly rock him. "Bumi, why are you not up at the high table?" she asked him. "You are a Paragon."

The laughter faded away from her eldest son's face. "I would, but Yue's only up there because she's an actual Tribeswoman. You know how Unalaq feels about us Paragons, Mom."

"Yes, I do. But I believe that you four didn't help the situation." She had been there when it happened.

"That wasn't my fault," he protested. "Naruto was the one who replied and Unalaq was the one who had a swelled ego because he had just become Chieftain of the Water Tribes." He had only been a newly made Paragon but he still remembered what happened.

After being crown Chieftain, Unalaq had travelled to Republic City, asking the four Paragons to meet him before an assembly of the United Council. Once they were there, he had all but order them to disband and leave the Avatar be. He went into a speech about why that should happen but before he was done, Naruto cut him off, telling him to sit down and shut up. When he refused, both Naruto and Sokka, who had still been the Water Paragon at the time, promptly (and literally) kicked him out of the hall. The relationship between Unalaq and the Paragons had gone downhill from there.

Unalaq stood up from his chair, making the barest of noise in doing so but still able to get the attention of everyone in the hall. "As your chief, it is my honor to speak at this festival, which was founded to bring our tribes together and restore the ancient balance between our world and that of the spirits," he said to everyone. "But I am saddened to see what it has become: a cheap carnival that celebrates greedy and trivial humans. I feel the time is fast approaching when the North can no longer stand idly by while our Southern brothers slip into total spiritual decay." His brother flashed him a look at those words, but he continued. Angry spirits are already attacking ships in your waters. I only hope we are not too late to change course."

He sat down and the hall was engulfed in silence. "Well, that was interesting," Tahno said to Yue. "I think he just killed the mood."

"Just wait," she told him, an already annoyed look on her face.

"For what?" he asked.

"You'll find out in three…two…one…"

"Chief Unalaq everybody, always great to have him in town," Varrick declared as he came up to the dais. "Now, let's have some fun with Wacky Wushu's Dancing Otter penguins!" Music began to play as he quickly left the dais, giving the floor to a Waterbending clown with three otter penguins.

"_Right on time,"_ Yue thought to herself. She threw a long dirty look at Varrick, who was sitting back at his table and cleaning his teeth again. _"And the idiot also proved Unalaq's point."_ She stood up from the table.

"Is everything okay, Yue?" Korra asked her. She would've said Aunty, but had the feeling that her uncle wouldn't like it.

"Everything's fine, short-stack," she told her. "I just lost my appetite." She walked down from the dais and through the tables going for the doors. She passed Varrick's table without even so much as looking at him (which he returned), but when she walked past Zhu Li, she said quietly, "Rein your boss in." Then she kept on walking.

* * *

Feeling that the air in the hall was getting too stuffy, the teenagers decided to go back outside and go around the stalls a little bit more. The place was even more fantastical at night, with the lights making everything glow. They got some snacks and Mako and Korra enjoyed each other pieces of cotton candy.

Bolin was standing next to them and was feeling nauseated just by watching them. _"Get a room,"_ he silently told them. He looked around to find a distraction and found it in the twin children of Chief Unalaq. They were just standing a little ways off, watching everyone that passed. "Wish me luck," he told his brother as he hand him his food. "I'm making my move!" He took off in a weird running pose that made him look like he was trying to fly with his arms.

But his brother or Korra weren't fazed by that. "Good luck," Mako told him as he ran off.

"Those two have always creeped me out," Korra told him. "They smell like a grandma's attic." And they looked creepy too.

Bolin walked up to them with confidence. He had been told who was who beforehand, so he knew who to talk to. The one with the small eye paint was his target. "Hey, I'm Bolin. I'm a friend of Korra's!" he began talking when he was close. "You're, uh, Eska right? Wow, I'm just, I am loving these robes." Both twins turned their gaze towards him and Eska hissed slightly, making him flinch. But he recovered. "So, you are from the north right? Cool, that's, like you know, that's my favorite direction."

"I think he is trying to establish some kind of bond with you based on your geographic point of origin," Desna told his sister in a dry, dead tone of voice.

"Perhaps it would be interesting to spend time with a person whose ways are so rough and uncultured," she replied in the same tone before turning her attention back to Bolin. You amuse me. I will make you mine," she declared with a smile.

For some reason, that simple statement made him feel very, very nervous. "You mean like a boyfriend, or like a slave…?"

"Yes." She grabbed his collar. "Win me prizes." She and her twin began walking away, dragging a nervously laughing Bolin with them.

Meanwhile, Korra and Mako had wandered over to one of the stalls. It was a water sport stall with little wooden figures of Avatar Aang when he a kid, smiling widely and with a hole in his smile. They paid the amount to play and started shooting the water guns at the figures. Mako hit his, making the Aang figure light up like he was in the Avatar State, forcing the Momo figure behind it to start rising upwards.

"Unalaq offered to train me," Korra told him as they played. Her focus was more on her boyfriend then the stall. "He says he can teach me about the spirits and my connection to them."

"Sounds good," he replied. "What does Tenzin think?"

"Tenzin thinks I'm his prisoner or one of his kids." Now that she thought about it, it was actually kinda annoying. "I'll never finish training with him in charge." She threw frustration into the water gun, sending a deluge at her Aang figure. It was enough to send her own Momo figure right up to the top and ring the bell.

"We have a winner!" the stall owner declared through a megaphone. He reached into the stall and pulled out an Appa plushy. "Here you go, little lady."

"Thanks," she said as she took the plushy. The two of them walked away from the stand while she looked at the plushy. "I mean, you heard what Unalaq said. The South is spiritually unbalanced and it's the Avatar's job to fix it, but my dad won't even let me think about Unalaq teaching me." She looked at her boyfriend. "Well?"

"Well what?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders slightly.

"What do you think I should do?"

It was an innocent-sounding question but he had a feeling that it wouldn't be one with an easy answer. So he decided to go with the neutral one. "I guess you should do what you think is right. I support whatever decision you make."

But that wasn't what she had been looking for. "Oh thanks. That's a big help," she told him with complete and utter sarcasm.

"I thought you wanted me to be supportive? Now you want me to tell you what I think? Make up your mind!" he told her, feeling frustrated.

But she was feeling just as frustrated too. So she threw the giant plushy at him, right at his head, and walked away "Just forget it."

Mako watched her go, feeling a little confused, frustrated, and annoyed by everything going on with her. "Trouble in paradise?" he heard Tahno ask him from behind.

He turned around and saw that same smug, insufferable smirk on his old nemesis's face he had seen a thousand times. "Go away, Tahno," he told the ex-Waterbender. He didn't want to put with him now.

"Alright, no need to get angry." He walked off in the opposite direction of Korra.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Korra was in her own hut, sleeping against Naga's fur. It was a warm, comfortable feeling that helped her sleep. But when the polar bear dog moved away, she woke up. "Uh, Naga what are you doing?" she asked with a bit grogginess, rubbing her eyes awake. Naga wasn't in the hut, she was outside and howling. The howling got her back to full wakefulness. "Naga, hush!" she said as she ran outside to calm the polar bear dog down, finding standing on the ledge overlooking the still lit festival grounds. "Quiet, Naga, you'll wake everyone up!" But the polar bear dog kept howling.

It was enough to get both Bolin's and Mako's attention, getting them to come out of their own huts. "Uh, what's going on?" Bolin asked, finishing up a yawn.

As she stroked Naga's fur, calming her down, Korra looked out past the edge and saw something. It seemed like a column of purplish-black energy twisting around. It appeared from out of nowhere and disappeared just as quickly, leaving behind a creature. "What, is, that?" she asked aloud. It looked like no creature she had ever seen, made of the same purplish-black energy and with burning yellow eyes.

Once it was fully formed, a process that took about a second, it sped forward towards her. It was so fast that she didn't have any time to react. It struck her and sent her crashing across the snow until she hit a rock hall. It was on her just as fast, grabbing hold of her arms with black tendrils that quickly formed hands, and held her there. All she could see as she struggled to get loose were those burning yellow eyes, full of anger and hate.

When a split in the creature's skin opened and formed a mouth, she tried to get out harder. A fireball flew through the air and struck the creature, breaking its attention on her and releasing its grip on her, letting her fall back into the snow. When they saw the spirit all but tackle Korra, both Mako and Bolin came charging to help her. And now, they had the creature's attention.

Mako threw blasts of fire at it while his brother bent a rock-wave from beneath the snow. "Got it!" called Bolin. But the beast avoided the wave and came at them now. "Don't got it!" It swatted them back down the hill they had charged up. Tonraq and Tenzin came running out of their huts at the sound of fighting.

Korra got back into the fight, leaping into a front flip bending a slice of fire at the creature. It avoided the move and the rapid succession she threw, all the while moving close to her at a blurring speed. Once it was close, it loomed over her like it was ready to crush. It fell down and she leapt out of the way just as it struck.

"Korra!" she heard her father cry out. She turned to his voice and saw him riding a wave of ice towards the creature and then around it. With moves that only came from years of experience, he moved around the creature on that wave and encased it in ice at each turn. When he stopped moving, there was a shell of interlocking ice where the creature had stood.

But then its two burst out of the top and grabbed both of them. It threw Tonraq against one of the huts and threw Korra down to the festival grounds, making her land just in front of the fence. It then retracted its arms back into the casing and promptly shattered it. As it strode forward, Tenzin tried to communicate with it. "Spirit, why are you angry with us? What have we done to offend you?" he asked.

It stopped and looked at him for a long second. Then it sent him flying too, out through the air and into the snow. Meanwhile Korra stood back up and stared at the spirit. _"Alright, that's it,"_ she decided. _"You want to play hardball, I can play hardball."_ She pounded her fist against her palm and concentrated, reaching deep into herself. Her eyes glowed white as she activated the Avatar State.

The creature seemed to notice that she had done so. It leapt down the slope towards as she bent the air around into a column. It leapt at her but she dodged it, going up the slope and then turning to face it. Its momentum had carried right through the fence and into the ground, creating a mess as it went. It skidded to a stop and Korra started bending fire at it. She kept the barrage going as she moved into the ground and began circling the spirit. Quickly enough, all she saw was the smoke covering it and she thought that she had the edge.

But then the tendrils burst out of the smoke and grabbed her. She lost control of the air column and was completely powerless in its grasp. It slammed her down against the ground, into a pile of boxes of all things. She lost her grasp on the Avatar State and felt it draw away, leaving her feeling exhausted.

All she could do was watch as it came towards, rising up to strike down on her. But before it raised a hand, the snow around it melted into water and the water began circling it in two ribbons. The spirit turned to look at something and Korra followed its gaze. She saw her uncle standing, moving his hands through a slow and elegant series of motion. The ribbons reached up above the creature's head and connected with other. The spirit calmed itself as the ribbon circled around and around it, keeping it in place.

Korra had never seen something so beautiful. She would've sworn that she could hear the water humming as it spun around and around Then the water began to shine brightly with a pure light, traveling the same its water. The spirit came to a still and then it began to change too, its black skin to nice yellow while its eyes turned to blue.

His work done, Unalaq released his hold and the ribbon of water fell down. The pacified spirit turned away from and started walking away "Go in peace," Unalaq said as his niece approached him. As if it had heard him, it disappeared in a flurry of little dots of light.

"_Whoa,"_ Korra thought to herself. She had never seen anything like that before.

"Korra!" she heard her father call out as he and Tenzin came running, slowing down when they were close.

"Are you all right?" Tenzin asked. His concern was evident in his voice. Already he began looking her over for any sighs of damage.

But her attention was on her uncle and she ignored everyone else. "How are you able to control that spirit when no one else could?" she asked him.

"As your father could tell you, I have spent my life studying the spirits and learning their ways. All of this knowledge is lost in the South, but I could teach you everything I know," he offered her again.

Tenzin had something to say about that. "Chief Unalaq, clearly you are very knowledgeable, but Korra still has much to learn about Airbending. And I hope that going to the Air Temples will help her connect with the past Avatars."

Korra didn't agree with that statement and expressed it as a grunt of dissatisfaction. Her uncle was of the same mind. "The Air Temples will teach her nothing. Only I can give her the training she needs to be a complete Avatar."

"I've told you that will not happen!" Tonraq reminded his brother sharply.

"Hey! I'm right here!" Korra barked at all three of them, stepping into the middle. "Anyone want to ask me what I think?" In response, Tenzin pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to her. She took it and read it.

You don't get an opinion. Stop talking before you do something stupid.

Naruto

"Screw that," she declared, burning the note. He wasn't here. He didn't get to decide what she could or could not do from far away.

"Korra, please listen," Tenzin said to her.

But she turned her gaze on him. "I'm tired of listening to you. Both of you and Lord Naruto," she told him. "You keep me locked up, telling me you know what's best. But both of you were powerless against the spirit attack. I think it's time I had a new teacher."

While the Airbender was silent, her father wasn't. "Now Korra—"

"Unalaq has proven he's the only one who knows what I need to learn," she cut him before he could start. "I have to go with him."

Tenzin tried once again to talk to her. "Please, I know you're angry, but we've come so far together."

But she was adamant. "I'm sorry, Tenzin. This is as far as we go." She crossed her arms and did not look at him.

He was hurt by her words but he did not protest them. It was her choice. "It has been a pleasure serving you, Avatar Korra." Once he said those words, he turned around and walked away.

* * *

The next morning, Tenzin and his family were finishing packing up for their trip to the Air Temples. The kids were a little disappointed that Korra wasn't coming but Tenzin had already tried and failed to get her to come. As Tenzin was tying up the last bag, Katara came up to him with his siblings. "I think you forgot a couple of things," she told her son as she gestured to Bumi and Kya.

He stared at the three of them for a long. One sibling at a time, he could deal with. He could barely manage both of them for a day. "Mother, I think I need some time alone with my family right now," he said, standing up and hoisting the bag up onto his shoulder. He turned around and started for Oogi.

"This is your family, Tenzin," she reminded him, making him stop in his tracks. "When you get to be my age, you'll be thankful for the time you had with your siblings. Besides, I think it's important that you all visit your father's home together."

He let the bag drop from his shoulder and looked back at them. "Come on! It'll be fun," Bumi told his brother, coming up to him and punching him in the shoulder.

"I'm dying to see that laid back, Vacation Tenzin I've heard so much about," Kya agreed, walking up to them both.

"What about Korra?" Tenzin asked Bumi. He and his family might have to go, but his older brother still had a duty to go with.

"Yue's got that handled. Plus, she's got Asami and Tahno to help her," he said with a wave of his hand.

"They're apprentices."

That didn't worry him. "You know how much we Paragons prefer the deep end method, Tenzin."

He realized that he wasn't going to win the argument and surrendered to that fact. "All right, hop on!" he told his brother and sister, pointing back at Oogi. While they went for the bison, he walked to Katara and hugged her. "I love you, Mom," he told her. "We'll see you soon!" He turned around and saw Bumi hanging onto the pack strap, his legs swinging in the air. He must've tried getting up there and missed a footing. So Tenzin helped him get up, with an air current he bent with his foot directed at his butt.

"Tenzin," his mother said slightly chiding as Bumi sailed up into the air and landed in the saddle. But that was all she said.

A few minutes later, Oogi was flying up into the air and away with all his passengers on board. From a high ledge, both Korra and Mako watched them leave. "Do you think I did the right thing?" Korra asked her boyfriend. Having Tenzin leave her after being with him for more than half a year was an experience that made her feel a little regretful.

Mako sighed a little before speaking. "I don't know," he replied. "I'm sorry, but I'm not very good at this Avatar counseling thing. But I know your heart is in the right place. You'll just have to trust it." He offered her a small smile for reassurance. She took his hand and held it.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see Unalaq standing behind them. "I know this was a hard decision, Korra, but it was the right one. Now it is time to put it behind you and begin your new training. I have great plans for you," he told her.

(Location: Ichiraku Ramen)

They all looked at Arashi like he had said something weird and odd. "You can't be serious," Tsukiko said to him.

"I am," he replied.

"You have to have something."

"I don't." He had come to the Elemental Countries to get out of his grandfather's shadow but beyond that, he had nothing. He hadn't thought about it until now but that was the truth. He had nothing that counted for dreams or goals.

"Wow, just wow. That's sad, backwater boy."

"You don't think I didn't notice?" he asked in a voice that told her to leave it alone.

She didn't. "I mean, you've been here for how long now and you still haven't come up with anything? You didn't even think about it?"

"In case you hadn't noticed, there was a lot going on."

"If you two lovebirds are done…?" Hiro said to the both of them.

They both whipped their heads around to look at him. "We're not in love," Tsukiko snapped at him. "So don't say stuff like that, it's weird."

"Hey, you just sound like an old married couple when you argue like that."

"No, we don't," Arashi said. They sounded liked a couple of people arguing with each other and that's it.

"He's right," Rin agreed.

All three of them looked at her then. "Who is?" asked Tsukiko.

"Arashi, of course," she answered. "Trust me, I've seen old married couples fight and you two don't fight like them."

"Thank you for making my point," the dyed redhead among said.

"Anyway, onto more important matters," she continued. "You three have the rest of the day off but I want to see you at Training Ground Five half an hour before sunrise tomorrow."

"Are we going to get training then?" Tsukiko asked, excited for it.

"_She's actually squirming in her seat in excitement,"_ the Jōnin thought to herself. It was a little amusing to watch. Both of her teammates were leaning in to hear if she would say yes. "No, we're going to have a little test."

"But I thought we were all done with tests," Arashi said to her. "We got out of the Academy, didn't we?"

"Those were paper tests to see how you were doing. This is a test to see you are actually shinobi."

"Aren't we?" Hiro asked. "I mean, we have the headbands already."

She looked at him with a stern and hard look. "Just because you were given headbands by the teachers at the Academy, doesn't mean you're actually Genin. I decide that and the test will be my way of finding that out." The sternness vanished from her face once she was done speaking. She stood up from her seat. "Remember, Training Ground Five, half hour before sunrise tomorrow. Oh, and don't eat breakfast."

That made all three of them share looks of confusion. "Uh, why?" asked Tsukiko.

"If you do, you'll throw up," she said simply. "Enjoy your lunch." She began walking away from the bar.

"Hey, you didn't eat yours!" Arashi called out to her.

"Didn't I?" she asked without turning her head to look at them. As she went through the doors, her new students look at her bowl. It was completely empty. That shouldn't have been possible as she had been looking at them the entire time.

They all stared at the bowl in complete and utter surprise, sharing the exact same question in their heads. _"How did she do that?"_

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

And we're back to the original storyline. I didn't get bored or anything. Having Arashi remember what happened that night was always supposed to be the ending for his introduction to Konoha. Now I'll mix his story with what's happened to Korra, like I did in the prequel.

I figured that it was a good idea to bring in more apprentices and Tahno was a good candidate. Some of you might wonder why he didn't go seek treatment from Korra. It's because since he was banned for life from Pro-bending, he didn't really have a purpose to use his Bending. And since he didn't have a purpose, he didn't know what to do with himself, hence why Yue found him in the trash feeling a little suicidal.

As for Yue leaving the city when she found Tahno, let's just say that both Bumi and Naruto gave her a hard push to do it and they were barely able to do it two days before Varrick sailed into port.

Arashi dying his hair was something that was a little spontaneous on his part. Think of it as just another way he's trying to get out from his grandfather's shadow. If that screws up your image of him, just imagine a red-haired Minato. Don't worry; it's not going to be a permanent thing. Of course, that depends on how long I want it to be there.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	26. Breaking and stealing

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 26: Breaking and stealing

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: South Pole)

The morning after the spirit had attacked, people were already on the festival grounds, cleaning up the mess (the official report of what happened was that it was a combination of a rough wind, slightly rusted metal, and a snowball that had gotten big rapidly). While all that was happening, Unalaq was in the stables a few miles away from the grounds, ensuring that all the items that would be needed were packed. He heard the sound of a polar bear dog slowing and looked to see his niece coming in. "You're early," he remarked as she slow Naga down and hopped off.

"What can I say? I'm pumped up to learn that Unalaq spirit fighting," she told him.

He gave a little chuckle as he placed a hand on her shoulder. To her, he looked like exactly the teacher she needed. "I'm not here to teach you to fight spirits; I'm here to help you begin your spiritual training. We're going to one of the most remote places in the world, the long neglected spiritual center of your tribe, the South Pole."

"You're going to train me at the South Pole?" She knew of the place. While people not from the Tribes had always considered their lands the North and South Pole, the Tribes themselves knew that the poles were actually at the exact center of the lands. But while she had heard of the place, she had never been there.

"We will do more than just train. By neglecting the spirits, the people of the South have brought darkness upon themselves, and now it threatens to destroy our tribe. We must set things right. The Southern Water Tribe depends on you."

When she heard those words, she got even more excited about it all. "A dangerous trip to the South Pole? Count me in!"

(Location: Southern Air Temple)

"There it is, the Southern Air Temple," Tenzin declared as Oogi flew into sight of the temple. "Isn't it magnificent?" The place has changed in the past seventy years. The Air Acolytes who lived there did a fantastic job clearing away all the mess and debris (and bodies) that had accumulated since the Fire Nation attack. Now it looked like it was supposed to: clean, pristine, and full of life.

He had his bison land in the nearest courtyard, being careful not to land on any of the acolytes that were out there. When they saw the shadow fall over them, they looked up and saw the sky bison. They were surprised to see the creature and kept staring even after it landed.

But even as they stared, the abbot of the temple came out to the courtyard quickly, being followed by two attendants who were carrying a large box between them. "Master Tenzin, welcome!" he said to the man as he and his wife disembarked the bison. Their youngest son was strapped to Pema's back and was watching everything with a curiosity only a toddler could have.

"Good to see you again, Abbot Shung," Tenzin said in reply. He and Pema both bowed their heads to him. He had been the abbot for the Southern Air Temple longer then Tenzin had his tattoos.

"Is there anything you need? Water? Dandelion greens? Ahh, perhaps you'd like to recenter yourself by meditating in the gardens?"

"No thank you, I'm fine."

He turned his eyes to Pema. "And you must be the honorable Pema! Please, accept these gifts." He turned around and reached into the chest, pulling out what looked like a wire basket in the making with little knives hanging from the bottom. "This is an ancient Airbender head shaver we've refurbished just for you," he said, offering it to Tenzin.

The man had never seen such a thing and would rather trust modern technology then that when it came to shaving. But it wasn't like he could just refuse it. "Oh. Okay?"

"And Pema! These flowers once filled the mountainside!" he told her as he handed a massive bouquet of flowers. "Now, they can brighten up your room."

When she held the bouquet in her arms, she couldn't see past them. "That's…sweet? Y-you didn't have to."

"Nonsense! Whatever you need is yours. Anything for the mother of the next generation of Airbenders," he declared as he looked over to where the children had gotten to.

Both Jinora and Ikki were standing in front of one of the acolytes. She was offering a book to Jinora as a gift when Ikki snatched away. "No! That gift is mine!" she stated, turning away from her sister to protect the book.

"You don't even like to read!" Jinora told her sister. She just stuck her tongue out at her.

Pema had managed to move the bouquet around enough to see what was going on. She felt a little embarrassed that her children would do that in front of everyone. "Yep, those are the world's next generation of Airbenders," she said with a faltering smile.

"Mommy, Daddy, look! I finally got a lemur!" Meelo shouted as he appeared from behind the three acolytes, landing on the abbot's head with said lemur in his hands. "I'm gonna name him…Poki!" The lemur broke free of his grasp and quickly flew away from him. "Poki! Come back!" he cried as he leapt off the abbot's head and formed an air scooter to chase after the lemur.

Meanwhile, Kya and Bumi were in the process of getting all the baggage down from the saddle. It would've gone a lot easier if they had some Airbending to ease the motion. But they didn't so they were stuck with tossing it down to one another. Bumi got the majority of the weight and was beginning to feel it as the last bag struck him in the face and he shifted it to his shoulder. "S'cuse me, a little help here?" he asked a nearby acolyte as Kya slid down off Oogi with her own baggage.

She stopped her sweeping to turn and look at them. "Sorry, I thought you were the servants," she said with a bored expression.

That annoyed both of them and it showed on their faces. "We're Tenzin's brother and sister!"

"Avatar Aang had other children?" she asked with shock, which then turned to excitement and made her drop her broom. "The world is filled with more Airbenders?"

"We're not Airbenders," Kya told her in a calm but clearly annoyed voice.

The excitement went out of her as soon as it had come. "Oh…I'm so sorry." She bowed deeply to them both. They were exasperated and a little annoyed with the reaction. They were Aang's children and yet, Tenzin got the treatment because he was the Airbender of three of them? It was beginning to feel like a raw itch that wasn't going to go away.

But Bumi made one last attempt to get rid of said itch. "I am also the Paragon of the Air Nomads," he told her.

She looked at him with a little caution in her eyes. "Are you sure about that?"

"Of course I'm sure!" He reached down into his shirt and yanked the Medallion out for her to see. "There, happy?"

She looked at more closely, almost as if she was trying to find something wrong with it. When she couldn't, she backed up a little and bowed her head again. "Hello, sir. Welcome to the Southern Air Temple."

"Thank you." It was a little better, but still kind of annoying. Kya just looked plain old annoyed.

(Location: Konoha)

Tsukiko tried to hold it in as she and Arashi walked through the street of the village. But the temptation was too great. She let out a big yawn that stretched her mouth out to her limits. "Would you stop that?" Arashi asked her when she was done. "You keep that up and I'm going to start doing it too."

"Maybe you should," she said back. "It might let you loosen up a bit."

"I told you to go to bed early. You're the one who choose not to listen."

"And you're not the littlest bit tired?"

"I'm used to this."

"Freak," she muttered. It was bad enough when he woke up this early and did training, now she had to get up this early too and not stayed in bed. Her parents had been no help either. The previous night, they just smiled at her and told her to do well. How could she do well at this kind of time and without food too?

If Arashi heard her word, he didn't say anything back. Instead, he kept walking through the streets. It was a little weird to see the village in the predawn light. The only thing that was out there with them was the streetlamps and they were being turned off behind them, one at a time. All the stores they passed were closed and the lights inside were out. The sky above was them was beginning to lighten, but it was a slow process to their minds and it left them still thinking that they were walking at night.

He looked down at the piece of paper in his hand. It had directions to the training ground from the Uchiha complex. It had been the only thing that Tsukiko's parents had given them for help. Anything else and they were on their own. They also warned them that the alarm on the fridge would be activated overnight to prevent them from getting food in the morning. He wasn't quite sure if they were joking or not (a fridge with an alarm? Come on) but he wasn't going to risk it. Tsukiko hadn't been of the same mind and he had to all but drag her out of the kitchen and out the front door.

That was half the reason she was in a grumpy mood. Ironically enough, a sleepy and grumpy Tsukiko was a cute Tsukiko. It kinda reminded him of Pabu whenever the fire ferret was dozing and got woken up too soon. He tried to be angry, but it just made people want to go "Awww!" at him (of course, he was never telling that to Tsukiko).

"How much farther?" she asked him, breaking his concentration for a moment.

"I think we're about ten minutes away," he told her, looking at the paper once more. They had to go left at the next intersection and that should take them right out to the training ground.

"Hooray, more walking." Even though she was grumpy, her sarcasm was out in full voice.

"Look on the bright side."

"What's the bright side? Please, tell what is the bright side?"

"When we get there, we do the test. We prove ourselves to be shinobi. And then you can go back to your bed and proclaim your undying love and devotion to it."

"Ha ha, you're hysterical." But it wasn't a bad idea.

They kept walking through the street, turning left at the intersection and heading straight. The silence around them felt a little unnatural to Arashi. In Republic City, even at night, there was something going on. It was the city that never sleeps (when he told that to Jiji, he laughed and agreed but also said that, "It could use a nap.").

When they finally reached the training ground, they found that Hiro was already there. "You guys are cutting it close," he remarked as they walked up to him.

"Maybe you're just early," Tsukiko said back to him.

"No, you're cutting it close."

"Why are there holes in the ground?" Arashi asked, looking at the holes in question. There were three of them right beside them. He couldn't tell how deep they were but he had a feeling that he would not like the answer if he asked. There was also the disturbing fact that there were three holes and three of them.

"I don't know," Hiro admitted.

"Maybe some gopher got really excited with his digging," Tsukiko suggested. She fell down to her knees in an easy slump.

"I don't think that any animal is that anal about their digging," Arashi told her, still looking at the holes. They were easily the same shape, length, and width while also being equally spaced from each other. When he looked at the entire training ground, they were the only things that seem out of place. The training ground itself was a forest with clearings spread throughout. The entrance had led them to the clearing with the holes and there they would stay. The sun still hadn't risen yet and the forest took on a somber and serious feeling.

"Hey, Arashi," Hiro said.

"Yeah?" he said back.

"Where's your headband?" He had been wearing it yesterday when they left Ichiraku's. But now it wasn't on his forehead or any visible part of his body. He was wearing his usual shirt, pants, and jacket but no headband. It puzzled the Hyūga and he wanted an answer.

"The thing itched, so I took it off."

He heard the answer and yet, it didn't really make sense. "You're supposed to wear it."

"Why?" the dyed redhead asked him.

"Because you're supposed to," he replied. "How else are people going to know that you are a shinobi of Konohagakure?" If he didn't wear it, he could get into trouble while in different countries. "Do you have it on you, at least?"

"Of course I do. But a thought came to me last night. It would probably be best sometimes to have to proclaim your loyalty right away but keep it handy when you do. Plus, it's the metal band and the symbol of the leaf that matters, right?"

"Yeah," he said, not sure where he was going with this. "Arashi, what exactly did you do?"

"I took the metal part off and put it somewhere else." He pulled his jacket's flap back to reveal the inside. The metal band with the symbol of Konoha dangled close to the inside. It was dangling the long way, making the symbol be sideways. How it was dangling like that, Hiro didn't know.

But he made a guess. "Did you…sew the band into the jacket?"

"No. Do I look like I know how to wield a needle and thread?" He made it sound like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Alright, then how did you get in like that?"

"For now, it's a piece of good string. I'll figure something more permanent later."

Hiro looked at the band again and where it was dangling from inside the jacket. "You're holding it in there with _string_?"

Arashi looked a little offended by his question. "I said I'll figure something more permanent later. And it's _good_ string."

He looked over at Tsukiko. "Did you know about this?" She didn't move from her slumped position, leaning against Arashi's leg. "Tsukiko?" He got a loud snore for a reply.

Arashi looked down at her too. But with the semi-darkness and the angle, he couldn't get a good look at her. "Is she…?" he began to ask, looking back up.

"Yep," Hiro answered. They got another snore from her, even louder than the last one.

"On my leg?" he asked, looking back down at her. "Get off, Tsukiko. Come on, get off!" He tried wiggling his leg to free it, but that just made her hold on tighter. "Oh this is just great. Of all the times to realize that she's got an iron grip."

"Actually, if you don't mind, I'm going to take a little nap too." He was already sitting down on the ground, trying to make himself comfortable. "I stayed up a little later then I should have going over tactics in battle. I'm still a little sleepy. If you need to wake me, do so."

"Wait, hang on!" But it was too late, he was already asleep. And so the dyed redhead was left awake in the field while his teammates slept away. _"This is not a good start,"_ he thought to himself.

(Location: South Pole)

They had moved the staging area for the trip was outside the harbor city. While Unalaq and his children tended to the camel yaks, Korra and Mako tended to Naga. "I thought you said Bolin was coming?" Korra asked Mako as she checked the straps.

"He said he'd be here, but I can't worry about it. I have to make sure you have everything you need for a safe trip," he replied after lugging up a sack onto the saddle.

"Thanks, Captain Expedition, but I'll be fine." Her tone was sarcastic but she had a smile on her lips still.

Everyone heard the sound of a snowmobile getting louder and louder, making them all turn their heads to the sound. They saw Korra's father driving in from the city, coming to a stop beside them. "Tonraq, what do you want?" Unalaq asked his brother, walking over to him as he turned off the machine and got off it.

"I heard you're taking Korra to the South Pole," Tonraq answered, crossing his arms across his chest. "I'm coming."

"Absolutely not," he replied instantly, sounding very angry. "You're a distraction to Korra and a hindrance to what needs to be done."

"My daughter is not going without me! She needs someone to watch after her."

Korra rode up to them atop of Naga with Mako riding behind her. "Dad, why do you always think you know what's best for me?" she demanded. She wasn't a kid anymore; she could make her own choices. Hadn't living in Republic City and going through all she had proven that?

But it wasn't her father who answered, but her uncle. "Because he's misguided," Unalaq told her, throwing a quick look at Tonraq before looking at her again. "The sad truth is, it's men like your father who have put the Spirit World out of balance. He's ignored my warnings in the past and hasn't learned since."

That was something that she didn't know. As far as she had known, her uncle had never contacted her father outside of formal letters. This was the first time they had met in the longest time. "What happened in the past?

"It doesn't matter," Tonraq told her. "What matters is the Everstorm."

"The Everstorm?" repeated Mako. It didn't sound like a good thing.

"It's a massive blizzard that's battered the South Pole for decades," he explained briefly before turning his attention to Unalaq, getting closer into his space. "I'm coming, unless you think you can stop me." His stance became challenging. It almost seemed like he wanted Unalaq to try and stop him.

No one was sure if a fight was going to happen or not. They all just waited with held breaths to see who would make a move first. But before either of the brothers made a move, they all heard the sound of another snowmobile and Bolin shouting, "Guys! Hey, wait for me!" He rode in on a snowmobile of his own that had a sidecar attached to it and a new snowsuit. "Check it out, I'm traveling in style!" He boasted, leaning on the arm bar. Doing so made him turn the throttle, jerking the snowmobile forward. He managed to stop it before it went anywhere but it was still embarrassing. "Okay, uh, sorry, still getting used to that throttle."

"Uh, where'd you get the ride?" Mako asked him. He was pretty sure his brother didn't even know where to rent one, let alone actually get it.

"Varrick; he's awesome!" he declared. "He also gave me this fancy snowsuit! It's inflatable, with an internal heater, emergency beacon, and food ration pouches! I mean, if I get lost, I can survive in this thing for like, like a month!" He reached into the coat and pulled out some food. "Who wants some freeze-dried cucumberquats?" No one replied. They all just stared at him. "Nobody?" he asked, still not getting a reply. "Did I interrupt a conversation?" He probably did. Pabu popped out of his coat and snagged one of the cucumberquats before disappearing back into the coat.

"No, the conversation is over," Korra told him before turning her gaze on her father. "Dad, come if you want, just don't interfere with my training." She urged Naga on before he could reply.

"Oh good, we made it," Yue said as she walked into the area with Tahno and Asami following her. They all had on heavy fur coats and were carrying packs that were full. Both Tahno's and Asami's breath was a bit labored as they hadn't really carried this much weight before.

"What's the meaning of this?" Unalaq demanded, turning to face her.

"We'll be joining you for a bit of training."

"This is not training, Yue. This is a serious mission."

"Which concerns the Avatar and the spirits, I know. All the more reason for a Paragon to be here, hm?" she asked rhetorically. Unalaq opened his mouth again but she cut him off. "You can try and argue, Unalaq, but you really don't have a choice in the matter. The Paragons are here to watch the Avatar. That means where she goes, one of us is there."

He closed his mouth. "Fine," he said in acknowledgement. "But we did not bring any rides for you."

"That's okay; we're not going to be riding. We'll be walking."

"Uh…why?" asked Bolin.

She turned to him and smiled. "For us, this is going to be an endurance run. I'm going to see how well, these two can do in wild country. Of course I would normally be doing something a little bit different and more dangerous, but this works."

Asami blanched a little at her words. "You mean we'd be doing something worse?"

"Of course you would. Tahno's already done it, except he went for two days only."

"We had to get back for the festival, sifu," Tahno told her. "And you were the one who found me. I thought I was doing fine."

She gave him a long flat look. "I found you half buried under a snowbank and thought you were trying to be suicidal again."

"If I may ask a question?" said Asami, getting the attention of them both. "What's the usual way of doing it?"

"Oh, I just throw you out into the tundra with barely any tools or food and see how you do," Yue explained. She made it sound like it was a casual walk in the park.

That just made it all the more chilling to Asami. "And that's okay for you?"

"Of course," she answered. "Sokka did it to me when he first took me as his apprentice. He always made sure that I never died out there, just get close to it. Have you not gone through survival training yet, Asami?"

"Umm…I think that might depend."

"On what?" she asked, looking more closely at her.

"On what you consider survival," Asami answered.

"Has your sifu kicked out onto the streets and told you to survive?"

That was a weird question and yet suddenly, she could see where she was coming from. "No, he hasn't. He's just been randomly attacking me."

"That's it?" Tahno said with disbelief in his voice. "That doesn't sound too hard."

"Say that after you've done a week with him doing that, Tahno," she challenged him. "I guarantee you that you'll be taking some kind of weapon with you everywhere you go."

"Hmm, I would've thought that Naruto would have gotten to your survival training already," Yue said to herself, musing about it. She didn't muse long. "Ah, well, he has his pace in training. I have mine. Okay, any questions? No? Good." She didn't give them a chance to speak (Tahno wasn't fazed by that. He was used to not having an opinion in his training).

"Does this sidecar have the capacity for two passengers?" Eska asked Bolin, having walked up to him in his snowmobile.

"Sure does," he said flirtingly, patting the sidecar in question with his hand." But, uh…who's gonna drive?" He quickly got his answer. He didn't like it.

* * *

Hours later, the sun had just set over the icy tundra they were traveling through. Bolin was sitting in the driver's seat of the snowmobile and did not look happy. It was probably because of the fact that both Eska and Desna were sitting in the sidecar. Mako, riding his own camel yak, came over to him. "Well, what do you know? Looks like—"

"Go away, Mako," he told his brother. He didn't want to put up with that right now.

At the front of the group, Korra joined up with her uncle. They could see the Everstorm off in the distance, even though they still had far to go. That was how big the thing was. "So once we get to the South Pole, then what happens?" she asked him.

"You will open an ancient spirit portal," he told her.

It took her a second to actually understand those words and she was still confused. "I'm sorry, what now?"

"At the South Pole, there is a portal that connects our world to the Spirit World, but it has long been closed."

"And that's why the evil spirits are attacking?" That made sense to her.

But he thought differently. "There are no evil spirits, there is light and dark in them all. But when they're unbalanced, the darkness takes over. If you can open the portal in time, balance will be restored.

"What do you mean…in time?"

"There's a reason the Glacier Spirits Festival ends on the winter solstice. That's when the Spirit World and the physical world are close together," he explained. "Only then can the Avatar open the portal."

"The winter solstice is tomorrow," she said in realization, quickly doing the math.

"Exactly, and we can't afford to wait another year."

Suddenly, Naga turned her head to the left and began to growl dangerously. "Easy, Naga," Korra told her, trying to calm her down. But it didn't work and her growling caused the others to stop. Korra turned her head to look at what Naga was growling at, seeing only a wall of mist off in the distance.

But then the mist faded just enough so they could see three dark shapes standing off in the distance, watching them in silence. "What are those?" Bolin asked, shrinking into the snowmobile. They looked creepy, very creepy.

"Dark spirits," she told him. The mist thickened again, hiding the spirits from sight once more. They were watching them.

"Let's keep moving," Tonraq told everyone. "We have to find a safe place to set up camp."

"That would be the first good news I've heard today," Asami said at the far back.

"Don't complain, we're fine," Tahno told her. They had on nice fur coats and were carrying supplies in their packs. They had nothing to complain about. That didn't stop her from throwing him a foul look.

(Location: Training Ground Five)

It was three hours past sunrise when Rin finally joined her team. "Good morning all," she announced grandly as she appeared before them. Then she stopped and looked at the scene before her. Two of her new students were asleep and the third was still standing. Actually, the way that Tsukiko was holding onto Arashi's leg was a bit funny to look at.

Arashi saw her and relief poured over his face. "Rin, please—"

"Ah-ah, what am I now?" she asked him, stopping him from speaking. If she was a ruder person, she might've raised a finger and wagged it at him.

He scowled slightly but let it pass. "Rin-sensei, please help. I can't move."

"Have you tried waking them up yourself?"

"Of course I have, but it didn't work."

"That I can," she remarked, looking at Hiro. Unlike Tsukiko, he was lying full on his back and was sleeping peacefully. "Alright, I'll take care of it. You might want to cover your ears though." She took a deep breath and then bellowed, "WAKE UP!"

Tsukiko leapt a good foot in the air at the sound of her voice. "Wah!" she cried out intelligently as she flailed around in the air before landing on her butt. "Ow!" Hiro flailed on the ground but recovered a little quicker than she did. Arashi just moved his leg around, trying to get feeling back into it.

"Morning, did you sleep well?" Rin asked them both with a smile.

"What time is it?" Tsukiko asked, looking up at the sky. It was dark when she fell asleep but now the sun was climbing up through the sky.

"It's time for you to get up. Did I say that you could fall asleep when you were here?"

"You didn't say that we couldn't. And you were supposed to be here before sunrise!" she said accusingly as she stood up again.

"Did I say that I would? I said that _you_ had to be here. I didn't say anything about me. Now, I have a question: why was Arashi the only one who stayed awake?"

Hiro looked at the dyed redhead with surprise. "Arashi, I thought I told you to wake me if you needed to. Why didn't you?" He actually sounded a little disappointed with him.

But the dyed redhead gave him a flat look. "I did try. You wouldn't wake up when I shouted at you and I couldn't reach you to shake you awake because of Iron Claw here." He looked at Tsukiko when he spoke.

"Excuse me? Iron Claw?" she repeated, very offended by his words.

"You kept me locked in that position with your grip. I lost feeling in this leg!" He gestured sharply with both hands at the leg in question. "And why did you use my leg as a pillow in the first place? Couldn't you have used the ground like Hiro did?"

Rin cleared her throat audibly, getting their attention. "If you two are done, we can proceed with the test." The two of them both fell silent but exchanged glares with one another. "Knock it off, I want your complete attention," she told them both. She reached into her pocket and pulled out two bells. "Now, what are these?"

"They're bells," Tsukiko said. She wondered why she was asking such an obvious question.

"Very good," she replied. "How many are there?"

"Two."

"How many are you?" she asked, looking at the three of them.

They all shared a look too. "Uh…there are three of us," Hiro told her. "Why are you asking?"

"Because this is how the test is going to go. In two hours, I'm going to sound off an air horn. That will mean the test is over. You have until then to take a bell off me." She jingled the bells for a second and then tied them to her waist. "You take a bell off, you pass the test. It's that simple."

Again, they all shared a look, a look of confusion. "But, Rin, yo—"

"Ah-ah," she told him, stopping his sentence.

He stopped and then started again. "Rin-sensei, you only have two bells."

"Why yes, I do. Thank you for noticing that, Arashi. That's where the kicker of the test comes in. You see, there are two bells because one of you will be going back to the Academy for more training if you fail to get a bell."

All three of them went stiff as boards at those words. It was something they weren't expecting to hear. They had been selected as a team and now one of them might have to go back to the Academy? Who was it going to be? _"It sure as hell isn't going to be me!"_ Tsukiko silently declared. She had come this far, she wasn't going to lose it now. The only question was who was going to be with her at the end?

"Now, are there more questions?"

"Yes, I have one," Hiro said. "What's with the holes?"

They all looked at the three holes. "Oh, those are where I put the people who failed and then eat lunch in front of them. I'm guessing you guys didn't eat breakfast, right?" As if on cue, three loud growling sounds came from their stomachs. She smiled beneath her mask. "Good. Now, on the count of three, the test starts."

"Any last piece of advice for us?" asked Arashi.

"Now why would I give you that?"

"You're the sensei."

"Hmm, good point," she said light-heartedly. But then her mood darkened. "I've only got one piece of advice for you all: come at me with the intent to kill. Otherwise, you're not going to make it." They all gulped at that. They could tell she was serious. "Three…two…one, _go_!"

(Location: South Pole)

They had found a half-formed cave to set up a temporary camp. The animals stayed outside along with the snowmobiles, having their fur to protect them from the cold. The humans built a fire and gathered around that for warmth. A soup was quickly cooked to provide additional warmth and to put in their bellies. "Uncle, why do you think the dark spirits are following us?" Korra asked Unalaq.

"Can we not talk about dark spirits, please?" Bolin asked worriedly, clutching his bowl of soup and scuttling over to Eska to grab her arm.

"My brother doesn't like ghost stories," Mako explained to them all. Once, it would've been embarrassing. Now the only thing that was embarrassing was that he kept looking for something to latch onto when the subject was brought up. "Not a word out of you," he warned Tahno, who already had a smirk on his lips. Asami chose to eat her soup, enjoying the warmth it gave her.

"Don't worry," Eska said to Bolin in her usual dry tone. "I will protect you, my feeble turtle duck."

"Thank you," he replied.

"Sadly, this isn't a ghost story. This is real," Unalaq said, making the Earthbender draw up his hood and close it tight. The spirits are angry because he's here." He looked at his brother looking at his niece. "Haven't you ever wondered how your father ended up in the South Pole? Why he's never taken you to visit his homeland in the North?"

"Unalaq, this is not the time," Tonraq told him.

"You're right. You should have told her a long time ago." There was a hint of an accusatory tone in his voice, but it was there.

"Unalaq, back off, now," Yue ordered. Her face was in an unusually serious expression. Both apprentices looked at her when she uttered those words. Her being serious was a rare thing to see (at least, to them).

But Korra already had the scent and would not be denied now. "Told me what!?" she demanded.

Her father sighed in what sounded like defeat. "I left the North Pole because…I was banished."

She didn't say anything at first because she knew what banishment meant for a Tribesman It was one of the most terrible punishments that could be passed down onto them. "You were banished from the North? Why?" she asked him.

"Because I almost destroyed the entire tribe," he answered her. He took a deep breath and began to tell his tale. "Twenty years ago, I was a general in the Northern Water Tribe, sworn to protect my people. One day while out on training detail, Unalaq came to me and told me that that the city was being attacked by barbarians. But while their attack had been sudden, we were close enough to stop them. I drove them out of the city and deep into the frozen tundra." He stood up and walked to the cave mouth, looking out to the cold. All he could see was the howling blizzard obscuring everything.

"We tracked them deep into an ancient forest. Many believed this forest was the home to spirits, and the barbarians retreated there because they thought we wouldn't attack them on such hallow grounds. They thought wrong. We captured the barbarians, but in the process, we destroyed the forest. I didn't realize the consequences of what I had done. By destroying the forest, I unknowingly let loose angry spirits. They threatened to destroy everything, the entire city."

"Didn't you do anything about it?" Tahno asked him.

"I tired, but I failed." He looked at his brother with a look no one had seen from him yet: a look of grudging respect. "Unalaq was able to guide the spirits back to the forest. But by then, the damage had been done." The look disappeared and he stared out the cave again. "For being the cause of so much devastation, my father banished me from the Northern Water Tribe in shame. That's when I came to the South and started a new life."

For a moment, all they heard was the howling of the wind and the crackling of the fire. Then Bolin broke the silence in his typical fashion. "Whoa, so _you_," he gestured at Tonraq, "were supposed to be chief, then _he_," he gestured at Unalaq, "became chief. No wonder you guys don't like each other." Mako elbowed him in the gut. "Ow! What? Isn't that what happened?"

"He has no filter, does he?" Yue asked Mako.

"Not really," he replied.

"I can't believe you kept this from me," Korra told her father angrily, standing up and facing him.

"I was protecting you from the shame I brought on the family," he told her.

"Why did you keep hiding things from me and then telling me it's for my own protection? I'm tired of you _protecting_ me!" She turned around and stomped out of the cave.

"Korra!" he called after her. She didn't stop.

(Location Southern Air Temple)

"Wow, the statue room," Jinora said as she followed her father into the room. Her eyes were looking everywhere and taking in everything. She tried to see all of the statues without turning her head. It was a hard thing to do.

"That's right, Jinora, the most sacred place in the entire Southern Air Temple," her father told her. "Here, you will find statues of _every_ Avatar who ever lived." He stopped and looked around for a moment. "Where are your brother and sister?"

He got his answer when Meelo and Ikki came flying past them on air scooters. The wind that they were blowing in their wake filled the room with noise, ruining the pristine silence. "You can't catch me!" Meelo told his sister. "I've the greatest air scooter-er of all time!" He then proceeded to smash right into one of the statues, knocking it down and destroying it.

"Meelo!" shouted Tenzin as he ran over to him, leaving Jinora alone. She started walking amongst the statues, looking at each one as she walked.

She came to a stop at the one in the middle. There was no inscription that told her who he was but she knew all the same. It was her grandfather, Avatar Aang. She knew that the statue was only stone, but she liked to think that the person who carved the statue was able to capture kindness in his eyes. _"I wonder it would be like to actually know him myself,"_ she thought quietly. He had died long before she had been born.

"_If he had lived, you wouldn't have known Korra,"_ another part of her said in reply.

"I see you've found Dad," Uncle Bumi said from behind. She turned her head around and saw him walk up next to her.

"What was he like in real life?" she asked him.

He didn't say anything for a moment. Then he did. "He was a great dad. He wasn't like this." He gesture at the statue.

She looked at it again and saw nothing wrong with it. It was a statue of Aang with his fists pressed against each other in a meditative positioning. It was one half of a mediation stance she knew well. If the statue had been made sitting, she knew automatically that his legs would be folded inward. But nevertheless, the statue gave a comforting, peaceful feel to her. "What's wrong with it?"

"Dad wasn't just this. He smiled and laughed too. There wasn't really a person he knew that he hated or disliked." He paused for a moment and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, there might've been one person."

"Who was that?" she asked her uncle. He just pointed to the statue right of her grandfather. She looked at it. The statue was of a man but completely different from Aang. While Aang was bald and had a short beard, this man had long hair and a long beard. This man wore robes while Aang wore the Air Nomad cloak over a tunic and pants. She knew who this person was. It was Roku, the Avatar who betrayed the Paragons and caused the Hundred Year War to happen.

But then Bumi continued with, "Or maybe it might because I've never really liked looking at this statue."

"Why?"

"When I came home while on leave from the military, a newly promoted lieutenant, I found that Dad had passed away in his sleep two days previous," he said solemnly. "When the monks here revealed the statue and put here in the room, I didn't attend. I wanted to keep my memories of Aang like he was."

Suddenly, Jinora felt a slight presence behind her, like a silent person watching from a distance. But when she whipped her head around, she saw nothing but statues. "Did you feel that?" she asked her uncle.

"Feel what?" he asked back, looking around with her. His voice had become serious and his eyes looked everywhere for a threat.

But they saw nothing. "Never mind, Uncle," she finally told him. Whatever she had felt, she passed it off as a wind.

(Location: South Pole)

Korra was angry, everyone could see that. It showed in how she rode Naga. Not wanting to get snapped at her (or just ignoring her), most of them stayed away. Most of them did, one didn't. Her father came up to her side on his snowmobile. "Korra, you have every right to be mad at me," he began. "But I don't want you to make the same mistake I made. I should never have gone into that forest, and we shouldn't be going to the South Pole now. Spirits and the physical world should remain separate."

She moved Naga forward to cut him off, making him stop in his tracks. "Dad, it's my job to be the bridge between the spirits and the physical world, and I finally have a chance to live up to my potential."

"You don't even know if what Unalaq says is true," he told her sternly.

"You want proof?" Unalaq asked as he rode up on his camel yak. "Look to the sky. Where I'm from, the spirits are at peace and they light up the dark."

"The Northern Lights," Korra said in recognition.

"Yes. There used to be lights at the South as well, but during the Hundred Year War, the South was thrown out of balance and the lights disappeared. When the War ended, the North helped to rebuild you _physically_, as a nation, but we have not rebuilt you spiritually. Now the spirits no longer dance in your skies. Instead, they rampage in the Everstorm."

"I think we're here," Mako shouted from the front, having volunteered to be the scout for the time being.

Everyone joined him. Together, they all saw the Everstorm. The best description any one of Team Avatar could have come with for what they saw was that the center was an orb of dark clouds with rings of more dark clouds orbiting around it. There was something ominous about looking at it. Korra felt something begin to gnawing in her stomach. It was telling her to turn around and walk away.

"Oh good, we've arrive," Yue said as she and the apprentices joined the rest of them. "Tahno, Asami, this is where we get serious."

"You mean we weren't before?" Asami asked her.

"Nope," she said with a bright tone of voice.

"We must keep moving," Unalaq said, pulling up his hood. Everyone followed his example and then followed him down the slope. As they went down, the wind began to howl harder, louder, and faster. It pressed against them like a like weight, suggesting (not forcing) that they turn around and leave.

But they did not leave. They kept going. As they went, they heard something in the wind, something that sounded a distant roar. It was audible but faint, letting them hear it for a second before vanishing into silence. "Is that what I think it is?" Bolin asked in a fearful voice.

"We _must_ keep moving," Unalaq told them all. But the roaring was getting louder and longer.

"Oh man, I really don't like this," the Earthbender among them cried, clutching his head.

Mako looked back at his brother. "Bolin, just stay calm, there's no reason to—" A dark spirit suddenly burst out of the snow and leapt at him. "—panic!"

All of a sudden, there were dark spirits everywhere. They were coming out of the snow and leaping at everyone. These spirits weren't like the one at the festival grounds. They were smaller and more agile, leaping up on the animals and tearing off the supplies before anyone could actually do anything. One of the spirits actually leapt right onto Naga's face, making her rear back to shake it off. But that also made Korra fall down into the snow.

Another spirit popped out of the snow. This one had wings and was coming right for her. But before it could attack, her dad was already there, bending up a sheet of ice to block it. When it swung around, he blasted it away with a surge of water.

Korra heard a noise behind her and saw another dark spirit coming at her. "Korra, look out!" Tonraq shouted, bending the snow into ice to push her away from it. It turned its attention to him and after dodging his attack with another surge of water, it sent him flying into the snow with a flick of its tail.

Meanwhile, another dark spirit popped out of the snow right in front of Bolin's snowmobile and then promptly vanished into it. "Oh, it's in the engine!" he cried out. The hood of the machine popped open and the spirit came out, but the engine misfired and then started, taking the snowmobile out of control with him and the twins in it. "Aaaahhhhh!" he screamed in panic. The twins didn't react.

Mako, Korra, Asami, and Tahno were together in a group while the spirits moved around them like hunters going after prey. They went after the Nonbenders, somehow knowing that, and most likely thinking that they couldn't defend themselves. They were mostly right as Tahno and Asami could barely fend them off. Mako and Korra were throwing fire left and right at the spirits, hoping that would fend them off.

"_Where's sifu?"_ Tahno thought, looking around as he played tag with a dark spirit. He saw her close by, avoiding the spirits around her and making it look easy too.

"Korra, look out!" Asami shouted. The Avatar looked up and saw a spirit leaping right towards her. It smashed into the group, scattering them apart.

Korra leapt away and landed in a roll, turning to face the spirit. As it turned towards, she bent the snow around her into water and then bent the water around the spirit, copying what she had seen her uncle do. Her hands wove quickly through the motions and she could see that it was happening. The water glowing as it whipped around the spirit, the spirit was calming down and its skin was turning from dark to white. _"I'm doing this,"_ she thought to herself, weaving the motions as quickly as she could. _"I can do this!"_

But then the spirit broke free of the entrapment, catching her off guard. It leapt at her, knocked her to the ground and then loomed over her. As she stared up at the face and watched the spirit form a mouth with many sharp teeth, she wondered what she had done wrong.

But then the water came again and the spirit was pacified, turning into light quicker than she would've thought could be done. She looked over and saw her uncle bending the spirit as it grew wings and flew away. She was relieved to see him there. When she looked around, she saw no other spirits. He must've gotten to them as well.

"Well, that was entertaining," Yue remarked as she joined the rest of them. "Asami, Tahno, excellent dodging skills. It seems like your training is paying off."

"Thank you, sifu," Tahno replied in a respectful voice. To those who knew him in the Pro-bending ring, it would've sounded weird.

Mako walked over to his girlfriend and offered her a hand. She took it and he helped her stand back up. "Is everyone okay?" he asked aloud.

"Aaaahhhhh!" he heard his brother screaming as he kept sitting in the snowmobile while it drove up a slope towards the bottom of a cliff. "I can't stop it!"

That was when Desna and Eska, who had done nothing up to this point, stood up in their seats. "I'll save you," Eska told Bolin in deadpan as she and her twin grabbed hold of him and then leapt off the snowmobile. It crashed into the cliff and they weren't on it, already going down the slope.

Bolin hit the slope on his back. The suit he was wearing instantly inflated at the contact, ballooning him up into something bigger. "I'm a raft!" he cried out the obvious while Pabu rode on the inflated stomach. The twins landed on their feet and instantly coated them in ice. Together, they skied down the slope, making it easy while still maintaining their deadpan expression.

Bolin skidded right past them, getting stopped by his brother's foot. "Uhhh, can someone please deflate me?" he asked. Eska promptly bent three ice spikes through the suit, letting out the air (thankfully, she missed Pabu). "Thank you."

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Wonder Twins in action," Tahno said, making a grand gesture towards the two in question.

Yue laughed at that. "Good one, Tahno. We're calling them that from now on."

"You got it, sifu." The twins didn't show any kind of emotion on their faces but their father looked a little annoyed at it. Asami had a small smile on her lips but kept it at that. She did find it funny, but was smart enough not to laugh out loud.

"Oh, great," Mako said as he turned around to look at their supplies, or rather the supplies that had been destroyed by the spirits. "There goes our equipment. Now what are we supposed to do?"

"There's only one thing _to_ do," Tonraq declared. "We have to turn back."

"No!" Unalaq replied instantly. "The solstice is tonight. And we're so close."

"This mission is too dangerous. We're leaving."

At that point, Korra stepped in and put the proverbial foot down. "No, Dad, _you're_ leaving."

(Location: Training Ground Five)

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," Rin sang out as she strolled through the woods in the training ground. She was strolling casually and looked like she was completely open to attack. The bells jingled on her side almost merrily.

About fifty feet behind her, high up in a tree, Tsukiko lay with her back pressed against the trunk. _"There's no way I am falling for that trick,"_ she thought to herself. She had tried attacking Rin head on almost after the test had started. But she got her butt handed to her on a silver platter and a smile too (she just knew that masked kunoichi had been smiling underneath her mask. She had to be). She had been barely able to get out of there with her life (much less her dignity) intact.

"_What the hell am I going to do now?"_ she asked herself. A straight forward attack didn't get her anywhere and what few jutsus she could've casted had been so easily avoided by her sensei, it would have (and was) laughable. She had to come up with a new strategy to get one of those bells. _"Come on, girl, think, think!"_

An idea came to her. What if she rigged a trap? That might work. She could fake another assault and then lead her into the trap, but that might actually take some doing. She may actually need some help for that. She swung her head left and right, trying to see Arashi or Hiro.

She had no luck with that. _"Where could they have gotten to?"_ she asked herself. They had scattered when the test began and she hadn't seen them since. She was beginning to think that hadn't been the best of ideas.

Her stomach growled loudly, making her look down at her. _"Not now."_ She was really beginning to feel the hunger pains and it was distracting. Maybe she should've eaten breakfast after all. It would certainly keep her focused on trying to get one of those bells. But on the other hand, she might've been throwing up all over the place.

"Has anyone told you that your stomach is way too loud?" Rin's voice asked her, coming from directly underneath the branch.

She froze and then looked down. Sure enough, there she stood looking up at her. "Uh…hi?" she said, thinking of nothing else to say.

"Come on, Tsukiko," Rin told her.

"Um, no, no I'm good up here."

"What? Afraid of getting another beat down?" she asked with a mocking voice. "I would've thought the daughter of the Hokage; much less the granddaughter of Sasuke and Sakura would have put up a better fight."

She saw red and stood up. _"Oh, she did not just say that!"_ But her balance slipped and she fell off the branch, stopping her fall by grabbing the branch with her arms. It was enough to snap her out of the red-tinted view she had. She dangled in the air, trying to get back up onto the branch. But then she felt a hand on her leg. _"Uh-oh,"_ she thought to herself.

"This wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I said come down, but I'll take it," Rin remarked before pulling on the leg. Even though she was pulling, Tsukiko wasn't moving. In fact, she was holding onto that branch with all she had. "Hmm, maybe Iron Claw was an apt name for you."

Then she pulled harder and Tsukiko was brought to the ground with a loud _thump_! Her back exploded with pain but as far as she could tell, nothing had been broken. _"Ow, ow, ow, ow,"_ she thought to herself as she stood back up. Then she realized that she was standing with her back against the tree trunk and Rin was looming over her.

"Now then, shall we continue with the lesson?" she asked.

"I'd rather not," Tsukiko replied, her hands going to her sides. Her left one dropped out of sight and started looking for the pack she put on her belt. She had to get out of there.

"Now what were we on? Was it Ninjutsu or Taijutsu?"

"Um, I just said that I'd rather not do this," she said again. She found the pack and opened the flap. Her fingers started digging through, trying to find what it was she was looking for.

"I know. I heard you," Rin told her.

"Then why aren't you saying anything about it?"

"Why, because you really don't get a choice in the matter," she said. Again, she was smiling underneath her mask.

Tsukiko's response was to grab the smoke bomb in her pack and throw in to the ground, engulfing both of them in smoke. The second her vision was obscured, she dashed to the side and got the hell out of there. She didn't stop running for a good ten minutes, well out of sight of the smoke she created.

She stood there, hands on her knees and panting to get her breath back. _"Okay, I think I got away. Now what?"_ she asked herself.

From behind her, Rin's voice called out. "Nice trick with the smoke, Tsukiko. But remember, you can run but you can't hide. I will find you."

Those words put her second wind in her. She took off, running deeper into the forest. _"Where are the guys?"_ she thought as she ran.

* * *

Hiro could not believe that this had happened to him. He should've seen this coming. For the love of Kami, he had the **Byakugan** and he still ended up being buried up to his neck! How? How could this have happened?

"_You know what happened? She ambushed you!"_ he reminded himself. He had been rigging a trap and got it done when she appeared. He thought that he was leading right into the trap but when she stepped through it and it vanished, he realized that he had been put in a Genjutsu.

The next thing he knew, he was hanging up down from a tree with a rope around his leg. He had a kunai in his pouch and he was able to cut through the rope and land safely on his feet. But when he turned around, Rin-sensei was there waiting for him. He tried fighting her but that got him in this hole.

"_This is so humiliating,"_ he inwardly moaned. If his grandmother saw him like this, she would never let him forget and he was never going to be allowed to live it down. _"Stop that, Hiro. It's not going to help you. You need to figure a way out of this mess."_

As he tried moving around in the hole, Arashi landed in front of him. The dyed redhead looked him over. "Hey, Hiro, how's it going?" he asked casually.

"Very funny, Arashi," Hiro replied annoyed. "Do you mind helping me out here? I can't move."

"Yeah, I noticed. How did you get in that spot anyway?"

"I tried fighting her and she somehow pulled me down." That was the only way he could explain it without embarrassing himself. "Now would you help me out of this already?"

"Actually, I'm a little tempted to just leave you there."

"Why? What did I do?" His eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Is this because you'll have a better chance at getting one of the bells?"

"No."

"Then what?" he asked, still suspicious.

"For leaving me awake for three hours while Iron Claw drained feeling out of my leg." He looked down at the Hyūga with slightly accusing eyes.

He wanted to say something in protest, only to realize that he didn't really have anything to protest. Arashi was right; he did leave him like that. "Sorry?" he said, making it sound like a question.

His teammate stared at him for a moment longer. Hiro wondered what was going through his head. Was he going to leave him here? "Alright," he finally said, walking around him.

"What are you doing?" Hiro asked him, trying to turn his head to watch him walk.

"Trying to get out you out, now just hold on." He started tapping his foot on the ground with every step he took. He was trying to find something; Hiro just didn't know what that thing was.

But what he did know was what he was doing was going to do anything. "That's completely pointless, Arashi," he told the dyed redhead. "The earth is tight around me. I can't even move to scratch my nose for an itch."

"Do you have an itch?"

"No, I was just using it for an example."

"Alright, now just hold on." He kept moving around and around, tapping against the ground with his foot. Then he stopped on Hiro's left. He focused on the ground, moving his foot around as he tapped and tapped. "Here we are."

"What are you doing?" Hiro asked him.

"Just wait." He lifted his foot up and stomped down.

The earth around the Hyūga suddenly didn't feel so tight anymore. There was enough wiggle room for him to start moving around. His moving around got himself more and more room to move until finally, he was able to lift his arms out of the hole. Arashi didn't hesitate, grabbing hold of an arm and pulling him out of the hole. It took a few pulls but he was able to do it. "Thanks," Hiro told him as they laid there on the ground, him on his stomach and Arashi on his butt.

"No problem," he replied.

They sat there for a few seconds in silence. Then Hiro broke it. "Has she come after you yet?" he asked Arashi.

He shook his head. "No, she hasn't. Don't know why," he replied.

"Well, I get the feeling that she's enjoying all of this." As he spoke, he saw that a frown came onto his teammate's face. "What's the matter?"

"I don't know. I just get the feeling that this test is rigged somehow."

"Rigged?" he repeated. "What do you mean by that?"

"I just said I don't know. But come on, you haven't thought that this was a little unfair to us?"

To that, he just shrugged his shoulders. "It's survival of the fittest. You taught me that when you dragged through Konoha."

He gave the Hyūga a look. "That was me trying to help you out. This is something different."

"I don't see it." Despite the fact that they were in a forest and there was only one person they were up against, he thought it was quiet similar to what happened to him. If he closed his eyes and concentrated, he could replace the trees with buildings and the ground with streets and alleys. But without people, it made for a cold and sad image.

"The three of us are supposed to go up against a Jōnin for only two bells? Something doesn't right about it."

"They just want to see how we do." His stomach groaned and he felt hungry again. _"Kami, I wished I had something to eat before now."_

Arashi heard the groan and dug around in his pockets, eventually pulling out a baggie. "Here," he said, tossing it at Hiro.

He caught it. "What is this stuff?" It looked like some kind of red chips, if the chips could break at the slightest movement.

"They're sizzle-crisps. I made some last night to eat."

He looked at the dyed redhead. "But Rin-sensei said that we couldn't have breakfast."

"True. But she didn't say anything about snacks. I figured that was a loophole. Try them, they're quite good."

Hiro wasn't so sure about that. He had never seen this kind of snack before. And most of the food he was used to didn't come in red. He briefly considered refusing but then his stomach groaned and the silent debate became moot. He opened the baggie, took out a crisp and looked at it for a second. It looked like it would fall off if he gave a slight shake.

"Go on," Arashi told him, waiting patiently before him.

He popped the thing in his mouth with no hesitation (if he hesitated, he might not have eaten it), chewed it and then swallowed it. To his surprise, it left a nice taste in his mouth, along with a warming quality to it. "This is good," he declared as he ate more.

Arashi smiled. "That's good to hear. For a second there, I was afraid that I hadn't gotten them right for mild."

He almost spat them out at that point. "You mean these could be spicy?"

"Relax. Your tongue's not on fire, so you're fine." He looked out at the forest. "Agni, I can't help feeling that this is rigged somehow. How are three Genin, fresh out of the Academy, supposed to take on an experienced Jōnin alone? It's like…" He trailed off as he stared into the forest.

"It's like what?" Hiro asked, waiting for him to finish the sentence. But he didn't say anything in reply. He just kept staring out at the forest. "Arashi?" the Hyūga prompted him.

"…Of course, how could we not it?" he asked aloud. "It was right in front of us."

"Arashi, what are you talking about?"

He suddenly whipped around and grabbed hold of the baggie. "Sorry, Tsukiko's going to need this."

"Wait, what?" Hiro said. "Why would Tsukiko need that?"

"Because I'm willing to bet that she's going to be hungry and she's going to need to be at full strength." He pocketed the baggie of snacks and pulled out his cell phone (he had been stunned when he was first presented with it. A phone that could be easily moved around? It was completely astonishing!). It took him a moment, as he was still getting used to it, but finally figured out how to send the text message for his second teammate.

(Location: South Pole)

As Tonraq finished putting the rest of his remaining supplies on the snowmobile, Mako approached him. "Don't worry sir, I'll keep an eye on Korra for you," he promised.

"Thank you, Mako," he replied with gratitude. He knew that the young man before him would keep his word.

Korra was still irritated with her father and watched silently from Naga as the two shook hands and then watching her father leave. As he left, her uncle came up behind her on his camel yak. "Let's open this portal and lead your father and the entire Southern Water Tribe in the right direction. We don't have much time," he told her.

"Then what are we waiting for?" she asked back, urging Naga forward. The group moved forward. Eska and Desna sat on a camel yak that was pulling Bolin in what remained of his snowmobile behind them (something he didn't look too happy about). The Paragon and the two apprentices were in the back, marching determinedly on.

Mako had lent his camel yak to the twins and was now riding with Korra. "So, what exactly were you and my dad talking about?" she asked him, showing her irritation.

"Nothing, he was just worried about you, that's all," he replied honestly.

It wasn't an answer that comforted her. "Y'know, sometimes I wonder whose side you're on."

"There aren't any sides. We all just want to help however we can. You have to trust that we're here for you." She knew that was the truth, even though she didn't like it right now. She didn't have a reply for him, so she just kept her focus forward.

"We've arrived," Unalaq announced, coming to a stop. Everyone else did the same and then dismounted. They walked from that point on. From a distance, what they were looking at had looked like a glacier of ice far inland.

But as they came closer and closer, they saw that wasn't the case. In fact, it was quite different. "Trees frozen in the ice," Korra said as she stared at the frozen forest. It was a horrifying, yet eerily beautiful thing to see.

"It's just like the sacred forest Tonraq destroyed in the North," her uncle remarked as he walked up beside her.

"So, what do I do?" she asked him.

"You must find your way to the heart of the forest where the dormant spirit portal lies. From here, you're on your own." He looked back at Yue and the apprentices. "Not even a Paragon can follow."

"You don't hear us complaining," Tahno told him. He was winded and tired. If he could build a fire, he would.

"Tahno, are you the Paragon here?" Yue asked him. She didn't look winded or tired at all.

"No."

"Then how about you let me do the talking, hm?" She turned to Unalaq. "As for you, how many times is it going to take you to get that where the Avatar goes, a Paragon is there."

"She's right," Mako said in agreement. "There's no way she's going alone.

"Yeah!" added Bolin, coming between his friend and her uncle. "If she goes, we go, too!" Pabu poked his head out of the snowsuit to show his support.

"The Avatar must go alone," Unalaq said again, facing all of them. To Yue, he added, "What happens next has no business with the Paragons."

"I think he might be right, Yue," Korra told her aunt figure. But then a slightly worried look came upon her face. "But I don't have any connection with the spirits," she told Unalaq. "In fact, it seems like they hate me."

He placed a hand on her shoulder, a reassuring one. "You have to believe in yourself, like I believe in you." She shrugged the hand off and looked down at the ground. "What is it?"

"I guess I'm just so used to people telling me how to do things that I forgot what it was like to have someone trust in me," she admitted, looking back at him and giving him a small smile.

"What am I? Chopped meat?" asked a slightly offended Yue.

The two of them ignored her, one intentional and the other unintentional. "Korra, all the past Avatars live on inside of you," her uncle reminded her. "Let them guide you. Let them help you find the light in the dark."

He turned his head to look at what lay before them and she did the same. It was foreboding and chilling, but she knew that he was right. To Mako and Bolin, she said, "Wait here, I'll be okay." She turned around to look at Yue. "I'm sorry, but he's right. I have to go at this alone."

Yue rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders. "Alright, alright, do what you gotta do."

"Good luck," Mako told her as she turned back around. She gave him a nod of thanks and started forward. She did not take Naga with her. She truly felt that she had to go in there alone.

(Location: Training Ground Five)

Arashi stood in front of the three holes, waiting. He hadn't been waiting for long, perhaps a half hour or so. But each minute he waited felt like a long one. He was going to do something drastically stupid and he was hoping to Agni or Kami (whichever one was closer now) that it would pay off.

"_Just breathe,"_ he told himself again and again as he waited. He was feeling nervous. How could he not? He was fairly certain that this was probably one of his more insane ideas. But it had to work. If it didn't, odds are the three of them would be going back to the Academy. He hadn't crossed the sea to just stay in school. _"Just breathe."_

"I certainly didn't expect this from you, Arashi," Rin said as she finally came out into the open grass.

He silently exhales, letting out all the air he had been unconsciously holding. "I don't really like hunting games," he told her. "I figure it was best to get it out in the open. I'm just surprised that it took you this long to get me."

"Well, I had to take care of your teammates when they came after me for the bells. Do you think that you could do any better?"

"Let's find out." He moved into the **Gōken's** opening stance, folding one arm back behind his back and extending the other out towards her. He knew the stance, having been forced to stand in it for hours on end.

"This is going to be fun. Shall we keep it to just Taijutsu then?" she asked him.

"If you feel like it, you're the sensei here."

"Yes, I am." She moved into her own opening stance and held it. The two of them stayed there, waiting for the other to make the first move.

"_Hmm, he's not instantly attacking,"_ Rin thought to herself as she watched him. She was a little surprised by that. She had known enough Genin (including her two recent victims) who attacked right away. She had been one of those Genin and had gotten kicked into a tree by her sensei for doing it. But Arashi was waiting for her to move first. _"His grandfather must've trained him not to make the first move. That was smart of him."_ Now it became a waiting game to see who would flinch first.

The wind blew through the grounds. Neither one of them moved. The trees rustled from the wind. Neither one of them moved. The leaves on the ground danced in the wind. Neither one of them moved. One leaf blew free and came high up into the air. Arashi's eyes flickered at the sight of it.

Rin launched herself right at him, her fists raised into double punches. His eyes flickered back into focus and widened in brief surprise. He lifted his hand to intercept the left fist but still got the right in his side. "Ah!" he gasped in pain.

"First lesson: never lose focus," she told him, looming over him like a giant. "You lose focus in battle, you die in battle." She swept his legs out from under him with a kick.

At least, she tired. "I know that," he replied as he blocked the kick with his own leg. With his free hand, he grabbed hold of his right and released the left. The sudden move gave him enough seconds to swing his free foot at her leg. She stumbled and went down to one knee. The bells jingled.

"_Now's my chance!"_ he thought, reaching down to grab them both. His hand was an inch away from grabbing both.

But then she recovered and buried a fist in his stomach. He bent over the punch as pain coursed from that point and through the rest of his body. "Second lesson: see through the deceptions," she told him, making it sound like they were just having a conversation. "What you might see probably isn't the case." Using the force behind the punch, she drove him up and then back down into the ground.

He felt pain on both sides of his body. It was enough to make his mind say _"Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow,"_ on a loop. But when he saw the kunai in her hand coming down right at him, his senses cleared and he quickly rolled out of the way. "I thought you said no weapons," he protested.

"No, I said we keep it to Taijutsu," she replied, pulling the kunai out of the earth. "I never said anything about not using weapons."

He pulled out a kunai of his own just in time to block hers. The blades met and made the air ring with a _Clang!_ Again they held each other in deadlock, trying to push against the other. It didn't take long for Rin's superior strength and experience to give her an edge. She gradually began to push Arashi, making him lean back and back until she was again looming over him like a giant.

He kept pushing back, trying to throw his own weight against hers. But it wasn't working and he kept getting pushed back. He looked to the sides with quick whips of his head, looking for something. "Any time now, guys!" he shouted aloud.

Hiro and Tsukiko burst out of hiding, leaping right at Rin and the bells at her waist. To her credit, the Jōnin reacted to their presence quickly, stopping Tsukiko with her free arm and fending off Hiro with her foot. She looked like some kind of odd statue fending off the three students at the same time.

She was doing it well but they had been opening for that. Tsukiko clamped down on the arm and held it tight. Rin tried to move it but found that Arashi's nickname for her proved to be apt. Hiro dodged her kicks and dove for her kunai-wielding arm. He got hold of it and used his momentum to push it away from Arashi. Once he was free, the dyed redhead once again moved in for the bells.

This time he used his kunai. This time, he was successful. The bells fell into the palm of his hand and he closed it tight around them. "I've got them!" he declared. At his words, the other two back off from Rin and then away from her. He followed them until they were good distance from their sensei. There they stood, watching her as much as she was watching them. Nobody made a move. The bells did not jingle in his tight fist.

(Location: South Pole)

As she walked through the ice-covered trees, Korra felt like they were all watching her. She knew that they had no eyes, but that did not stop the feeling. It was like a constant feeling on the back of her neck and shoulders, watching everything she did. When she climbed down into the actual glacier itself into a tunnel carved out from the ice, she thought it would disappear.

But it didn't. In fact, it seemed to get heavier. What was more was that she now heard the wind blowing through the tunnel, making it sound like a lonely soul crying. _"Why?"_ the wind seemed to call to her. _"Why? Why? Why?"_

She was tempted to looked up and asked "Why what?" But she kept going forward. She seemed to know instinctually where to go. Even when the tunnel split off into multiple ones, her feet did not stop. They kept her walking down the path she already knew. It was like, even though the place looked different, she knew the way to her destination, having traveled there before.

She didn't know what it was that made her stop in her tracks so suddenly. It might've been the slight change in the wind that she heard or the faint scuttling against the snow. She turned around at what she had walked from and saw nothing. _"Maybe it was just imagination?"_ she asked herself. It seemed likely. She didn't know what exactly to do here and yet she was still walking towards it all. Tensions were running high all over the place and it was probably getting to her. She just needed to take a breath for a moment.

It was in that moment two dark spirits, shaped like snakes, flew through the air and coming right at her. Caught off-guard, she stared at them in surprised horror. _"Don't just stand there. Move!"_ she told herself. She turned back around and started running.

Her moment of hesitation was enough for the dark spirits to reach her and twine themselves around her body. She fell down to the ground with a hard grunt, rolling a few inches due to her momentum. She was able to keep her arms free so when one of the spirts rose up and descended onto her, she threw her right arm into its mouth and bent fire into it. Its skin bunched up from the fire it was ingesting a couple of seconds before finally exploding.

Now she only had to deal with one spirit. She could feel its grip on her legs loosening. She took advantage of it, swinging her legs up into a helicopter kick, bending air into a virtual gale that shook the last spirit free. She landed on her feet, free of them. But the first spirit was reforming and the two were regrouping.

She chose to make a break for it, running down the tunnel and not looking back. It didn't take her long to reach the end of the tunnel. It was covered in ice save for a crack in the middle that looked it could fit an elephant-rat through. But she was the Avatar and as such, a Waterbender. Ice could be bent to her will.

She bent the crack wider and leapt through it. Before the spirits could follow her through, she bent up a new sheet of ice to block the crack and they bounced against it, repelled. They stared one another through the ice for a moment. Then the dark spirits left and she could breathe easier.

When she turned around to look at the area she was in, she found that she was standing on ice and that tree roots had tunneled through the domed roof to dangle in the air around her. In the center of the room, beneath the ice, was a large, white glowing orb that seemed to hum in her ears. "The spirit portal," she said as she walked towards it, knowing what it was right away. "Amazing."

* * *

In the Southern Air Temple, Jinora shared a room with Ikki and Meelo. While they shared a bed, she had her own. She was sleeping peacefully, enjoying her sleep. But then she awoke. At first, she was a little confused. Why did she wake up? Then she realized something was calling her, urging her to come. She sat up on the edge of the bed, unsure of where she had to go. But as soon as she thought about it, she had the answer.

She got out of the room and walked towards the statue room. It wasn't a long walk from where she had been sleeping and so, she was still a little sleepy, yawning loudly as she walked. But when she reached the room and looked again upon all the Avatars, she paused and looked around in confusion. What was she supposed to do next?

The answer came to her as soon as she asked the question. She had to go back through the line, all through the Avatars. So she started walking past all the Avatars, walking and looking at all of them. She saw the cycle repeat itself again and again. The clothes changed and the faces changed but the basics of their culture stayed the same. She looked upon the names of each Avatar she passed, Tonar, Koz, Jian, Leke, Sokka (not Gran-Gran's brother but the Water Tribe Avatar he had been named after), O'lina, Atl, Teiluc, Baichu, Koa, Atiya, and Lee.

She had been climbing the room and had almost reached the top. She walked past Yuriko, the first Fire Nation Avatar, a wild child raised by dragons. She walked past Del, a man who was born to a wealthy merchant family and was discovered to be the first Avatar of the Earth Kingdom. She walked past Shiya, a girl who became the Water Tribe's first Avatar. She walked past Nubia, the monk who was the first Avatar of the Air Nomad.

But then she came to a stop, having reached the end. She stared at the last statue there with a gasp of surprise. This one was different. All the others had been made of stone but this one was made of wood. It was old wood, aged and pale in the morning light. The other statues only had the Avatar themselves but this Avatar had some kind of spirit-like creature (it had to be a spirit because no actual animal she knew of looked like that. She couldn't even tell what it was) hovering over it. Chunks of the wood were missing, like the hands on the Avatar or pieces of its clothes, some of the tendrils of the creature, and most of the Avatar's face. Only the eyes were still visible.

But there was something else about the statue and it made her ask one question. "What Avatar is this?" She had read as many books as she could have on all the Avatars she could find. There weren't many that had escaped her eyes (mostly, according to the Paragons she knew, they were most the heinous of Avatars who failed and fell). The statue was one of those few. Which raised the question: was he one of the fallen Avatars or was he so ancient that he had been forgotten?

* * *

"The light in the dark," Korra said as she looked down at the portal. So that was what her uncle had meant. But how was she to get to it? The ice protecting the orb seemed unnaturally thick. She had tried bending it apart but it did not budge. Perhaps if she tried one of the other elements, it might work.

She took the stance of Airbending, drew back her fist, and then slammed it right into the ice. The air she bent with the punch blew up and around her, but the ice still remained solid and unyielding. _"Okay, that didn't work,"_ she thought to herself. She felt a little bit stupid for trying it in the first place. How would air work on ice? They weren't even opposites of each other.

She tried fire next, figuring that since it was the opposite of water, it would work. Bur she bent a continuous burst of fire at the ice but it didn't work. She didn't even get a dent in the ice. "Why isn't it opening?" she asked aloud. She was trying everything that she could think of and none of it was working.

Then she heard the sound of ice breaking, but didn't see any, and the sound of spirits hissing in the air around her. When she looked up, she saw them start come through the ceiling. There were too many of them for her to fend off alone. She had to get the thing opened. She turned back around and started slugging the ice with Airbending. "Come on portal, open!" But it still remained closed.

The spirits broke through the ceiling and congealed into one giant spirit. It swooped down and pinned Korra with its mouth. Once she was held, it split into many spirits again. Tendrils lashed out and wrapped themselves around her, pulling her up away from the ice. Her skin and clothes hurt where the spirits tightened against her. They pulled her up to the roof, away from the ice.

She tried Firebending again but the ice still remained frozen. The tendrils grabbed hold of her arms and forced them to stay still as she was pulled further away from the floor. _"What am I doing wrong?"_ she asked herself, still fighting but getting nowhere. Her bending should've worked. It had to have worked. What else would?

As she asked herself that question, the answer came right to her and she felt like an idiot. It was a Spirit portal, a _Spirit_ portal! She was dealing with _spirits_! She didn't have to rely on Bending; she had to use the Avatar State! _"I am an idiot!"_ she chastise herself.

She reached into herself and activated the Avatar State. Her eyes glowed brightly with white and the whole room seemed to hum. The spirits broke away from her, letting her drop back down to the ground. But one held on and stopped her from reaching down completely. It then expanded and held onto her more tightly. She hung there, her fingers a couple of bare inches from the ice.

She stretched them out, trying to reach it. _"Come on,"_ she told herself, using all she had to move her restrained hand. _"Just a little bit more…"_

She was able to reach out with one finger and touch the ice directly above the portal, a ring of energy escaping from her touch. In that single second, she heard a single bell chime and it coursed through her entire body. The room darkened but the portal burned brighter than ever. The ice cracked and then a gigantic beam of light burst out of the portal and shattered it. The spirits that held her vanished. She flung off to the side, slightly hurt but safe.

The beam of light shot upwards into the sky, piercing through the clouds of the Everstorm as it rose up. The clouds themselves faded away once pierced, leaving nothing but clear and starry night skies. Everyone for a thousand miles could see it go higher and higher into the sky. When it reached its zenith, it stopped. From there, it split into many streams of light, glowing green against the dark and making everything seem to come alight.

Korra had a good spot to see it all happen. All she had to do was look up at the sky and see the Southern Lights. "The spirits, dancing in the sky," she said to herself, remembering her uncle's words. She was unaware that at the same time she was staring at the lights, the statue Jinora was standing in front of in the Southern Air Temple glowed as well.

From the outside, the group watched as it all happened. The Everstorm vanished and the glacier disappeared too. They saw the forest more clearly now but their attention was more focused on the lights. "I can't believe it," Mako said, looking up at them.

"It's beautiful," his brother declared, rubbing tears out of his eyes before they could spring up.

"Whoa," Asami said as she stared. She had seen many things that were wonderful and beautiful in her time in life. But they had been things made by humans, paintings, sculptures, or even inventions made by her father. What she was seeing right now was something that was made by nature. It eclipsed everything that she thought had been beautiful and wonderful. She doubted that she would see anything like it again.

"Hmph, bit much, wouldn't you say?" Tahno said but he couldn't keep the wonder out of his voice. Yue just rolled her eyes at him. Unalaq stared up at the sky, smiling at the sight.

Meanwhile, Tonraq was still driving back to civilization on his snowmobile when the lights occurred. He saw the light out of the corner of his eye, making him stop. He turned around, standing up, and saw the lights more fully. "She did it," he said with pride in his voice.

(Location: Training Ground Five)

The Genins stared down the Jōnin and vice-versa. Arashi was still holding the bells in his fist. "We win," he declared.

"You sure?" asked Rin.

"Yes, we are," Hiro told her.

"I don't think so. There are only two bells and three of you. Arashi already has one, so he's fine. But one of you will be going back to the Academy." She smiled darkly beneath her mask. "So, who's it going to be?"

"No one," Arashi declared. He tossed the bells back at her.

She caught them without blinking or flinching. "Now that was dumb of you, Arashi. You'll have to fight me again to win them back and we'll be back to where we are now."

He shook his head. "This test wasn't about the bells. It was never about the bells. It was a feint, a trick to confuse us."

"And it did," Hiro added.

"Yeah, it did," Tsukiko muttered, throwing a dirty look at Rin.

If she saw it, the Jōnin didn't say anything about it. "And what makes you think that it was a trick? Did all of you figure this 'trick' out?" she asked, making air quotes with her hands when she said trick the second time.

"No, I did," Arashi said to her.

"So tell me."

"The test didn't make sense to me at first." He gestured to himself and his team. "We're three Genin fresh out of the Academy and we're supposed to take you on alone? That's basically asking us to lie down on the ground and die peacefully. It didn't make sense; especially since I get the feeling Konoha isn't the kind of place to throw their new shinobi to the wolves right off the swing of the kunai. Then I remembered a crucial lesson from Pro-bending."

"Yes, the sport we've never heard of or seen before," Tsukiko said with sarcasm.

"Tsukiko, hush," Hiro told her, "Arashi, keep going."

The blonde did keep going. "In a match, if there's one member of the opposite team stronger, faster, or just plain better, you don't try take him on yourself. The entire team works as one to take him down. Those two bells are meant to be a distraction to keep us from realizing that crucial detail. They were supposed to try and have us fight one another rather then you. They didn't matter, beating you did."

Their would-be sensei thought it over, taking an obvious thinking pose. "Hmm…alright, you've got it," she said suddenly. "But the fact remains that you still don't have the bells."

"The bells do not matter," Hiro said to her. "Us using teamwork to beat you does."

"And guess what? We did," Tsukiko said triumphantly.

"But I am the Jōnin and I say what you have to do to pass this test. I could say that you broke the rules in fighting me and then giving me the bells." She changed completely, going from thinking to serious in less than a second. "And I have to say that…" She strode up to them all and loomed over them. The sun was behind her, making her seem to darken so that only her shadow was left. But then she leaned forward out of the sun, with a genuine smile beneath her mask (and one in her eyes). "…You pass!"

Tsukiko had been ready to fight again but stumbled slightly when she heard those words. "What?" she asked.

"You heard me. The three of you pass the test."

"We do?"

"Of course you do. You were right, Arashi," she said to the dyed redhead, looking at him. "The bells were to deceive you. But you were able to figure that out. Well done. You are right, of course. Konoha is the not type of place that will throw new shinobi out to the wolves like that. We must ensure that you are able to survive out there in the world. To do that, you have to have learned the most crucial thing."

"What is that?" Hiro asked her. He thought he knew, but he wanted to be sure and so, he wanted to hear it from her.

"Teamwork," she told him. "You have to work together if you want to accomplish something you cannot do on your own and you must be willing to admit that."

"Like fighting you," Arashi said.

"Exactly," she replied. But then her expression turned serious again. "I know that you three have passed the test but don't go thinking that you're better than me because of it. You're young; you still have a lot to learn."

"Yes, sensei," the three of them said together.

"Good. Then always remember this: those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandoned their friends are worse than scum."

Tsukiko frowned a little bit in concentration. "Why do I know those words?" she asked aloud.

"They are the words my father lived by."

"Oh." Now that made sense. She knew who her father was and not just because he had trained her grandparents. Everyone in Konoha knew of Kakashi Hatake. He was a legend, just like the Sannin and the Konoha Eleven were.

Just as soon as she had been serious, she was easy-going (two out of the three Genin thought that her mood swings were weird. The other one thought that it was something they were going to have to get used to). "Now that's said and done congratulations! You've officially made it! This is probably the first time I haven't had to shove someone into one of those holes. Lunch is on me, shall we eat?"

"That's okay, we're good," Hiro said to her.

She looked at him like he said something foolish. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yeah, we're not hungry," Tsukiko told her.

"But you did not have breakfast, correct?" she asked them all. They certainly didn't look like they were hungry. They were standing easy and didn't have any hint of looks of hungriness on their faces. They could've been faking it but they were Genin. She knew that they didn't have that kind of training (well, she could say that about Hiro and Tsukiko, Arashi was an uncertainty).

"We didn't, we follow your orders."

"So why are you not hungry?"

"You said not to have breakfast," Arashi said. "You didn't say anything about snacks."

She looked at him and then nodded in acknowledgement. "You listened, Arashi. Very good of you, you'd make a shinobi yet."

"Thanks, Rin-sensei." Even though those were words of praise, he felt uncertain. He had helped his team help win the test, but he still felt uncertain. He had become a shinobi, but he still felt uncertain. He felt uncertainty because of what they talked about the previous day. Why was he a shinobi? Was it to get out of his grandfather's shadow? It was here and probably even darker than the Bending countries. Why did he come here if he could not escape his grandfather?

(Location: South Pole)

Bolin was the first to notice that Korra was walking out of the forest. "Hey, Korra, you're back," he shouted as he started running towards. He looked briefly back at the others. "Hey, Korra's back!" He ran right up to her and gave her a big hug.

It only lasted a second before a wave of ice came up around him and held him in place with only his head visible. He was confused as to why it was happening until it drew him back and turned him around to look at Eska. "Why are you initiating physical contact with another woman?" she demanded. Even though she said in her usual deadpan voice, there was something about it that made him feel really nervous.

Fortunately, Asami came to his rescue. "He was just hugging a friend," she told Eska, coming up beside her. "You don't need to worry about anything."

"…I see." The ice vanished from the Earthbender but he still looked nervously at her.

Korra ignored the three of them, walking up to her uncle. "Everything you said was true," she told him.

"Avatar Korra, you have taken the first step in bringing balance back to the South, and soon the whole world," he replied, sounding quite formal.

He might've said something more, had Mako not run up and hugged her. "You never cease to amaze me," he declared after picking her up and swinging her around.

"Thanks," she said to him before feeling rather embarrassed by what she had done before. "By the way, I'm really sorry for being a total pain. Things were really stressful and pretty confusing. It's hard being the Avatar."

"It's harder being the Avatar's boyfriend," he said jokingly, giving her a nudge with his elbow. She just chuckled and hugged him again.

"Yes, yes, very pretty, very illuminating," Yue said, getting their attention. She walked over to the three of them, looking at the light. "But it's also very bright. If you guys don't want to get attack by predators, I'd suggest you leave now. That light's going to bring in every animal in a thousand miles."

"You're not coming with us?" Korra asked her, confusion tinging her voice.

She just smiled widely. "Nope, we're going to stay out here in the middle of it all." At her words, Asami looked a little bit green and gulped nervously. "You have fun heading back to the city."

"I thought you were supposed to keep an eye on me."

"We won't be gone too long. I can trust you to not make a mess, can I?" she asked, looking the younger Tribeswoman in the eye.

"She will be fine, Yue," Unalaq spoke for her. "You need not concern yourself with her wellbeing."

* * *

It had taken them a little less time to go back to the city then it had to reach the Everstorm. Dawn was breaking over the horizon, filling the ground with light and warmth. But as they crested the last hill over the city, they all came to a stop. Unalaq and his children watched impassively the events in the city while Team Avatar shared looks with each other. They watched in confused silence as the fleet from the Northern Water Tribe sailed into port and docked, soldiers disembarking and marching into the city.

Korra got down off of Naga and walked a little further to better see what was happening. "What are all your Northern troops doing here?" she asked her uncle. She couldn't see the looks on everyone's faces in the city, but she could imagine them.

"Opening the spirit portal was only the first step in getting the Southern Water Tribe back on its righteous path," he told her. "There's more difficult work to be done before our two tribes are _truly_ united."

She was still uneasy as she looked down at the city. The only thought she had going through her head was _"You probably should've stayed around, Auntie Yue."_

(Location: Konoha)

"CONGRATULATIONS!" roared everyone inside the Uchiha clan complex, directed to the guests of honor. They sat in the biggest room that they had, with the clans seated together (although people kept moving back and forth between tables). Arashi, Hiro, Tsukiko, Shikatsuno, Chōichi, Tsume, and Inoji all sat at the table of honor at the back, the majority of them enjoying the party and the praise. This was a typical thing for the clans of Konoha, to celebrate their children actually becoming Genin. They would celebrate with a big party and give gifts. But since this was a party to celebrate their newfound status, the gifts had to be something practical to the life of the shinobi. For the clans, they had that in spades.

Everyone at the table had gifts piled around them. New kunais, new shurikens, maintenance kits for weaponry, medical packages in case of injury in the field of battle, practical clothing, new techniques that would be beneficial to new Genins, and everything in between. The new Genin were all smiling but they kept glancing over at Arashi.

The dyed redhead sat at the far end of the table. His place was surrounded by the least amount of gifts. It wasn't for a lack of trying on the gift-givers' part, but they had been more focused on the honorees they actually knew. The gifts he had received were generic and he only got one of each while the others got gifts with more history to them, being passed down from their elders. But despite all that, he wasn't bitter about it. He just wished he had something that could be a bit more…personal.

"You okay, backwater boy?" Tsukiko asked him, looking down the table from where she sat at the center.

He snapped himself out of the funk he put himself at her voice. "Yeah, I'm fine," he told her. He looked down the table to look at Tsume, who was pointedly not looking at him while Aoimaru was happily chewing on a bone in front of her (no one said a word about a dog being on the table). "Tsume still mad at me, I see."

"I hardly think that she can be blamed for that," Hiro said, joining the two in conversation. "I think she still hates you for what you did."

"She offered me the challenge and I took it. Besides, didn't she offer that challenge to everyone?" He was certain that she had. She had given him the offer a couple of days before graduation and he took her up on it.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean she likes what you did."

He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm surprised that someone else didn't do it before." Tsume's hair problem was legendary from what he had been told. It sounded like a challenge that was too good and too easy. So when she offered him the chance to try and fix it, he took her up on the offer. He knocked her out and while she was unconscious, he took out a kunai and started sawing off her hair. When she came to, he had her hair cut down to two inches off her head. She fought him off of her and then bolted. Every day since, she gave him a dirty glare whenever they saw each other.

"You know, you should probably apologize for that," Inoji told Arashi, joining the conversation from where he sat between Hiro and Tsukiko.

"Hey, she offered and I took her up on it," he said back.

An Uchiha man and a Hyūga man came up to the table, holding a set of kunai in their hands. "Lady Tsukiko, I've had these kunai since I was a Genin myself," the Uchiha told her, holding the kunais out to her. "It would honor me if you would carry them now."

"The same to you, Lord Hiro," the Hyūga said to Hiro. He bowed low and held out the kunais to him.

"_It sounds like a contest of outdoing each other,"_ Arashi thought to himself as he watched his teammates stand up from their chairs and take the gifts from their clansmen. He would've found it humorous if he didn't feel like an outsider here. He still felt uncertain about what he was doing here. It was a niggling thought that stayed in the back of his mind, refusing to go away.

"Oi, backwater boy, eyes up!" Tsukiko whispered at him, getting his attention.

"Huh?" He looked up and saw the head of the Uchiha Clan and his wife standing before the table. _"Oh crud,"_ he thought to himself. He should've been paying attention. Were they going to start a speech?

"Not paying attention, are we, Arashi?" Sasuke asked him with a hint of amusement in his voice. Both and his wife were wearing formal robes, his (for some very weird reason) was in a light pink while Sakura wore one in dark blue that looked black in a certain light.

"Sorry," he apologized. "I didn't miss anything important, did I?"

He laughed. "No, you didn't. But you're more like your Jiji then you'd like to think."

"…_Was that an insult or a compliment?"_ He was going to go with compliment. They had been nice to him the entire that he had been here in the village. Plus, they like to reminisce about his Jiji (which he made a point to avoid the room they were in when they did that). Then he noticed that the rest of the Konoha Eleven, excluding Rock Lee (he apparently passed up on the invitation to come), stood before their table.

His eyes found Lady Hyūga first. She wore a kimono of what pale lavender, the same as her eyes. Just like her eyes, in certain lights the kimono looked white. She held her hands in front of her, an old practiced motion for her. Her eyes seemed to see everything but when they came onto him, he would swear that there was a hint of hardness in them. He couldn't blame her for that, he brought it on himself after their initial meeting turned into a conversation about his Jiji (and it went rapidly downhill from there).

Lord Nara looked like a typical old man. His clothes were a little outdated, even if they were tailored to his exact fit and size. His white hair hung around his head, falling to just above his jawline. He looked bored and almost sleepy. He looked someone one could easily hold against his will and even though he had been told that it was just an act by Shikatsuno, he still had trouble believing it sometimes.

"We are all proud of you," Sakura said, looking at the table and the new Genin sitting there. "Some of us may be related to you by blood and some may not, but our clans have a history together and that is all the difference. I wish the rest of our own were here to look at you, to see how much you've grown."

"We wish the same," Sasuke agreed with both Hinata and Shikamaru nodding in agreement. "But you didn't want to hear us speak."

"You don't know that," Tsukiko told her Jiji.

"Oh, but I do," he said with a smile. "We've yet to give our gifts and that's what you've been waiting for. Since you are our grandchildren, we decided to go with sentimentality instead of practicality."

"So, what are we getting?" Tsume asked.

"Patience, Tsume," her grandmother told her sharply but not unkindly.

"It's alright, Hinata," Sakura told her. "Why don't you go first?"

She shook her head. "No, I'll let Shikamaru do that." All eyes turned to the head of the Nara clan, waiting for him to give his gift.

"Troublesome," he groused loud enough for everyone to hear. But even as he said, it got smiles from his old teammates and from the Nara clans (everyone else just rolled their eyes. It was something he always said). He stepped forward to the table and looked at his grandson and his new team. "Boys, there are going to be times when you wonder why exactly you decided to become a shinobi. You will be doubtful and you will be unsure. When you do, just pull these out." He reached into the pocket in his jacket and pulled out something. They didn't what it was until he unclenched his hand and revealed three shogi pieces, each with the kanji for "King" inscribed on them. "Remember, shinobi of Konoha protect the king."

He gave one to each of them. They took them and looked at them with confusion in their eyes. "But who's the king?" Inoji asked him.

He just smirked. "Us old people can't give you all the answers, can we?"

His grandson rolled his eyes. "What a pain in the butt." That made everyone laugh, especially the Nara clan.

As he stepped back, Lady Hinata stepped forward. She first walked over to Tsume. A Hyūga clansman fell in behind her, holding two packages in his arms. She took the first one and held it out to Tsume. "Your grandfather wore this jacket when he was your age," she began. "Every day I see you, you remind me more and more of him, Tsume. It's been refitted to fit you."

"Thank you, Grandmother," Tsume said, taking the package with the most care Arashi ever seen her do. But she practically worshipped her grandfather, so he wasn't that surprised by it. She held the package close to her chest. Aoimaru sniffed at it and barked once at her. Whatever that meant, it must've been good.

Lady Hinata took the second package and walked to her grandson. "Hiro, I am aware that you have been tormented by others and hadn't done anything about it until someone helped you." She cast an obvious glance at Arashi when she said that. "But I am glad to see that you've done something about it much quicker than I did." She held out the package. "I used to wear this jacket. Take it knowing that you're not alone in feeling out of place. Don't worry," she added with a small smile, "it's been refitted to your size."

"Thank you," Hiro said, taking the package. He probably didn't hold as tenderly as Tsume had with hers but he didn't refuse it either.

"Tsukiko," said Sakura as she and Sasuke stepped forward. "We had a long talk about what we would give you. In the end, we're happy about our choice. It was the right thing for you." She pulled out a small box from inside her robe and handed it to her granddaughter.

She took it and opened it. "Gloves?" she said in surprise, taking the gloves out and holding them up for everyone to see. They were full-fingered black gloves that would cover her wrists as well.

"These are not just any gloves, they used to be mine. They will give you a good grip on your weapons and protect your hands when you punch someone." She smiled. "We suspect that it'll be more punching then anything. You've gotten my temper, after all." Tsukiko flushed as the Uchiha clan chuckled good-naturally at her.

But then the chuckles faded away as all eyes turned to Arashi. And once again, he suddenly felt like he was in the awkward spot again. "Um…you guys didn't have to get me a present," he finally said, waving it off. "It's not like I'm related to any of you." Even as he said it, the joke sounded bad.

"There was no need to," Sakura told him.

Sasuke pulled out a package from inside his robe and placed on the table. "That came for you today. There wasn't a return address."

It was weird, but his curiosity was aroused about what was inside. He took one of the kunai by his hand and cut open the packaging paper, using swift clean cuts to make less of a mess. Under the paper was a wooden box. There was no fine detail on the box itself, it was just ordinary. He reached out and took off the lid. His hand disappeared into the box for a second before coming back up.

He held in his hand a necklace. The cord holding it was thin and black. The main thing was the green crystal sitting between two beads. It was simplistic and yet, captivating to look at. But that wasn't the only reason why he stared. He knew this necklace. He had seen it before and thought that it had been lost. "This is my dad's," he said aloud, letting the necklace pool into his hand. "He wore it all the time." He heard a gasp escape a mouth and when he looked up; he saw the old generation had looks of stunned surprise. "What?"

"That is the Shodaime Hokage's necklace," Lady Hinata said. "It's possibly the rarest chakra gem in the world. But Lady Tsunade gave it to Naruto when he…" She trailed off as she realized the implications of her words. The eyes of everyone else just widened as they realized what that meant exactly.

"_Jiji sent this,"_ Arashi thought, staring at the necklace. _"How could he have…?"_ He stopped himself from finishing that thought. What would've been the point of asking it? It was his grandfather he was thinking about.

"…I see that Naruto still looks out for you," Sakura finally said, breaking the silence in the room.

"Hang on, there's something else in there," he said, taking his other hand and putting it into the box once more. It held a piece of paper as he pulled it out. He put the necklace gently on the table and held the paper in both hands.

"Read it aloud, if you would," Sasuke told him. He obliged.

I was a shinobi for barely a year. I helped a bridge get built, stopped a rampaging tanuki, and brought home a drunk of a woman.

Can you do better?

"That's a weird way to boast about things, Jiji," he remarked aloud. "And they don't really sound like something that you should be boasting about." He looked up and saw smiles on the old peoples' faces. "What?"

"He's talking about our first real mission, the Chūnin Exams, and when he brought back the Godaime Hokage," Lady Hinata told him. "They were the missions that made him recognizable to the rest of the shinobi world."

"Oh." There wasn't really anything else he could say about it. Well, there was one thing. Why would he talk of them like that? He made them sound like they were unremarkable. Then he noticed that there was more writing.

If you can do better, then prove it.

Be the shinobi I never was. Be the shinobi they never would've let me become.

"Okay, now what's he talking about?" he asked when he was done reading.

The old generation looked at each other before looking at him. "He's challenging you to become Hokage," Shikamaru told him. "It had been his goal when he was one of us."

"So now he wants me to do it?" He stared at the gift his grandfather had sent him. He began thinking about it. Was it something that he could do?

"How did he know when to send the package?" Sakura asked aloud, looking at the box with a questioning look. "He couldn't have known that you would pass the exam today."

"There's more on the back." He turned it around and started reading it.

I know how to read a calendar, Sakura. I know when the Academy graduation is. And he's not me.

The clansmen and women all looked at each other with surprise in their eyes as he read. "How—" someone from the Uchiha clan began to ask.

"Don't finish that question!" Arashi shouted suddenly. Everyone turned to stare at him like he had lost his mind.

"What? Why?"

"Someone always asks that question and he always has a reply. Just once I'd liked to prove him wrong."

"But how does he do that?" someone else asked. The dyed redhead groaned loudly and then read the rest of the writing on the paper.

To the person who asked the question, I don't tell people I know. Why would I tell you?

* * *

When the party was done and everyone had left or gone to bed, Arashi was in his own room. He sat on the bed and stared at the crystal in his hand. He had been staring at ever since he came into the room. The light from the moon shined through the window and fell on the crystal. The light leeched enough of the green away to make it a pale blue. He had been thinking about what his grandfather had written to him. Could he do it?

He heard knocking on the door. He broke his attention from the crystal and looked at the door. "Yeah?" he said.

"Can I come in?" Tsukiko's voice asked from the other side.

"Sure."

The door opened and she walked in. She had changed out of her clothes into her pajamas, which had cartoon bunnies on them. They might've been a bit ridiculous but he also found them to be cute on her. She walked over to the bed and sat down beside him. "You good?" she asked him.

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"You got a gift and a challenge from your grandfather, someone you don't really talk about."

"I do too," he protested slightly.

She gave him a look that spoke volumes of her disbelief. "No, you don't. You barely ever talk about him and that's if someone pushes you." She would know she was certain that she had done the majority of the pushing. "I'd say that you were scared of him."

She expected some kind of violent reaction, like a loud protest or something like it. Instead, what she got was a chuckle. "Nah, I'm not scared of my Jiji. Respectful of him, sure, as well as wanting to get out of his shadow," he told her before adding with a hint of bitterness, "Fat chance of that happening here." Seriously, how long and large did his grandfather's shadow loom?

Tsukiko heard the bitterness as he turned his attention back to the crystal in his hand. "You're giving up?"

He shook his head. "No, I'm not." He wasn't the kind of person to give up that easily. "Jiji would never let me live it down if I did."

"…Do you…hate him?" she asked, being cautious in her speaking.

He turned his attention to her again. His face showed his surprise. "What the hell gave you that idea?"

"Just the way you've been talking about him." She got that sense and made an assumption. To her, Naruto Uzumaki was a person that his grandson respected but also hated enough to try and get away from him. And personally, she couldn't blame him. Who gets their kid in the morning with a bucket of ice water? Her parents weren't that cruel.

But he shook his head again, this time more vehemently. "No, I don't hate him. I don't think I ever could. He's my Jiji and I love him." He looked at the crystal once more before folding his hand over it, putting out of his sight. But that wasn't enough, he could still feel it. He stood up from the bed and walked over to the nightstand by it. He put the necklace down but looked at it once more. A long second passed before he spoke again. "…Did I ever tell you what my most cherished memory of my Jiji is?"

She was tempted to say something sarcastic in reply, but she swallowed that temptation. The situation didn't call for it. The obvious about he never really talked about his grandfather didn't need to be pointed out either. "No, you haven't."

He turned back to look at her, leaning against the nightstand. "It was the week after my family burned alive. I had been surviving on the streets. I was tired, cold, and practically starving, things I had never really known about until then. I hadn't slept for more than a couple of hours each night and I woke up each day with a gnawing hunger in my stomach."

"Sounds…painful," she said, not really knowing what else there was to say. She knew of the night he spoke, he having told her and her family not long after he had been discharged from the hospital. But she didn't really know of the days he spent afterwards. Now that she was hearing them, she didn't like it but she also couldn't relate.

"It was," he said in agreement. "What's more, I was scared to show my face to public. I hid in the alleys and backstreets. I stayed away from other people. I wanted to go home, but I was afraid to." He had always put that down as an irrational fear of a new kid on the streets. He now knew that he was afraid the people who caused the fire might still be there. "I thought I would be on my own for the rest of my life."

"So what happened?"

"At the end of the week, I was dumpster-diving for food in an alley."

She made a face at that. "Ew, you actually did that?"

"I was hungry and didn't have a lot of food. At that point, half eaten noodles would've been nice. So anyway, I was dumpster-diving for food when this gang of men found me. They dragged me out of the dumpster and held me against it when I tried to run. I didn't know what they wanted from me, but I could see the delight in their eyes when they found me. I could only guess that whatever it was they wanted from me, it wouldn't have been good.

"But before they did anything, something washed over us." He stopped as he tried to remember what the sensation was like. "It felt…cold and angry and vengeful and dangerous all mixed up into something more terrifying. It was like Koh the Face Stealer had come among us looking for new faces. It felt like it was coming from one direction, from the street entrance. When we all looked…there he stood." To this day, he could still remember seeing his Jiji standing there, his hand gripping his sword tightly with a look of utter fury on his face while his eyes blazed blue. He could also remember seeing the giant fox with nine tails looming behind him with a snarl but he always put that down to his imagination and the moment.

"What did he do?" Tsukiko asked him, wanting to hear more of it.

"He only said one thing, 'Get away from my grandson.' They scattered like the wind and I was left alone against the side of the dumpster. That cold feeling vanished as he came to me and picked me up. He held me by his side and told me, 'It's okay now, Arashi. Jiji's here.' For the first time in a week, I actually felt safe again."

"Whoa," she said. It was the only thing that she could say to that story.

That is why I love him, because he reminded me that I still had family."

"Well…maybe he's trying to remind you that you still do with that crystal." She looked at him and the nightstand he was leaning against as she spoke.

"Yeah, maybe," he said, considering it.

"Well, I'm going to bed." She stood up and walked to the door. "Goodnight," she said with a wave of her hand.

"Night," he said absently as the door closed behind her. He pushed off the stand and turned to look at the necklace again. Now that he thought about it, she might actually have a point. He had tried to get away from his Jiji's shadow and thought that the necklace was him reminding Arashi that no matter how far he went, he would still be known. But now, it seemed more like a reminder that he still had family even though he was on the other side of the planet. And his challenge…it felt like he knew what his grandson wanted and trying to give him a chance to do just that. He wouldn't help or offer advice, just give the opportunity.

"_Alright, Jiji,"_ he finally decided, taking the necklace and putting it around his neck. _"Challenge accepted. But I'm not going to just be Hokage; I'm going to be the best damn Hokage in Konoha."_ As he made his decision, he found that his uncertainty was gone. He liked it.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

I would like to thank the artist Avield from Deviantart for his names, lists, and pictures of previous Avatars. That is some of the best storytelling and pictures I have seen when it comes to the Avatar Cycle. For the record, each name Jinora walked past are from him and there are stories attached to them. I didn't put them in because of two reasons. The first was because they weren't part of the main storyline and the second was because it would've taken too long.

Naruto wasn't likely to forget that his grandson was going to become a shinobi, despite what he might think about it. He would show his support in such a way that was obvious and yet, kept him from actually coming. And he's also right about Arashi. He's not Naruto at age 12 again. That is how he was able to come through and figure out what the test actually meant.

For the whole story about how Naruto found Arashi, I drew inspiration from _Power Rangers: Jungle Fury_. It was the episode where they go find Master Phant (who has the Elephant spirit, shocker) who's been put out to pasture and doesn't like it or them. But when one of them stays behind and gets attacked because of it, he comes to her rescue. It's an awesome scene to watch.

Okay, I don't know who this guy is exactly but I've been getting one reviewer who, while he likes the story, has been imploring me to keep Mako and Korra together. He's stated to me that having Korra and Asami together is what ruined the show and is, and I quote, "a crime against nature." Well, I'm sorry but this is where you and I differ.

You see, I don't think that them getting together ruined the show, I think it sealed quite well. And I don't know if your problem with same-sex relationships are religious or something else, but I don't share them. Personally, I am Catholic and I see nothing wrong two men or two women loving one another. So this story is sticking to canon relationships.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	27. Tensions and nerves

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 27: Tensions and nerves

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: South Pole)

The people of the South Pole all stared at the Northern troops marching down the street in rank and uniform. They were confused at the sight of them. What were they doing here? The chief was here, they knew that. He had come for the festival. But what were his soldiers doing here in the south? They began to whisper among themselves as the soldiers marched in unison down the snow covered street.

"What are they doing here?"

"I don't know."

"Maybe it's some kind of honor guard?"

"An honor guard with that many soldiers?"

"Are they staying?"

"Mama, who are they? They look mean."

"Hush, dear."

"But Mama—"

"Hush!"

"What is the Chief thinking?"

"Yeah, we're fine. We don't need the soldiers."

"What are they doing here?"

"Why are they here?"

"They shouldn't be here."

The soldiers came to a stop in the street before the stairs of the main hall while the civilians stared at them. The soldier in the front stepped forward and looked the crowd before them. "Everyone, clear the streets!" he ordered. "Get back in your homes." They didn't do anything except stare at them with resentment in their eyes. Seeing that his orders weren't obeyed, he silently growled. _"Stupid Southerners,"_ he thought as he motioned for his soldiers to act.

Two of them stepped forward and bent the snow in the street up into water, froze it into ice shaped like a long barricade waist high right in the middle of them. The barricade spilt into two and pushed them to the sides. They cried out in surprise and anger as the ice pushed them up against the wall, clearing the street. They kept on marching, walking right past the people. The questioning looks turned into stares of resentments.

"Damn Northerners."

"Bullying assholes."

"Overbearing soldiers."

"They should go back to the North Pole."

"They don't belong here."

"But why are they here?"

They wanted answers but they weren't getting any. Once the soldiers had marched on down the street, they pulled themselves free of the barricades, helping the next person get out too. Once they were all gone, the Waterbenders in the crowded melted the ice back down into snow. They stared at the backs of the soldiers with hostility.

It was no better in the port. Waterbenders stood on the arms of the ships. Their ships had been positioned and anchored outside the port gates, which were only three poles and a strip of dock stretching from the middle pole to the rest of the city. Inside the harbor were ships of various sizes, all sitting peacefully in the water. "Ready?" the captains of the Northern ship asked over the speaker.

"Ready!" they replied.

"Then commerce lockdown."

"Sir!" they said as one. And as one, they raised the water in the port up to the poles and froze into a wall of ice. They did in parts, taking care of one side and then doing the next. The fishermen stared at the walls being created in shock and horror.

"What are they doing?!"

"Why is there is a wall in the port?"

"They can't do that!"

"What are we going to do?"

"I have to fish in the morning!"

"So do I!"

"Hey, get those ships out here!"

"Forget the ships! Get that wall down!"

"We have to work!"

But even though they all shouted, the soldiers paid no attention to them. They continued with their work and disembarking from the ships. They marched in unison, acting as a group rather than single individuals together. They kept their eyes forward as the civilians stared with heated eyes at the back of their leather-flapped helmets.

While this was all happening, Korra and Unalaq stood in front of the traditional palace of the Water Tribe that also served as the City Hall. They were high in the city and were able to see everything in the city, which meant that they could see everything happening. "Uncle, why did you bring your troops down from the North?" Korra asked him.

"Now that you've opened the Southern portal, we need to protect it from the people who would do the spirits harm," he told her.

"_I_ can protect it." She was the Avatar, after all. She had opened the portal; she could easily handle protecting it.

"I need you for something more important. There is another portal, in the North. Once you open it, spirits and man will be able to move freely between the North and the South in a matter of seconds."

"But, the solstice is over. How am I going to open it?" she asked, showing her confusion in her voice. Wasn't that the whole point of reaching the Everstorm before the solstice was over?

"The spiritual energy is much stronger in the North. And now that you've opened the Southern portal, your energy is stronger as well."

She was beginning to see his reasoning and liked it. It made sense to her. "With both portals open, our tribes will be united again," she said with a smile on her lips at the thought of it.

"The _world_ will be united again," he declared.

(Location: Southern Air Temple)

The morning air was crisp and the sky was bright with the sun shining down on them all. Tenzin sat in a chair placed at the top of stairs overlooking a small garden. Pema sat on the next step down with Rohan in her hands and Kya perched on a small rocky outcrop feeding the lemurs on the ground beneath her. Tenzin turned to the small table beside his chair, pouring the tea into his cup. He took the cup and drank it. "Ahh," he said in relaxation, putting the cup down and stretched out his arms, "I haven't felt this at peace since—" Bumi suddenly ran out of the building behind them all, leaping into the air, and landing at the bottom of the stairs with a yell. "Aaand, it's over." There was a defeated tone in his voice as he watched his brother.

"Gooood morning, Universe," Bumi declared as he hopped up to the outcrop next to his sister, holding his arms out wide.

Kya covered her eyes instantly, not wanting to see her brother like that. "Bumi, please, cover yourself." He was dressed in a green robe that was open at the front, showing his underwear and his Medallion for everyone to see. She took a quick peek to see if he had obeyed and found that he hadn't, but she did discover something else. "Have you put on a few pounds?" His belly certainly looked dumpier.

He ignored her and her comment, choosing to look down at his brother. "Well, lookee here, 'Vacation Tenzin' has finally decided to join us."

"Yes, he has," Tenzin declared. He reached out to his wife. She understood and handed him his son. "It's so nice to get to spend more time with my family. Isn't that right, my little Rohan?" he said to the baby he held. Rohan smiled and cooed at him, making him smile even more. "And I've really enjoyed having you two around," he said to his siblings. "Reminds me of all those great vacations we took as kids with Dad."

Both Kya and Bumi shared a look before looking back at him. "Uhh, I think your memory's a little foggy," Kya told Tenzin. "Bumi and I weren't on those _great_ vacations. It was always just _you_ and Dad."

"I didn't have vacations, I had traveling training sessions," Bumi added, suppressing the urge to shudder. While what June did had made him into the man and Paragon he was today, those sessions were still a black spot in his memory.

"No, that can't be right," Tenzin protested. He was sure that they had gone with him on those vacations. "What about the time he took us to Kyoshi Island to ride the elephant koi?"

"Nope, we weren't there," Kya told him.

"June made me swim to Kyoshi Island from the Earth Kingdom _and_ from Whale Tail Island in strong weather," Bumi added. He had lost count of the number of times his head went underwater as he swam through the sea and avoiding the creatures that wanted him for food. There was one too many close calls there.

"Hmm," said Tenzin as he went over his memories again, remembering his childhood. "Oh, remember Ember Island? Those amazing sand palaces we built on the beach."

"You mean, _you_ built?" his brother asked with a frowning look. "The only time I saw the place was when I had to run laps around the shoreline while getting away from Nyla." That shirshu might've been getting up there in age but that didn't mean he lost any of his speed. Every time he got unparalyzed, June made him do it again. It was there he broke the record for crying for his mother (a record he had really wished his sifu would stop reminding him of).

"I could've sworn," the Airbender of the three said with a slight frown on his face. He had been so sure that all three of them had been there on those vacations.

The sound of his children laughing broke him out of that thought process. He watched as Jinora and Meelo came into the garden on their air scooters. Meelo's new lemur came flying in after them. "Morning, kids!" Bumi called to them, his voice becoming warmer as he and Kya hopped down from the rock while they hopped off their scooters and came over to him.

"Morning, Uncle Bumi!" Meelo said in reply, coming to a stop in front of him. His lemur, Poki, held onto his head and looked over it. He pointed at his stomach. "Do you have a baby in there?"

His question made the other three adults laugh while Bumi just scowled. Once the laughter stopped, Pema counted heads and realized that one of her children was missing. "Where's your sister?" she asked.

"Who?" asked Jinora, trying to sound innocent as she and Meelo looked at her. But both of them had flinched slightly at the question and that gave them away.

"Ikki," she said, coming down the steps to them. "About this tall," she put her hand at the height of her waist, "talks real fast. I'm sure you know her."

"Uhh…" said Jinora, trying to make it sound like she was at a loss. But the fact that she looked a little more than uncomfortable betrayed her.

Meelo looked just as uncomfortable as his sister but he tried to come to her rescue, in his typical fashion. "There was a lemur fight, but the bison told us not to worry because a giant was coming. Then we almost got eaten by a shark-squid!" He smiled widely when he was done.

"The shark-squid? He's here?" Bumi asked with a terrified look on his face. "It appears my old nemesis has found me." He frowned as he finished. Kya gave him a look but he ignored it. She didn't the horrors he had endure against that shark-squid. There had been times when he was convinced that it was either related somehow to Nyla or they were in cahoots together.

Pema ignored her brother-in-law and looked at her children, folding her arms across her chest. "Jinora, were you and Meelo teasing your sister again?" she asked.

"I don't know," Jinora replied a little defensively, perhaps too defensively. But she couldn't hold against her mother's look. "Maybe," she said, bowing her head. A second later and it was hanging fully in shame. "Yes."

Meelo looked at her and then at his mother. "She ran away."

Pema's face reddened in anger at the thought of it all. "_Honestly_, I don't know why you kids can't just get along!" she demanded of them both, putting her hands on her hips. They didn't answer in fear of a reply that would get them into even deeper trouble.

Tenzin got out of his chair and walked down the steps to her. "It's all right, dear, Ikki couldn't have gone far," he assured her before handing Rohan back to her. "I'll find her."

Bumi instantly came to attention and saluted. "Commander Bumi reporting for duty!" he declared like he was still a solider. "Search-and-rescue missions are _my_ specialty."

"What do you say we all go together?" Kya suggested, running between her brothers and putting her hands on both of their shoulders. She sounded cheerful, like it was something more lighthearted then looking for a missing girl.

"Sure, I could use the help," Tenzin agreed. His mother did want him to try and get along with his siblings. This was a good way to do it.

While that was good and all, Bumi had a slightly more important matter to attend to and it involved his nephew. "When I get back, we'll come out with a plan to take down that shark-squid once and for all!" he told Meelo.

Meelo did what any other kid would do when told something by the weird uncle in the family: he went with it. "Yeah!" he agreed with a wide grin.

(Location: Konoha)

"This is humiliating," Tsukiko groused as she stared at the target of her absolute loathing. The day was nice, the sky was cloudless, and she was doing _this_. She was a kunoichi now. Why was she doing this!?

"Quit whining. You're not the only one out here, you know," Arashi told her from her right as he moved the brush up the fence, making it glisten with wet paint. His face was completely focused on the job that they were doing. So was Hiro's, who stood on her other side. Together, they worked tirelessly to paint the fence with a new coat of white.

It annoyed the hell out of her. "Come on, guys!" She dropped her bucket with a semi-audible _thunk_, spattering a few drops of paint against the ground and her pants leg. "We're shinobi; we're supposed to be out doing shinobi-y things, not painting fences!"

"Shinobi-y?" repeated Hiro, taking the moment to look at her with an amused/curious look. But even though he was looking at her, he was still painting the fence. This was a simple mission to do, painting the fence that separated an apartment block from the alley street. It was so simple that Rin had left them there for an hour now and they weren't worried about her not coming back.

She looked at him with an annoyed look that grew even more so when she saw what he was doing. "That's what you pulled out of what I just said?"

"It's what I heard that was most interesting."

"Hey, you guys wanna keep working?" Arashi asked them both, stopping his work to look at them with annoyance. His brush hung in mid-stroke, held there by the force of his hand. "This fence isn't going to get painted by itself."

Tsukiko looked at him with an accusing glare, swinging her head around to do so. "Why are you being such a workaholic about it?" she demanded. "This is demeaning."

"It's a job," he replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "If we're not going to do it, someone else will."

"Then let them do it. I refuse to paint fences!" She threw down her brush and folded her arms in defiance.

But he wasn't affected by it. He just turned his attention back to the fence. "Alright, that means we'll get your cut of the mission pay."

"What? No, you won't!" she protested instantly and vigorously.

"Of course we will. You're not going to work but we will. So it's obvious that we should get your cut of the pay," he said with a matter-of-fact voice. He didn't get angry or loud, just making it sound like it was business. He had seen Tenzin and his grandfather use that voice, usually when they were dealing with a belligerent person who just didn't get what they were saying, or when they were dealing with the runts and him, respectively. It was effective, he knew that much.

"He's right," Hiro added. "It's only fair."

"No it's not!" she protested loudly.

"Of course it is." His grandmother had taught him business ethics (and how to get around them as a shinobi) for when he would become the head of the Hyūga clan. The trick was to keep a pleasant expression on your face and a reasonable tone in your voice. What Arashi had just proposed was perfectly reasonable and he saw no problem with it. But he also saw the (not so) hidden dagger in it.

Tsukiko kept swinging her head back and forth between her two teammates. She kept looking for a sign that they were bluffing but couldn't see any. "Argh, fine!" she declared loudly. She picked up her brush and her bucket and went at the fence with a vengeful fury, all the while muttering about backstabbing teammates and stupid fences.

"Whoa, go easy there, Tsukiko," Arashi said as he saw her paint quick and fast. "You keep doing that and we're going to have redo your section."

"Shut up, backwater boy," she snapped at him, still focusing on the fence. She kept up her muttering and he was beginning to feel that it was getting more directed at him and Hiro then the fence. She might've actually sworn if she knew any good ones. It was a good thing that the street they were on was empty. "I can't believe we're doing this."

"You've said that already," Hiro pointed out to her.

"I know that, Hiro," she snapped at him. It drove her painting stroke off-center, which meant that she would have to paint over it. "It was worth saying again." They were shinobi, Kami take it! "Why couldn't we have gotten a better mission?"

"We gotta start somewhere," Arashi said as he kept painting. His arm was getting sore and all he could smell was the paint, but he kept painting anyway.

"Why could've we gotten a better start?" This was the fourth fence they've painted this week. They've also done dog-walking, gardening, and herb gathering (that last one was the only interesting one because they actually learned something from it).

"Don't know, didn't bother to ask," he told her. He was happy not to.

"Look on the bright side," Hiro said to her.

"What's that?" she asked.

"It's only another hour until lunch. Rin should be back with the food then." Once their sensei was back, they could take a break and relax for a little bit.

"If she hasn't eaten it already," she groused as she kept painting the fence, turning the brown wood white.

(Location: South Pole)

If Korra wasn't sitting next to her parents (and to her father), seeing all the people in the hut with them, she never would've believed that they were having serious problems with the Northern forces. "Thank you for coming, everyone," Tonraq began the meeting. "I know these last few days have been very troubling."

"Troubling?" Varrick repeated from where he stood in the hut, his assistant close behind him. He held in his hands a plate of kale cookies and had one in his hand. "Troubling is when I get that itchy rash that won't go away, and Zhu Li's not around to _scratch_ it. This is shocking." He threw the plate to the ground, making the shatter echoed in the small room. "Nay, sickening! But these kale cookies? Opposite. Remind me to get the recipe later," he told Zhu Li, who nodded in reply.

"What's your point, Varrick?" Tonraq asked. There was a guarded tone to his voice when he addressed the man but it wasn't as guarded as when he spoke with his brother. Korra wondered what problem he had with the businessman for a brief moment. She quickly dismissed it as not important.

He grabbed another plate and started piling more cookies onto it. "My point is Unalaq's already booted our chieftains out of their palaces. How long before he starts telling us what kind of _cookies_ we can eat?" He managed to chuck the cookies on the plate away with his arm motions.

"Probably a couple of days," Zhu Li spoke.

"Rhetorical question, Zhu Li, you gotta keep up," he told her before turning back to the crowd. "Not to mention, I've got a cargo ship full of halibut that's rotting thanks to this harbor lockdown? Who wants to buy a ship full of _stinking_ fish?" he asked angrily, smashing the second plate into the ground. But as the crowd stared at him silently, his anger disappeared and it was replaced with a quiet sense of worry. "Seriously, it's not rhetorical. I need to sell these fish."

"Chief Unalaq is here to help the South," Korra said aloud, standing up to look at everyone in the hut. When she was young, she used to wonder if she would even be tall enough to the ceiling. Now all that would take is a good jump. "He wants to show us how to restore balance with the spirits so they'll stop attacking."

"The only spirit I'm interested in restoring is our spirit of _independence_," Varrick said in reply. "Am I right, people?" The people gathered in the hut, a mixture of men and women, young and old, all wearing shades of blue and purple, began agreeing with him rather than her. They were angry and it was showing in their voices as they agreed.

Korra looked at them all, surprised they were that angry. Why would they be like that? Couldn't they see the benefits of this? "All Unalaq is trying to do is make our tribes unified again."

"No, he wants control of our wealth," he argued, "_my_ wealth. And I _like_ my wealth. If Unalaq doesn't pull his forces out, then we have no _choice_ but to fight for our _freedom_!" Everyone agreed with him even more vocally. The hut began to resound with the noise of their shouting.

"You want to start a war? Are you crazy?" she demanded. They had just been unified after more than a century of distance and he wanted to throw that all away. It was nuts!

"Unalaq started this, not us," Tonraq stated as he stood up from the floor. She scowled at him, not surprised. Of course he would take Varrick's position. Unalaq was his brother and he was moving against him. He saw the scowl and sighed. "I'm sorry, maybe you could speak with your uncle. Tell him how _frustrated_ we all are. He'll listen to what the Avatar has to say." He waited for a second for an answer. "Do it for me?" he asked.

"I'll do it for the tribe," she said shortly. Despite not agreeing with what the people were feeling, she had seen how the Northern soldiers were acting in the city, behaving like they were superior and that the Southern Tribe was just a bunch of children who were getting the point. She left the hut with a quick pace and slammed the door behind her.

The sound it made in the hut wasn't a good one. It sounded more like a bell ringing a warning sound. The only one who didn't seem to notice it was Varrick, who had gone back to the kale cookies. "I cannot stop eating these things," he declared. He walked up to Tonraq, leaning in like they were old friends. "Look, we all know where this conflict is heading. We need to start preparing _for war_."

Tonraq didn't reply at first, choosing to at him for a long second. "A word in private, Varrick?" he finally said, jerking his head at the bedroom.

"Sure," he agreed.

"Your assistant stays out here." Senna stood up beside her husband, showing her silent support.

"Fine," he agreed without hesitation. Together the three of them walked into the bedroom, promising the crowd that they would be back in a few minutes. Once they were in the bedroom, a slightly larger than normal room (by Water Tribe standards, which meant it was about the size of a Republic City three-star hotel room). The bed dominated the room, a nice spacious thing that had sheets in colors of blue one would find near the bottom of the ocean. It had a two pillows big enough for two people, stacked one atop another. A nightstand stood to its left. It had pictures on top of it, pictures of their family. They showed the progress of Korra growing up and her parents either standing behind her or watching her.

When the door closed shut, Varrick turned around to face them. "Come on, Tonraq, you know that I am right. We have to prepare for the war that's going to come. You know that Sokka would say the same thing."

Tonraq raised an accusing finger at him. His face turned into a warning glare. Senna had the same glare, but hers was much harsher. "You of all people have no right to declare what Sokka would do," her husband told him.

His face morphed from his excitement into one that was cool and calculating. "I disagree on that. I was closer to Sokka than either of you."

"I beg your pardon?" Senna asked with her voice like ice.

He looked at her with an unapologetic look. "You were his daughter, but I was his apprentice."

"No, you were his student. Yue was the one who became the apprentice."

He scowled but continued. "I still was his student. I knew him. The only thing he loved more than the South Pole and its tribe was his wife. And then your brother," he turned his head to glance at Tonraq, "comes barging in and tries to take over. We can't let that happened."

"_We're_ not going to do anything until Korra gets a chance to talk to Unalaq," Tonraq told him firmly. "So whatever plan you're cooking up right now, forget about them. The only reason you're here today was because you barged in and Yue wasn't here."

When he heard those words, Varrick's face did something odd: it managed to both soften and harden at the same time. It was a brief moment before it returned to cool and calculating but both Tonraq and Senna saw it. "Where is she, anywhere?"

"Survival training with her apprentice and Naruto's," Senna answered.

"That old coot got an apprentice?" he asked, sounding genuinely surprised by it. "Who would've thought it? I thought he'd kick the bucket first."

"Varrick—" Tonraq began.

But he ignored him. "And who did Yue choose for an apprentice? Some punk she found on the street that she slept with beforehand?"

He grabbed the businessman by the front of his suit with a hard fist. "Watch it," he warned with a growl in his voice. "We consider Yue to be family."

"And what do you consider me?"

"An annoyance that we really wish would go away. Do not stir up any trouble, Varrick. We have enough as it is."

He felt insulted at that description, even more so when he saw that Senna nodded in her head in agreement with her husband. But he kept his cool and simply looked down at the fist holding his suit. On any other man, the move might've made him start to gasp for air. But he had moved his neck back just enough to avoid that problem. However, now his back was starting to tighten up and he was getting an itch back there that he really wanted to have scratched.

He wasn't going to let them have the satisfaction of watching him squirm around to try and scratched that inch (not when he had Zhu Li to do it for him). "You're going to lay all your hopes on the Avatar, who happens to think what Unalaq is doing is a good thing?" he asked them both.

"No, we're laying all our hopes on our daughter," Senna told him. Tonraq let go of his suit, giving him control over his own body again. But that didn't last long as the man placed a firm on his back and began pushing him out of the room while she followed.

(Location: Konoha)

"Nicely done, I doubt that fence has never looked better," Madara said from where he sat behind his desk. To his right sat Hidote who had a lot of scrolls laid out in front of him. Most of them were close but he had one opened in a long stretch and on it were more scrolls, three in total.

"That's easy for you to say," Tsukiko muttered, just loud enough for it to be heard across the room.

"What was that, Tsukiko?" he asked his daughter, keeping his voice pleasant.

She felt her sensei's eyes staring at the back of her neck and her teammates' elbows in her sides. _"Don't make this worse,"_ they were all silently telling her. "Nothing, Dad," she finally said, taking the hint.

"Good."

But the line of conversation wasn't done with yet. "You guys had it good," Tsume told them, staring at Tsukiko with a frown. Her hair was finally beginning to grow out again, something that she was glad for. "You weren't doing a mission for the Hag today."

All three Genin teams shuddered at the mention of the Hag. The Hag was an old woman who was the bane of Genins in Konoha. They had heard a description about her from an experienced Genin that they found apt. It was "One part cranky old grandmother, one part senile old lady, and three parts psychotic rage monster that'll bite your head off if given the chance."

"My sympathies," Hiro told his cousin. "What was the mission?"

"We had to chase down her damn cat again," Jiro Hatake, one of Rin's nephews and Tsume's teammate, answered. He had the grey hair of the Hatake clan but didn't wear a facemask like his aunt. His face was plain but his eyes were watching everything.

"Ouch."

"We would've had it the first time if Aoimaru hadn't barked," he said with an accusing glare at Tsume and Aoimaru.

"That was not her fault," Tsume argue but Aoimaru just burrowed herself deeper into her jacket like she was embarrassed.

"Your dog says otherwise," he said, pointing at her jacket. "She knows the truth."

"Enough, you two," Hiruzen Sarutobi, named after his great-grandfather and their sensei, told them both. His hair was still a deep brown but it looked like it was starting to go to grey. That didn't show in his bushy beard. He was more used to smiling than scowling but now he was scowling for all he was worth. "We are not here to discuss the cat, as hellish as it might be."

"Hiruzen," Madara said, lightly chastising. It might've sounded stern but there was a smile on his lips.

"Sorry," he apologized.

"Thank you, now back to what you are all here for." He looked over at Hidote, who began picking up the scrolls. He stood up with all of them in hand and walked over to the teams. He handed each of the scrolls to the sensei of each and then walked back to his seat. "This is a special mission, requested by the person specifically for the three teams I see in front of me."

"What is it?" his daughter asked. She was already getting excited at the prospect of a mission.

"It's a mission, Tsukiko."

"But what kind of mission?" she asked. "Is a protection detail? Escort? Security?"

"That's the same thing in three different words," Arashi told her with a very dry voice.

But she ignored him, looking at her father. "What about recovery? Are we stealing something?"

"Look at that, she expanded the questioning," Hiro remarked with the same level of dryness in his voice that Arashi had.

This time, she did look at him. She looked at both of them with a frown mixed with a glare. "Shut up, both of ya," she told them. They smirked in reply and fist-bumped the other. It made her want to snarl and hit them, but doing that in front of her father and boss was not a good idea.

"It's a mission, Tsukiko," the Hokage told her patiently. "It's a mission that you were requested for specifically."

"But what kind of mission?" she asked again, putting the barest hints of a whine into her voice. It was better to do hints than full out because that would get her into more trouble than what she wanted.

"House cleaning it seems," Rin said, handing the scroll down to Arashi.

"…What?" She didn't hear that right, did she?

"Yes, this is a special D-rank mission for all three of you to clean a house," Madara told them before putting an innocent looking smile on his face. "Did I forget to mention that part?"

His humor has the senseis chuckling but just made most of the Genin scowl/frown at him. "We're here together to a D-rank mission for house cleaning?" Shikatsuno repeated. "What a pain in the butt."

"Oh, it won't be that bad," his sensei, a black haired shinobi who went by the name of Gin, told him.

"We're cleaning a house. It's not something that should need all nine of us."

"You'll get over it." He said it in such a way that it made his student get really angry with him (for a Nara that is. To others, it just looked like he was really, really irritated with him).

"You're expect to be at the address in an hour," Madara told them all, going about the explanation and ignoring the looks of annoyance he was getting from most of them. "Now, are there any questions?"

"Yeah, I've got one," Arashi said, finally lifting his head away from the scroll. "Why isn't this a higher ranked mission?" The other Genin in the room looked at him like he was crazy or in confusion. They had a house cleaning mission and he was wondering why it wasn't higher? Why was he asking that?

But the adults in the room just chuckled. "Don't worry, Arashi," the Hokage told him. "I've been assured that he disabled the traps used for training." That remarked sent a slight chill down the Genins' spine. They didn't know what he meant by that. What traps? Were they going to go to some kind of booby trapped house they were going to die in or something? But then they stopped and remembered that he had just said the traps had been disabled.

"Again, why isn't this a higher ranked mission?" Arashi asked him.

"What's gotten into you, backwater boy?" Tsukiko asked him in a voice that was both crossed and curious at the same time. He didn't look scared, more worried. It was like he knew what was going on and was nervous because of it.

"Read the address," he told her, handing the scroll to her.

She took it and scanned the contents quickly. There wasn't much there, just the description of the mission, its rank, and the address. She took a look at the address and saw that it was off a street close to the Old Wall. But aside from that, there wasn't anything important about it to her. "What about it?" she finally asked him, looking up from the scroll.

"I go to that address every day for training in the **Gōken**."

She looked at him for a second, not computing what he had just said. Then she looked at the address again, reading it with renewed energy. It read the same way. "Are you serious?" she finally demanded.

"Of course I'm serious."

"So we're really going to go there?" Excitement started to make her feet start hopping up and down, making her jump in place. It made everyone look at her with slightly odd looks. They had seen her excited before so they weren't surprised by that. What they were surprised was the fact that she seemed to know what Arashi was talking about. Usually she was the one who was lost or just plain old confused.

"You guys mind to fill us in?" Inoji asked them both.

She swung her head to look at him, her excitement shining brightly in her eyes. "We're going to Rock Lee's place!" she all but shouted at them all.

"_This is different,"_ Arashi thought to himself. When Lee brought him home the first time around, she had been leaving the room, barely giving them a look as she walked away. Every time afterwards, she acted pretty nonchalant about it. But now, she was like a fangirl (but he wasn't going to say that to her face).

The other seven Genin got excited at her words. The other two scrolls were snatched from their senseis' hands and eagerly read through. "We're really going there?" Inoji demanded, looking at Tsukiko and Arashi.

"Talk to him, not me. He's been there," she said, pointed at the dyed redhead beside her. He had been asked about the Hermit of Konoha many times in the Academy and about where the man lived but Arashi had remained tight lipped about the entire thing. Not once did he give away the man's house no matter how much begging or pleading he endured.

But now, he nodded his acknowledgment. "Yeah, that's his place. But I wouldn't get too excited about it. Knowing Lee-sensei, he's probably going to make this more than just a simple cleaning mission." If they had been paying attention to his words instead of basking in the excitement of meeting Rock Lee, they might've felt the small shudder going through their bodies.

(Location: South Pole)

Bolin was panting for his life as he pulled the rickshaw down the street. He couldn't feel his feet and he wasn't sure if that was from how tired and sore they were or how cold the snow on the ground was, although he was glad that it had been pounded into semblance so he didn't stumble and fall. People were staring at him and the carriage he pulling. Inside were Desna and Eska, staring at the road ahead with their typical blank expression.

"I will hate to leave this quaint tribe," Eska declared in her usual monotone.

"Is that true, Eska?" Desna asked her. He held Pabu in his lap like he was some kind of doll. The fire ferret might've tried to get free if the guy wasn't holding his paws. Then again, he was in no great hurry to leave.

"Of course not, Desna, I will not miss it at all. I hold immense dislike for the South." She started laughing an awkward laugh that actually grated on the ears of everyone who heard it. Her brother soon joined in the laughter and it doubled the grating. "Bolin, laugh at my humorous quip!" she barked at him when she saw that he wasn't laughing.

"Yes, dear," he replied, forcing a laugh as he pulled the rickshaw, "so-so funny." He heard Pabu yawn in contentment. _"Traitor,"_ he thought shortly. When their destination came in sight, he began to slow down and soon came to a stop. He let go of the handle bar and quickly ran to the side of the carriage, bending a small flight of stairs out of the earth beneath the snow. Eska stood up from her seat and started down the stairs. "You know, I'll be _really_ sad when you have to leave. It's been _really_ great getting to know you," he said to her, chuckling lightly as he spoke, "_Really_."

"But you will be coming with me to the North," she told him, crushing the hope he was holding inside of him. "There we will live the rest of our lives together in icy bliss." She walked away with her brother following her, saying in passing, "Foolish Bolin."

He just watched the two of them walk from him, feeling so completely defeated. He didn't know that Eska could be this possessive. It was suffocating. No, it was terrifying! But when he saw his brother coming down the street, his hope bloomed again. "Mako!" he cried, running to his brother. "I'm so happy to see you!" He threw himself at his brother, holding his hands to his shoulders and hanging his head in the air.

Mako stared at his brother with a little bit of confusion on his face. "Uh, you all right, bro?"

"No!" he said, shaking his head. "No, I'm not all right. I can't take anymore. Listen, I don't want to live in icy bliss with Eska!" He slammed his head into his brother's chest, weeping and whining. "Don't make me. Oh, please, please don't make me."

While Mako was used to his brother's antics, he had never seen him this frightened over a girl (usually it was more lovelorn or trying to be cool than anything else). "Uh, hey, if you're that unhappy, just break up with her."

Bolin looked up at his brother, his tears stopping. "Break up with her? You can do that?" It almost sounded like a dream come true to him. But he couldn't be sure if it was.

"Yeah," his brother told him. "Guys do that all the time."

"How?" he asked.

"Just tell her you're not that into her anymore."

"Oh, no, no, I don't think she'd like that." He could already imagine the horrors she would rain down upon him. It would probably include rain that would turn into ice and impale him.

Mako could see the trouble on his brother's face and decided to offer him some advice. He placed his hands on his shoulders, taking his off in the process, and said, "Ending a relationship is kind of like pulling off a blood-sucking leech. You just gotta rip it off and get it over with. You'll feel a lot better afterwards. Trust me."

He calmed down at his brother's advice. "Thanks, Mako. Whew. I'm lucky you're so good at breaking girls' hearts." He stepped away and put his hands on his hips, saying jokingly, "Ha, Korra better watch out." Mako just folded his arms and scowled him. "Oooh, no, it's just a-, uh, you kn-, uh, never mind."

* * *

When Korra walked into the City Hall, she literally saw no one else in there. The hall to the throne room was completely empty. It was spooky. She hadn't been in the City Hall many times before but in the few times she, there had always been at least five or six people around. Now there was no one around. She didn't know if it was because her uncle was here and wanted to be alone or if they refused to work here since he was here. Personally, she was hoping for the former.

She walked into the Great Hall with a squeak from her footsteps. It wasn't a loud squeak that echoed into the roof, but it was loud enough to make her wince when she heard it. The only light that was in the hall was the one coming from the hallway. The rest was shrouded in darkness. The light fell on her uncle, lighting his body but leaving his head and shoulders in the shade. His head rested against the blue stone of the throne, his eyes closed. "Our next training session isn't until tomorrow," he said, opening his eyes to look at her.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," she told him, coming to a stop before the throne. "It's about our conversation about unifying the tribes."

"Yes?"

"I understand why you brought your troops here, but I'm afraid it's sending the wrong message," she explained.

"Your father has been talking to you." There was the slightest hint of annoyance as he tilted his head to the side. But there was something else in that voice, it sounded like…disappointment.

But she kept going. "Not just him. Varrick too. There was a meeting at my parents' house. A lot of Southerners feel like their tribe is being invaded."

"I am their chief. I'm uniting, not invading."

"I know, but I'm just afraid if something doesn't change, there could be a civil war."

He seemed to consider those words, his brow furrowing slightly in concentration. "If the Water Tribes were at war, the other nations would take sides. The dark spirits would thrive off this negative energy, and the world would be thrown into a battle between spirits and man. That would be catastrophic."

"How do we stop it?"

"We?" he repeated. "No, Korra." He stood up from the throne and looked down at her. "This is a war only the Avatar can prevent."

She should've expected that answer from her uncle. He was the one who trusted her to do what she was meant to do. But even as he spoke those words, she felt doubtful. "I'm usually the one starting fights," she told him as he stood up from the chair and walked down the steps. "I don't know how to stop them from happening."

"As the Avatar, you must remain neutral in this conflict," he said. "You will naturally want to help your people, but showing favoritism will not help our tribes find unity."

She was still doubtful, it showed on her face. "Maybe Tenzin was right. Maybe I'm not ready to be the Avatar." She felt a little bit like an idiot for turning him away when she had.

"Tenzin lacked faith in you. But I have no doubt that you will become the most admired Avatar the world has ever known," he said as he placed an encouraging hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you, Uncle," she replied, grateful for the encouragement. But she still had doubts. "But I don't think it will be that easy. Varrick was especially insistent."

To that, her uncle did something she never would've expected him to do: he scoffed in derision. "Do not concern yourself with Varrick. He is a bitter man who feels that the world has owed him something better."

Now that was an odd statement. She had only met Varrick a few times and each time, he didn't seem like a bitter man. In fact, "bitter" was not even a word she would've used to describe him. "Dapper" might've been a word, along with "eccentric" and "charismatic" but never "bitter." Hearing her uncle say raised the question and she asked it immediately. "What do you mean by that?"

He looked at her with surprise. "Has Yue not told you?"

"Told me what?"

The surprise disappeared from his eyes when he heard that. "I see." He began to consider something. It only made her more curious. "Perhaps I should let her tell you."

"Uncle, what are you talking me about? Please, don't leave me hanging here." She didn't want any more secrets.

He looked at her for a moment, still considering. But then he nodded in agreement. "Varrick used to be a student of Sokka's, alongside Yue. When he chose her to be his actual apprentice, he felt bitter, to him and to Yue."

She didn't say anything in reply. She just nodded to her uncle in acknowledgement of his position and walked out of the hall, back into the light of the day.

(Location: Konoha)

They all stared at the house with looks of disbelief, except for Arashi. "Is this it?" Tsukiko asked aloud.

"Yeah, this is it," Arashi said. "You guys coming or what?" He walked up to the front door.

"Seriously, is this it?"

He stopped and sighed, turning his head to look at her. "What were you expecting?"

"Not this."

"Clearly," he said with the most sarcasm he could muster. He looked at her and the rest of the teams. He saw the disbelief and confusions on their faces and rolled his eyes at them. "Come on, don't stand there gawking. We've got a job to do."

They started walking, making the sound of their feet mingle together in the air. "I was expecting something bigger," Jiro remarked at the building. It was disappointingly small. The buildings on either side were much bigger, towering over the home of the Hermit.

"I was expecting a second floor, at the least," Chōichi said in reply. To see the one floor house was really disappointing.

"Hurry it up already, I want to get this over with," Arashi said impatiently. He would've started tapping his foot if he was that kind of person. But he found it to be foolish. It wouldn't get them to him any faster.

"Relax, Arashi," Hiro said back as they finally joined him. "It's one story. We should be done before you know it."

"Uh-huh." He just turned and opened the door to the house. "Lee-sensei, we're here!" he shouted as he walked in.

There was no reply, just silence as they followed him and started looking around the place. It didn't seem like much to them, just a regular old single story house for an old person. The furniture was nice but plain and also a little dusty. The walls were in real need for a paint job and there was something faint smelling in the kitchen. From the main room, which was the living room and the kitchen, there was a hallway on each side of the room, leading off to the rest of the house.

"Is the guy out of the village or something?" Tsume's other teammate, Tsubasa, asked them as he looked around the place, being careful to stay in sight of the others (he had already gotten into trouble for exploring houses and walking into something that should've remained private, on his first day as an actual Genin). Unlike the rest of them, he did not come from any shinobi clans. His parents were civilians and no one said anything about it.

"No, he just did this to torture us," Arashi said as he walked into the kitchen, disappearing from sight for a moment.

"I hardly call a quick job like this torture, backwater boy," Tsukiko told him, following him into the kitchen. It wasn't a huge kitchen like the one in her house. It was just big enough to allow one, maybe two people, room enough to move around. But there were dirty dishes in the sink stacked higgledy-piggledy. If her mother saw this, she would probably scream bloody blue murder or go after Lee for letting the kitchen end up like this (probably both).

"Just wait," he said as he looked at the fridge. There was a piece of a paper attached to it by a kunai (which made a little bit sense there were no magnets on the fridge). "Found it!" he shouted for all to hear, walking back out of the kitchen.

"Found what?" Tsume asked.

"Our chores," he answered before looking down at the paper and began reading it aloud.

Clean kitchen.

Dust and vacuum house.

Give the walls a new coat of paint.

Clean and polish all weights in the training room.

Clean out the training room.

Feed the fish in the meditation room.

Water the plants in the meditation room.

Finish all by sundown and you've completed the mission.

Rock Lee.

"That doesn't sound so bad," Jiro said. If he had to guess, the training room and the meditation room were in the house somewhere. They would be small and therefore easy to clean.

"You think so?" Arashi asked him.

"Yeah," he said with a nod. In his head, he was wondering the dyed redhead was making such a big fuss about it. The house was small; there wouldn't be much to do.

"Follow me." He walked past the kitchen and down the hallway. Everyone else looked at one another for a moment but quickly followed him. The hallway ended with a plain-looking door in the wall. Arashi reached for the shiny-looking door knob and pulled it open. He walked into a little corridor that ended in another door. He pulled that open and walked through.

Everyone followed him and then stopped. They stared at the room they were in, or rather, the giant hall they were in. "What the hell?" Tsukiko said aloud as she looked around. "Is this real?"

She was staring at a hall filled with training equipment. She was looking at weights, training bags, workout machines, and that was just on the first floor. If she looked up, she could see more floors ringed around the walls while the center was open, allowing her to see straight up to the roof. She couldn't say if any of the equipment was new or old but she could tell that it had been used a lot.

"This is the training room," Arashi introduced to them all to the room. It smelled of sweat and sand, oddly enough.

"Hang on, this is the apartment building next to his house," Shikatsuno said, recognizing the height and width of the building was the same one he saw outside.

"Yep, he owns it and the one on the other side. That one is the meditation room." He looked back at Jiro with a grim expression. "You still think that this is going to be easy?"

Jiro could have responded, if he hadn't been too busy staring the building around him. There had to be at least ten stories in here and they had to clean them all plus the house and the other building. As he stared, a thought came to him. _"Wait, didn't they say something about traps?"_

(Location: South Pole)

The tension in the air of the city was so thick; one could eat, chew, swallow, regurgitate, gurgle, and then spit it out. As platoons of Northern soldiers marched down the streets, the Southerners stared at them with open hostility. The soldiers weren't much better. When they did deign to look at the civilians, it was full of looks of condescension and superiority. The hostile stare-off had been going on for days now and it was finally beginning to reach a breaking point.

As one such platoon marched down their section of the city (which in their opinion, looked more like an alley than an actual street), they saw the hostile looks from the civilians. When one stopped, the rest soon did. Both parties stared down the other. But before either one of them made a move, snowballs fell atop the soldiers' heads. The Southerners smiled as the soldiers were caught off guard as the snowballs smacked against their helmets. "Who threw those?" the leader of the soldiers demanded.

His answer was giggling from above. When they looked up, they saw children up on the roof staring down at them. He bent the snow on the roof down, taking them with it and having them land on the street. "You hoodlums think you're tough, huh?" he demanded.

"Pick on a Waterbender your own size!" a voice from behind shouted. He turned around and saw the civilians holding water at the ready in their hands.

"_So, they wish to fight,"_ he thought to himself, secretly glad for it. The Southerners were getting too uppity for their own good. They had to learn their place. He bent his water into ready position as did his men behind him. It was four to three in his favor and he quite liked it.

But before either side could make a move, Korra came riding in on Naga. "Stop!" she commanded, halting her polar bear dog in between the two groups and then turning her around.

"Tell these thugs to go back to the North," one of the civilians told her. "They're not welcome here anymore!"

"These Southerners need to stay in line," the lead soldier said in reply.

"Everyone, calm down," Korra told them all, looking at both groups. "You're all part of the same tribe, start acting like it."

She had meant for those words to be calming and soothing. But it had the opposite effect. "You're taking their side?" the civilian demanded, still holding his water at the ready. "We thought you were one of us."

"I'm not taking anyone's side," she told him. She had to be neutral here and they had to see that. But before she could even try to explain it, she got a snowball to the back of the head. "Hey!" she shouted, looking at who had thrown it.

It turned out to be one of the kids from the roof. "You're the worst Avatar ever!" she shouted back, bending the patch of snow around her into another snowball and then throwing it. But this time Korra was ready, catching it with her hand and melting it with her Firebending.

"Okay, what is going on here?" Yue's voice demanded from down the street. When Korra turned to look, she saw her striding down towards the soldiers with determination. Beside her was Tonraq, who was walking at a more sedate pace. Yue marched right up to the soldiers. "Who's in charge here?"

"Who are you?" one of the soldiers asked back.

"I'm asking the questions here. Now who's in charge?"

"I am," said the platoon leader, walking up to face her. He figured that this was the old pecking order game and he didn't know any woman who had a rank above him.

"What's going on here?" Yue asked him, her hands on her hips as she stared him down. Her Paragon Medallion was hanging free from her neck but the soldier didn't seem to see it.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Is that how you speak to someone who outranks you, soldier?"

He sneered. "You don't outrank me. You're a civilian. Now you tell me who you are before I arrest you for obstruction."

She gave him a fleeting look before turning her attention to the soldier to his left. "You!" she barked.

The second flinched at the word, his eyes betraying his sudden nervousness. "M-Me?" he asked, stuttering slightly over the word.

"Stay quiet, soldier," the platoon leader ordered. He could handle this easily.

"Yes, you," she said. She reached with her left hand and held up the Medallion. "Do you know what this is?"

"What, some kind of old relic?" the leader asked with a condescending laugh.

"I wasn't talking to you, I was talking to him," she said shortly before turning her attention back to the second soldier. "Answer me; do you know what this is?"

He nodded. "It's the Medallion of the Water Paragon."

Recognition was beginning to dawn in their eyes but she wanted to drive it home. "And it's around my neck, which means what?"

"That you're the Paragon of the Water Tribes." All eyes fell to her at that announcement. They all knew of the Paragons. Both tribes looked up to the previous Water Paragon, Korra's own grandfather, with respect. Some had even called him the Wolf of Akela (which she and her family always got a laugh out of when they heard it).

As they all stared at her, Tonraq finally spoke. "Everyone, walk away from this," he told the Southerners. "They're not worth our trouble. Go back to your homes."

"And you guys keep walking," Yue ordered the soldiers.

"You have no authority over us," the platoon leader protested. He would've said more, if she hadn't knocked him unconscious with a single punch.

She looked at the next soldier. "Keep walking," she repeated in the same tone of voice. "And pick him up." They did as they were told, dropping their water and walking away, carrying their unconscious leader. She watched them go. If she had been a more vocal person, she would've started shouting "Left! Right! Left! Right!" as they marched.

Tonraq watched the civilians walk away. "Korra, I—" he start to say. But when he turned away, he saw that his daughter was riding away on Naga. "Korra!" he called after her. But she kept riding away, disappearing into another street.

"Leave her be, Tonraq," Yue told him, walking over to his side. "You'd probably just make it worse."

He sighed, knowing that she spoke the truth. He didn't like it but it was the truth. Even thinking about it was proving to be a headache. "How was the training?" he asked, wanting a change in topic.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I thought it was going fine."

"But Asami and that other kid didn't."

"He has a name, Tonraq," she told him, chastising him lightly. He had met Tahno before and did know his name.

"I'll remember it, eventually," he said. She rolled her eyes at that. It was an old Southern tradition, not remembering a young warrior's name until he did something worthwhile (and Tahno's spotty Pro-bending record didn't count).

"In any case, yes, they didn't last long. I found Tahno under a snowdrift again and Asami was trying to start to a fire with no success. I would've just shown them mercy and show them how to make a fire, but I got word about what was happening in town."

He looked at her with a surprised look on his face. "How could you get word?"

"I have my ways."

"_How many times did I hear Sokka, Suki, or Lord Naruto say that?"_ he asked himself. They always seemed to know when something was happening when they weren't away. But they always said the same thing whenever someone asked them how they knew. But that wasn't the concern he had to be worried about now that she was back. "Yue, can you do me a favor?" he asked.

"You want me to stay away from Varrick," she said, her face going cold and stern at the mention of his name.

"Yes. Things are already tense; the tribe doesn't need it to get any worse."

"…Fine, I'll stay away from him. But do me a favor and keep him on a leash. Throw him into his own damn ship and lock him in if you have to."

"I'll try," he promised.

(Location: Southern Air Temple)

They had begun the search for Ikki in the morning. The sun was now setting and they still had no idea where she was. They looked through the temple from top to bottom and didn't find her. They searched the grounds and had no luck. Now Tenzin, Kya, and Bumi had extended their search to the surrounding mountain tops.

Tenzin was looking around on one of the mountain's passes, calling for his daughter. "Ikki! Ikki! Ikki? Ikki, where are you?" He kept turning his head every which way to see if he could find her. But he was having no luck.

"Over here, Dad!" a childish voice that sounded suspiciously like Bumi's came from behind a bush. Then it shook as the man himself stood up with a laugh. "Just kidding. It's me!"

"_Ancestors help me,"_ Tenzin thought to himself as he sighed in annoyance, slumping his head forward a little.

Kya came running up to her brothers. "There's no sign of her anywhere," she declared.

"Why would Ikki run off like this?" he asked while Bumi made a little bit of a racket coming out of the bush. "Ah, it's probably my fault."

"Probably," his sister agreed, folding her arms like it was a normal conversation.

But it wasn't. "Excuse me?"

"I'm guessing you've been so busy with you 'duty' to Republic City," she said, making air quote with the word duty, "that you forgot about your duty to your kids."

"'Duty,'" Bumi said with a short chuckle.

"What are you, five years old?" she asked, turning on him just as quickly, placing her hands on her hips like she had seen her mother so many times when she was young.

"Kya, you're right," Tenzin conceded. Now that he thought about it, he was surprised that he didn't see it sooner. "I haven't been spending enough time with them. I wish I could be as good a father as Dad was to us."

She just frowned at him. "Tenzin, your problem is you're _exactly_ like Dad. He was so focused on saving the world and doing his duty, don't laugh," she told Bumi before he could even crack open his mouth, "that he never had time for us."

"Dad was under a lot of pressure," he tried to explain. But even as he said the words, they sounded weak to him.

"He always had time for you, though," Bumi remarked, walking up to his brother and pinching his cheek, "his precious little Airbender."

He didn't like having his cheek pinched (for Spirits' sake, he wasn't a kid!), so he shoved his brother away with his elbow. "Dad loved us all _equally_," he told them both of them. As he spoke, he walked to the edge of the path and looked out at the scenery of tall thin mountains and little valleys. "Besides, it all happened a long time ago. Why are we even talking about this?"

"Because you seem to have some grandiose delusion that we had a perfect, happy-go-lucky childhood," Kya told him, already knowing the answer. "Guess what? We didn't!"

He didn't want to talk about it. It was uncomfortable to even think about. They had a more important thing to worry about. "We need to keep moving if we want to find Ikki before dark," he reminded them both, turning back to continue down the path.

His siblings didn't follow him as he walked, preferring to stay back and stare at his back. "See what he's doing there, Bumi?" Kya said loudly and mockingly. "Classic Airbender technique: cutting and running when things get tough!"

All Tenzin gave her for a reply was a barely intelligible word and a hand waving them to follow. "Yeah," Bumi said just as loudly. "Did Dad teach you that move?" He didn't answer them.

(Location: Konoha)

"Alright, steady," Hiro said as he scrubbed away at the dirt on the weight with the cloth in his hand. They were barely an hour into the cleaning and they were on the third weight they had to clean.

Tsukiko was the one holding the weight, standing at the center. She was breathing hard and could feel the protest her arms were giving her. Her headband was getting moist, very moist, from the sweat she was making and that made it itchy, very itchy. "This is the last time we let Tsume hold the lots," she practically snarled. She just knew that Inuzuka had rigged it somehow.

Arashi was holding the other end of the weight to her right, sweating just as much as she was. His coat was on the ground somewhere, she didn't know its exact location. "Next time, listen to me when I tell you to go for the weights, not the barbells!"

"I thought that they were interchangeable!"

"They're not! I was explaining that when you moved and picked this damn thing!"

"Guys, you're shaking it! Keep it steady," Hiro told them both from the other end.

"Hurry it up, Hiro!" Tsukiko groaned out. "I don't think that I can hold it for much longer!"

"Almost done! Almost done!" He was cleaning and scrubbing quicker now.

"Hurry!" she begged. Her arms were about to give up on her.

"There! It's finished!" He pulled away from the barbell. The weight looked shiny and new.

Arashi let go of his weight just before Tsukiko dropped the barbell entirely, groaning loudly and appreciatively while the building echoed repeatedly with the sound of the barbell hitting the floor. It sounded like a drum being hit off-center and with the echoing, it was an entire assembly of drum. Tsukiko stood there, staring at the barbell with utter loathing as she breathed in and out heavily. "That's the last time we ever let Tsukiko hold the lots."

"You've said that already," Arashi told her. All three teams had agreed to draw lots to decide which team cleaned what part of the place. Tsume held the lots and each time drew one. They got the training room, Shikatsuno's team got the meditation room, and Tsume's team got the house.

"It bears repeating."

He shook his head. "Come on, we've got more of this stuff to clean." He turned and walked over to the smaller free weights. "And this time, listen to me," he told her without even looking back at her.

"Alright, alright, I got it the first time," she said, following him with Hiro in the back.

"It bears repeating."

"Don't use my words against me."

"Uh, guys?" Hiro said, staring at the cleaner bottle with a worried look.

"What?" they asked at the same time, turning back to look at him.

"We may have a problem."

"What kind of problem?" Tsukiko asked, silently hoping that it was a small. They had a lot to clean and they didn't need any more problems.

"I think the cleaner might empty." He shook the bottle. There was barely a swishing sound inside.

"Oh no, just we need," she groaned.

Arashi was the only one who didn't see a problem. "Don't worry about it," he told them both. "Lee-sensei has a supply down here on the first floor." He turned and jogged over to the left wall. There was a door that would've faded into the wall if he hadn't known where it was. He grabbed hold of the handle and pulled hard, getting the door open with a wrench that made his shoulder feel just a little bit sorer. He reached in and grabbed three more cleaning bottles, slamming the door shut as he stood up. "Here, catch," he told both his teammates as he jogged back over to them, tossing them each a bottle.

Tsukiko caught hers, looked at it, and then looked at him. "This is the exact same brand."

"I know. Lee-sensei likes that kind of cleaning supply. Don't ask me why." They had all smelled the odor it gave off. It could be a perfect use to wake a drunk from sleep.

"Is there cleaning supplies in the other building and the house?" she asked.

"Yeah," he answered.

"Then why did you make everyone go out and get more cleaning supplies?!" she demanded. They had spent two damn hours hunting for the supplies, making sure that they had the right kind, and buying them. It took out a huge (if not all) chunk out of their pocket money all together!

He smiled evilly at her and said, "Had to punish you guys for getting your hopes up somehow."

She snarled at him, twisting her hands into claws. "I will kill you."

"Do it later. We're still on the first floor." He turned back around and went to the free weights. She wanted to attack him but he was right. They still had to clean the rest of the building. So she and Hiro followed him.

They chose their own pair of free weights. As she polished and cleaned them, Tsukiko admitted that this was easier than the barbells. She had gone over to the first one while Arashi had still been telling them how they should go about cleaning. The first one she had picked didn't seem that heavy at first but as she held it, her arms had started getting heavy. She didn't want to admit it when they were done and promptly went to the next one, which was heavier, and then again with the third.

But she still wished that they were doing something else. "I betcha that the other teams have it easier," she said to Hiro and Arashi.

"What makes you say that?" Hiro asked her.

"They don't have to clean all of this crap." She gestured to the entire training building.

"That's possible." He had taken a quick look around before they had left to find supplies. The upper levels had more weights, training bags and dummies, tracks both plain and with obstacles, and a sparring mat. The odd thing was that some of the levels were connected by stairs, leaving gaps where there should be stairs. Some of the columns looked like they could be climbed up to those levels but there was no equipment nearby.

"Thank you."

"But on the other hand, I think out of the three teams, we were the ones who had the most painting missions."

"That's not something I want to remember now, Hiro," she told him. She didn't want to think of the painting missions that they had done. She still maintained that it was demeaning.

"My point is that I don't think that Tsume's team has the experience of painting that we do. They're probably making a relatively easy job much harder."

"And I'm fairly certain that Shikatsuno and his group are having a better job," Arashi added. "I've see the meditation room and I've seen the fish in there. I'm fairly certain that it's less of a mediation room and more of Lee-sensei's personal fishing hole."

"You've gotta be kidding."

"Who's been here the most out of all nine of us?" he asked her pointedly. "Trust me; I've seen something that looks like a fishing pole in there."

She huffed and went back to her work. She was quickly done and went to grab another set. "Uh, Tsukiko?" said Hiro.

"What?" she snapped at him.

If it had been the old Hiro, he might've flinched and faltered into saying nothing. But this new Hiro didn't. "We're going to have to put all these way. Perhaps it's best not to make such a mess?"

"Hiro, at this point, I really don't care." Seriously, she could not even attempt to give a damn about it.

"So long as we get them back into place when we're done, I think we'll be fine," Arashi said, dropping his polished and cleaned weights on the ground, just like she had.

"…I guess you're right," Hiro agreed, dropping his cleaned weights as well and grabbing another pair. The three of them sat around in silence, cleaning the weights they could hold, like they should've done in the first place.

As they cleaned, they heard the sound of a phone ringing. "What the…? Whose phone is that?" Arashi asked, turning his head to look around.

"I think it's yours," Tsukiko said. It sounded like it was coming from his coat.

"That's weird." He put the weight he was cleaning down and walked over to his coat, fishing out the phone. The little screen was showing a long string of numbers on it. Having learned at an early age how memorized phone numbers so he could dial them, he knew who it was right away. "It's Shikatsuno."

"If he's calling to tell us that they're done, hang up on him, please," she told him.

"Keep polishing," he told her in reply before flipping the phone open and putting it to his ear. "Yeah, Shikatsuno, what's up?"

"Could you come over here?" the Nara asked him. For once, he didn't sound bored or lazy. He actually sounded nervous.

"Dude, we've got a lot of crap to clean in here and we're still on the first floor."

"Don't tell him that!" Tsukiko hissed.

He waved her away and focused back on the conversation. "Whatever it is, can it wait?"

"Uh, no, not really," he replied.

"What is it?"

"Well, there's a large shadow moving around in the pool. Does Rock Lee own a shark?"

He began thinking it over. "Well, I'm not exactly sure."

"What does that mean?" Inoji's voice came through the phone, demanding an answer.

He stopped, held the phone out at arm's length, looked at it, and then put it back at his ear. "Am I on speaker?"

"No, I just took the phone from Shika. Now what the hell do you mean by that you're not exactly sure?" His voice sounded more panicked than his teammate.

"I've only been in that room a couple of times, Inoji. I asked Lee-sensei to teach me the **Gōken**, not how to mediate. Yes, I've seen that big shadow but it's in its own little area. It's fine."

"Uh, yeah, sure," he replied. Now he sounded more uncomfortable than panicked.

The dyed redhead heard that and frowned. "It is in its own little area, right?"

"Yeah, yeah it is, absolutely."

"Then why do I doubt you?" He was beginning to get a bad feeling in his chest from the conversation.

"I don't know. That's your problem."

For a brief moment, he heard what sounded like a small struggle going on. "Alright, I put you on speaker so you can hear us all talk," Shikatsuno spoke. "It was beginning to become a pain in the ass to pass around the phone."

"It wasn't really passing the phone around," Chōichi commented.

"Not now, man!" Inoji told him.

"What's going on?" Hiro asked Arashi.

"I have a feeling that I really wish wasn't right," he replied briefly before turning his attention back to the phone. "Guys, what's going on over there?"

"We…might've let the gate open and that big shadowy thing into the rest of the pool," Shikatsuno answered.

"You _what_!?" he shouted. "That gate was closed for a reason!" His team looked at him with surprise and confusion in their eyes. But he ignored them.

"We thought it was the light switch!" Inoji said in protest.

"That's next to the door! You should've seen it!"

"This place is huge! We thought there were multiple switches!"

He groaned and palmed his forehead. _"Why does this kind of stuff happen? Why?"_ he silently asked any spirit listening to him. Surely there was some kind of mischief spirit playing havoc with the teams right now. He allowed himself that for a moment and then went back to the situation at hand. "How bad is it right now?"

"What do you mean?" Chōichi asked him.

"Has that thing gotten to the other fishes?"

"Um…it might've?"

"How much?" he asked. Depending on the answer would give him a good idea of just how screwed they were.

"We're not sure, exactly," Shikatsuno answered. "But there was a lot of water moving around quickly as that thing moved. It obscured our sight of the pool itself."

"For the love of Agni," he muttered to himself.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," he said into the phone. Then he looked over at his team, placing his hand over the speaker. "Hiro, I need you to go into the meditation room and help them out."

"What?" Tsukiko demanded.

"Why me?" asked Hiro.

"They can't see inside the pool so they need someone who can. That's you. You need to get over there now," he ordered.

"Okay." He put the weight he was cleaning down and stood up.

"Wait, hang on!" Tsukiko said, stopping him before he could start walking to the door, her voice echoing in the room. "He leaves and we're a man down. That happens and we'll never finish the work here. The others will win!"

"This isn't a competition, Tsukiko!" Arashi told her in irritation. They were about to have a problem on the other side of the complex and she was worried about that kind of crap? Not what they needed right now!

"But she does have a point," Hiro agreed. "We'll be a man down in here if I go and that will slow us down. If one team slows down, we could fail the mission."

Now he could work with that. It was a good point. Fortunately, the solution was simple. He took his hand off the speaker and said, "Guys, I'm sending Hiro over to you. Send Inoji over here to take his place."

"And why would I be doing that?" Inoji demanded, sounding like he was offended at the idea of being swapped.

"If we keep the teams equal, we'll have a better chance of completing the mission before the sun sets. You wanna argue or do you want this mission to be done?"

"He's not arguing," Shikatsuno said with an authoritative voice (which was rare for him). "He's on his way now. Send Hiro over to us."

"Right," he said, ending the call. "Hiro, go." His teammate took off at a brisk pace, leaving the training room with the slam of the door. Ten seconds later, Inoji came through the same one. Neither Arashi nor Tsukiko said anything to him. The former simply pointed at the weight Hiro was cleaning along with its supplies. The Yamanaka got the point and quickly began cleaning it.

(Location: South Pole)

Mako watched as Korra came riding into the neighborhood (if it could be called that) atop Naga. "How was your day, sweetie?" he asked her.

"Oh, fabulous," she replied with the deepest amount of sarcasm she could muster, scowling as she spoke. "My tribe's about to go to war, and I'm supposed to stop it, but will anyone listen to me? No! And I didn't ask for my father's help. Can't he just let me be the Avatar?"

He was unsure of what to say. So he went with the obvious choice. "Uh, do you want advice, or am I just supposed to listen? I'm still not clear on that."

When she heard those words, she began to calm down. What was going on with her wasn't any fault of his. She closed her eyes and breathed deep. "Ugh. I'm sorry. My dad just gets me all worked up."

"How about you take a break from all this Avatar stuff and we go out for a quiet dinner. Just the two of us," he suggested, walking up to her and placing his hands on her shoulders. She smiled and nodded. It seemed like an excellent idea.

* * *

Of course, with every idea that sounded excellent to her, it quickly soured when they got there. They were one of the better restaurants in the city but not a booth for two. Rather, they were sitting at a table where her cousins and Mako's brother on the other side. Both of them had looks of equal parts irritated and disturbed (mostly because of the twins). "Isn't this fun, huh?" Bolin asked, desperately trying to make conversation. "We never get to spend enough time together, just the…five of us. So fun." There was a smile on his face, but it was strained, like he was trying too hard.

"Excuse us while we retrieve more sustenance," Eska announced as she and Desna left the table.

As soon as they left, the smile vanished from Bolin's face. "You guys gotta save me," he said to Mako and Korra.

"I thought you were breaking up with her. What happened to 'ripping off the leech'?" Mako asked him.

"I tried! But anytime I bring up the subject, she threatens to freeze me in a block of ice and feed me to dolphin piranhas!"

"So it was more like you tugged at the leech."

"Yes, over and over and over, but it won't come off." He turned his head slightly to look at Korra. "Why didn't you warn me your cousin had the power to reach into my heart and crush my soul with her bare hands?"

"Uh, 'cause I thought it was pretty obvious?" she replied. He didn't see it the first time around? It was right there.

"No, no, not to me it wasn't. I'm very bad at reading people. You should know that by now." He threw his back and sighed theatrically. "Oh, man. Oh! Do something, Avatar!"

"What do you want me to do?"

"I don't know; get me out of this somehow!"

"Everything okay here?" Asami asked as she joined them at the table so suddenly.

Korra looked at her with surprise. She didn't usually look like this. "What the hell happened to you?" she asked.

She winced. "Please don't use that word."

"What word?"

"That h word," she said.

"'Happened?'"

She shook her head rapidly, her black and tangled hair whipping back and forth with it. "No, the other one," she told the Avatar.

"'Hell?'"

She winced again. "What did I just say?" she demanded.

The three Benders sitting at the table shared a look with one another before looking at her again. She looked like the end of a bad week times three. She was fidgety in her seat and her eyes were looking all over the place, like she was trying to find a hidden threat. Her clothes were a mess, not their usual clean and presentable look. All-in-all, it was worrisome. "Uh, how did the trip go?" Mako asked her.

"Failed it, don't want to talk about it, just want to enjoy the warmth and the food." Her eyes tracked downward the food on the table, her mouth beginning to moisten at the sight of it all. "Do you mind?" she asked them, having only restrained herself this far because of her manners.

"Sure, go ahead," Bolin told her. That was she needed to fall upon the food like a starving badgermole. She didn't degrade into a cavewoman completely with her eating (again, manners), she definitely took a few steps in that direction.

This was the sight Desna and Eska came back to with food-laden trays in their hands. They stopped and stared for a moment at the Republican eating like it was her last meal. "What are you doing?" Desna finally asked.

She turned her head to look at them, swallowing a piece of seafood. "Eating," she answered shortly.

"I can see that," he said with his usual deadpan. "But you happen to be eating our food."

"Shouldn't have left out like this then." Having said her piece, she turned back to the food and promptly resumed her eating. Bolin smiled apologetically to his "girlfriend" as Asami kept eating but Eska didn't say anything. She and her brother just sat down beside her, although they kept their food out of her reach.

(Location: Southern Air Temple)

Night had fallen on the mountains but Ikki still hadn't been found. Tenzin and his siblings were still searching for her, now using the light of a lantern to guide them. "You know, this reminds me of a search-and-rescue mission I commanded years ago in the mountains outside of Ba Sing Se," Bumi remarked as they walked down the path.

Tenzin groaned. "Here we go," he said with a look casted back at his brother. How many times has he heard these kinds of stories from Bumi? He already decided that the answer was too many. They had been funny and interesting at first, than old and stale, and then finally annoying.

But, of course, that didn't stop his brother from telling the tale, complete with exaggerated hand and arm gestures. "For five days we scoured the beast of a mountain, fighting our ways through blizzards, sandstorms, and _three _typhoons. Finally, we found the men huddled in a cave, seconds from death. With no time to lose, I piled all _twelve_ of those poor souls on my back and single-handedly carried them down the mountain to safety."

As he listened, Tenzin got more and more irritated. Finally, he snapped and turned to look back at him. "And how exactly is that supposed to help us find Ikki?" he demanded of his brother.

"It was supposed to inspire you," he replied, not sounding offended at all. "Clearly, you know nothing about being a leader of men. That's probably why the Avatar fired you." Kya ignored the two of them and kept on walking.

"I'm sick of your far-fetched tales. _Three_ typhoons?" he asked rhetorically.

"Well, I may have thrown in an extra typhoon or two for dramatic effect, but—"

"Quit arguing and bring that lantern over here," Kya told her brothers from where she stood at the top of a downward path. "I found footprints."

Their arguing forgotten, the brothers rushed over to her. With the lantern shining on the path, they all saw the trail of footprints on the trail. They were definitely Ikki's size and they went all the way down. The path curved around a pool of water fed by the waterfall roaring down behind them. "Come on!" Tenzin said to his brother and sister, running down the path.

"No, follow me!" Bumi said, standing on the ledge over the waterfall, looking down at the rocks jutting out from the water. "This will get us down fifty times faster." He leapt down to the first rock and began making his way down.

"Bumi, it's pitch black and the rocks are slippery. You're gonna to hurt yourself." Kya warned him. He seemed to keep forgetting that he wasn't a Bender.

"Come on, you wimps! If I can do it, it should be no problem for a couple of Benders," he shouted up at them as he made his way to the side of the waterfall and continued hopping down. This was nothing to him. He had been through worse from June.

"Fine," she said, rolling her eyes at his antics. She leapt straight down the waterfall, bending it to catch and bring her down like an elevator. Tenzin did his own kind of hopping down the rocks, using Airbending to leap across the front of the waterfall from side to side all the way down.

Both of them easily passed their older brother, who was still halfway down the rocks. When they landed at the base, they looked back up at him. "You were right, Bumi!" Kya called up to him. "That _was_ faster!"

"At least fifty times faster, by my calculations," Tenzin added. Both he and Kya chuckled at his little play on words.

"Oh, so Tenzin's the funny guy now," Bumi grumbled as he stared down at their laughing faces. That was supposed to be his job.

"If you need an airlift down, just say the word."

"Bah, I don't need your help," he told his brother, turning back around to face the rock. "I've got everything under control." But as he started to climb down, his grip slipped out and he started to fall. He only had time to let out a surprised yelp before falling, hitting the next rock with his back, crashing through the tree at the bottom, and finally hitting the pool face first.

"Bumi!" shouted Tenzin, suddenly worried for his brother.

(Location: South Pole)

With the could've-been date done with, Korra rode Naga back to her hut. It had felt like a long day, especially since everywhere she went, both Tribes looked at her like she should've been on their side. Why couldn't they get the fact that she was trying to stay neutral? She hopped down from her saddle and entered the hut, only to find her mother waiting there on the couch. "Did Dad send you to talk to me?" she asked, stepping into the hut proper.

"Your father doesn't know I'm here," her mother told her as she walked over and sat down beside her. "Korra, what's going on between you two?"

"Ask Dad," she said, not even trying to make eye contact with her. This was a conversation that she didn't want to have right now or at all.

"I've tried, but he won't talk about it. Honey, it breaks my heart to see our family being torn apart like this."

"You want to know what's been going on? I found out Dad's been lying to me my _whole life_." She turned her head to look at her mother. "Unalaq told me everything; how Dad, Lord Naruto, and Tenzin kept me _trapped_ down here while I trained; how Dad got _banished_ from the North."

She didn't say anything, at first. "So, the truth is out."

"You knew?" She was a little surprised but when she thought about it, she shouldn't have been. Her parents were opened with each other. "And you never said anything."

"We were trying to keep our family together, to give you a normal childhood."

"I never wanted a normal childhood. All I ever wanted to be was the Avatar." Ever since the White Lotus had shown when she was a little kid and she broke through the wall.

But her mother thought differently. "No, you were supposed to have a normal childhood. It's tradition that the new Avatar is revealed when they are sixteen years of age."

"Then why did the White Lotus confirm it when I was a kid after putting me in the compound?" It was a year later but she distinctly remembered that event happening. She had wondered why she had been taken from her home just out of the blue one day but the curiosity and rising she had disappeared instantly when they told her that she was indeed the next Avatar.

Her mother stared at the ground. "There were…special circumstances."

"Like what?" she asked, only not to get an answer. "See? This is what I'm talking about. Everyone keeps holding me back, even my own parents! Unalaq's the only one who believes in me."

"That's not true, Korra," her mother said with a somewhat sharp tone to her voice, looking at her daughter.

"No?" she asked. "Then why is everyone in the South turning against me, when all I'm trying to do is help them?"

"The problems between the North and the South started long before you were born. You can't expect to undo them in a day."

"So I should just sit back and let the Water Tribes go to war?"

"No, but this situation might be out of your control. Varrick's been plotting a rebellion against Unalaq. He asked your father to join, and—"

Korra stood up instantly at those words. "Dad is part of a rebellion?" she demanded.

"No, of course not," she replied.

"Why was Varrick ever Grandfather's student in the first place?" That just did not make sense to her now.

"I…never asked him." There was some kind of emotion in her eyes when she said that but Korra was too busy being irritated and angry with everything to actually figure out what it was. "Look, I don't want you getting caught in the middle of whatever it is."

"It's too late, Mom," she declared. "I'm already in the middle of it." She ran for the front door, pushing aside the flaps to get through.

Senna stood up and followed her, stopping at the door. "Korra!" she called out, but her daughter was already atop Naga and riding away.

(Location: Konoha)

"How are we doing?" Arashi asked on the phone. Inoji and Jiro were working on a barbell off to the side, cleaning and polishing one end for each of them. It was the last one on the first floor. The day hadn't progressed smoothly for the teams. It seemed like an hour could barely pass before something went wrong that require all of them. For some reason, he had been the one who was calling everyone and switching people around to fix. If anyone tried to argue, he would shut them down with a "Don't argue, just do it."

"We might be fine," Tsukiko told him.

"What does that mean?"

"I haven't seen it myself but we might be getting close to the bottom of the paint bucket."

He resisted the urge to groan or rub his forehead. It wouldn't help in this situation. "Who told you that?"

"Tsume did."

"Pass the phone over to her."

"You got it. HEY, TSUME! HE WANTS TO TALK TO YOU!"

"Ah!" he cried with a flinch, pulling the phone away from his ear. His ear drum vibrated from the sound and made his head rattle. For a moment, it sounded like he lost hearing in that ear. All he could hear was the sound of silence ringing. But it didn't last long and he heard Inoji and Jiro cleaning the barbell. "Don't scream into the phone like that!" he shouted into the phone.

"Hypocrite much?" she asked. She continued before he could say anything. "Here's Tsume."

"What's up, Arashi?" Tsume asked him.

"Tsukiko says you're hitting the bottom of the paint bucket."

"It looks like that, yeah."

"How many buckets did you buy?"

"Just the two," she answered. "And we're about halfway done with the painting."

He looked at the watch on his wrist. They were now in hour five, well into the afternoon. Evening would soon be coming and that meant sunset too. They were running out of time. "How long do you think it will take for one of you to run to the store and get additional paint?" he asked. He didn't bother asking why they were only halfway as he did it earlier and found no point in repeating words.

"Getting there might take about five, ten minutes. Getting back? That'll be longer."

"At least you're not hauling the tarp this time around. Send someone out to get the paint."

"Got it," she replied. "HEY, TSUKIKO, GO GET THE PAINT!"

"Gah!" he yelped as he pulled the phone from his ear again. When the ringing stopped he stared at it with venomous eyes. "I told Tsukiko not to scream like that next to the phone, the same goes for you!"

"Whatever." The line went dead and all he got was the dial tone.

He didn't waste any time to dial Hiro's number. It rang for a few seconds, filling his ear with a more pleasant sound than just screaming. "Yes?" Hiro answered.

"How we looking over in the meditation room?" he asked. An earlier call told him that they were able to get whatever was casting that shadow back into its own private area but there were now some types of fishes missing. That required them to start swimming around in the pool to do a head count while Hiro stayed ashore and confirmed with his **Byakugan**.

"We managed to finish that head count. Sorry it took so long, there were a few miscounts."

"What kind of fish are missing from the pool?"

"Is Rock Lee a fish collector?"

He paused and frowned. It was an odd question but also one he didn't really know the answer to. "I guess so. Why are you asking?"

"Shikatsuno made a list while Jiro and Chōichi swam in the pool. We're looking over it now. Some of the fishes look like they can be bought at the store, but others look like they only come from one place or another?"

And there was another headache that was going to be with them. "How many of the rare type fishes are missing?"

"About five, maybe six?" offered Hiro.

"Why the maybe?" he asked instantly.

"We're still debating one of them."

"Oh boy," he said to himself, rubbing his hair. "Hurry it up." He finished the call and lowered the phone from his ear.

"Everything okay?" asked Inoji as he and Jiro came up to him. They must've been done with the barbell. He didn't hear them put it down.

"Just one problem after another," he replied. "At least the traps weren't set; otherwise we'd be in real deep shit."

The other two Genin shared a look at those words. "Uh, you're kidding about the traps, right?"

"No, Lee-sensei likes to make me think on my feet when it comes to training. Says it'll help me adapt in a pinch," he told them.

"Has it?" Jiro asked, his voice shining with his curiosity.

"I working everyone here, aren't I?"

"…Good point," he conceded.

"Well, we finished the barbells and free weights," Inoji told the dyed redhead, clearly relived to be done. "We can get to the rest of the place now."

"If we got the time," the Hatake amongst them remarked. They all looked up at the rest of the levels, seeing all of them. It had taken them this long to clean the weights on the first floor. It might take longer for them to get to the rest of it, especially if they had to keep switching out to accommodate other problems. Finishing by sunset didn't seem very likely if they did that. Hell, it didn't seem likely now.

"Oh, what the hell?" said Arashi after a long moment of silence. "It's not like we're going to finish it all." He put the phone back up and started dialing.

"What are you doing?" Jiro asked him.

"Making a judgement call," he said shortly. The phone didn't ring long before it was picked up. "Tsume, has Tsukiko left it?"

"No, not yet," Tsume replied.

"Good. Get her, please. And don't scream," he added before she could open her mouth to scream.

"…Fine. Tsukiko, phone for you," she called out, her voice at a more reasonable level of volume.

"Yeah, whaddaya want?" Tsukiko asked once her voice came onto the phone.

"You're going to have to pick up more than just paint," he told her. "Get some more brushes and tarp."

"…Why?"

"The other teams are going to join the one in the house to finish that."

"But what about the other rooms?" she asked.

It was a good question and he had an answer. "We'll worry about those once we take care of the house. Now hurry to the shop and get the stuff. We're wasting time here."

"I'm going, I'm going."

The call disconnected but he didn't lower the phone. "Come on," he told Inoji and Jiro, walking towards the door whilst dialing Hiro's number again. They followed him without asking any questions.

(Location: South Pole)

"Uncle!" shouted Korra as she raced into the Great Hall. Her limbs were slightly sore from the running, but it wasn't anything she couldn't deal with. Besides, that wasn't what she needed to focus on. She had to find her uncle. The first thing she saw was the three Northern guards gagged, bound, and unconscious on the floor in front of her. "Oh, no," she said to herself at the sight. "Uncle?" she called out, racing past them, going deeper into the hall.

She ran for the rooms made for honored guests, figuring that would be where Unalaq would sleep. Her hunch turned out to be right for when she turned the corner that led into the guest bedroom corridor, she saw tribesmen wearing masks over their heads keeping an eye out at the first door. She instantly hung back, staying out of sight. There were three of them standing watch, waiting for something.

That something turned out to be a fourth person, coming out of the room with Unalaq unconscious over his shoulder, wearing a sleeping robe. The man had a familiar build and that instantly made her suspicious. "Dad?" she asked herself as she watched him walk out with another man following him, making the total now five. There was only one way to find out the truth. She stepped out of hiding and stood in their way. "Dad, don't do this."

He didn't say anything, only staring at her with unflinching eyes. "Turn around, Avatar, and pretend you didn't see anything," one of the other men, who had grouped around her father like a shield, told her.

"No," she refused, "leave Unalaq and go. I'll tell him I tried to stop you, but you escaped. We can still avoid a war."

"No, we can't." He swung his arm down and bent the icy floor to jut up into a jagged line, directing it right at her. She thought it was an attack and leapt to the side, up against the wall. It was only when the line went past and connected with the wall that she realized that he hadn't been trying to attack her, only trap her.

She could see them running past her and anger filled her. _"No, you don't!"_ She punched through the wall, her fist enhanced with her own Waterbending. She was out and chasing them in a second flat. As they ran down the stairs that led back to the main floor, she reached the top of it. She froze the rail, then slid down and leapt into an arc through the air, landing in front of them all.

"Get him out of here!" the man who spoke ordered, pointing at a side hallway. The one holding her uncle ran out that way.

Korra tried going after them but an ice wall sprouted up out of the floor, blocking her path. She cried out briefly in surprise, stepping back from the wall. She looked at the remaining men. "We're all part of the same tribe. I don't wanna hurt you."

Their reply was to start bending water at her. She rolled away from their blasts, moving to the other side of the room. Coming out of her roll, she leapt up and grabbed one of the banners hanging from the ceiling, pulling it down with her. Once she was back on the ground, she ran behind the columns, trying to still avoid their blasts.

When two of them moved in closer, she made her move. She ran up the nearest column, using her momentum and some Airbending, and then twisted herself at them, dropping the banner right at them. They struggled in confusion, trying to get out of it. But Korra didn't let them, landing on her feet and bending the air to roll up the banner around them, getting them nice and stuck.

There were two men left. She charged at them and then leapt into their midst, still avoiding all of their water blasts. In midair she saw one of them had rope at their waist. She landed, avoided their punches, and grabbed the robe. She saw the other guy coming at her and gave him a swift kick in the gut, sending him away at a column. When the first man tried throwing a punch, she avoided it and got the rope around it. She turned in place, trying to get some momentum going to take the man with her. It worked and soon he was off his feet and in the air. It didn't long before she slammed him against a column. He stood dazed as she wrapped the robe around him and tied it off with a quick knot.

When she ran outside to the steps, she could see her father leaving with Unalaq atop a snowmobile. "Dad, stop!" she shouted. But it was still leaving. She rushed down the steps and then leapt over the side when it wasn't fast enough. She could still see the snowmobile and chased after it, on foot.

Before long, she was beginning to feel winded. All the running and fighting was starting to get to her. She had to stop it now. Fortunately, she was close enough to make that happen. She bent the snow on the ground in front up into ice, arching it into a curving drop. Her father was unable to change his course in time.

She watched the snowmobile went up the ice and then back down to the ground. She ran over to the crash, listening to the sound of its machine die away in a pitiful little whine. Her father was beginning to sit up, groaning from the pain when she reached him. "Why did you do this, Dad?" she demanded as she reached out and pulled off the hood. But it wasn't Tonraq beneath it and she was caught off-guard." What? Who are you? Where's my father?"

"He wouldn't help us. He's a traitor, just like you," he snapped at her.

She would've replied, asking what he meant, if she hadn't seen her uncle start to awaken. She went to his side and knelt down beside him. "Uncle, are you good?"

He nodded. "Yes, Korra, I am fine."

* * *

By the time Unalaq was able to change into more presentable attire, a squad of Northern soldiers had arrived to arrest the rebels. "Thank you for saving my life," he said to his niece, who stood by his side watching her tribesmen be handcuffed.

"I'm just glad I got here in time," she told him; ignoring the dirty looks the Southerners were giving her.

"Find Varrick," he ordered the commander of the guard, an old veteran of a man. "I want him to freeze in prison with the rest of these traitors." The commander nodded in acknowledgement. The southerners were led away.

Korra saw this and could see what would come next. "Wait, you can't just lock them away. That will only make the South angrier."

"You want them to go free?" her uncle asked her, his face and voice taking on the harsh visage of a chief.

"No. But let them stand trial for what they did. Every Water Tribe citizen deserves that right.

He pondered the idea for a long second before his face softened. "Very well," he agreed. "I will respect the Avatar's wishes in this matter."

"Thank you, Uncle," she said with a smile.

(Location: Southern Air Temple)

"I told you those rock were slippery," Kya told Bumi while she healed him with her water, keeping it in a constant flow around his head. They had been able to get him out of the water while he had still been conscious. Once the worry was gone, it was replaced with irritation. "You're lucky you didn't kill yourself."

"You done with the lecture, _Mom_?" he asked her snidely from where he sat on the ground, resting against a rock. He was suffering from a bad headache because of the fall. Hearing his younger sister chastise him was something he didn't need to hear. Besides, he had been through while learning from June.

"Oh, grow up! You haven't changed _one bit_ since we were kids. You're still trying to prove you can do everything a Bender can. Well, you can't. Deal with it."

"And you're not our mother. You don't get to tell me what I can and can't do. Deal with that."

She stopped her Bending and let the water drop on his head like a weight. "Good luck healing yourself with your special nonbending powers," she told him, folding her arms.

He shook the water out of his hair like dog. "Hey, hey, back me up here, Tenzin," he asked the youngest of them.

"Kya's right," Tenzin replied. "You're the oldest of us, but you always acted like the youngest. _I_ had to become the responsible one."

"You think _you're_ the responsible one?" Kya demanded, walking up to him. "Where were you after Dad died and Mom was all alone? Because _I_ was the only one who packed up and moved my _whole_ life to be with her," she declared.

"Sure, after years of flitting around the world, trying to find yourself _and_ after you tried sneaking off to the Elemental Countries only to have Lord Naruto literally drag you back by the hair," he retorted. She winced at the reminder of her attempted deed. He knew it was a painful and embarrassing memory, which was why he had used it. "It was time for you to settle down somewhere. You two have no idea how it feels to have the future of an entire _culture_ on your shoulders," he told them both agitatedly.

"Hello, Paragon of the Air Nomads right here," Bumi reminded him while he stood up to sit down on the rock behind him, pulling out the Medallion for him to see. "And it must've been real hard for you, flying around the world with Dad, riding elephant koi all day.

"Oh, so _that's_ what this is all about."

"That's what it's _always_ been about," Kya told him. "You think you're some _savior_ who has to carry on Dad's legacy." There was a tone to her voice that was both whining and mocking at the same time.

"Who else is going to do it?" he demanded.

"How about all of us?" she demanded back.

"Yeah, we're Aang's kids too," Bumi agreed, pointing his thumb at himself.

"Bumi, you're not an Airbender. You were off gallivanting around this side of the planet, having 'adventures' while I was studying our heritage and culture, training in Airbending!"

A harsh scowl formed on his face at those words and his hands clenched into fists. But he didn't move from his spot. Instead, he said, "Get off your high bison, Tenzin! You don't know the first thing about training. You don't even know what it was like being trained by June! You were barely walking when she came to the island and browbeated Dad into taking me as her apprentice!"

"We never should have come on this vacation," Kya declared.

"I couldn't agree more."

"Well, I didn't want you to come in the first place," Tenzin told them both. Their tempers were running high but he stayed in control of his and made a decision. "I can't be around you two right now. Go back to the temple and see if Ikki returned. I'll keep looking out here."

"Fine," his brother snapped at him.

"Fine," his sister agreed.

"Fine," he said as well. They went their separate ways, them back up the path and he continuing down it.

(Location: Konoha)

They were sitting outside the house, resting their backs against the walls, a comfortable feeling at that moment. They were bone-dead tired from painting the rest of the house. Their hands were cramping something bad and if they looked at another paint bucket at all for the rest of their lives, it would be too soon. But they could be proud of the fact that they did get that house painted.

However, that was all they could be proud of. The house was cleaned and smelled of new paint. But the training room still had levels that needed cleaning and the meditation had a number of fishes that were suspiciously missing. They never would've been able to get one of them done before the sun set, much less two. So they just stopped and rested.

"Is anyone else hungry?" Chōichi asked them, looking both right and left with a questioning look.

"Only you, Chōichi," Inoji told him from where he sat two persons down.

"Actually, I'm feeling a little hungry," Tsume said next to him. From atop her head, her puppy barked. "And so is Aoimaru."

"I don't the dog deserves something to eat," Jiro said from the other end, fixing Aoimaru with a look. "She didn't do anything to help today."

"Yes, she did."

"No, she didn't."

"_Yes_, she did."

"Could the two of you not do that?" Tsukiko asked them from where she was resting about halfway between them. "How about we just ask why she thinks the dog did something to help?"

"…Fine," Jiro agreed reluctantly. "Tsume, how do you think Aoimaru helped today?"

"Simple: she stayed out of the way and didn't annoy anyone who was working. We've been working and obeying commands, I think it's working. Don't you?" she asked with a big grin with Aoimaru yapping in agreement.

"She's got you there," Shikatsuno told him, sitting right next to him.

"I know."

"I think it's safe to say that we're all feeling hungry," Hiro said, sitting almost in the exact center and was able to look at everyone there just by turning his head.

"I'm not," Inoji said.

"You had that snack, of course you're not hungry," Tsume said, her voice a little accusative as she stared at him.

"Anyway," the Hyūga among them continued, "I say that we all go get some dinner. The job is done; we might as well get a decent meal in our stomachs."

"Sounds good to me," Chōichi said enthusiastically. No one was surprised.

"You might want to hold onto that thought," Arashi said to them all, staring straight ahead. "He's here."

They all turned to look at what he was seeing and instantly stood up, straightening their clothes and trying to make themselves more presentable. The dyed redhead watched them do all this and just shook his head in amusement. The man coming towards them didn't care about appearances, he cared about character. He had learned that in their first lesson. Plus, he didn't see the reason for them trying to make themselves look nice. Lee-sensei looked the same as he always did; wearing the green robe and old-fashioned sandals he had seen on him the first time around. His beard seemed to be a bit more groomed and shorter though, hanging to his chest rather than his belt.

"Good evening to you all," he said to them as he came to a stop in front of his house. "Since you are out here, may I assume that you have completed the mission?" he asked.

They looked at one another, uneasy looks on their faces. Arashi was the only one who looked the least worried and it was he who answered. "No, we did not, Lee-sensei."

He was silent, looking at them all stoically. "I see. And why could you not complete the mission?"

"We didn't have enough time and not enough manpower. Plus, there were some incidents along the way that caused us to lose time."

"What did you do about it?"

"I took command and issued orders to the other teams, trying to handle the situations by sending someone adept to handling it there and getting someone in return. But in the end, we cut our losses and chose to finish the house. That we could finish before time was up."

"I see." He continued to look stoically at them all. The rest of the teams felt nervous under his gaze, like his eyes were judging them for what they did and didn't do. They were beginning to feel embarrassed at having failed to deliver on their mission. Now the man might never look at them favorably again. But then he did an odd thing: he smiled. "You did well."

Their nervousness was paired with confusions. They looked at each other again, trying to figure out what he had meant. "Master Lee, could you please explain?" Hiro finally asked, taking the courage to do so.

"I never expected the house and the rooms to be fully cleaned. Much like the bell test, this is a mission designed to fail at first glance and make you look deeper at the second," he told them, sweeping his head back and forth at them all as he spoke. "It is also designed to simulate what a real mission could be like when it becomes complicated."

"Complicated?" Tsume repeated.

He nodded. "Yes, complicated. At first glance, your mission parameters seemed to be simple. But once you got here, you quickly discovered that it was anything but simple. You tried to divide the power, trying to keep a level amount cleaning each part. But as complications arose, one of you took command and began directing the others, like the leader of a team should do." He gestured to the dyed redhead amongst them. "Arashi here was the one who took that initiative, becoming a leader that tried to keep things stable as the situation continued to get worse."

"You mean that he was told to do it when it got worse," Jiro replied, casting a suspicious look at him.

"Nothing of the sort," Lee rebuked him. "He was just simply the first one to do it; any of you could have done the same. Now tell me, what has this mission taught you?" he asked them all, looking at all nine of them.

He wasn't surprised when Shikatsuno first answered the question instead of someone else. "It's taught us how we should adapt to a real-life mission that becomes worse than it originally was."

"It's also taught us how to adapt to being out of our normal teams," Hiro continued. "We might always be in the same team and we have to be ready for that."

"Good, good," he told them both. "Is there anything else?"

"…Always trust the leader to give the right commands?" Tsukiko asked after a moment of silence, throwing it out there because she thought it sounded right.

To her relief, the old man nodded. "Yes, you are correct, Tsukiko. In a real-life mission, if you doubt the certainty of your leader, you are dooming you and the team to failure. I am not saying that you shouldn't doubt," he continued before anyone could say anything, "only that you should trust in him. If you start to lose that trust that is when you should begin to doubt. Do you all understand?"

"Yes, Master Lee," they all said in reply.

"Good." His face took on a more serious look and they all felt nervous at the sight of it. "However, you did fail the mission, which means that you must be punished." He could hear them gulping and had to restrain himself from grinning. He looked over at their leader. "What do you think their punishment should be, Arashi?"

Arashi considered it for a moment while they all looked at him nervously. Here was his chance to make their lives miserable if he wanted. Would he do it? "…They should just do their chores at home," he finally said. "They could probably learn something from that."

"That's fair. I'll shall inform their parents of that. But as a benefit, for a good attempted job and the willingness to accept that you failed, I will let the eight of you join Arashi in using my house for training and the like," he told them all.

The irritation they had suddenly felt for Arashi's punishment (as most of them had never done chores. That had been what servants were for) and their nervousness vanished into an overflow of excitement. "Really?" asked Tsukiko. Despite having to clean them both and failing, the training and mediation rooms were something to behold. She would love the chance to use the training room and now she was being given the opportunity? She hoped that he wasn't kidding.

"Of course, you've earned it. I just ask that you do not reveal its location to anyone else. I enjoy my privacy. I would like to keep it like that."

"Yes, sir!" they all said in agreement, happy to have the chance to train inside. They would take the location to their grave if it came to that.

He smiled a kindly old smile at them. "Thank you. Now, how about I treat you to dinner?" They all nodded enthusiastically. He started walking down the street to his old favorite restaurant and they followed like puppies after their mother. "You know, it is a good thing that Arashi is not much like his grandfather," he told them as they walked.

"Why's that?" Hiro asked.

"Because if he was, he would've known the **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** and I would've been forced to leave the traps armed!" He laughed loudly at his own humor while the Genin joined in so he wouldn't be alone. In their heads, they were relieved that they had dodged a kunai like that.

(Location: South Pole)

As morning dawned, Korra raced Naga back to her home. She practically leapt out of the saddle as the polar bear dog came to a stop and ran to the door, pushing it open. She saw her parents sitting there on the pebbled floor, trays of food out in front of them. Both of them looked up to see her. "Is it okay if I come in?" she asked hesitantly.

"Of course," her mother said. "We heard what happened. Are you okay?"

At that question, tears began to well up and leak out of her eyes. She didn't know why they started but at that moment, she didn't care. She ran to her father and hugged him tightly. "I'm so glad you weren't there," she told him. "I don't know what I would've done."

He returned the hug for a brief moment before pushing her back slightly so that they could talk face-to-face. "I had no idea how far Varrick was willing to go," he said to her. He had thought he knew the man but he had been wrong, so wrong. "My brother and I have our differences, but I would never attack him."

"I'm sorry for thinking you had anything to do with the rebels. And for all the pain I've caused you and Mom," she apologized. Looking back at what she did to them and how she behaved, she felt like a complete snowed-brain, ice-chewing idiot.

"I'm the one who should apologize. After I saw the Southern Lights return, I was so proud of you. I never should've held you back."

"When your father and I found each other, all we wanted was to live a simple life and raise a family," Senna told her daughter. "But, then we discovered you were the Avatar, and simple was over. We knew one day the world would need you, and you wouldn't need us anymore."

"Mom, Dad, of course I still need you," she said to them both. Together, they hugged each other for support and comfort, like they were alone in the world. What Korra said was true, she still needed them. She was their girl and she didn't want to lose them.

They held onto each other until they heard the sound boots walking across the threshold. They looked to see Unalaq standing inside their door. "We weren't expecting you," Tonraq told his brother, clearly surprised.

Suddenly four Northern soldiers came in behind him and held themselves in battle-ready stances. "Tonraq, Senna, you are under arrest and will stand trial," Unalaq declared.

"Trial? For what?" his brother asked.

"For conspiring to assassinate me," he answered. "Take them," he ordered the soldiers. They descended upon Korra's parents. They were too stunned to resist.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

One of my readers had asked me to make sure that Arashi's journey wasn't a pasted copy of his grandfather's. That had never been my intention and I hope it showed in the two missions I presented his team in this chapter. If you're wondering about the Hag, I might show her, I might not. Kinda depends on if I can find a place for her.

How many of you were surprised when you read about the rooms? Come on, it's Rock Lee. He might be older but he still has a training room. The only difference is that it just got bigger. And since he got older, he's calmed down and slowed down, hence the mediation room. It's also multipurpose as he can go fishing if he wants to.

To me, Senna is one of those silent supporting kinds of people that you do not want to piss off, unless you have a death wish. It's why she sounded different with Varrick then she did with just her family. She was offended by what Varrick said and might've done something she wouldn't regret if Tonraq hadn't been there and was already in control of the situation.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	28. Aiding and abetting

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 28: Aiding and abetting

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: South Pole)

Korra could only watch in stunned shock as she saw her parents be herded to the prison truck with manacles around their wrists. They hadn't resisted when the soldiers clamped them on or when they were led out to the truck. Senna gave her daughter one last look before being finally pushed into the back of the truck, where she sat down opposite of her husband. Once they were both inside, the solider being them closed the door with a _slam_!

"You're making a mistake," Korra told her uncle, who stood right beside her. As she spoke, the prison truck came to life and drove away, taking her parents with them.

"I wish it hadn't come to this," Unalaq told her in reply. He sounded stern, like the chief he was. "But your parents held meeting with the rebels, right here in their home."

"I can't believe you're doing this to your own family." Her disbelief was thick in her throat and her voice.

"Rest assured, I've appointed Judge Hotah to oversee the trial. He is the most fair and honorable man I know."

That would have settled her nerves if the people being accused weren't her parents. "Uncle, my parents had nothing to do with the men who attacked you," she protested.

"I'm sure you're right. So we should have nothing to worry about."

"I hope so." Even though he sounded calm and reassuring, she still wasn't sure herself. She wanted to say more, but he was already walking away, leaving her standing alone in front of the house.

(Location: Konoha)

"So what's the mission today?" Arashi asked the Hokage. He and his team stood in his office, waiting for another mission to be given out. The last one was finding the Hag's cat, a first for them. They thought it had gone well, catching the cat in the first hour. But while Arashi's idea of using catnip had worked for them, it sent the Hag into the psychotic rage monster bit of her description. They barely managed to escape with their lives intact (their dignity, not so much).

"Your sensei and I have been talking about your progress since you've three became Genin," Madara said to all three of them. "You've been doing good work with minimal complaint." He eyed his daughter, knowing full well where the "minimal" part was coming from. "So we have decided that you be given the chance to take on a higher-ranked mission."

They looked at him with excitement in their eyes at the prospect. "Really?" asked Hiro.

"Yes," Rin said, nodding her head. Even though they couldn't see it, they recognized the twitch beneath her mask to realize that she was smiling. "Are you up to it?"

"Of course we are!" Tsukiko proclaimed loudly, already beginning to hop in place from all the excitement she was holding in. "What are we doing? What are we doing?"

Her father restrained a smile at his daughter's antics. He had to be professional here. "Calm down, Tsukiko," he told her. She stopped hopping but the excitement was still inside her, he could see that. "Good. Now," he picked up the scroll that was laid out on the desk in front of him, "this is a low C-rank mission. Essentially, you will be doing fetch and carry for your employer."

The excitement they felt at given a mission that wasn't D-ranked stopped cold at that. They stared at him, not believing what he just said. "Fetch and carry?" Arashi repeated.

"Fetch and carry," he said again, "along with guiding."

"That's a D-rank mission. Why are we doing it for C-rank?"

"That would be because of the location of the mission and who your employer is." He looked past them and called out, "Please come in.'

The three of them turned as the door opened and a man walked in. He had a decent frame to his body, thin without being a stick, and he wore his black hair tied back in a single ponytail. The pulled back hair placed more emphasis on his face, giving it a sharper angle and brought his dark eyes into attention. He was about two, maybe three, inches taller than Rin. He was dressed in what could be called business casual, wearing good dark slacks and a white button up shirt underneath a jacket the same color of the slacks but with no tie around his neck. As he walked in, he looked around and saw the Genin looking at him. What they saw in him was that he was curious about them but it was a momentary curiosity.

Before he or anyone else could say anything, Arashi did. "Have we met before?" the dyed redhead asked him. He seemed a little familiar but he couldn't place him.

The man looked back at him and then looked him over. "I don't think we have, no," he said in a voice that was smooth and confident, like butter laced with honey.

"Huh, could have sworn that we've met somewhere before."

"I have a thing for remembering faces, young man. If we had met, I would have recognized you," he told him. "That is, unless you've changed it completely."

"Well—"

"Arashi, perhaps this can be saved for a later time?" his Hokage suggested firmly.

He stopped and closed his mouth, nodding his agreement. "If you'll excuse me," the man said, walking through them up to the desk before turning to face them.

"This is Mr. Hideaki Saito," Rin introduced him. When she did, both Tsukiko's and Hiro's lit up with excited questions. "Yes, he is the same person you're thinking of," she told them, seeing the light in their eyes.

"Wow," Tsukiko said with wonder.

"This is too cool," Hiro breathed out. Arashi looked at them both with a question in his eyes but they just ignored him for the man.

"So this is the group of shinobi you will be giving me," the man remarked, looking them over again with a searching look now. "I trust that they will be up to the task?"

"They are, sir," Rin assured him.

"Good."

"What is the mission?" Hiro asked the Hokage. As he spoke, his voice slipped into the tone of voice his grandmother taught him to use when speaking to people of power and authority, which was more formal and respectful. Technically, he was supposed to use the same voice with his leader but he knew Madara better as an uncle figure (besides, he had never been called out on it).

"Mr. Saito and his production crew will be shooting scenes in and around the village," he told the three of them. "You are to guide them to spots that fit their need and assist in carrying their equipment. If they ask you to help them set up, you will do so. You will be doing without the supervision of your sensei," he gestured to Rin as he said that, "So I expect to represent the best of the village. Am I understood?"

"Yes sir!" they replied as one.

"So, what movie are you producing?" Arashi asked the man. His question made everyone stare at him like he had said something unbelievably stupid. "What?"

"Do you listen to nothing I tell you, backwater boy?" Tsukiko asked him, continuing before he could open his mouth in protest. "This is the guy who's making Bird Flight into a movie!"

He was surprised by that. Bird flight was the first in his Jiji's series of books. "He is?" he asked.

"Yes!"

"Oh. I…didn't know." Now he felt awkward about the whole thing. But when he looked at Mr. Saito again, the pieces in his head clicked together. "I have seen you before!" he said with a snap of his fingers, pointing one at him. "You were that confused hobo guy who was outside the apartment building for a week two years ago! You came up to meet with my Jiji and he sent you away with a spring in your step!"

He was surprised to hear those words; it showed in his surprised eyes and slightly slack jaw. "How…how do you that?"

"I was the kid who asked you what you were doing when that week was up and took you up to see him. My hair was blonde at the time?" He lifted a lock of the dye red hair for emphasis.

The producer's eyes widened even further in realization. "Good Kami," he breathed out, "Lord Uzumaki's grandson?"

"Yeah, that's me," Arashi said with a nod, dropping the lock.

(Location: South Pole)

Asami stood in one of Varrick's "smaller" meeting rooms (she had a feeling that his larger meeting rooms could be qualified as dance halls considering how big the mansion was). It was a bit overdone by her tastes, having nothing but stuffed and mounted animals decorating the walls alongside various Tribal weapons. There was a desk off to the side, a skinny kind of desk that managed to be both practical and ostentatious at the same time. Opposite the desk was stuffed platypus bear standing on its hind legs. Between the two of them was a rug bear out of a polar bear dog's skin.

"Where's Varrick?" she asked aloud. She, Mako, Bolin, and Tahno had been waiting for him to show up but he hadn't yet. "We should've closed our deal an hour ago." She had been glad to have gotten the time to warm up, clean up, and put on her good business suit to meet the man but it seemed pointless now.

"Would you relax?" Bolin asked from where he lounged on the couch with his arms on the back of his head and Pabu on his stomach. Mako sat next to him by his feet and Tahno rest his back against the wall by his head. "This place is great. And the best part about it, Eska doesn't know I'm here," he declared with a smile.

At that exact moment, the doors to the room were pushed open, revealing Desna and Eska standing there with a trio of guards. _"Speak of the lady and the lady shall appear,"_ Tahno remarked to himself with a little bit of sarcasm. Truly, he was enjoying the Earthbender being afraid of her.

True to form, he stood up quickly. "I wasn't hiding," he assured the girl, being very awkward about it, "hey, hey-hey, hey."

"I'm not on the hunt for you," she told him. Then she amended it with a "Currently."

"We search for Varrick," Desna explained as the soldiers began searching the room. "Our father wishes him to stand trial."

"What did he do?" Asami asked. She had sudden nervous feeling in her gut. If it was bad, it could harm her and her company too.

"He is a traitor to the Water Tribe, along with our aunt and uncle," Eska answered.

"What?" She wasn't the only one whose attention was grabbed by that. Mako stood up from the couch and Tahno came away from the wall with equal measures of surprise on their faces.

"Korra's parents were arrested?" the Firebender asked.

"Yes," Desna replied with his usual deadpan tone. "Your powers of deduction are impressive."

"Yeah, he's a cop," Bolin said with a thumb pointing to his brother.

"He was being sarcastic, idiot," Tahno told the Earthbender with a roll of his eyes. His remark got him a glare from both brothers but he ignored it. Compared to his sifu, these guys were nothing now.

"Varrick's not here," the lead soldier told the twins as he and his two men came back to them.

"Very well," Eska said in reply. "Desna, let us continue our search elsewhere." They turned and all began to leave the room. She looked back with a harsh glare. "Boyfriend! Bow to me when I exit."

Bolin did as he was told. "Yes, yes, my sweet koala otter," he proclaimed, getting down to his knees and touching his head to the floor.

"You are so cute when you grovel," she told him before leaving. The soldiers closed the doors behind them.

"Don't let her treat you that way," Asami said to Bolin, feeling embarrassed for him. "Stand up for yourself."

"I tried to break up with her, but _Mako_ gave me terrible advice," he explained as he stood back up, casting a mean look at his brother. "Thank you, Mako," he declared with folded arms.

"Wait, how are your girl problems my fault?" his brother asked.

"Aren't they always your fault?" Tahno asked him in reply. "If I remember correctly, every girl he wanted would want you instead."

Mako and Asami shared an awkward look at his statement. They didn't know if he knew about their past romantic history because he had pretty much hit on the spot. Not one to linger something so awkward, Asami turned her attention back to the Earthbender. "Bolin, you need to be honest with her. Tell her how you really feel."

"Honesty is for fools, kid," a muffled voice said, echoing around the room.

The four of them went still, the Paragon apprentices ready for an attack on a reflex still being forged. But while they had done that, they also recognized that voice. "Varrick?" said Bolin with surprise.

"If you want to ditch this girl, then make yourself scarce. Disappear, like I did," the voice continued to explain, being dramatic as it spoke.

They all looked around the room but all they saw were the stuffed animals, the weaponry, the couch, and the desk. "Where are you?" Asami asked.

"Somewhere Unalaq will never find me." The jaws of the platypus bear were pushed open to reveal his face. "Inside Ping-Ping!" he declared. Then he asked, "How we doin'?"

They all gathered around him, staring at the bear and his face with various degrees of wonder and befuddlement. "The coast is clear. You can come out," Mako told him.

"No way, mister," he refused. "Not until I know it's absolutely 157% safe." As he smiled at their odd looks, a hand appeared from behind him. In it was a cup of hot tea. "Ah! Thank you, Zhu Li."

"Your assistant's in there too?" Asami asked, staring at the bear again. How did they both get in there in the first place? More importantly, why did the assistant follow him into there?

"Zhu Li never leaves my side," he told her before taking a sip of the tea. His face morphed into one of disgust and he quickly spat out the tea, making a spectacle of it. "You forgot the honey!" he shouted down at the bear.

"Sorry, sir," Zhu Li's muffled voice replied. "There isn't any in here."

"No honey? We're in a _bear_ for crying out loud!"

"I'm fairly certain that any kind of bear doesn't produce the honey," Tahno casually remarked, looking at the bear with amusement. "So what you just said is redundant."

Varrick looked at him with a clear look in his eyes. "And who are you?"

"I'm Tahno, Yue's apprentice," he said proudly. But as he said those words, the man in the bear narrowed his eyes.

"I'm gonna go see how Korra's doing," Mako said to everyone. He walked out of the room quickly, going to find his girlfriend.

Varrick turned his attention back to the resident Earthbender, his eyes losing that narrowed concentration. "Bolin, I got a little something for you 'round back. A wad of money fell out from the bear's bottom as the tail lifted up.

"Wow!" said Bolin as he picked up the money. He didn't know stuffed bears could do something like that. The apprentices in the room, on the other hand, looked more like they were disturbed by what they saw.

"Now listen up. Unalaq's rigged this trial, no doubt about it. So I need you to make sure my trusty rebels stay out of prison."

"So you admit that you had Unalaq captured last night?" Tahno asked him instantly, only to be ignored.

"What's the money for?" Bolin asked.

"Bribery, of course!" he said with a grin on his face (which looked a little weird it was between the jaws of a platypus bear. "There's always someone willing to look the other way for a few yuans."

He looked at the wad again and then at the bear. "I think I catch your drift, Varrick-bear," he declared with a sly smile (or what he thought was sly).

(Location: Southern Air Temple)

Tenzin had searched throughout the night for his daughter but he still couldn't find her. He might've felt tired and would've conceded that he shouldn't have sent his brother and sister away if he still wasn't angry with them. "Ikki! Ikki, where are you?" he called out as he searched the path. Two lemurs flew down and hovered around his head. "Shoo!" he told them but they only perched on him. "Go bother someone else. You two are worse than Kya and Bumi."

"Okay, everybody here?" Ikki's voice rang out in the morning air.

"Ikki! Oh, thank goodness," he said, turning to the direction of her voice. It was coming from nearby cave. He walked towards it, losing the lemurs in the process.

As he walked, his daughter's voice continued to speak. "Juniper Lightning bug, paws off the table! This is going to be a civilized breakfast. Daddy always says a blessing before we eat, so—be quiet and listen up!" she suddenly shouted, making her father run to the cave. He reached the mouth and saw his daughter sitting at a medium sized boulder worn down to a rough table along with four sky bison calves. "We are thankful for this super yummy food and for being the best-est new friends in the world." He smiled at those words but the smile quickly disappeared when she continued with. "But we are most thankful because Meelo and Jinora aren't here, because _they_ stink."

When she was done with her prayer, she turned to see her father standing at the mouth. "Oh! Hi, Daddy," she greeted him with a little smile on her lips. But the smile didn't last. "I guess you found me. Do I have to go now?"

"Actually, is there room for one more?" he asked as he walked into the cave.

"Uh, sure," she said. She pointed at the second calf to her right. "You can sit next to Blueberry Spicehead."

He walked over and sat down between the two calves. "Nice to meet you, Blueberry Spicehead," he told the calf that had been pointed to.

She quickly introduced the rest of them, pointing to each one. "And that's Princess Rainbow, and that's Twinkle Starchild, and that's Juniper Lightning Bug. They're my new brothers and sisters.

"New ones, huh?" he asked the rhetorical question. "Can they be _my_ new brothers and sisters too?"

"Maybe, but only if they say it's okay." She leaned to the calf on her left and started having a conversation. "Uh-huh, uh-huh. No, no, he's nice." She turned her head to look at him. "They say it's okay."

(Location: Konoha)

The team stood by the front gate to the village with Mr. Saito standing close by. They were waiting for the production crew to reach Konoha, as he had arrived a day earlier. While Tsukiko and Hiro had taken care to look their best, Arashi just made sure his clothes were clean. Their pockets had snacks for them since they figured it would be a long day without much chance to eat. The day was nice with some clouds to give the sky a patchwork look to it.

As they waited, they heard the sound of a cellphone ringing. Their hands instantly went to their pockets to check for the vibration that said it was theirs. But it wasn't and when they looked over at Mr. Saito, they saw he was on his phone. "Hideaki speaking," he said. "Uh-huh, uh-huh, okay, that's good. See you then." He closed his phone and put it away. "They'll be here in five to ten minutes," he told the team.

"Understood, Mr. Saito," Hiro said.

"Hideaki, please," he said with a smile. "Mr. Saito makes me sound like I am my father."

"I'm afraid that we can't be that informal, sir. We are on a mission for our village and we must give an example to our employers."

"Plus, aren't you actually a father?" Tsukiko asked. When she saw the look in Hiro's eyes, she quickly added a "sir."

"Yes, I am," he said with a proud smile. "Satoshi started crawling a few months ago and Haru has entered school."

"Wow, congratulations."

"Thank you." His thanks was absentminded. The three Genin might've thought he was being rude but they figured that he had stuff to worry about so they thought nothing of it. "Tell me, Arashi, how is your grandfather?" he asked from out of nowhere.

Arashi stared at him, not expecting him to say anything. "He's, um, he was fine the last time I saw him," he answered.

"That is good to hear. I look forward to the next book in the series."

"He's always glad to hear that." Every time he had seen his Jiji read a letter from a fan, there was a satisfied smile on his lips.

"I don't suppose that you—"

"—could give you a few details about what comes next, maybe even resolve the cliffhanger?" he finished for him. They all looked at him funny. "You think that's the first time I've gotten that question?"

"Not anymore," Tsukiko said.

"Good to hear. As for your question, Mr. Saito, I'm going to have to give you the same answer I've given everyone: the book will come out when it comes out," he said to the adult.

"Very well, I understand," he said acceptably. He didn't try to push the subject any further.

"Thank you." The dyed redhead was glad for the fact he didn't try. He had thought that being hounded about his Jiji's books would end when he got away from people who knew them. Turns out he was wrong and the people here were just as insistent if not more (and it turns out that he lived with one of the most insistent).

"Hey, we've got a question," Tsukiko said to him, gesturing to herself and Hiro.

"What?"

"How exactly did you meet Mr. Saito?"

"I told you already. He was a hobo who stayed in front of the apartment complex for a week." He looked at the producer again. "Although I'm not sure _why_ you were a hobo to begin with," he said.

"I was trying to be in disguise," Mr. Saito explained. "I thought that if Lord Uzumaki saw that I was from the other side of the planet, I would be deported before I could say anything."

"Probably more like killed," he remarked off-hand as he thought about what his Jiji might do.

Mr. Saito went a little green but didn't become sick. "I had thought of that too, hence why I was outside your building for a week. I was trying to work up the courage to go inside. But I must thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak with Lord Uzumaki."

"Hey, you were the one said you wanted to see him. A lot of people say the same thing. I just bring them up so they can do that." That was what he sometimes thought his life would be like back in Republic City, his grandfather's door. "What did you say to him anyway?"

"You don't know?" Hiro asked, a little surprised by the question.

"Jiji told me that those are private conversations and I shouldn't listen in." That and he hadn't started eavesdropping on them until a year later.

"Well, the first thing I did was get on my knees and bowed my head to the floor," Mr. Saito told them.

Arashi was surprised by that action. "Why?" He knew his Jiji was the Paragon of the Fire Nation and a good author, but he always insisted that people not bow to him. He took that to heart.

"He was Naruto Uzumaki. How could I not bow my head?"

"…Uh-huh," he said after a paused moment. He couldn't really find anything to say to that. "So what did you say to him?"

"I told him that I was a producer and that I wanted to be the one to make the Shiro Ryū series into a film collection. I told him that I could make it happen, I had the go-ahead, the script written, and the cast ready to be made."

"If you had all that, why did you go see him?" Tsukiko wondered aloud. Most people she knew with that kind of opportunity would just go for it.

"Because I believed that if this was to happen, I should have the author's blessing. I asked Lord Uzumaki for it and if he did not give it, I would cancel it."

"I take it that Jiji said yes?" Arashi asked a rhetorically. If he had said no, the man wouldn't be here.

"He did and he didn't ask for anything in return. I was quite surprised by it. I had expected him to say in exchange for something."

"That's not Jiji. He most likely saw your passion and gave you your permission because of that. He's always one for encouraging a person's passion."

"I think I see the production crew coming up now," Hiro announced, his family's inherent ability activated and looking down the road. They all turned to look at the road and saw a mass caravan coming their way. From a distance it looked a large, wide animal bearing down on them. But as it got closer, they could see the details instead of the whole.

Mr. Saito stepped forward when they got close and began talking with everyone, greeting them like it was another day on the job and they were all friends (which they probably were, in public anyway). The team stood there as he went from person to person, shaking hands and talking for a quick second or two. Those who had seen many of his movies would realize then what made him a good producer: he took the time to know the people he was working with.

Once he was done greeting everyone, he got their attention again. "Everyone please listen up," he said, standing before them all with the team at his side. "These are our guides to the village, they will help us in any way they can." He reached out and placed a hand on Arashi's shoulder. "Furthermore, this is the grandson of Lord Naruto Uzumaki himself."

The crew started talking amongst themselves, surprise and wonder in their voices. Arashi felt awkward being the only one introduced. He had his teammates with him, they should be introduced too. But if Mr. Saito wasn't going to take care of it, he would. He took a step forward and looked at the crew. "It's an honor to meet you all," he said loud enough to get their attention. "These are my teammates, Tsukiko Uchiha and Hiro Hyūga." He gestured to them as they came up and bowed respectfully to the crowd. "We are at your service. Shall we get started?"

(Location: South Pole)

When the day of the trial came, the City Hall was used for it. The stands were packed with people from all over the South Pole. Yue watched from the back with narrowed eyes, looking at Korra, Mako, and Unalaq standing off to the side near the convicted. A few rows up sat Asami and Tahno, the former paying attention to what was going to happen and the latter pretending that he wasn't. They quickly made room for Bolin as he sat down next to Asami. "We're good to go," he told them both. "I gave all the money to some guys over there. I told them to 'take care of it,' and then I winked. Pretty sure they got the message."

When the apprentices looked over at who he was looking at, they saw two men who just screamed "shady." They were staring at the money with wide eyes and big grins. When they noticed that the person who gave them the money was looking at them, they gave him a thumbs up. Bolin gave them the same gesture. Asami and Tahno both just facepalmed as the gavel was rapped.

"This trial will now come to order! Judge Hotah presiding," announced the clerk of the trial.

As Bolin watched the serious looking, grey-haired man who was the judge sit down at the bench he realized something that he should've had in the first place. "Man! I should have paid him!"

"Yeah, you think?" Asami asked with severe annoyance in her voice.

"Bolin, I've said before and I will say it again: you're an idiot," Tahno told him. He just stared at the trial, now worried about what might happen.

When the trial got underway, it didn't look good for Tonraq and the others. Unalaq was the first to be called up to be asked about what happened. "I was asleep in my chambers when the rebels attacked. They overpowered me, and the next thing I remember was waking up in the snow after Avatar Korra had saved me," he explained to the judge and to everyone.

Once he was done, the judge called up Korra. "According to Unalaq's testimony, you attended a meeting where Varrick tried to incite a civil war. Is that true?" he asked the Avatar. His voice was powerful when it was projected, making him seem bigger than actually was.

"Yes," she answered honestly.

"And where these men present at that meeting?" he asked, looking at Tonraq and the others.

"Well, yes, but—"

"And where exactly did this meeting take place?"

"Objection!" called out Bolin as he stood up from his seat.

"Quiet down out there!" he barked out. Asami tugged on Bolin's jacket, forcing him to sit down. "I'll ask you one more time," the judge said to the Avatar. "Where did the meeting happen?"

"My parents' house," she answered, unable to look him in the eye.

"And who led this meeting?"

Bolin tried to stand up again but Tahno's hand whipped out behind Asami, grabbed his shoulder, and forced him to sit down again. "Sit! Stay!" he ordered the Earthbender in a hushed voice.

He shook off the hand and fixed his old enemy with a glare. "What was that for?"

"This thing is already bad. We don't need you to make it worse! Just sit there like a good little idiot and not say anything!"

"Varrick and your father led the meeting, didn't they?" Hotah asked Korra, not bothering to wait for her answer.

That got her spirits back up into an anger that made her defensive. She brought her head up and looked him straight in the eye. "My parents are innocent!" she proclaimed loudly.

But he just looked at her dispassionately. "I've heard all I need to. I'll return shortly with my decision." He stood up from the bench and walked out of the hall. Korra watched him go, a worried expression etched onto her face.

As the recess was called, everyone cleared out of the hall for a quick meal. Eska was waiting for her father and brother out in the hallway when Bolin found her there. "Hey there, Eska, I was wondering if we could talk," he called out to her from where he stood, almost hiding behind an entrance to another hallway.

"I grant you permission to speak freely," she told him as he walked over to her.

"Oh, good, because I just need to be honest with you. You know, when we first met, there was this crazy spark. But I'm starting to feel like that spark is fading."

"I agree. It is as if a great chasm has formed between us and nothing can bridge it."

"Oh! Oh, yes! I'm so glad you understand!" he said, relief shining through his voice. He didn't think it would be so easy. He had thought that there would be some kind of punishment involving water and/or ice for even bringing up the subject.

"Nothing, that is, except marriage," she declared with a determined (and slightly crazed) look in her eyes as she held up the betrothal necklace. Before he could protest or even try to run away, she had it around his neck and hooked a finger through it, bringing him closer. "We will wed at sunset. You may express your joy through tears."

He did just that as she dragged him away, crying loudly. "Oh, no, I can't—" His crying quickly turned into coughing. "This is really tight." She didn't notice his complaining, walking down the hall to announce what happened to her father and brother.

(Location: Konoha)

"So, what scene are you guys doing first?" Arashi asked the crew as he and the team led them past Konoha's gate. Through a quick conference before they got to the village, they had decided that one would lead and the other two would carry, alternating between stops and moves. With a game of rock paper scissors, he was the first guide.

"We're shooting the scene where Shiro Ryū is attacked by the warlord's thugs," Mr. Saito replied. The two of them were at the front of the group along with the man who was playing the main character, one Hiroto Takahashi. Arashi had seen some of his movies while in the village and could admit that he was good. He just hoped that he would be able to do his Jiji's character justice.

"Which warlord?" he asked for clarification. "There are at least four of them in the beginning of the book."

"The Byakko warlord," Hiroto answered. He was about the same height as Mr. Saito but with a much fitter frame. His hair had been dyed to match the whiteness of Shiro and was cut to match it too. If the way Tsukiko had blushed at the sight of him was any indication, he was quite the popular guy for the ladies.

"Ah, the ambush from the alley," he said, remembering the scene once he knew the warlord. "What you will want is an alley that opens up into a street that is large enough to hold them all together on the ground-level but also small enough to keep it contained. You will want that street to look like it's kinda grimy and dark, so no real crowded streets."

"Do you have a location in mind?" Mr. Saito asked him.

"I might. But my teammates have lived here longer than I have."

"I am sure that you can find it for us." He smiled at the dyed redhead with a confidence that was probably meant to be inspiring.

It just made Arashi feel awkward. He wasn't used to this kind of attention. "All the same, I'd like to double check with my teammates."

"If you know it, then lead us to it," Hiroto told him. "There isn't enough time in the day to be discussing trivial things. We have things to do."

"Hiroto, mind your manners!" Mr. Saito said sharply. "Please remember who you are talking to!"

The actor looked sharply at the man for a moment and then brought his attention back to Arashi. "He's right. Please forgive me, young man."

"Uh…it's okay," he told him. "You're probably right. You've most likely have a busy day ahead of you and it should not be wasted on delays. I do have a location in mind and it's not too far from here." He led the way down the street away from the gate and the crew followed. It felt like being at the head of a parade. He wasn't sure if he should feel honor or even more awkward.

People were staring as they walked down the street. He could hear whispers about what was going on and who were the people following the Genin. But that wasn't the whispers he was hearing. Those were few compared to the whispers being spoken about him.

"Look, here he comes."

"It's the Shinobi Kikan's grandson."

"Why did he change his hair color?"

"Yeah, I thought it was yellow."

"I heard he did it to honor his ancestors."

"I heard something like that too."

"I heard that after he got out of the hospital, he went after the boys who put him there and killed them all."

"I heard the same thing."

"Hmph, just what I would expect of the Demon's grandson."

"Sssh! Don't say things like that!"

"Why not? Give me—"

"Shut up! He's looking this way!"

"So what? He's still the grandson of—"

"Shut up already, you old geezer!"

"You're the same age as me!"

"You still need to shut up! He can hear you. He's not his grandfather."

"And he's not a hero who's come to save the village. You people seem to forget that."

"I haven't. But I won't judge him because of who his grandfather was."

"Hmph, you are a fool."

"So are you."

He heard all these whispers and more. He didn't really know why there were some old people who looked at him like he was something that crawled out beneath a stone half submerged in bad water and decided to stay, all because of his grandfather. But what made it worse for him was the fact many other old people and the young were defending him and looking towards him for being something great. He was a Genin for Agni's sake. He was just trying to get his feet under him and they were looking at him like he was a hero just waiting to happen.

"Young man," Hiroto spoke, getting his attention.

"Yeah?" he said in reply, turning his head to look at the man and ignoring the whispers following them.

"I have to ask, where is your headband?"

"My headband?" he couldn't help but repeat. Most people didn't ask that question. They just took him to be a shinobi right away. (Then again, he did live in a village of shinobi. They probably just know).

"Yes, your headband. The shinobi I have known and met always wore theirs in obvious places yet I don't see yours."

"Oh, that's because when I tried wearing it on my forehead, it gave me an itch that just wouldn't go away. So I took off the metal part, got a wire cord put through it, and hung in the inside of my jacket." He was able to get the string replaced with the wire just before the mission to clean Lee-sensei's house.

"You are allowed to do that?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "None of my superiors have complained about it so far."

"Might we be able to see it?" the actor asked.

"Right now?" he asked back. He was still leading them to the location. It would waste time to stop and show them it, even if it was for just a few seconds.

"No, no, of course not," Hiroto told him. "Just when we have a chance during the day, that's all. I'm not in all the scenes being shot, so you can show it to me then."

"I would like to see it as well," Mr. Saito added, sounding just as interested as his main actor.

When they looked at him like that and asked for something so trivial, he didn't see a problem with complying. "Okay, when we've got a moment," he agreed. "But for now, I'll focus on getting you guys to that location."

"That is fine with us," the producer told him.

He continued to lead the way for them through the village. The stares and the whispers followed him as they walked but he did what he could to ignore them. The streets became less clean the further they went into the village's dark parts. The place Arashi had in mind wasn't that far in (he had a feeling that it would be a bad idea to freak out the production) but it was far enough in to make them feel it.

He made the right turn onto the street and came to a stop. "Here we are," he declared, gesturing widely at the place. It was like he said: large enough to hold the characters but small enough to keep it contained. There were no people on the streets at that moment, which was an added bonus for them.

Mr. Saito looked at the street with a pro's eye. "Where is the alley?" he asked.

"It's right there on the left, behind the second building," the dyed redhead told him, pointing to the location.

He saw the alley and nodded in acknowledgment before turning back to the crew. "Alright, people! Time to get unpack and get to it!" The crew went to work almost as soon as he opened his mouth, splitting apart and doing what they were hired to do.

Arashi knew that he had to go back and help his teammates with the fetch and carry, but there was something on his mind about the scene they were doing and the place itself. "Mr. Saito?" he said.

"Yes?"

"Would you mind if I gave a suggestion about the ambushers' spots on the roofs?"

"I usually don't, but I'll allow it this once. What did you have in mind?"

"I don't know how you would do it but I would put one of them over the alley so he could attack from behind, a second at the front so he can start and the final two at those two buildings for when the fight leads out into the street," he said, pointing at the roofs he was thinking. The positioning of the ambushers wouldn't be a perfect square if they went with his suggestion, it would be more of a slope against the alley. But it would make more sense.

Mr. Saito looked at the buildings he pointed out with that same eye. "Hmm…you know you might just be onto something there. We'll try it out." He looked down at the Genin. "You might have an eye for this kind of thing."

"I just wanted to suggest it, sir. That's all."

"Don't be modest, kid. You saw something and you showed it to me. You know how many people would actually do that?"

"I was just trying to help. If you'll excuse me, I have to go help my teammates." He turned and walked away, heading to where he last saw Tsukiko and Hiro in the group. But even as he walked away, he couldn't help but feel proud of what he was able to do.

(Location: South Pole)

When the trial started up again, everyone came back into the room to watch the final act. The accused were forced to stand up from their seats and stand before the judge. He eyed them all before turning his gaze on the one woman there. "Senna, please step forward," he said loudly so everyone could hear. She walked the few steps needed to be singled out but did not look up at him. But he didn't need her eyes on him. "I have found you…innocent. You are free to go."

The guard she stood next to undid her manacles. Once she was out of them, she turned and ran to her daughter. "Korra!" she cried out, crashing into her daughter's hug. Their hopes were beginning to look up now.

But the judge spoke again and what he said crushed those hopes. "On the charge of treason, you are all found…guilty," he declared to the rest of the accused. "The punishment for this crime…is death." The hall erupted into noise from the Southerners, who were outraged by the verdict. They stood up from their seats and started hurling accusations at the judge. They weren't the only ones who stood up. Mako, Asami, and Tahno did the same thing, albeit without the shouting.

Hotah ignored the shouting, choosing to instead look over at Unalaq. The chief nodded once in acknowledgement and signaled his men to move in. Northern solders stepped close to the seats, their hands in readying positions. "Everyone, settle down!" the company leader ordered. The shouting subsided but they still glared angrily at the judge, the chief, and them.

His job done, the judge stood up from the bench and walked away. Korra watched him go, unable to accept what he had declared. "You can't do this!" she shouted at his backside. "You take their lives, and I'll take yours!" That was enough to make him stop and turn around to look at her, his eyes wide with the shock of hearing that threat. The hall began to murmur about her words.

"Korra, calm down," Unalaq told her. "I'll talk to him." He walked up the steps to stand before the judge. "I know I promised to respect whatever decision you made, but I must ask you to reconsider," he said loudly for all to hear. He turned his head just enough so he could see the condemned standing there. "Show these men and my brother mercy." Tonraq's face expressed a surprised bafflement at the request. But neither of them said anything.

"Very well," Hotah said after a moment of consideration. "I'll change their punishment." He looked to the men he had judged. "Your lives will be spared, but you will live them out in prison." They all breathed a sigh of relief at his changed words.

As Korra watched her father be led away, her heart felt heavy. He was going to jail for something he didn't do. But it could've been worse. He could have died, but his brother saved him from that fate. When Unalaq stepped back to her side, she told him, "Thank you, Uncle." He just gave her a kind smile in return.

(Location: Southern Air Temple)

After the breakfast, Tenzin, Ikki, and the calves spent the morning lazing around the cave. Some of the calves soon got restless so Ikki entertained them with a game of chase the air ball. It was going strong for a while now. While she did that, Tenzin petted the remaining calf. "You like that, don't you, Blueberry Spicehead? Yes, you do," he said in a cooing voice he reserved for babies (and apparently air bison calves). The calf purred in its own air bison way and snuggled in closer to him, its eyes closed in comfort. "You know, I could get used to it here," Tenzin told his daughter, who was sitting at the edge of the table. "No one's yelling at me or telling me I'm delusional."

"We should have Uncle Bumi and Aunt Kya come visit," she said, turning to look back at him. "I bet they'd like it too."

"Let's not," he said right away. "They'll only spoil our good mood."

"What do you mean? Aunt Kya is super nice and pretty and always asks me how I'm feeling. And Uncle Bumi is, like, the funniest person _in the world_."

He knew that what she was saying about his siblings was true, but it also reminded him more of their annoying qualities. He wanted her to be on better terms with her own siblings. "But what about Meelo?" he asked. "He's hilarious too; you never know what's going to come out of his mouth. And Jinora can be so sweet and gentle."

"And mean. And bossy," she added with a scowl on her face. But then her scowl turned into sadness. "Being part of a family is hard, huh, Daddy?"

He nodded slightly. "I couldn't agree with you more." They both heard the lowing of adult bisons outside the cave. The calves, even the one he was petting, all flew up out of the cave to their parents, hovering in the air in front of them.

Both father and daughter stepped outside the cave to watch them. It was a heart-warming sight to see. "But, I guess the nice part about a family is they'll always be there for you," Ikki said. "Even though Twinkle Starchild and Princess Rainbow fight, they still love each other," she pointed out as the two calves chased each other around their parents.

"That's very wise of you, Ikki," Tenzin told her. He could see the wisdom of her words and was already feeling foolish for ordering his brother and sister away from the search.

"We should probably head back, huh?" she asked him.

"I suppose. We can't hide in this cave forever." He took her hand and led her away from the cave, back to the path.

"Don't worry, Daddy. We'll come back and visit Blueberry Spicehead. I know you really bonded with herm," she said as they walked away.

He smiled. "Yes, I'd like that."

(Location: South Pole)

Both Korra and her mother stood in front of the cell door in the heaviest maximum security prison in the South Pole. The guard at the door gave them a disdainful which Korra retuned with an angry one. He chose to ignore it and open the cell door, revealing Tonraq sitting on the ground inside. Senna rushed in, fell to the ground, and hugged him tightly, their daughter joining them soon after. "Honey, are you all right?" she asked once the hug was done. The door behind them closed with a slam.

"I'm fine," he assured her.

"Good, let's bust you out of here right now," Korra said determinedly.

"Korra, no," he said instantly, stopping her before she could even get momentum on the idea. "Saving me would start a war. If fighting were to break out, the North would crush the South. I'll be all right. Just promise me you won't do anything rash."

She knew the voice he was using. It was the voice of her father trying to tell to her to stop before she went any further. She had ignored it before and it got them into this mess. "Fine," she agreed. "I promise."

When their time was up, they were forced to leave the prison (Korra almost started a fight to stay until she saw the look on her father's face). They rode back to the house on Naga. Once there, Senna fixed them with a quick lunch. Usually when they ate together, they would talk about the day so far. But neither of them said a word throughout the entire lunch and then after it. But when Senna started to clean the dishes, she felt a tear roll down her cheek. Others quickly followed as she began to crack and cry over the sink.

Korra heard the crying and went to investigate, finding her mother there. "It's okay, Mom," she said to her, walking up behind and placing her hands on her shoulders.

"I-I hate feeling so helpless," Senna told her daughter, trying to wipe the tears but only more followed.

"I know." She knew the feeling well, remembering Tarrlok and Amon. She hated seeing her mother like this. She was a strong woman. She shouldn't be like this. And her father shouldn't be in prison. She had to do something. _"Sorry, Dad, but I'm going to have to do something."_

* * *

Judge Hotah's back hurt as he was slammed against his Satomobile and the Avatar loomed over him. He had been driving along the path, nice and quiet, when suddenly she appeared atop her polar bear dog and attacked him, sending him crashing into the snow. "What do you want?" he asked her, his voice no longer loud and authoritative, but weak and afraid.

"It's not about what _I_ want. It's about what Naga wants," Korra told him while Naga growled at their side. "And she'd like you to let my father out of prison."

He took one look at the growling polar bear dog and she took it as the sign to get close in and growl louder. "I-I'm sorry, but there is nothing I can do," he said quickly. "I was just following Unalaq's orders."

"What are you talking about?" she demanded angrily.

"I-I've said too much." He couldn't even look her in the eye.

She stared at him for an incredulous moment before looking at the polar bear dog beside her. It went to show how deep their bond was when she simply opened her jaw so that the Avatar could grab the judge and hold him just right so all he could see was her, pink tissue, and white sharp fangs. "Unless you wanna be Naga's afternoon snack, you better keep talking."

That was it took for him to crack. "I-I've worked for your uncle for years! He said he needed everyone to think the trial was fair."

"So Unalaq told you what to say?" She was a little surprised by that. Her uncle had rigged the trial beforehand?

"Yes! Every word," he agreed quickly.

She heard the words but they didn't make any sense. "Then why did he have you free my mother and change your sentence?"

"He's trying to keep you on his side. But he also wants your father out of the way. Just like when he got your father banished."

It took about five seconds for her to understand the words after actually hearing them. "What do you mean, 'he got my father banished?'" she asked, her face a mixture of confusion and shock.

He must've realized that he made a mistake because he quickly said "Nothing!

But that wasn't cutting it. "Keep talking," she ordered, losing the confusion and shock.

(Location: Konoha)

"And cut!" shouted the director. The actors on the street stopped what they were doing and relaxed somewhat, taking a moment to breath. They had been doing this for an hour now and were still going strong.

The Genin team hung in the back, watching from one of the small carriages the crew had brought with them. Konoha was an old fashioned sort of place, which meant there were no train tracks coming in or going out and people walked (or leapt, depending on the profession) to their destination. Even bringing in the carriages was enough to make people stop and stare at them. "Why do you think that director keeps having them do that same scene over and over?" Hiro asked, leaning against the carriage with his back. His hands were idly fiddling with a shuriken.

"How should I know?" Tsukiko asked from where she sat on top of the carriage. She was fighting the urge to swing her legs back and forth like a little kid. She was a Genin now, she had to look professional. "I'm not a director."

"We know that, Tsukiko," Arashi said to her. He leaned against the carriage like Hiro. His hands were in his pockets and his posture was a bit slouchy. "Maybe he just doesn't like the way the actors have been doing."

"But they've been doing the same sequence over and over," Hiro remarked, watching the actors get back into their starting positions again. "I think he doesn't like what they're doing."

"Really?" asked the dyed redhead. He looked at the scene in front of him and saw that everything was the same. "I don't see it."

"It's not something I'm seeing," Hiro told him. They both heard a chuckle from above and looked to see Tsukiko trying her best not to break out into laughter. "What?"

"I just find it funny that a Hyūga saying that," she told him, still chuckling.

Arashi began to chuckle too. "She's got a point, actually," he said to Hiro.

"…Yeah, okay, you got a point," he conceded, cracking a smile at the two of them.

After a half minute, the chuckling stopped and they were back to their line of conversation. "So what, is it something you're feeling then?" Tsukiko asked him.

"It's something, I don't know what."

"Maybe you should go up to the director and ask him."

His face showed his hesitation at the idea. "Can we do that?" he asked her.

"We were told to help," she reminded him. To her, what she had suggested was helping.

"I know that, but that seems more like intruding. They're the professionals. They should know their jobs, right?"

"If that's true, then why are they doing that one shot over and over again?" She was getting bored sitting on the carriage. At least when they were unpacking she was doing something.

"If you've got something to say to the director, go and talk to him, Hiro," Arashi told his friend.

He was still hesitant. "Are you sure it's a good idea?"

"No but it's not a bad one either. Look, just go talk to him." He pushed away from the carriage. "I'm going to go take a look around."

"Why? There's nothing there," Tsukiko reminded him.

"It doesn't hurt to check. You should remember that if you ever want to get a better rank," he said back with a smirk. She had confided in him that her worst nightmare was to be a Genin forever. She really shouldn't have done that. Now he could tease her about it whenever he felt like it.

As expected, she turned an angry red in the face. "I will become a Chūnin!" she told him, remembering to keep her voice down at the last moment which made her sound like a mouse trying to roar only to end up squeaking.

His smirk widened into a smile. "You keep telling yourself." He walked away before she could fling a kunai or a shuriken at him, which she has done before.

The entrance to the main street wasn't blocked by anything. That was something they had made sure of when the whole unpacking thing was happening. He had a clean view of the street and he looked both left and right. Like Tsukiko had said, there was nothing there. He was glad for that. If there were people out on the street, they would see him and that meant more whispers.

"Are you looking for something?" an old voice rasped beside him suddenly.

"Whoa!" he shouted, leaping away from the voice. When he landed on his feet, he had a hand on a kunai and was ready to fight. But all he saw was an old homeless man leaning against the wall. "You almost made me leap out of my skin."

"I don't think so," the old man said without even looking at him. "I've seen that happened and you were nowhere close to it." He turned his head slightly so Arashi could see an orange eye staring at him. "Are you going to attack me with that?" he asked, his eye pointing at the kunai.

"Are you planning on attacking the production?" Arashi asked back.

"Why would I?"

"Then why would I attack you?" He put the kunai away.

"Heh, a good question," the old man said with a laugh. "So, you're the boy they're all talking about then, hm?"

He went on alert at that question, keeping his head near the holster. "That depends on who's talking about whom," he said back. "There are plenty of guys in this village."

"But none so much as talked about as you. And besides, I did not say guys, I said boys."

"Green or red, an apple is an apple."

There was a small smile on his face at that. "Perhaps, but are you an apple?" When he didn't get an answer, he kept talking. "I thought not."

"Is there something you need?"

"I could ask the same of you. What are you doing looking out here on an empty street?"

"I'm doing my job," he said, feeling a little insulted that he was even asked that question like he was doing something stupid.

"You're looking out on a street that's empty and you call that a job?" the old man asked with a dry hiss of a chuckle. "It must be one boring mission you're on." He stood up from where he sat and hobbled away. "I will leave you to it then."

Arashi watched him go, baffled by him. He was just an old homeless man. Shouldn't he have been asking for money or food? He did neither, instead talking to him. Something was up here. "What were you here for?" he asked after the man.

"Nothing much, just looking at prospective pupils," he replied without turning around and still walking. "I had thought about taking the girl but you seem much more interesting."

"_Huh?"_ the dyed redhead thought as he watched the man disappear from sight. He was confused for about two seconds before snapping himself out of it. _"It's not important, Arashi. Just go back and do your job."_ So he turned around and went back to the set.

(Location: Southern Air Temple)

Bumi felt a little self-conscious when he stood in front of his father's statue in the hall of the Avatars. He never liked coming in here but ever since Tenzin sent him back, he couldn't help thinking about it. He wanted to talk to his father but since he was dead, he had to use something else. So now he stood in front of the statue.

"Uh…hey there, Dad," he said to it. "You're looking well." Then he felt foolish for saying something like that. How stupid could he sound? Not wanting to think about that, he tried again, being a bit apologetic. "Look, uh, I'm sorry I didn't turn out to be an Airbender like you hoped. But I've tried my best to keep the world safe. Hope I made you proud."

"Of course he'd be proud of you, Bumi," Kya's voice told him from behind.

He turned his head just enough to see her leaning against the entranceway. "Kya!" he said surprised. "I-I was just," he quickly started wiping off the statue with his sleeve, "uh…cleaning off Dad's statue." He faked a cough. "It's so dusty in here."

As he did all this, Kya just walked up to him. "Come here," she said, pulling him into a hug.

He didn't resist or try to fight it. Instead, he welcomed it. "Thanks, Kya. You always know when I need a hug."

"I know." She knew that her brother, while loud, boisterous, and childish, was also very insecure about his life. She also knew that for every story he exaggerated and every two stories he outright lied about, there were three stories that he did not talk about because they were dark stories, stories not meant to be told, only forgotten.

(Location: South Pole)

"Unalaq's a liar and a traitor!" Korra told Mako, Asami, Tahno, and Varrick (who was still inside the bear) with a voice that showed her absolute fury.

"I've been trying to tell you that from the get-go," Varrick said back.

Mako, being the cop that he was, wanted more details. "What happened?" he asked his girlfriend.

She was all too happy to give him and the others the details. "I found out the truth about my dad's banishment. Unalaq hired the barbarians to attack their tribe. Then he told them to hide in the spirit forest, knowing my dad would go after them."

"Unalaq wanted your dad out of the way so he could become chief," he realized. "It was a setup."

"Just like the whole trial. I can't believe I trusted him." How could she have missed it all? She should've listened to her father and refused Unalaq right from the start! Thinking about her father brought her attention to him. "I'm busting my father and the rebels out of jail. I need your help," she said to them all.

"If you do this, there's no going back," Mako warned.

"I know. Will you help me or not?"

"Of course, I'll help."

"Me too," agreed Asami. She looked at her fellow apprentice with a pointed look.

"Alright, I'll help," he said with resignation.

"Count me in!" Varrick said, rising the paw of the bear.

Before anyone could ask how he was moving the paw (or not ask and more like blatantly ignore), the door to the office opened with a slam. They all looked that way and saw Bolin and Pabu standing there. The first thing that they noticed was that they were wearing robes just like Eska. The second was that Bolin's hair and Pabu's ears had been groomed and slicked down (which didn't really work for Bolin). The third thing they noticed was the necklace with the skull around Bolin's neck. "I don't even want to know," his brother said instantly.

"So I'm guessing the breakup with Eska didn't go well?" Asami asked the Earthbender.

"No, no, the honesty thing worked out great," he said with a very sarcastic smile. "So great she decided we should get married!" His face turned into a scowl of furious indignation as he shouted that last bit.

"Sorry," she said.

"Congratulations," Tahno told him, only to get the scowl in silent reply. "What? You're getting married. This is cause for celebration." He might've sounded sincere, if he didn't have the amused smirk that should be his trademark on his face.

Korra was too busy staring at the betrothal necklace around Bolin's neck. The skull on it was dark and foreboding, something that was definitely Eska. But even as she processed what happened to him, she couldn't but be slightly amused by seeing it. "I'm pretty sure the _guy_ is supposed to give the _girl_ the betrothal necklace," she said to him.

"I guess _Eska_ didn't get the memo," he said back.

"Look, the only way to deal with crazy women is to lie big and leave fast," Varrick told the lucky (doomed) man. "Lucky for you, Varrick's got your back. Now, gather 'round Ping-Ping." They did just that and he got serious. "Let's talk plan."

They were able to hash out a plan in quick time, just under an hour. It was a bit crude but it was the best they could come up with time being essential. All things were set to go when Yue walked into the room. The first thing she did was not ask why Varrick was inside the bear, but rather ask "Why am I here?"

"Aunty Yue, you got my message," Korra said with relief, walking up to her.

"What's going on here, Korra?" she asked her, being completely serious.

"Listen to me, Unalaq lied to us all. He got Dad banished from the North Pole." She waited for the reaction, but it never came. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Why aren't you surprised by that?" she demanded.

"Oh Spirits help me. The _Paragons_ could've told you that, Korra!" she finally said, rolling her eyes in exasperation.

The shock of surprise wasn't just limited to the Avatar. It stretched out to the others in the room like a wave of water crashing down on them. Even Varrick was surprised by it. "You guys knew all this time?" Mako asked her.

"Of course we did. Tonraq's banishment had been a constant fight between Sokka and the previous chief," she replied. "It was bad before he married Senna and simply got more intense after. But after a visit to the South Pole to see his son and his new wife, the chief seemed ready to reconsider his order. Of course, he died before he could and Unalaq ascended the throne, thus making sure that his brother stayed in the south. It was all too coincidental for us and we had our suspicions ever since."

"Sifu, if you had your suspicions, why didn't you act on them and kill him?" Tahno asked her. "I thought we could do that."

"We can only do that to the Avatar and get away with it, Tahno," she told him with a voice that was half reprimanding, half lecturing. "Anyone else and we would be faced with imprisonment or death. And besides," she added with a half-smirk, "we got back at him in a different way."

"That's all beside the point!" Korra said, still looking at her aunt figure. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"You never asked."

"I've never…that's your excuse?! How could you not tell me about what happened to my Dad? I should've known that information from the start!"

"Who did you ask or who led you into asking about your father's past?" she asked back.

"…Unalaq," she admitted after hesitating for a second.

"Yes, you asked your uncle about what happened and he told you what supposedly happened. If you had asked me, I would have taken you aside, given you the story, and make you swear to keep it a secret from your uncle and your family."

"But why my family?" asked Korra, confused. "If this happened to my father, he should have a right to know!"

"What would it do but give him false hope about his exile? Besides, he was happy here. We weren't going to be the ones to ruin that happiness. But that owl-cat's out of the bag now, so there's nothing we can do about it."

"Don't worry about it, we have a plan!" Bolin told her, giving her a thumbs-up.

She looked at him and then turned her attention to the bear he was standing next to, along with the face inside it. Her own face morphed into a scowl at the sight of Varrick and Varrick did the same when he looked at her. The air suddenly felt awkward to the youngsters in the room and those who knew of the two's relationship (or what it was) realized that this was the first time the two of them had actually seen one another since Korra's group arrived at the South Pole.

"Would you all mind giving us the room?" Yue finally asked them, still scowling at Varrick.

"Uh, are you sure?" Mako asked. He was a little put off by the air in the room now but still felt like he had to ask the question. The Water Paragon gave him a look that silently asked him if he managed to become dumber in the space of a minute.

Fortunately for him, his ex-girlfriend could read the air. "We don't mind, Yue. We'll be outside, waiting for you so we can start the plan," she told the tribeswoman quickly. She placed a hand on Mako's back and started pushing him to the door while Tahno did the same to Bolin. "Come on, guys. Time we were out of here." The brothers did a little protesting but the apprentices kept pushing them to the door and then out of it, grabbing Korra along the way.

As the door slammed close behind them, the Paragon of the Water Tribes was still staring at her former friend. It was only after she did a once over of the platypus bear that she finally spoke. "I can't believe that you still have that damn thing."

"Why would I ever give up Ping-Ping?" he asked her.

"The smell?" she asked back and got a wince in response. She smirked in victory. "I see that you still haven't been able to get out. So who's the poor sap you dragooned into that suit with you?" She knew from experience that being able to that suit was a two man job, having done it herself (amongst…other things inside the suit).

"If you must—"

"Stop," she said, cutting him off with a raised hand. "I think I already know who's in there."

"I hate when you do that," Varrick said with a very annoyed look on his face. "I've asked you again and again to stop it."

"And I've told you again and again that I'll stop doing it when you stop saying stupid things before you actually think about it. That is what kept getting you into trouble, Varrick!" she told him off.

"Don't use that tone with me, you're not Sokka!" he snapped at her. To the people who thought they knew him, he seemed like the man who could never really be angry. To the people who did know him, it took a great deal of skill to make him really angry. But to the people who really did know him, all it took was one person to set him off.

Unfortunately for both of them, the opposite was true too. "And you've never admitted that your fast-talking kept getting you into hot water!"

"Ah, but I was able to take that hot water and make it into a marketing brand that sold big time!" he declared with a big grin.

She just stared at him like he was an idiot. "If that's your way of saying your fast talking also got you out of the trouble you made, you are completely wrong. Or have you forgotten the number of times I had to run cover for you or how many times Sokka had to talk someone down so they didn't cause any trouble? Have you, Varrick?"

"Lay off it, Yue. You've always been jealous of my great ability to talk and my handling of any weapon Sokka gave us." If he was a lesser person, he might've wagged his finger at her. But oddly enough (despite their relationship as it was currently) he had too much respect for her to do that.

Her jaw did a little tic at the mention of weapons. She always did have a little bit of jealously of how easily Varrick could handle a weapon and how easily he could follow their sifu's line of thought where she had to struggle just to even understand what they were saying. But she had figured it out in time.

But she didn't let that stop her. "And now, you've gotten yourself and the rest of the South Pole into the biggest trouble yet. A rebellion, Varrick?" she asked him, "Really?"

"What's a wrong with a rebellion?" he asked back. "We're just trying to show that we are independent from the North. We're just trying to get that point through Unalaq's thick skull of a head."

"Don't play the noble rebel to me. You don't even have the build for it or the courage. This is you making sure that your business goes on as usual. Hell, I would even say this is you throwing a temper tantrum for when Unalaq locked down the harbor."

"Come on! You can't tell me that you weren't angry when you saw that happen! It might not have happened at all if you had been a bit more vocal. That's always been your problem, Yue, unable to face the hard stuff head on unless forced to."

There were a number of things she could've said in reply to that accusation, how he was wrong, how it wasn't as easy as he thought it was. But she knew that he would have a counter for each protest, except for one. It was the one that always got to him. "Still bitter about not being chosen as Paragon I see," she remarked right to his face.

It got the intended reaction. "Why Sokka ever chose you, I will never know," Varrick said with a raging face of anger. "I was the one more like him then you ever were. I caught onto his thoughts quicker, was able to learn the sword better, came up with the better ideas, and took after him the best! Why didn't he choose me over you?"

When she heard those words, she let her face soften for a moment. "I asked him about that once, about why he didn't choose you. He agreed that you seemed to be ideal for him, that he could see himself in you."

"So he agreed." There was a small surge of triumph on his face that overwrote his anger.

"I wasn't done, Varrick. You always do that, making assumptions of things before you've figured them out entirely," she told him. "There was something else he said that made him choose me instead of you."

"And what would that be?"

"He saw himself in you. He saw _too_ _much_ of himself in you."

His anger came back in a flash. "If that's the case, what the hell did he see in you? If I had to guess, it would've been just pity and putting attachment to an old flame on someone else."

She scowled again. She knew why Sokka had renamed her Yue. He told her that she resembled the woman in the face and smile when she asked once (and if she hadn't seen how happy and loving her sifu and Suki had been, she might've thought there was something else to his words). But having it brought up like that was below the belt. Varrick knew that. He had known that for the longest time. But instead instantly retorting, she looked down at the stomach of the bear. "Sorry about this, Zhu Li."

Varrick was confused by what she was saying. They were having a conversation (someone else would've called it an argument but this was how it usually went) and she suddenly was talking to his assistant. "Why are—" His question was cut off when Yue buried her right hook into his face, pushing him back into the bear. She left the room while the platypus bear wobbled back and forth, trying to maintain balance.

* * *

Getting into the prison without being detected had its difficulties (scaling the cliff face it was placed over would've been one of them) but it was none the less easier than they thought once they got inside the piping and underground transport tunnels. As the tunnels followed the prison structure itself, it didn't take long for Korra, Asami, Mako, and Yue to reach where Tonraq had been put.

"Alright, let's get to it," Korra declared, ready to bend open a hole in the rock ceiling.

"Wait," Asami said, placing the hand that wasn't gloved on her shoulder. "Listen." Footsteps were echoing above their heads, which meant a guard was coming their way and at a steady pace.

"Korra, make a hole when he's overhead. Yue, stun him when he gets down," Yue ordered the both of them, her eyes staying on the ceiling as the footsteps got closer and closer, "3…2…1…now!"

It was easy how quick it happened. The solider could barely get a shout of surprise out from being pulled down before Asami got him with the Equalist glove, knocking him unconscious. "Nice work," Mako told the two of them as he took the keys off the guard.

"Thanks," Asami said back as she stood up and looked over the edge of the hole. She saw no one else in the hall. They were good to come out.

Korra remembered which cell her father was in the last time she had come. "My dad's in there," she told the others, pointing it out. "Mako, keys."

"Here," he said, giving them to her.

She took them and opened the cell door. But there was no one inside. It was empty. "Where is he?" she asked. He wasn't there!

"I'm sorry, Korra. You'll never see your father again," said Unalaq's voice. When all four of them turned towards it, they saw him standing there in the hall. There was no warmth in his eyes at the sight of her.

That was fine by her. "Where's my father?" she demanded, coming away from the cell door to stand across from him. Asami and Mako fell in behind her, giving silent support. Yue was up against the opposite wall, watching everything.

"On a ship headed to the Northern Tribe," he answered. "He'll serve out his sentence there."

"Bring him back. Or I'm taking you out and the rest of your army."

He wasn't troubled by her threats or her commands. It showed in how he rebuked her, like he was still her master and still teaching her. "Remember who you are. As the Avatar, you cannot threaten war. You must remain neutral, or our tribes will never find unity."

"You don't want unity. You want power. You've always been jealous of my father, haven't you?"

"He most certainly was," Yue said from where she leaned. "When he was a kid, they called him the spare and anything he did, Tonraq did first and better."

His face tightened in anger at her remark but Korra barreled on before he could even say anything. "You got him banished so you could become chief, and I bet it just killed you to learn he was the Avatar's father. No wonder you kept trying to take me away from him."

"It was more than that."

"Be silent," Unalaq told the Paragon, his anger whispering out of his controlled voice. "This doesn't concern you."

"Oh, what's the matter?" she asked mockingly. "Still upset that your little prophecy never came true? Sokka told me you were always so confident about it until it was proved otherwise."

"I said be silent."

"What are you talking about, Aunty Yue?" Korra asked her, her confusion mixing into her anger.

"I've been told that Unalaq here seems to believe that you, as the Avatar, should've been _his_ daughter rather than _Tonraq_."

She looked at the Paragon in shock. Was she kidding? It didn't seem like it. The shock quickly disappeared and was replaced by her anger again. She turned her head back to her uncle. "Is this true?" she demanded.

"All I've ever wanted is to help you realize your destiny," he told her. It seemed that as she got angrier, he got calmer.

"Well, I don't want your help anymore." She didn't even want to be anywhere near him!

"If you start a war, the dark spirits will annihilate the South. And even I will be powerless to stop them."

A part of her told her to listen to his words, to hear his wisdom. She squashed that part down hard. "I'm done being manipulated by you. You're going to bring my father back, then you and your troops will return to the North." She turned away from him and starting walking away. It didn't matter if she and the others were caught by the guards, they could fight their way out of the prison.

"And why would I do that?" he asked her.

"Because you still need _me_ to open the Northern portal," she told him. Therein lay her trump against him. If he wanted that portal open, he needed her. If he needed her, then he would do as she said.

But his next words debased her of that idea. "No, I don't. You've served your purpose."

She stood there, letting the words flow into her ear and register in her mind. If she wasn't needed, she had nothing on him. There was a good chance that she might not be able to get out of this prison. She might not see her father again! The thought of that got her angry at Unalaq and she turned around to throw a fireball right at him before throwing two more.

It went to show just how much of a master at Waterbending the Northern Chief was when he uncorked a skin at his hip, bent the water inside out to form a shield that swatted away the three fireballs and then bending that same water into two attacks of his own, freezing them in the process to add effect.

Korra broke the first with a good solid punch but the second managed to clip her, pushing her back with a pained grunt. Her boyfriend stepped in and kicked a fire blast at the chief, which he dodged and delivered a blast of his own at the Firebender, knocking him down to the ground. While Asami went to check to see that he was fine, Unalaq bent another blast at Korra.

She flipped backwards in avoidance, pulling her arms back to anchor when she landed on her feet. She threw them forward, bending the air all around her into a blast she sent right at her uncle. It smashed against him, knocking him down to the ground and sending him down the length of the corridor.

"If we get to Varrick's boat, we can still save your father," Mako said to Korra, already back on his feet.

"Let's go," she said back.

"Wait, he's getting back up," Asami said in warning, watching the chief stand back up on his feet.

"You guys go on ahead," Yue said, stepping away from the wall and getting in between them and him. "I'll delay him."

"Aunty," Korra started, only to fall silent when the older woman held her hand for silence.

"Please remember who I am, Korra. I know how to handle myself. Now get moving. If you get into trouble, mow them down."

While Unalaq watched them leave dispassionately, he was inwardly irritated and angry. He stood back up and started after them, only to have Yue stay in his way. "Move," he ordered.

"You really think that's going to work?" she asked him. He didn't answer with words, instead bending water upwards in a punch. She leaned out of the way just enough to avoid it and still retain her balance. He got a punch to his stomach when she came back. "And you do think that's going to work too? Please remember who your father had you spar against when you said you mastered Waterbending."

If he was a more visible person, he would've growled or snarled at her for that remark and for the confident smirk she had on her lips right now. Instead, he kept his composure and reminded himself that the last time that had happened when he could barely be considered an adult. "I've gotten better."

"Really?" she asked him. "I've yet to see it."

He threw another punch at her and she leaned away from it again, throwing another punch again. But this time he had been ready for it, catching it with his water and then freezing it into a block of ice. She could already feel her hand start to go numb but did not try to hit him with it. He would be expecting it. So she head-butted him and kicked him hard in the knee. He stumbled for a moment. It was all she needed to smash her hand against the wall, shattering the ice.

"_Ow,"_ she thought for a moment as her hand reported that it felt the wall rather violently and ice tearing through skin. But it was only for a moment. She turned her attention back to Unalaq, who was recovering from his stumble.

This time, she pressed the attack, switching to a Firebending stance. Her aggressive punches and kicks forced him back even as he kept blocking them. After deflecting a hard side kick, he bent water to grab her leg. She didn't know what he was planning on doing, but she wasn't going to let him do it. So she folded her leg in, taking an Airbending stance for a moment. The folding leg came down just as the standing foot snapped out in an Earthbending kick, going right for his torso.

He grabbed it with both hands and held her there. She just smiled at him again and twisted, using her momentum to go airborne and kick him hard in the side of the head. He went down hard, crashing into the floor unconsciously. She landed in a roll and came out of it on her knees. She looked at his prone form and smiled again. "Still haven't seen it." She stood up and followed after her niece-figure. She could already hear the sounds of a large brawl up ahead. It seemed like Korra could never keep herself out of those things.

(Location: Konoha)

"So, are we enjoying our newfound position of power?" Tsukiko asked Arashi. They were following the crew down the street while Hiro led from the front.

"Position of power?" he repeated confused, looking to his left at her. "We're hauling boxes of equipment." He was certain that whatever it was that he was hauling had to be some of the heaviest crap they had. His arms were beginning to ache but he still held them.

"Dude, I'm not talking about the boxes," she told him with a roll of her eyes. She was carrying the same amount of boxes he was, so he had no right to complain.

"So what are you talking about? You're not making much sense here."

"If you'd let me get to my point, perhaps I could make sense, hm?" she asked him, forcing herself to put her voice into a whisper. If she started shouting, it would draw the attention of the crew and the Genin were trying to avoid that as it would look bad for them and the village.

"I'm waiting for that point. Hurry it up."

"Come on, Arashi. Hiro almost got into a fight with the director over his suggestion until you came up to see what was going on and give Hiro your support," she explained to him, shifting the weight of the boxes slightly as she walked. "Once you started talking, the director agreed almost right away."

"I was just helping my teammate," he replied, thinking nothing of it.

That statement made her roll her eyes again. "Arashi, if you had suggested it instead of Hiro, there wouldn't have been an argument for ten minutes that got the attention of most of the crew. Face it; you've got power over this crew."

"No, I don't," he said instantly.

"Oh trust me, you do."

"No, I don't," he repeated.

"Yes, you do."

"_No_, I don't," he said with a bit more forcefulness, trying to silence her with a glare.

But she would not be deterred. "_Yes_, you do."

That particular little argument could've gone on for much longer if the dyed redhead kept refusing what she was trying to tell him. He still was, actually, but he chose to go about it in a different way. "Even if I do have some kind of power over the crew, which I'm not saying that I do," he added quickly when he saw she was about to speak, "what would you want me to do about it?"

"Making our lives a bit less miserable here?" she suggested, looking at what he was holding and what she was holding.

"That's our job, Tsukiko. We were hired to do this."

"I'm just saying."

"And I'm not. I don't have any power over the crew and it's quite frankly weird that you would even talk about it like that." She was making it sound like he had suddenly become their lord and deity.

"Come on, Arashi," she started.

"No, you're talking crazy. I don't have anything over the production crew." He looked to the front. It seemed that they were beginning to slow down. He looked ahead and saw a tall building. Was that where they were going?

"You say I'm talking crazy, but you're the one who's looking at the head of the crew," she said with a knowing smirk.

"I'm looking at where we're going, Tsukiko. I don't have any power over the crew," he told her again.

"Of course you don't."

"Anyway," he said, rolling over before she could get going again, "do you think that we're heading to that tall building ahead of us?" He gestured with his head at it.

She looked at it and then the crew. "It seems like it. You got any idea what scene we'll be doing next?"

"Not a clue. Half of the book was indoors, remember?"

She looked insulted. "Of course I remember, I read the books."

"Right, I keep forgetting that you're a fan."

"What's wrong with that?" she asked him with a glare that was trying to be threatening but not really working.

"Nothing," he told her as the front of the crew reached the stairs to the building and going up. "I'm just more used to excitable fans, the ones who scream their head off whenever they see my Jiji." He always made sure that his ears were covered before they had a chance to open their mouths.

"Yeah, it must be terrible for you," she said with deep sarcasm. "I still can't believe that you're not a serious fan of the books."

"I know them and I live with the author. That's enough for me."

"Well it wouldn't be for me. Do you know what my biggest dream would be?" she asked him as they approached the stairs.

"If it's to be Hokage, that's my dream and I'm not going to let anyone beat me to it," he warned her.

She made a face at him that both mocked him and showed her disbelief. "No, it's not that. Trust me, I've seen my dad's job and I don't want it."

"Right, I forgot. Your dream is to be the best kunoichi in the village."

"Yeah, but's that my goal-oriented dream," she admitted. As she spoke, she was beginning to feel a little embarrassed about the whole situation. She didn't talk about this dream to anyone and yet, she was about to tell it to him. "My biggest dream to have my entire collection of books signed firsthand by Naruto Uzumaki himself," she declared.

If it had been any other time and place he might've stopped and looked at her. But they still had to follow the crew into the building and they still had equipment in their hands. So instead he said, "That's it?"

"Yeah, that's it." He couldn't see if she was blushing or not, so focused on making sure he didn't trip on the steps. "I asked for that for my tenth birthday since my grandparents knew yours and all that. When they told me that the last time they had seen him had been more than fifty years ago and they had no idea where he was now, I cried. That's how much I wanted to have him sign those books."

"Oh jeez, wasn't that a bit much?" he asked, feeling embarrassed for her (which was a weird feeling).

"Arashi, do you have any idea just how famous your Jiji is around here? We don't call him the Shinobi Kikan for nothing," she told him while they waited for the rest of the crew to enter the building or for a chance to go in themselves. "He's one of the few people who've defeated the Godaime Kazekage in combat and that's a list that hasn't reached double digits in all these years. I don't even think it's gotten over five."

"Okay, and?"

"And he did it when he was twelve. He was also the one who beheaded the Snake Sannin Orochimaru in front of the five Kages and took down the Akatsuki. And he did it all while being a Genin."

"Wasn't that part not his fault?" he asked.

"Well…yeah," she admitted. Whenever she asked that question to her grandparents and the other living members of the Konoha Eleven, they always got that really uncomfortable look on their faces before talking again. Her grandfather always told her that he had been going through a bad period when he was a Genin and lashed out against the village by running away. Naruto was sent to get him but they ended up fighting only for her grandfather to lose. Even though Naruto was successful in his mission, he had still been banished by the village; his rank and headband were stripped from him. "But he came back to the village."

"As an independent contractor," he rebutted. "He never took the headband up again." Despite what he might've showed to the classroom, he did pay attention what they had to say about his Jiji whenever he came up.

When they entered the building, the crew was already beginning to set up everything. The actors were standing nearby, waiting to go onto the set and do the scene while the lights and the cameras were being set up all around them. The air became full of the buzzy noise they knew came from many people all talking at the same time to one another. For a moment, they just stood at the door, taking all of it in. It had been a little difficult to see it all like this in the street but now they could appreciate what it took to set up a scene.

"We should figure out where to put this stuff," Arashi finally said, breaking their little bubble of silence. "Where would that be?" he asked his teammate.

"I haven't got the faintest idea," Tsukiko replied.

"But you were the one who did this last time."

"I didn't have anything in my hands; I just helped set things up!"

"You guys okay?" Hiro asked as he walked up to them. There was a slight frown on his lips but they didn't ask what it was for.

"Hey, Hiro, where do we put this stuff?" she asked him, jiggling the boxes a little for emphasis. It made her arms a little sorer, but she held on. They were nearly there to put down the stuff; she had to hold them a little bit longer.

He took a quick look at what they were holding. "I think I've got an idea. Come on." He led them over to the side where one of the stairs leading up to the second floor started.

"Any idea where we are, by the way?" asked Arashi.

"I think this is one of the hotels in the village. Mr. Saito bought it out for the day to do this scene."

That would explain why the room they were in was big and grand, it was the lobby of the hotel. The lights overhead were dimmed but not fully off, casting shadows over the old colors painted on the walls and carpeted on the floor. The back half of the lobby was dominated by three flights of stairs going up to the second floor. The one in the middle was the grandest of the three, going straight down to the ground floor with steps spread wide and made with luxury. The other two were much smaller and were placed off to the side. Instead of going straight down at an incline like the middle, they curved alongside the walls like they were a part of it.

They walked over to the leftmost staircase. The crew there was already setting up the lights at the base and at the top, not paying attention to the Genin who was coming towards them. Arashi, Hiro, and Tsukiko stood there for a couple of seconds waiting for someone to recognize them standing there. But when no one even looked at them, Tsukiko coughed noisily. One of the techs finally brought his head up and looked at them. "Yeah, whatta ya want?" he asked.

"Where do we put these?" she asked back, hefting the box up for him to see.

He barely gave them a glance before he waved to the wall next to the base in a vague way. "Over there, somewhere."

She watched as he went back to what he was. "Gee, how—" she began with the utmost sarcasm she could muster.

"Tsukiko, not now," Arashi cut her off before she could actually say it. "Let's just put it down there and leave it be."

As they did that, glad that their arms were finally given a break, they heard what was sounding like the beginning of an argument. Following the sound, they looked around the rail and saw Mr. Saito and the director talking to each other with faces getting more and more angry. "This doesn't look good," Hiro said as he watched them argue. It looked like they were two steps away from punching other. He didn't even need his **Byakugan** to see the veins on the director's neck getting redder and redder.

"You think we should try to intervene?" Arashi asked them both quietly.

"If that's the case, you're up," Tsukiko told him with a pat on the back strong enough to push him forward.

He lurched a step forward but stopped and looked back at her. "What the hell?"

"You're the guy who can make peace between them. Go and do it."

"This again?" he asked. "Tsukiko, I already told you that—"

"Just go," she ordered, pointing a finger at the arguing pair.

"But—"

"Go."

"Just go, dude," Hiro agreed with her. The dyed redhead looked at them both with incredulous looks but they remained firm.

"Fine," he finally said, annoyed with what they were thinking. He turned around and started walking over to the argument. As he walked, he clamped down on his irritation. It wouldn't help here. The shouting was getting louder as he got closer and they were getting angrier. "Excuse me," he said to them both politely, getting their attention. "What seems to be the problem here?"

"This doesn't concern you, kid," the director growled at him, a heavyset man who was on his way past pudgy. "Go away."

"Sir, I'm just trying to do my job and make sure your day goes smoothly. If you could tell me the problem, I'd be glad to help in any way I can."

"Look, just because you support the kid's idea one time—"

"It was a good idea, sir, and it helped the scene more authentic. We're here to help."

"Let's listen to what he has to say," Mr. Saito said to the director. "After all, he might be able to help us."

He rolled his eyes but conceded with a "Fine."

"So what's the problem?" Arashi asked them.

"This…producer of ours," he said, looking at Mr. Saito as he spoke, trying to sound polite while he spoke, "wants to follow the scene in the book exactly. And I've been telling him it's impossible."

"It's a pivotal moment in the book!" Mr. Saito said insistently. "It should follow what is in the book; the movie viewers will be expecting that."

"I've been telling you that we can't do it in this lighting. It's too bright, even if you had dimmed it down."

"Which scene are we talking about here?" Arashi asked them both.

"It's the big revelation scene," the producer told him. "The one where Shiro finds out just who had been behind all the trouble in the Land of Wings."

"Oh, I see," he replied in realization, finally understanding why they were arguing. He knew that scene, it was pivotal. It had Shiro chasing the shadow into the Daimyo's palace where he caught him only to have it disappear right through his hands. There, the man who had been casting and controlling the shadow revealed himself and took Shiro hostage. "Okay, you want the scene to go like in the book? The man steps out of the doorway at the top of the stairs and out of the shadows to reveal himself, right?" he asked Mr. Saito.

"Yes," he said, nodding his head.

"And what's the problem?" he asked the director.

"If we set the lights up, the effect he wants won't happen. The light will go into the doorway."

"What do you suggest?"

"That we do a camera pan up the stairs to reveal him from Shiro's point of view."

"Okay, and what's wrong with that?" he asked Mr. Saito.

"It's an old and tired method! If people see on the big screen, they will just glaze over it. I want this stepping out of the shadows to be literal. I want them to feel and see what Shiro feels and sees. To use an old method won't work."

"And I told you that we can't pull it off," the director said again.

"Why's that?" Arashi asked him.

"If we cut the lights to the level he wants, we won't be able to catch anything on the film. It'll be too dark."

"Okay, I think I understand." His eyes were already looking at the top of the left staircase, right where it shouldered into the wall.

"Do you? Then what's your big idea?" he asked with a voice full of disbelief and a face to match it.

"The whole scene is about the reveal. So long as that's taken care, it should be fine. Sir, can you have the lights set up to that staircase?" He pointed at the one he was eyeing. Both producer and director followed his finger.

The director squinted his eyes to look harder at the spot. Then he shook his head. "It won't work, kid. It's the same problem as doing it at the main staircase. The actor would be unable to be seen."

"What if you did it so that the top half of the actor was in the dark but you could still see like his legs and feet?" Arashi asked him, looking at him with a curious look.

He looked at him again and then at the spot with a new look. "…Yeah, yeah we could."

"What are you thinking, Arashi?" Mr. Saito asked him.

"Instead of having the reveal being at the top of the main staircase, put him off to the side and shroud the upper body in shadow. That way, when he steps out into the light when Shiro demands it, you can still see his face." To him, it seemed a little understated but that would just add to the entire effect.

"I see a problem with it," the director declared.

"_Does this guy live to find things wrong with ideas?"_ he asked himself mentally. But he didn't say that aloud because he could very well end up in trouble for it. Instead, he asked "How so, sir?"

"Shiro is supposed to catch the shadow at the base of the stairs. From that angle, what you want to happen won't work."

That was a good point, but since they were already going off book, they might as well keep it going. "Why don't you just move that part about halfway up the stairs?" he asked. "Wouldn't that give you the angle you need?"

"Hmm, it might," he conceded. "If we keep the lights focused on the actor, we could leave the doorway in the dark like originally planned. Not bad, kid," he told Arashi before he looked at Mr. Saito. "Is that good enough for you?" he asked the producer.

"Yes, its fine," he said with a nod of his head. "In fact, I might say it's a bit of an improvement. Well done, Arashi."

"I was just trying to help, Mr. Saito," the dyed redhead said with an inclined head. "If there's anything else required, please don't hesitate to call on my team. That's what we're here for."

"Don't worry, I'm sure that we'll call on you again. You can go now."

"Oi, people!" the director shouted as Arashi turned to leave, tuning him out as he walked away. _"He misspoke, right?"_ he asked himself, thinking over Mr. Saito's words. _"He meant to that they'll call on _us_, not me."_ But even as he thought it over, the words kept repeating in his head.

"_Don't worry, I'm sure that we'll call on you again."_

"_Don't worry, I'm sure that we'll call on you again."_

"_Why would he say it like that? All three of us are here, not just me?"_ It was a question that was beginning to gnaw at his mind. It was only when he looked at his teammates and saw Tsukiko smirking right at him that he was reminded of she had told him. _"Come on, Arashi. That's ridiculous. You don't have any powers over—"_

"_Don't worry, I'm sure that we'll call on you again."_

"…_Oh, Agni have mercy on my hot burning soul, I _do_ have power over this production crew?"_ How could he have not seen it? More importantly, why did he refuse to see it? It was right there in front of him! He was the grandson of the author of the book they were trying into a film! Of course he would have some kind of power over them. _"This is not good,"_ he declared as he finally joined up with his team. _"The others are going to have to step in more than I do now."_

(Location: South Pole)

"_Do not panic, do not panic, do not panic,"_ Bolin thought to himself as he walked through the street with the platypus bear in a leash in his hand and Tahno walked on the other side. Even though his mind repeated the mantra again and again, he was nervous. He was still dressed in the outfit Eska had "given" him (more like forced him into) and walked with an exaggerated gait. Sweat marked his forehead and his hands were clammy. But still he kept repeating the mantra. _"Do not panic, do not panic, do not panic."_

"_He's panicking,"_ Tahno thought to himself, looking at the Earthbender. It was beginning to become obvious. If he made a scene before they could get to the docks, they would be blown and so would the plan. It looked more unbelievable with that damn fire ferret riding atop the bear.

Their casual walk (at least for him) came to a stop in front of two Northern soldiers. "You have a license for that animal?" the leader of the two asked Bolin.

"Uh, you fellas seen a traveling circus come through here?" he asked back, his nervousness showing.

"_Akela help me, that's what we're going with!?"_ Tahno mentally asked. Well, it was out there. He had to go with it now. "Sorry about him," he said aloud to the soldiers. "The idiot got separated from the circus with their bear and fire ferret. Apparently, the last place he saw them was at the docks."

"So what are you doing with him?" the soldier on the left asked him, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Kid has no sense of direction," he answered blandly, jerking his head not so subtly at Bolin. The Earthbender scowled at him but said nothing else. "He looked so pitiful; I had to help him out. It was really sad how lost he was."

"Wait, don't I know you?" the soldier on the right, the one who first spoke, asked him.

"Have you ever been to Republic City?"

"A couple of times," he answered.

"Then I wouldn't be surprised if you knew me. I used to be famous," he said with a lofty tone to his voice.

"Yeah, I think I remember you. You're that Pro-bender who could only win by cheating. Didn't they kick you out of the sport?"

His face twitched at the question, having heard it before. "They did." He forced himself to remain calm and not attack the solider for that remark or for that damn smirk on his lips.

But the other solider narrowed his eyes too. "I've heard of you. I've also heard that you've become the apprentice to the Water Paragon." Both he and the second solider shifted their stances, becoming ready for battle. Tahno did the same while Bolin just looked nervously on.

While all this was happening, Varrick was watching from inside the bear between the barely open jaws. It looked like they weren't going to be able to get out easily and safely. Time for Plan B. "Zhu Li, do the thing," he ordered in a whisper.

The bear's tail lifted up and money came flying out with a loud farting sound. When it was done, everyone was staring at the money on the ground. "That platypus bear is pooping money!" someone shouted the obvious, pointing to the money on the ground. Obvious as it might've been, that was the signal to charge in and start grabbing the money. No one seemed to bother to ask _why_ the platypus bear was pooping money.

While everyone was trying to grab the money and the soldiers were trying to place some semblance of order, the two guys and the platypus bear made a run for Varrick's boat. "I can't believe that we made it," Bolin said as they went to the bridge, going up the staircase leading there.

"I can't believe it either," Tahno agreed, climbing the steps behind him. "You would make a crappy spy."

"Hey, I did my best!"

"Which wasn't good enough," he retorted.

"People, less arguing about spying and more focusing on escaping!" declared Varrick loudly from the top of the stairs. The bear he was in stood up on its hind legs and walked to the controls, taking the captain's hat, a dark blue navy hat, resting beside them and placing it on the bear's head.

He started the ship and the engine was beginning to purr when the rescue party climbed up the steps onto the bridge. When Bolin looked over at them to congratulate their success, he quickly noticed that the person they were supposed to rescue wasn't there. "Where's your dad?" he asked Korra.

"On a ship headed north," she answered as she came up to Varrick's side. "Think we can catch up to it?" she asked him.

"Sure, once you get us past our friends from the North," he replied, looking out the window.

They all did the same, looking at the blockade out in the water. It seemed like they had made a wall out of the ships, doubling it up to make it extra thick. "Wow, that's a lot," Tahno stated as he started counting the ships. He felt a sharp brief strike of pain at the side of his head. "Ow!" he yelped before rubbing his head and looking at his sifu.

"What have I told you about stating the obvious?" she told him, lowering her fingers back to her side.

"That it's your job to say it."

"Good."

Korra ignored the two of them, keeping her gaze out at the sea and the ships. "If only we had a plane to get me close to those ships. I could Waterbend them out of the way," she told them all.

"A plane?" repeated Varrick. "Well, why didn't you say so?" He pushed a big red button on the dashboard. Outside the window, the deck separated and rose outward, revealing a giant hole. Out of the hole came a plane painted in Water Tribe colors, which meant it was mostly blue. The wings were folded up but when it was on the deck they spread out into the proper positioning.

"Um, why do you have a plane on your boat?" Mako asked as he stared at the plane.

"Wrong question," Yue told the Firebender. "The question you should ask is why _doesn't_ he have a plane on the boat."

"Thank you, Yue, that's enough out of you," Varrick told her sharply. "But to answer you, Mako, it's in case the boat sinks, of course."

"But there's no runway," noted Asami as she took notice of the deck. There wasn't even a hint of a runway, something that a plane needed. "How are we supposed to take off?"

Yue gave her old rival a look that said _"See? This is what I am talking about, you idiot."_

He ignored her, choosing to look down at his stomach. "Zhu Li! Take a note: 'Build runway.'"

"Yes, sir," she replied. Yue rolled her eyes.

"I have an idea," Korra said. She turned around and headed for the stairs. "Mako, Asami, I need you guys too!" They followed her off the bridge and out onto the deck.

The idea was placing two long planks at the bow, Asami manning the controls of the plane, and Mako and Korra standing on the wings to use their Firebending for a boost. When she was ready, Asami lowering the goggles onto her eyes, wincing a little at how they pinched her nose, and started up the engine. It rattled and growled like an animal in a cage as the blades started to spin, channeling the power of the wind.

Once she was set and she saw that Mako was set, she gave Asami the go-ahead signal. She urged the plane forward and it started off at a rolling pace towards the bow. "Now!" the Avatar shouted to her boyfriend after a couple seconds. Together, they reached back behind the plane and bent a large powerful blast of fire. The force of the twin blasts gave the plane an additional kick of necessary speed. It race down the deck and then off the bow, dropping out of sight.

For the people in the bridge, it was a half second of tense silence when the plane vanished from their sight. But it rose back over the ocean and towards the blockade. "Thank the spirits that worked," Bolin breathed out in relief.

"Don't thank them yet, kid," Varrick told him before crying out excitedly, "Full steam ahead!" pushing all the controls up to the max. The ship sped through the water, going right for the blockade.

As the plane got closer to the ships, Korra reached inward and activated the Avatar State. She reached out with her hands and bent the ocean to her will, shaping a large blob of it to rise up to the surface and against the blockade. She kept bending it as it reached the first line, pushing it through the lines and knocking the ships aside, leaving a clear path for Varrick's ship and the place to get out safely. Satisfied, she deactivated the Avatar State. _"Chew on that!"_

Luckily for the ships that she had struck, her intention had not been to capsize or even destroy them. They were simply pushed aside. The sailors were a bit rattled but they were able to hold their footing and not go overboard. That didn't mean they weren't looking at the escaping ship with various degrees of annoyance and surprise.

One captain and his helmsman were up in the crow's nest with the helmsman looking at the escaping ship through a telescope. "Captain, you'll never gonna believe this," he declared as he looked at the kid in formal wear hugging the platypus bear with the captain's hat on that was sailor the ship.

* * *

Once they were past the blockade, the plane took the lead, flying through the air over the ocean just as the sun was setting. If it was any other time (and possibly someone else flying the plane) Korra might've found the experience to be romantic. That is, if she was closer to her boyfriend so they could see it together.

But she remained focused on trying to find the ship that carried her father. Lucky for her and the plane, it didn't take them long to find the only ship out at sea. "There!" she called out to Asami when she saw the ship on the horizon. "My dad's on _that_ ship!"

"Got it!" shouted Asami in reply, turning the plane sharply into the turn. She flew in high over the plane that it wouldn't be spotted until she wanted it to be spotted. When it reached that point, she brought it down low close to the ship. She could see the sailors staring up at it and her. They had looks of confusion on their faces and she was playing it for it was worth. For the plan was not to try and land the plane on the ship, but rather crash it into the sea right next to the ship.

"Jump!" ordered Korra when they were close enough to the water to smell the salt. All three of them leapt from the plane and into the water, landing close enough together for her to bend an air bubble all around their heads. Even though they were under water, they could hear the sound the plane of exploding from its crash, a dull roaring sound. They actually felt it more as the vibrations swept pass them. Once that was gone, they swam in the opposite direction of the fire burning on top of the water.

Korra kept her gaze upward as they swam. She soon saw that they were in the proper place and tapped Mako and Asami in the sides, the silent signal to prepare themselves. They gave her silent nods of acknowledgement. She twisted the water around up into a waterspout, carrying them up into the air and onto the ship. While Asami and Mako instantly went on guard, she carried the attack through, bending the water into whips on her arms. With a yell, she swung the whips at the soldiers that had gone to the edge to look at the explosion, sending them into the drink.

"Korra, you missed one!" Asami told her, pointing to the right. The Avatar saw the finger, turned her head in the pointed direction, and saw the one sailor running for the door. She threw a whip and froze him against the deck wall.

He could feel the ice pressing into every part of his body with cold hands. He tried to move around and get free but could only move his head. As they approached him, he froze in place. "Where are the prisoners?" the Avatar demanded with a determined look on her face.

He could feel the sweat on his face at her expression and he caved quickly. "D-down below, in the brig!" he told them.

They looked at him for a moment and shared the same thought. _"That was easy."_ They went past him into the ship, Mako taking a quick moment to knock him unconscious, and going down into the brig. The prisoners were all there, including Tonraq. All three of them got to work on breaking the locks, Mako and Korra using their Firebending and Asami using the lock picking tricks that her sifu had taught her.

Once the cells were all open, they all ran out to the ramp on the side of the ship, placed there for Waterbenders during battle. "Korra, this is crazy," Tonraq told his daughter as they stood there over the sea. "You promised me you wouldn't do anything rash."

"I had to," she replied. "I'll explain later."

"Incoming from above!" shouted Tahno in warning, looking up at the deck above them. Soldiers stood there, throwing down water. Mako and Korra swung their fists up into arcs of fire, evaporating the water before they could hit anyone. While they defended, Varrick's ship came up right beside. They all leapt across to safety and the ship took off, heading to relative safety.

(Location: Southern Air Temple)

The sun was setting when Tenzin and Ikki walked back onto the temple grounds. The acolytes were all glad to see them, happy that one of the future Airbending masters had been returned safely. When Tenzin asked them where his family, he and his daughter were directed to the same garden where he had learned that she had run away. True to what the abbot had said, they were all there.

As they walked up the steps, the entire family saw them but Pema was the first to say something. "Sweetie!" she said in relief at the sight of Ikki, standing up from where she was sitting and walking towards her. "You're okay! Oh! I was so worried!" She knelt down and pulled her daughter into a tight hug, which she welcomed gladly. Then she looked back over her shoulder at her other children. "Do you have something you wanna say to your sister?"

"Ikki, I'm glad you're back," Meelo said in monotone and with a straight face.

"Yeah, sorry we made fun of you," Jinora apologized, sounding more authentic and not even able to keep eye contact with her sister.

"Thanks," she told them both. "Wanna play airball?"

"Sure!" said her big sister.

"Yeah!" agreed her little brother. Together, the three of them ran off, heading to airball field so they could get in one last game before the sun finally set.

After he watched his children run off, Tenzin went up to his own brother and sister. "I wanted to apologize for how I acted yesterday," he told them both. "I've worked so hard to celebrate Dad's legacy that I may have overlooked the parts of him that were less than ideal."

"And we're sorry for dumping our frustrations with Dad out on you," Kya told him.

"Yeah, you didn't deserve that," Bumi agreed. Neither of them could never really blame him for what he thought about their father. They could still remember the nights they stayed awake past their bedtimes because they could hear the arguing coming from their father against their uncle, aunt, and Lord Naruto. Tenzin had slept through all of that.

Kya reached into her pocket and pulled out a photo. She showed it to her brothers. "I thought you two might wanna see this. Mom gave it to me before we left."

They all crowded around to look at the photo. It was a photo of their family, taken when they were kids and with their parents. Their mother had a happy smile on her face holding Tenzin in her arms. Bumi was leaning against his father with a crooked smile that was happy. Kya stood next to him on the little table, her smile smaller but no less happier. And Aang stood behind them all, his arms spread out around his wife's and eldest son's shoulders but it felt like he was hugging his whole family.

"That is one good-looking family, huh?" Bumi remarked.

"That's one happy family," Tenzin corrected him. But they all smiled at the photo.

(Location: Konoha)

"Congratulations to you three," Madara told Team 7 as they stood before his desk while the sun burned orange through the window. "Mr. Saito spoke highly of you all. He said that you preform your duties admirably."

"Oh yes, I'm sure that he would've said that," Hiro remarked while giving Arashi a look that spoke volumes of what he thought of the producer.

"Shut up," the dyed redhead told him.

"Behave," Rin said warningly but in a gentle manner.

But the Hokage took notice of what they said and looked at the Genin team with a keen eye. "Is there something I should know about here?" he asked them, taking the time to look at each and every one of them. His eyes were not burning red with the **Sharingan** but the normal stare down he could do was enough to make any young shinobi's backside go cold with a chill.

But Tsukiko had been on the receiving end of that stare before and she knew how to weather it (somewhat). "No, nothing at all, Dad," she said while giving Arashi a look of her own. He glared at her in return and she just smirked.

"Uh-huh," said her dad, not convinced at all.

"Could we continue with the debriefing, please?" Arashi asked.

"That is a good idea," Rin supported, looking at her old teammate with an amused smirk beneath her mask. A person who had never met her would not have noticed that she had been smirking but the people who did know her could see it easily. As she smirked, she gave a look to her students, who were busy glaring at one another.

"Very well," Madara said. "Now, as I was saying, Mr. Saito was very impressed with you three and it's only the first day."

Arashi flinched, his face looking like he had swallowed a frog that refused to go down. "Th-the first day?" he repeated, hoping to the spirits that he heard wrong.

"Yes, the first day. Mr. Saito's production crew will be in town for another three to four days and it will be expected of all of you to help them each day," the Hokage said to them.

"Are there going to be any other places they'll be shooting at or will just be the ones that they went to today?" Hiro asked. They had gone to five different locations to shoot scenes and not a single one looked the same.

"I am unsure of that since I did not ask Mr. Saito. If there are additional locations they'll be filming at, you will make note of it in the end mission report, understood?"

"Understood," two of them replied. The dyed redhead stayed silent.

Madara noticed the silence and gave him a look. "Am I understood, Arashi?"

"Ye-yeah, you're understood," he replied. Inwardly he was already mourning the fact that this was more than one day's work. He knew that the team was now only there with the production crew for him and it made him feel really uncomfortable. They had called on him more times than the others despite him trying to get Hiro or Tsukiko to try and take care of it.

"Is there a problem?"

"No." He was ignoring his teammate's amused looks for all he was worth. He only needed to last three more days and the production crew and their attempts to suck up to him (he didn't know what else to call it) would be out of his hair. But he already had the feeling that it would be a long three days.

(Location: Varrick's ship)

"So once I knew the truth, I couldn't sit by and do nothing," Korra finished explaining what she did to her father as the ship sped through the night sea. Yue stood next to Naga, who was napping on the deck behind Korra.

Tonraq had been surprised and angry at the revelation of what Unalaq had done, but now there was sadness. "My own brother betrayed me. And our entire tribe," he said, mostly for himself.

"What's our next move?" the rebel who had actually plotted to take Unalaq asked him. When she looked at the rebel, Korra couldn't but feel that she should've let him did what he had been trying to do.

"I've been running from my past for too long. It's time to put my brother in his place," he declared, his expression becoming firm.

"You have our support, _Chief_ Tonraq." As he spoke, he and the other rebels placed their fists over their hearts, the old Southern Tribe salute that had fallen from use once the North had "reconnected" with them.

"Mine too," Korra said, placing her fist on her heart. "I'll be proud to fight alongside you, Dad."

"No, Korra," he told her instantly.

Her eyes widened with the disappointment for the refusal and lowered her hand from her heart on instinct. "But you said the South doesn't stand a chance against Unalaq's forces. I can help." She was the Avatar, she would be an immense help.

"The best way for you to help is by getting the president of the United Republic on our side. The South can give Unalaq a good fight for a while. But we'll need the United Forces in order to win this war."

"Tahno and I will be fighting alongside your father, Korra," Yue said, walking up to beside her. "We'll keep an eye on him. Besides, Tahno can use the experience." Both she and Tonraq shared a look. That was one reason they would be staying behind.

The Avatar glanced down at the deck; her eyes were clouded with sadness. She hated the fact that she couldn't help her father but she knew he had the right idea. She gave herself that moment and then looked back up at him. "All right, I'll get you _all_ the help you need. I love you, Dad," she told him, giving him a hug.

"I love you, too," he replied, returning the hug.

At the speed the ship was going, it only took them an hour to reach a deserted part of the South Pole. Tonraq and his group said their last goodbyes (while Yue flipped off the bridge) and climbed down to a small ice floe. From there, the Waterbender used it to reach the mainland and disappear into the frozen wilds.

Everyone else who still on the ship watched them go from the bridge. "I really need to thank you, Korra," Bolin said once the rebels were out of sight.

"For what?" she asked him. "I started a civil war." She could already lecture she would get from Tenzin once he heard about what happened.

"Exactly!" he said happily, "now Eska and I are officially broken up."

"Oh, looks like we have company!" Varrick announced from where he stood at the controls, looking out to sea with a telescope in his actual hands, "and not the _fun_ kind!"

They all joined him and saw what he was seeing. It looked like the beginnings of a tidal wave that was heading straight for them. "What is that?" Mako asked.

Bolin took the telescope from Varrick and looked through it for himself. The second his eye was at the lens, he pulled it away in shock. _"No, not that!"_ he thought in horror. He quickly rubbed his eyes and looked again but the end result was still the same. "_That_ would be my darling Eska," he declared as he watched her Waterbend her way towards the ship at quite the fast pace, her mascara in streaks on her absolute furious face. "Quick question: is this thing fast enough to get away from my crazy Waterbending ex-girlfriend?" he asked Varrick in a worried tone.

But the man just smiled. "Why do you think I built this boat?" He reached for the controls and gunned it, sending the ship rocketing in the opposite direction of the stood-up Waterbender. The air was alive with the roar of the engine and the screams of Bolin telling him to go faster.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

I didn't base the named members of the crew on any actual people; I just did my best with descriptions and names. Needless to say, Arashi is going to be very uncomfortable with them. Most of them respect his grandfather for what he wrote and would gladly seek his opinion on what they were doing. But since he's not there, they go to the next best thing: Arashi. To him, that feels like sucking up and power that he's not really sure about.

As for the old man bit, let's call that laying grounds for the future of the story. Same goes for what Yue said in regards to Unalaq and Tonraq but we'll get back to them quicker than the other.

Bumi seems to be the kind of guy that puts on a loud exterior while keeping the interior away from everyone he knows. Not because he's sensitive but rather because it feels like he's been through hell and back twice and nobody needs to know what's happened to him on the way. If you're wondering why I believe this, that freak out about the cannibals in the Spirit World had to have had come from somewhere.

It always bugged me a little that they didn't go into how Sokka or any others of Team Avatar took Aang's focusing on training Tenzin. I mean, that would've been grounds for an episode by itself. I think it's safe to say that they didn't exactly approve of it. Adding the part about listening in on the arguments was my way of trying to do that.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	29. Helping hands and dismissive fingers

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 29: Helping hands and dismissive fingers

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Republic City)

When Asami disembarked from Varrick's ship and saw both Chief Beifong and her own sifu standing at the dock, her first thought was, _"Uh-oh."_ Chief Beifong might've had an excuse for being there, for there was a police trunk nearby and prisoners with Water Tribe clothes being escorted into it. But the fact that Naruto was there and with both hands on his sword's hilt (she had figured out how to tell how much he was angry by the positioning and number of his hands on his weapon), she knew that they were in trouble.

When they started to approach the group, she bit down a gulp and tried to remain calm. There were reasons for what happened; they just to explain that whilst not losing their temper. She held onto that belief while the two adults came to a stop in front of Korra and Mako. "Welcome home, Avatar," Lin said to Korra before adding sarcastically, "Thanks for starting a war."

"I _didn't_ start a war," the Avatar snapped back defensively.

"_Oh, we're dead,"_ Asami bemoaned the fact. _"We're so dead."_

"Well, I did, but it's more complicated than you're making it seem," she added afterwards.

"Your lips are moving but all I'm hearing are excuses," Naruto remarked. She gave him a glare but all he did was raise an eyebrow in response and she stopped.

"Mako, I want you back on the beat," Lin ordered the Firebender, speaking like a chief to her man. "There's going to be a Southern Water Tribe peace march tonight. I need you there to make sure things don't get out of hand."

"I'm all yours," he said instantly.

"I'll go too," Korra said. "The people of the South need to see that the Avatar is on their side in the fight against the Northern invaders." If she showed her support, it might make getting the troops she needed a lot more easier.

"Great, that should calm them down," Lin remarked sarcastically.

"Lin, you're not helping the situation," Naruto told her. "It's bad enough as it is." He didn't look at them when he said those words but they could all tell where he was putting the blame. It made Asami wince and Korra glare again.

The chief rolled her eyes. "I have to get back to the job." She turned around and walked back to the dock, leaving them all there.

"Maybe you should sit this out," Mako told Korra once his boss was out of hearing range (at least what he thought was her hearing range).

She turned to look at him, surprised by what he said. "What?" she asked him.

"I just think having you there blatantly supporting one side will only make things worse," he explained what he was thinking to her. "You could at least try to seem neutral."

"I'm not neutral! The North invaded my home. The only reason I'm here is to get the Republic to send troops to help the South."

"Zhu Li's already scheduled a meeting for us with President Raiko tomorrow," Varrick told her, out of the bear suit along with his assistant. "We'll get them on board."

"Sensei, aren't you going to say anything?" Asami asked Naruto.

"Should I?" he asked back. "It is clear to me that the Avatar doesn't listen well, especially when she's told something she doesn't like and promptly declares 'Screw that.'" He looked right at the Avatar in question when he said those words.

"_He knows?" _Korra asked herself, _"How?"_

"Whatever, I gotta go to work," Mako said, following his boss down the pier to the dock.

"Is there a lesson today?" Asami asked Naruto.

"No, but I expect a report about what happened in the South Pole before the night has come, oral."

"Understood," she said in reply. "I better go check on my factory in the meantime." She walked down the pier as well, her sifu following at a slower pace.

"I'm going to find out about this peace march," Korra decided. Naga followed her as she walked away.

"And _I_ am dying for a pedicure," Varrick declared. Together with Zhu Li he walked down the pier.

Unfortunately, all their decision-making left out the remaining person. "So, um, what should I be doing?" Bolin asked them all, Pabu in his usual position of around his neck.

"I don't know, Bolin," Mako said without even looking back at his brother. "Figure something out."

That didn't help him at all and he was still left standing on the pier like a kid who lost his parents. But then Varrick turned back and eyed him. "Say, kid," he said to the Earthbender as he attached himself to his side instantly, "have you ever seen Republic City at night?"

"Sure, I live here," he replied while Pabu burrowed into his shirt and jacket.

"Have you _really_ seen it?" the business man asked, leaning to give him a secretive eye.

"Y—no?" he said questioningly, feeling like saying yes wouldn't put the matter to rest.

"That's what I thought," Varrick said with a chuckle. "Come on." He grabbed hold of Bolin and raced down the pier to the dock. Zhu Li didn't even blink as her boss went past her at a breakneck speed. She just followed him.

(Location: South Pole)

The general leaned over the map with his pointer in hand, standing in the private solar of the chieftain. "Tonraq and the rebels are holed up here in the hills outside of town," he told his chieftain, relaying the latest Intel reports from his men.

"Leave them," Unalaq told him. "My brother's no threat to us up there. Increase security around the spirit portal. Keeping it safe is our number one priority."

"Yes, sir!" he said with a salute to his heart. He turned to the door and walked. He opened the door and found the chieftain's twins waiting behind it. It wasn't because of the twins themselves that made him flinch (Spirits knew he had been around them long enough). Rather, it because Eska was still wearing her bridal grown and her makeup was smudged all over her face but said face was clearly mad. He inched his way between them and walked away at a quick but subtle pace.

Unalaq didn't waste time with words as his children came into the room, closing the door behind them. "I need you two to go after the Avatar. She's the only one who can open the Northern spirit portal."

"But Father," Desna replied, confused, "you told Korra—"

"I told Korra what I thought she needed to hear," he cut off his son.

"_I'll_ find her," Eska said with the anger of being left at the altar. "She stole my husband." She had tried going after the ship, but it proved to be too fast and she soon lost sight of it. When she had, she created a tsunami in her anger. She wasn't sure where she had sent it and quite frankly, she didn't give a damn.

"I need her _alive_," Unalaq said to her.

She sighed in defeat and agreed with a "Fine."

The Chieftain of the Water Tribes eyed both of his children. Not for the first time, he wished that they weren't or least not his firstborns. He didn't hate them outright. Their Waterbending skills outstripped others by a far margin (even Katara in her prime) and were second only to the Avatar. They learned well and fast and they obeyed the orders given to them without flinching. They were truly worthy children of the Chieftain.

But there were times he could only look at them with disappointment. They were not the children or even child he had wanted. He had known his destiny. He was supposed to be the father of the new Avatar. It had been proclaimed! He had made sure to make it happen, staying by Avatar Aang's side, learning all that he could from the man that he had to know, letting the man think him as another son perhaps (he certainly looked up to him as another father). He had been there at Avatar Aang's deathbed right until his last breath and he was certain that he had been the last thing that the Avatar had saw.

When his wife announced that she was pregnant barely a year after Avatar Aang's death, he had been ecstatic. He had been certain that the Avatar slept beneath her heart, waiting to come out into the world again. When the twins had been born, he was certain that one of them was the Avatar or possibly even both. When they started showing their Waterbending as soon as they could walk, he summoned the White Lotus to the North Pole to show them his children.

When he found Sokka and Naruto with them, his awaited delight soured for a moment but he didn't let it stop. They might not have a good relationship with each other but the Avatar had been full grown with him directing from the shadows, the order of the Paragons would have to disband. All that had gone through his head while his children were looked over and examined. But his plans and joy crumbled when both Naruto and Sokka declared that neither of his children were the Avatar reborn. Then they turned to ash when he learned that his brother's child was the Avatar. He didn't understand. The Avatar was supposed to be his child!

But there was no use arguing about it. It just meant that his plans would have to be reshuffled and reorganized. So his niece was the Avatar, it made no difference in the long run. So long as he was able to get his hands on her and train her into what he wanted to learn so she would listen to him, it would work out. And she did too as he had hoped, if only for a short time. Now she was against him but he still needed her.

And yet there were times when he imagined Korra was his firstborn instead of Desna and Eska. She would've been a proud Northern Tribeswoman and he would've been proud to have called her his daughter, much more than the twins he had been given. He just knew that if she was his daughter instead of Tonraq's, everything would have gone just as he had wanted with no hindrance from anyone. Not even the Paragons would've been able to stop him, not in this day and age where the mysticism of their order was being stripped away. But it wasn't like that and so he would have to make do by himself.

(Location: Land of Spring)

"Your attention, please," the voice over the intercom of the train spoke, getting the attention of the people in the car, "Your attention, please. The train will be arriving in the Winter's End train station in five minutes. Please ensure that all your personal belongings are with you before you disembark the train and you have your ticket."

When the intercom went dead, everyone began securing their own luggage, putting things away in bags and packs, placing them in the easy-to-reach spots so they could grab them when the train came to a stop. Already they could feel it slowing down. "I guess that means nap time is over," Tsukiko said, sitting in her seat against the window. She looked across to the other seats where Arashi was sleeping full length, his coat placed over his body like a blanket.

"You gonna wake him up?" Hiro asked from where he sat next to her, also watching his sleeping teammate.

"Only if I have to," she replied.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I live with this guy. Do you know how many times I'm awake when he's asleep? This is a rare opportunity and I'm not going to let it go away."

"…Has anyone told you that you are a very weird person?" he finally asked her. "I would've put it down to you being nice at seeing the state he's been in since we got the extended mission." He remembered Arashi's face going pale when the Hokage told them that Mr. Saito had been so impressed with them that he offered to extend the mission so that they could follow the crew to their next shooting location, in the Land of Spring. He and Tsukiko had been all for it but Arashi looked like he would rather run and hide.

"How could I be nice to him when he's the one getting the special treatment?" she asked back. At first during the days of shooting in the village she might've found the fact that Arashi had power over the crew and didn't really want it to be amusing. He had tried to get them involved in what was going on with the top brass but while Hiro might've gone with it, she just laughed and told him to get back out there.

That changed when they boarded the train and Arashi was instantly offered to come up to first class with his sensei while she and Hiro were left back in regular coach. She had silently fumed while Arashi tried protesting it, even as they overrode him and "helped" him walk to the first class, with a silently amused Rin-sensei following. He had come back two hours later, claiming it was the earliest he could escape, and promptly fell asleep on the seats. She didn't notice that he had looked really uncomfortable and was actually sweating until Rin came back an hour later and commented on his appearance. She felt sorry for him but was still annoyed by the favoritism.

"You guys know he has to wake up," Rin said from where she sat in the next set of chairs behind them.

"We know that, sensei," Tsukiko said back.

"So, wake him up."

"I ain't doing it." She held her hands up to prove her point.

"And why not?" the Jōnin asked her.

"It's something about her being nice to him and being awake while he's asleep," Hiro tried to explain. But even as he said the words, they felt weird coming off his tongue like some kind of foreign spice he hadn't had before and just tasted wrong.

His sensei gave him a look that bored into him. "Uh-huh."

"Her words, not mine," he insisted, pointing at his teammate.

"Tsukiko, wake him up," she told her student with a voice that had the authority that would have no argument with a look that matched.

She was tempted to refuse but the look and the voice held true to their intent. "Alright, fine," she gave up with a rolling of the eyes and a huff. She turned back to the opposite seats and leaned across, placing a hand on Arashi's shoulder. "Hey, backwater boy, it's time to wake up," she told him, shaking his shoulder.

She thought that it would take her a lot longer to get him up but as it turns out, he awoke with the first shake. "We there yet?" he asked with a sleepy groan, stretching like a cat before sitting up normally. His coat fell down around his back and he didn't bother to pick it up.

"Five minutes out," Rin told him. "Make sure you've got everything you need, all three of you."

They nodded and got to work. It was quick work since they had packed light, a lesson driven into their heads in the Academy (and reinforced by their families). All they had was the one pack per person, their back pouches and holsters. The last two would've been tricky to get onto the train if Rin hadn't shown the pass written for them by the Hokage to the station guards. One look at that and the headbands and they were cleared.

Arashi was putting on his coat when the train came to a complete stop. "Your attention please," the announcer came on again. "We have arrived at Winter's end station. All passengers, please disembark this is the end of the line. All passengers, please disembark this is the end of the line." The doors at the end of the car opened and people started heading towards it, making the middle of the car a busy and confusing mess for a couple of minutes.

"Uh, aren't we supposed to be leaving?" Tsukiko asked as she watched the other people getting up and trying to shove themselves into the exiting line.

"Yes," Rin said. Unlike her students, she was relaxed in her chair, waiting for the confusion to die down.

"Then why aren't we?"

"Do you want to get into that mess right now?" she asked, gesturing at the line. "It'll take us longer to leave if we try now. But if we wait, the line thins and we can go easier."

"That sounds plausible," Hiro commented. It would make getting out of the train a lot easier. He mentally filed that little tip for the rest of his life.

"And yet, we're still sitting here," his teammate said with exasperation. If she had been standing, she would've flopped back down into her seat. Instead, she settled for blowing her hair upwards with her breath.

"Patience is a virtue, Tsukiko," Rin told her.

"You've never been to one of the clan dinners," she replied, letting the hair fall down and then blowing it back up.

"Actually, I have. Back when your father and I were your age."

"Yeah, when the Rikudō Sennin was alive," she remarked a little crassly.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" the Genins' sensei asked, turning her head around the seats to look at her with a dangerous smile on her face. "Was that a comment on my age?"

Tsukiko gulped her throat suddenly dry. _"Me and my big mouth,"_ she mentally groaned. Aloud, she tried to explain herself but only able to say, "Uh…well…"

"Tsukiko, stop talking before you dig yourself further into the hole," Arashi told her.

"Hey, the line's thinning up," Hiro pointed out, turning the attention to the line. It was indeed thinning up with a lot less confusion in who was trying to get out where. They took that as their cue to stand up and get into the line.

"We will be continuing this conversation, young lady," Rin told Tsukiko from right behind her, making her gulp again.

It was a slow walk out of the train but they were able to get out sooner rather than later. When Arashi stepped off the train and onto the platform, he looked around and saw that the name of the station was a bit misleading. He had thought that there'd be snow on the ground and dark clouds in the air. But actually, the air was warm and there were rays of sun shining through the glass panes on top of the blue-tinted ceiling. Aside from that, there were the usual sounds of a train station: people moving to or from their trains in a giant mass of bodies, their voices mixing into a nonsense of words, conductors announcing all aboard or that the train was leaving, and the sounds of the trains themselves, giant steel beasts that came slowly in with a sound of _chug-chug-chug_.

"Different lands, same kind of places," he said to himself as he took it all in.

"What was that?" Tsukiko asked as she came up beside him, her feet making a scratching noise on the cement floor that was tiled white and shaped to represent snowbanks and drifts.

"I'm just saying that this looks a lot similar to the train stations back home," he told her, a little bit louder so she could hear him over the noise of the crowds.

"You've got train stations back home?" She actually sounded surprised at that.

He rolled his eyes at her. "Yes, we have train stations. I keep telling you that I'm from a city, you know."

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you, backwater boy," she said dismissively, waving it away like she always did (and with the exact same wave too).

He had seen it too many times to be insulted by it now. "You know, I've gotta wonder why Konoha doesn't have a train station of its own. You'd think in this day and age it would."

"I asked Rin that before we left."

"And what did she say?"

"I don't know. I kinda glazed over when she started getting technical about it. All I got was it had to do with the defense of the village and a sphere."

"Oh really?" said Rin as she appeared behind the two, making her stiffen up in surprise. "That's all you got from my lecture that you asked for? I guess that's another thing we will be talking about, young lady."

"_Oh crap,"_ she thought to herself. If this kept up, she'd have to barricade herself in her own room for protection. No, wait. They'd be sharing a room! Double crap! Well, maybe if she just hid in the bathroom, she might be fine.

"Well, why did we have to follow the production crew ten miles to the nearest town just to board the train there?" Arashi asked Rin as Hiro showed up too, being last in the line inside.

"Are you going to glaze over like she did?" she asked him.

"Not if you keep it short."

"Maybe we should have this explanation later?" Hiro suggested. They were crowding on the platform and people were already moving towards the exit at the base of the stairs.

"Yes, let's do that," Tsukiko agreed, happy for the chance to change the subject. "We should go find the production crew, right?"

"Right," he said, nodding. "Where are they anyway?" He was looking around but only saw the people who were in the same car as they were and the people in the different but same class cars. He didn't use his **Byakugan** as he figured that it would be a little overkill.

"The first class cars were closer to the engine, so they probably got off further up the platform," Arashi said a little quietly.

"What was that?" Tsukiko asked him, leaning in closer to him. "I didn't hear you." She was genuine in her words. The dull buzzing roar of the crowds clouded her ears so she couldn't hear his quiet voice.

Bu unlike her student, Rin did hear him. "He said they're further up on the platform, so that's where we go," she told them all.

"But wasn't the equipment all placed in the back cars?" Hiro asked. While Arashi and Rin oversaw the crew getting into first class, he and Tsukiko had ensured that the crew's equipment was properly placed for loading onto the train.

"So we split up and handle both," Arashi suggested. "Tsukiko and I can handle the equipment while you and Rin-sensei take care of the crew." He grabbed hold of her and walked away before anyone could protest or argue the idea.

(Location: Southern Air Temple)

Tenzin was enjoying his morning, sitting in his favorite chair and reading a scroll from the restored library. From above the paper's edge, he could look out at the garden that shined healthily and bright in the light of the sun. Meelo was in the garden with the lemur he had grabbed hold of when they had first arrived, trying to play with him. "Watch me, Poki," he said whilst on his knees. "You lie down and roll over. Roll. Over," he said again, doing the action for demonstration.

"No, no, you can't just demonstrate it," Tenzin muttered to himself as he started watching. "That never works."

Instead of doing what he was told, the lemur just yawned and lay down to close its eyes. "Good!" Meelo said happily, giving him a treat which he took happily, forgetting about any attempts to sleep.

"Ugh, classic over-rewarding," the elder Airbender remarked, using the scroll to hide the disgust on his lips.

His son pulled out another treat and was trying to use it to play with the lemur when it heard a noise in the air and promptly took off after it. "Poki, where are you going?" Meelo asked the lemur that was already up in a tree.

"Command respect," Tenzin said quietly. Then with an exasperated sigh, he stood up from his chair and walked down to Meelo's side. "Having some trouble, son?"

"Poki isn't very good at learning," he said in explanation.

"Believe me, I know the feeling." He had gone through the exact same thing trying to train his own lemur back when he was young. But he had his father to help him out. "Maybe I can help. How would you like your old dad to teach you how to be a master trainer?"

"Yeah!" his son said with a wide smile. It sounded cool!

(Location: Republic City)

"Tensions are running up high outside of the Southern Water Tribe Cultural Center. The Avatar is leading a group of Southerners in a peaceful protest against Chief Unalaq, but the Northerners have come out in droves in support of their leader," the reporter on the radio announced from inside the nearby truck.

"Hey, can you turn that down?" Mako called out to the guy in the truck's driver's seat. He didn't need to hear about what was happening right outside the alley.

"How else am I supposed to know what's going on?" the guy called back.

"Take a look out the window, we're right there." Even though he said that, he kept his gaze out on the small alley he had been assigned to. But his ears could hear everything coming from the streets outside, faint as it was. If he could concentrate, he could just make them out.

"Boo!"

"Get out of here!"

"Boo!"

"Get a real job!"

"Get out of here!"

"Boo!"

"_There's a lot of booing mixed into that shouting,"_ he thought to himself. _"Can these people think of nothing else to say to the Southerners?"_ Even though he thought that, he knew that things were already tense between the two tribes in the city. It was definitely bad that his girlfriend was supporting the Southerners instead of trying to remain neutral. He didn't even want to know what it would be like if Yue and Tahno had come and took sides. It might make the problem even worse.

He was hoping for an uneventful peace protest (as uneventful as it could be with the tensions going as they were). If things went as they should, nothing would happen and no one would be attacked. But as he looked down his assigned watch, he heard a can get stepped on from behind. He turned around and saw two men with Fire Nation coloring walking quickly from an exit to the building.

There wasn't supposed to be anyone else in the alley except for him and the truck. "Hey! Stop! Republic City Police!" he called out, going after them.

He wasn't sure what happened next. The second man pulled some kind of remote out of his pocket and pressed down on it. Then he kept on running, vanishing around the side of the building. What came next were the explosions.

_BOOM!_

_BOOM!_

_BOOM!_

The sound rocked its way into his ear as he watched the fire burst out of the building. It reached hungrily, looking for its next target. To stop it, he reached out and bent the fire under his control, stopping the speed of its spreading. Then he forced back into the building, hoping to keep it contained. It struggled against him, not being a fire of his own creation and acted like a wild animal because of it. But he was the master here and forced it back into the building.

"Huh? What's going on?" the driver said, looking the window. When he saw the fires in the building burning, his jaw went slack.

"Get the chief on the horn and tell her that arsonists were seen coming out of the building before the explosion!" Mako shouted at him, relinquishing his hold on the fire. The next couple of explosions came from outside the alley, a little far-off but still able to be heard by them both. "Get her on the horn! I'm going after the arsonists!"

"Okay!" He ducked his head back into the truck and Mako took off, going down the same way he saw the men run.

Fortunately for him, they were easy to catch up to. The unfortunate part was it was because they had parked a Satomobile close by for a getaway vehicle. One of the men was still trying to get in. Mako went after him first with a salvo of fire blasts. The man tried deflecting them while trying to get his own salvo in but he wasn't as skilled as Mako. A blast knocked him to his knees, making him drop what was in his hands. He still managed to recover and get into the Satomobile, which then drove off.

Mako tried to stop it with another blast of fire but it still got away. _"Agni take them!"_ he mentally swore. But they had left something behind, something the guy had dropped. He picked it up to look over. It looked like some kind of remote but he couldn't say what kind. It looked completely foreign to him.

* * *

When the explosions happened, Korra hadn't been the only one to have frozen in shock. But she had been the one to react. She got off of Naga and instantly ran to the statue of her grandfather in front of the Center, where there was a fountain underneath him. She bent the water up and at the burning building. It hissed and smoke at contact with the fire, extinguishing a small part but it wasn't enough.

"**Suiton: Shigure **(Water Style: Drizzle)**!"** she heard Naruto's voice coming from her right. She turned and saw him holding his hands in some kind of gesture. Some kind of mist was leaving his mouth, flying up into the air, thickening into dark rain clouds, and then dropping rain onto the building. The fire began to die down from the constant pounding.

She continued to help with the water from the fountain but it soon proved to be redundant. The rain was taking care of it. She bent the water back into the fountain and then walked over to Naruto. "Thank you," she told him. She noticed that he was breathing heavy and leaned on his sword more than he usually did. "Are you alright?"

"Just a jutsu I'm not used to using," he told her.

"Are you sure you're not getting too old for this?" she asked. He did know her grandfather since they were kids and he was the only beside Katara to have lived in Aang's time.

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Did I ask you for that kind of opinion?"

"No."

"Then don't give it. I age well."

"_Is that his excuse?"_ She thought to herself. The man was old; there was no question about it. But when Mako came up to her, all of her attention went back to what had just happened. "The Northern Water Tribe is out of control!" she told him.

"I saw a Firebender running away from the blast," Mako said back. "The North might not be responsible for this."

"Of course they're responsible. Who else would it be?" The sound of the fire truck wailed over the rain falling and they soon appeared on the street. Once she saw them, Korra turn and ran over to them.

"A bit late for that," Naruto remarked.

"Maybe she's going to tell them that they're not needed," Mako suggested to him. She was already shouting up at the guys in the drives' seats.

"I was referring to the trucks, not her. That Firebender, can you describe him?"

He tried to, but all of a sudden the details were foggy. "…No, I can't," he replied. This was embarrassing.

"Don't worry about it; you're not the first one to forget details." He dipped his hand into his coat's pocket and pulled out his pipe. His mouth gripped the proper end as he reached into the other pocket for the match box.

Mako saw the pipe and couldn't but asked "Is this the right time for that?" The cultural center did just explode right in front of them all.

The old man stopped what he was doing and looked at him, taking the pipe out of his mouth. "For that remark, you get to light me up."

"Uh…"

"I'm waiting." The pipe was just there, waiting to be lit. He held it in his hand like an old professional would.

"…Okay," he finally gave up, bending a tiny flame on his index and lighting the pipe with it.

"Smart boy," the Paragon remarked before putting the pipe in his mouth and taking a drag. He breathed out the smoke right at the building, like he was making fun of it. "Like I said, you're not the first to forget details. It's happened to me too. What does matter that you have an idea on what might've happened. Pursue that."

"I think I need to get that order from the chief."

"Eh, semantics," he said with a wave of his hand. Mako stayed silent. "Fine, if that's what you want to do. At least you're thinking about other options."

"It's not a stretch that Korra thinks that the Northern Tribe did this," he said, defending his girlfriend.

"Did I say that?" asked the Paragon. The Firebender only shook his head in reply. "She may be the Avatar and she may be from the Southern Tribe, but she's also a teenager."

"So? What does that have to do with it?"

"Teenagers are motivated by two powerful forces that are universal. No matter where you go and who you meet, any teenager will have these two forces at their backs egging them on. One of them is blinding her to the idea of other people being responsible."

"Light and Darkness?" he asked. What the man was saying sounded philosophical in nature. What little philosophy he had learned was from Tóng when he was going on a rant about the two sides of law and crime. If he compared those two to Light and Darkness, it was a close enough image for him.

"Nope, Hormones and Stupidity," Naruto answered. Mako chose not to answer or even reply to that one.

(Location: Pro-bending Arena)

Bolin knew that he was outside the Arena and he knew that it was game night. He also knew that he wasn't going to be in the ring this time around and that he would only be watching. What he still couldn't figure out was how in the name of all the Earthbending Spirits out there he got into a fancy suit, rode up to the Arena in a limo, and was now staring at all the cameras taking pictures of him. His eyes were starting to blink from all the lights flashing in front of them and his ears were full of the people whistling and cheering. "Wow. Usually, when I see flashing lights like this, it's because I got hit in the head with a rock," he said to Varrick, standing beside him and waving to the crowd.

"Being famous is like getting hit with a rock _all_ the time," the man told him.

Once the moment for picture-taking was over, they went inside for the match. When he first heard that they were going to the Arena, Bolin had assumed that he would be sitting up in the stands like everyone else. Varrick quickly corrected him by showing him the way to the VIP seats.

"Look!" someone shouted as he was about to take his seat. "It's Bolin!" Everyone in the audience began to scream and cheer his name. He froze and looked out at them. It took him a couple of seconds to realize that it was for him. Then he obliged them all with waving his hands and flexing his arms. They approved and upped their roaring.

"Folks, that cheer you're hearing is for local favorite, Bolin, of the Fire Ferrets," said the radio announcer, a one Shiro Shinobi. "Let's see if we can get a quick interview. Bolin!" he called out from his box, a few windows down from where he stood, waving his arms. Bolin had no objective to an interview and was soon sitting in the same box in front of a microphone. "Bolin, the Fire Ferrets are out for the season. How have you been spending your time lately?" the man asked him.

He started off easily enough. "Well, I took a trip South for the Glacier Spirits Festival, was briefly engaged to a princess, then went through kind of a tough breakup there, was accidentally involved in a civil war…" He realized that people were looking at him and the arena was silent, awkwardly so. He grabbed the microphone and stood up. "But there's nowhere I'd rather be than pro-bending night in Republic City! Am I right, people? Republic City!" he roared and the crowd roared with him.

"Do you miss being in the ring?" Shiro asked him.

He sat down before answering the question. "Well, I definitely don't miss getting hit with things all the time, and the humiliating losing. I mean, that gets pretty old. You know, sometimes I actually cry myself to sleep…" There was another silence, another awkward moment. "I guess what I miss the most are these _fans_!" he shouted, grabbing the microphone and standing up again. "They're the greatest fans in the _world_! Give it up for the fans!" The crowds roared their appreciation once more.

The interview quickly finished up after that. The match was about to start and everyone had to get back to their seats. "Look how these people love you, kid!" Varrick told Bolin from where he had been leaning against the doorway. He had been there throughout the entire interview, watching everything that had happened. "They're eating that cornball spiel right out of your hand."

"The trick is, whenever I get confused, I just say 'Republic City' or 'fans', and then everyone cheers," the Earthbender explained. It was something he had learned early on in his career, especially after the Fire Ferrets' first performance. (Mako still hadn't forgiven him for that, he was certain).

The tribesman stared at him for a second after hearing those words. Then he smiled a small smile. "I think I just figured out your true calling." Bolin wasn't sure how to reply to that, exactly. So he just returned the smile with a bigger smile.

(Location: Land of Spring)

Rin and her Genin team waited outside the Daimyo's hall, just like the leaders of the production crew, mainly Mr. Saito and the director. Everyone else had gone to the hotel to settle in and rest for a bit before setting up the next scene. The shinobi would done the same (the Genin less so than the Jōnin, since they were in a different land and all), but Mr. Saito had insisted that they come along. So now they were sitting outside the large, heavy wooden doors that would open to the hall.

"How long have we been out here now?" Tsukiko asked quietly. She was getting impatient just sitting on a bench like this. It was showing in how she was tapping her foot against the floor at a fast pace and how she was drumming her fingers against her knee. But even though she was bored, she knew enough to not raise her voice.

"About five minutes since the last time you asked that question," Hiro said, sitting on her left. He was just as bored as she was but was having a better time of not showing it, keeping it restraining to just tapping his fingers quietly against each other. "And stop asking, it's making time feel like it's going slower."

"It is not."

"It is for me."

"I can't do anything about that." They both turned their heads when they heard the sound of a holster being opened and a kunai being pulled out and saw Arashi doing just that. "Arashi, what are you doing?" she asked him.

"Relieving my boredom," he said, flipping the kunai into the air and catching it by the handle as it came down. He kept on doing that, watching the kunai careful as it twirled in the air.

"You're going to hurt yourself if you keep doing that," Hiro pointed out to him. All three of them sat on the same bench and anyone of them could get hit, but the dyed redhead most of all.

"No, I'm not."

"Alright, whatever," he said with a shrug. "Don't blame me if you're going to hurt yourself."

"What is taking so long!?" Tsukiko demanded, reflexively raising her voice and lowering it at the last possible second, making it sound like a puppy trying to bark and not getting it right. Luckily for her, the people passing by, all dressed in uniforms of the palace, did not spare her a second glance. "We've been sitting out here since forever!"

"It hasn't been that long, Tsukiko," Rin told her. "You're exaggerating." Their sensei was the only out of the entire group that wasn't sitting on a bench. She was leaning against the wall, her arms folded underneath her breasts. She was a picture of effortless coolness, something that could and would be envious of.

"Come on, Rin-sensei. I would've thought that going to see the Daimyo meant that we'd go right in, not wait around!" she protested.

"The Daimyo is a busy woman. She has to handle the day-to-day affairs of her country. Meeting with a movie production crew is probably a little low on the priority list for her," she said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"There's nothing we can do about it, Tsukiko," Hiro told her. "We might as well wait."

"We've been waiting."

"So keep waiting," Arashi told her, still flipping the kunai in the air. Now he was catching it with the other hand and tossing it back.

She took one look at that and instantly said, "Show off."

"Practicing," he came back with. "You should too."

"I do practice!" she said, her voice doing the puppy bark thing again.

"Children, behave," Rin told them both. They fell silent. Tsukiko settled for glaring at her teammate while he continued flipping the kunai, all the while Hiro was sitting between them both.

Luckily for them all, it didn't take long after that for the doors to open and an man's head, distinguished due to his trimmed mustache and his glasses, appeared from behind. "Her Grace will see you now," he declared.

"Finally," Tsukiko muttered as she stood up instantly. "I was beginning to think my butt was going sore."

"It wasn't," Hiro told her as he stood up too. "You're exaggerating again." Arashi stood as well, putting away the kunai back into its holster.

"Who asked you?"

"How's about we go inside, hm?" Rin all but ordered her students. They fell silent and fell in behind Mr. Saito as he walked through the doors.

The first thing they noticed about the hall was that it was understated. The size of it was about the same size of the doors and then added half to it. The walls were painted a muted shade of blue, not loud enough to be recognized but not so quiet that you ignore them. Light came in through the windows placed near the ceiling, leaving pools of them on the grey floor and purple carpet leading up to the stairs and the throne. Even the throne of the Land of Spring was understated, being little more than a wooden chair.

It was the person sitting on the throne that grabbed the attention of everyone. She stood straight like a pillar in the chair, her arms and hands resting on the chair's arms. Her white hair could've been bundled up into a formal knot of some kind but instead it fell down across her back like a river of ice. Her eyes were a darker hue of ice and they watched the approaching group with the aloofness that came with her station. She wore robes that were of high quality but were not gaudy. It was simply colored purple with chases of white.

She may have been the one sitting in the chair but she was not the only one upon the dais. Standing around her were people who could only be family, since they shared the same color of dark hair and her eyes. The few adults who didn't stood next to a certain person, silently symbolizing to all that they were married. One of them even had the same colored hair as Rin, even though it was a man.

When the Genin saw him, they looked back at their sensei. She nodded once but did not say anything. They were still walking up to the dais. Now wasn't the time to talk out loud. The group came to a stop three steps away from the bottom of the stairs. Mr. Saito took a knee. "Lady Kazahana," he said respectfully as everyone else followed his example.

"Mr. Saito," she said with a voice that was both rich and formal. "Welcome to my land."

"Thank you, my lady. It is an honor to be here."

"Indeed. Now perhaps you can tell me _why_ you are here?" she asked. There was a faint amusement in her voice along with a smile. It was enough to make everyone understand that she wasn't looking at the man like he was trying to invade.

"My production crew has come in order to shoots scenes for our movie, Bird Flight. I'm here today to ask that we be able to use some parts of the royal mansion to shoot a few scenes."

"Where, exactly?" she asked him.

"In corridors mostly, and perhaps your ballroom," he answered.

She scrunched up her face into a thinking expression. "Hmm, are you perhaps shooting the dance ambush scene?" she asked.

"Yes, my lady."

She turned her head to look over at Rin's brother. "What do you say, Kenji?" she asked him.

"Why is she asking him?" Tsukiko whispered to Hiro.

"Maybe he's her head of security or something," he whispered back.

"Shouldn't he be a shinobi then? I don't see a headband anywhere on him." She was trying to look without making it obvious so she didn't get a good look at him. But the obvious places showed no signs of a headband. Maybe he was hiding it behind his short jacket but she couldn't tell.

"Maybe he's not a shinobi," Arashi suggested quietly.

"Of course he's a shinobi, he's a Hatake!"

"Ssh!" both her teammates said to her when her voice threatened to rise. The last thing they needed was to cause a scene.

"I see no problems with them shooting around the palace," Rin's brother told the daimyo, idly scratching the stubble on his cheek. He was bigger than his sister and bulker (which the Genin expected since he was a man). But the stubble made him look a lot older than he actually way. It was a little odd to look at and would probably take some time to get used to. "But it would depend on how long they plan on being here." He eyed the producer and the director when he said that.

"Would you be referring to us in the palace or the country?" asked the director, looking the man straight in the green eyes.

"For now, the palace," he answered.

"That's easy enough to answer. We'll be in the palace for a week, if all things go as they should."

"And if they don't?"

"Could be an additional week," he admitted without shame. He knew his business and how to go about it. Not everything went according to plan and adaptation was essential.

"That is perfectible understandable," Lady Kazahana said. "I understand the perils of movie-making."

"How could she know that?" Arashi asked in a whisper.

"Have you not gone through the movie library in our house?" Tsukiko demanded just as quietly while still looking outraged.

"Hey, it's a big library and I'm still getting used to it."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Look, before she was the daimyo, she was an actress and a rather famous one at that. She went by Yukie Fujikaze."

"I think I've seen that name on a few of those movies," he said, going through his memories of him staring at their movie collection. What stood out was just long and tall the thing was, stretching from wall to wall and from ceiling to floor. The kid-friendly ones were at the bottom and they got more and more mature as it went up.

"Have you seen any of them?"

"No, I'm still going through the kid movies." He saw her roll her eyes again and scowled. "That's uncalled for."

"If you'd hurry it up, I wouldn't do it."

"Very well," the daimyo said. "I will permit you to film inside my palace."

"Thank you, my lady," Mr. Saito said to her.

"But on one condition," she finished.

Both Mr. Saito and the director winced at those words but that was all they did. "What would that condition be, my lady?" the director asked.

"My granddaughter, Yukie," she looked over at a girl to her right standing beside her parents with a bored expression that became interested at the sound of her name, "is interested in becoming an actress like I was. I want her to get a feel for what it's like to be on a set of a production before she starts trying to act."

Mr. Saito was quick to answer her. "That is no problem, Lady Kazahana. We have a shinobi squad from Konoha that can keep an eye on your granddaughter while she's on set."

"I am aware, I can see them." She moved her eyes towards them, especially Rin. "Hello, Rin. It's been some time since we saw each other last."

"It has, Lady Kazahana," Rin answered with a faint bow of her head.

She turned her head back to look at Kenji, raising a single eyebrow at him. "Rin," he greeted his sister instantly at the sight of that eyebrow.

"Kenji," she greeted him back. "How's life been treating you?"

"Good. You?" he asked.

"Good." It was a short greeting of siblings. If the Genin had anything to say about it, they would've said that it was tense. Questioning their sensei about her brother became an idea in side their heads. But they knew better than to do it now, so they put it away for later.

Mr. Saito continued with his talking. "With your permission, she would also help them in their duties."

"And what would their duties be?" Lady Kazahana asked him, even though her eyes were on Rin.

The Jōnin understand the silent question and promptly answered her. "They fetch and carry equipment for the crew, helping them set up the scenes, act as runners to pass on messages, and if I'm not there, provide as much professional advice on scenes as they can. Of course, since she is not a kunoichi, your granddaughter will not be expected to do that last one."

The granddaughter, who looked about a year or so younger, than the Genin, looked a bit putout from those words. The frown on her face was there but she didn't make a fuss about it, not in front of her family and guests. "That is acceptable," her grandmother declared. "When do you start?" she asked Mr. Saito.

"Tomorrow," he answered.

"Very well, I would like to meet the Genin that my granddaughter." She looked back at Rin with expectant eyes.

"Of course, my lady," she said respectfully. She motioned her team to step forward. "This is Hiro Hyūga, heir to the Hyūga clan," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder and then another on Tsukiko's, "this is Tsukiko Uchiha, the eldest child of the Nanadaime Hokage."

She looked down at the two of them with a smile. "I've met your grandparents, yours especially," she told Tsukiko.

"I think I've heard that story, ma'am," she replied. Her grandfather and grandmother often told her their Genin missions for bedtime stories. It was actually quite soothing to listen to. Hearing about how they restored the rightful Daimyo to the Land of Spring had been one they had told her many times.

"And this is Arashi," Rin said, gesturing with her head at the dyed redhead.

"Arashi what?" asked Kenji, noting the surprised look on the producer's and director's face.

"It would be Arashi Uzumaki," his mother-in-law told him, staring at the dyed redhead with searching eyes before smiling in satisfaction. "You almost look like him."

Arashi looked back at her, trying to figure out how she knew. He was tempted to say that she was confused and that he came from a different branch altogether. But when he realized that she had known Sasuke and Sakura and they had been in a team with his Jiji, he knew that it was pointless. So he chose to go with another option: groaning loudly and saying to the ceiling, "Do all the old people on this side of the planet know my Jiji!?"

(Location: Republic City)

As Korra ascended the steps to City Hall, her stomach was clenched with nervous knots. The new President of the United Republic had agreed to meet with her to discuss what was happening with the civil war. She didn't know how this was going to go. "I hope President Raiko listens to us," she told Varrick, who was walking beside her.

"Don't worry," he assured her. "I was a big contributor to his election campaign. Him and the other guy. Gotta hedge your bets," he said like it was no big thing. They walked through the front doors and into the building.

From the lobby, they were escorted by two security guards dressed in blue robes (making Korra briefly wonder if they were from the Northern Tribe) to the presidential office. Once inside, they took their positions behind the president. The room wasn't ostentatious like Tarrlok's office had been nor was it understated like Tenzin's was, rather it was somewhere in between. It was dominated with intricate murals on each wall. At the back to her right was a large desk and chair, standing over a luxurious red carpet.

Korra's first thought on the president was that he would've probably been more comfortable in a library rather than here. He had scholar written all over him, from his glasses to his neatly combed hair and mustache. "Hello, Mr. President," she greeted him as they came forward together and shook hands. She noted that there were no calluses on his hands, further telling her that he was not a warrior. "Sir, the Southern Water Tribe—"

"Just a second," He told her, stopping her before she could start. "Keep smiling." He turned his head to his right and she followed on her left, matching his speed. There was a camera there with a man standing behind it.

"_Why is there a camera here?"_ she asked silently, looking a little confusedly at the camera. _"Are we taking a picture?"_ That made no sense. She had come for a meeting, not to get her picture taken. Then she felt a sharp pain in her back. It made her flinch forward and smile awkwardly just as the camera flashed. When she looked back, she saw Varrick taking his hand away.

Once the picture had been taken, the cameraman left and they could get down to what the meeting really was about. They sat down on couches right in front of the desk. There was a table placed right between all three of them, yet there were no refreshments on it. "Now, how can I help the Avatar and my most _generous_ supporter?" Raiko asked them.

Korra decided that the best way to go about it was to be blunt and honest. "Unalaq's troops have invaded the South. We need you to send the United Forces to help."

"I'm very concerned by what's happening down there. But I don't think it's the Republic's place to interfere with internal Water Tribe matters."

"Unalaq isn't even the rightful ruler of the Water Tribe. He lied his way onto the Northern throne."

"Mr. President, the Republic is _already_ involved in this conflict," Varrick told him. "The North attacked our cultural center last night."

"Believe me, we are doing everything we can to bring the people responsible to justice," he assured them both.

It wasn't assuring and Korra let it show in her voice. "'The people responsible?'" she repeated. "Who else would it be but the Northerners?"

"Now, I know that when you're young, it's hard to keep perspective—"

"You're the one who's lost perspective," she accused him, standing up from her chair. "I'm trying to save my tribe, and you're taking pictures."

"Sending troops is not something I can do at this time. But I promise I will work with Unalaq and the South for a diplomatic solution. Now, I'm sorry," he stood up too, "but my mind is made up. This meeting is over."

"My family is going to be wiped out, and it'll be on _your_ head for doing _nothing_ about it," she declared. Once that was said, she walked out of the room alongside Varrick. Neither of them bothered to look back at the man as they left.

They stepped out into the hallway and Korra closed the door with a slam. She was so angry that she could've literally started breathing fire. "So, I take it that the meeting didn't go well?" Naruto's voiced asked from her right.

She turned and saw him standing there, leaning against the wall with his hand on his weapon. "What are you doing here?" she asked him.

"Waiting for an answer and your reaction," he replied, "still waiting, as a matter of fact."

"He won't send troops to the South and drive Unalaq away!" she told him, giving him his answer. "He wants to try and find a 'diplomatic' solution." There was no way to make the loathing in that one word any more thick. There was a war going on and he wanted to find a peaceful way to it? What are needed were warriors!

"That's not surprising," he remarked. "In fact, I'd say that was the right choice for him."

"So you agree with him too?" She shouldn't have been surprised. He didn't come down to the South Pole. He hadn't been through all of what happened. But still, it stung that he would think that. "How could you? My grandfather was your friend and you would let the South slip into turmoil because of this?"

"Korra, see it from the president's perspective."

"No!" She turned around and started walking away from him.

"Did I say you could leave?" he asked, his voice stopping her dead in her tracks. She knew that voice. It was the voice that ordered you to stop whatever it was you were doing and pay attention unless you wanted to end up hurt. "Turn around, now." She did that without even thinking about it.

When she did, he started lecturing her. "The office of the President is a new thing and he is the first to sit there. He is the trend-setter and people will be looking at him for what the presidential seat will be like. Now, you're asking him to intervene in a matter that technically doesn't have anything to do with the United Republic. If he tries the diplomatic tactic first and it is refused, he'll be seen as the man who tried to negotiate peace between the tribes. If he goes straight into the fight with the United Republic forces, he'll be seen as a war-monger intruding in business that doesn't require him. If that happens, future presidents will also be viewed with that stigma. It will lead to distrust and doubt in the office of the presidency. Once that sets in, it will go on and on and on until we're back where we started in figuring out how to run the Republic."

Korra felt like she was a child again, listening to a lecture from one of her teachers that sounded like they knew better than she did. It was demeaning and infuriating. "I don't give a damn about any of that!" she shouted at him. "You shouldn't either! Image doesn't have anything to do with this. He's just a spineless coward who can't do what is right!"

"Your right or his?" he asked her. She stared at him for a long second. She couldn't give him an answer. How could she? It was an answer that was obvious! How could he not see that? If he couldn't see, she was wasting her time. So she turned around again and walked away with an angry.

Both Varrick and Naruto watched her leave without saying anything. It was only when she turned the corner and went out of sight that the tribesman chose to speak. "She's hot-tempered but her heart is in the right place," he said.

"Are you making excuses for her?" Naruto asked him.

"No. I'm just disappointed with the president. I help the guy out and he can't even help with this one favor? Talk about a letdown." That hadn't been the way he wanted the meeting to go. Now he would have to try some other way to get the help needed. As he started thinking ideas over, he noticed the look of patience on the old man's face. It was an odd look, one that prompted a response. "What?"

"Perhaps Korra might've had a chance to win over Reiko if you hadn't been there," he told him. "Or did you miss the fact that he was being sarcastic with you about his _generous_ supporter?"

He said it the same way Reiko had, letting Varrick figure it out right away. "He knew?" he asked, trying to keep his voice down. "I never told him that!" It would've been virtually suicide if he had told the president he funded both sides. "How did he find out?"

The old man rolled his eyes at him, derision evident. "Varrick, you have your moments of genius. But you also have your moments of stupidity and they sometimes eclipse the other moments, quite fantastically so."

"What?"

"Did you really think that the man wasn't going to have you thoroughly checked out when you came to him and offered him your support out of the blue once he was in office and could do it? Sometimes hedging your bets will bite you in the ass, Varrick. You should have learned that from Sokka," he told the man. The tribesman opened his mouth to say something, only to get a hand in his face. "Stop, don't bother trying to tell me something. It will be an excuse and I don't want to hear it." He put his hand down. "And you wonder why you weren't chosen as the Paragon."

That remark angered Varrick and he scowled at the Fire Paragon. "I was told why I wasn't chosen. Sokka supposedly saw too much of himself in me." He used supposedly because he mostly found the idea to be completely stupid. No man was like another. Each was unique and their own. Even the Avatar followed that rule.

"He did," Naruto agreed. "I will not lie, Varrick. You and Sokka are so similar that it is very scary. You're both from the Southern Water Tribe, you're not Benders so you were forced to rely on your wits, you have an uncanny grasp of weaponry and tactics, and your mouth and actions have landed you in more trouble than the norm for a person."

"I'm not a normal person," Varrick declared. He had always known that and felt that it had been proven when Sokka had taken him on as a student. When that fell through, he proved it himself by becoming a very successful businessman.

"And there lies the reason why Sokka didn't choose you. He had the decency to apologize for what got him into trouble or make up for it when the apology didn't work, even if it was years after the fact. You, on the other hand, just keep on mouthing off and getting yourself into more trouble." His piece said Naruto turned around and left him standing there. "Wipe that dirty look off your face, Varrick," he ordered without turning his head back to look at the tribesman's look. "Everything I've said was the truth."

* * *

"I can't believe the President is doing nothing!" Korra fumed as she stomped back and forth her boyfriend's apartment. It had been the closest place to City Hall and she wanted to vent somewhere someone would be able to hear her. "H-He doesn't even care!" she told Mako, still pacing, "and Naruto! That guy actually supports the man and trying to give some crap reasons why he couldn't do it."

"_That's treading into dangerous territory,"_ Mako thought when he heard her say that from where he sat on the blue, quite comfy, couch. He was certain that whatever reasons the Paragon of the Fire Nation had, none of them were crap. "I'm sure the president cares," he tried to say to Korra, "but he can't just tell his people to go fight a battle at the South Pole that has nothing to do with them. Maybe that was what Lord Naruto was trying to say."

She stopped in her stomping at those words and looked over at him. "How could you take _their_ side?" she demanded, incredulous at the thought of it.

"What's with you and sides?" he asked her. "Why do you always think I'm working against you?"

"Well, you're not _helping_ me! I'm trying to get troops to the South. What are _you_ doing?"

"I'm doing my _job_," he declared, standing up. He wasn't a kid mucking about the streets nor was he a Pro-bender that could relax in the off-season. He was a member of the Republic City Police. Right now, that he was trying to figure out who had been responsible for the explosion last night.

"Well, _excuse me_, officer," Korra said with loud biting sarcasm. "Don't let me stand in the way of you writing tickets. I'm just trying to save the world!"

"Well, you wouldn't have to if you didn't keep messing it up!" he shouted back at her, his temper beginning to run hot.

Her temper was running hot too. Suddenly, she didn't want to be in the apartment. "I can't talk to you when you're like this," she told him before walking to the door and through it, slamming it shut loudly.

Mako sat back down on the couch with an angry huff of breath. "You're the one who's like this!" he shouted through the walls at his girlfriend. If she heard him, she didn't reply. He didn't go after her. Instead he chose to just wait there until his temper cooled down.

(Location: Land of Spring)

Tsukiko's arms were burning once more. They had been at that area of feeling so many times that she should probably have not given it much thought. But this was approaching a new boundary of the burning. "I don't think I can hold this much longer," she told Arashi. He was standing beside her and holding the same kind of lighting equipment she had.

But while she had the head, he had the base. He also wasn't complaining as much as she was. "Suck it up, Tsukiko," he told her just as quietly as she was. "I know they're heavy but it's no use complaining about it."

"What's taking them so long?" she demanded, turning her head to look at the part of the crew they were helping out. They were in one of the corridors readying it for one of the scene. She didn't know which scene it was exactly. All she knew was that they were sure taking their sweet time with it. She had been standing there with the lighting head in her arms for twenty minutes now and it was getting close to thirty!

"I don't know."

"Where's Hiro?"

"I don't know."

"Fat lot of help you are," she told him with a frown mixed with a glare.

"You know he's giving the princess a quick tour of everything." That was the only reason their teammate wasn't with and suffering alongside them.

"A quick tour is five, maybe ten minutes. He's been gone for a half hour!" Okay, maybe it was as long as she had been holding this piece of equipment but it added to the effect.

"You're being ridiculous," Arashi told her whilst eyeing the crew. They didn't seem to have heard her. "Besides, you're the one who didn't want to take her on the tour."

"Neither did you," she fired back instantly.

"I had a reason." He was going to stay in the background for as long as he could. He didn't want to be anywhere near the front.

"So did I," she said.

"What's that?"

"I refuse to be the guide for that little twit."

"Twit?" he repeated, his eyes showing his confusion. "I thought she was…polite." He wouldn't say rude, he didn't know her that well. He was going to put her attitude to just being around new people she didn't know.

But his teammate had other opinions. "You're a guy; of course you'd think that."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"You think that because a girl smiles at you, you think she's nice? Got news for ya, backwater boy, that doesn't happen," she told him.

"I didn't say she was nice, I said that she was polite."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course you did. And you think there's a difference between the two."

"There is a difference." He knew that much long before he came to Konoha. He had to know the difference when it came to unknown gang members.

"Whatever," she decided, choosing to focus back on the pain in her arms. It helped her ignore how she noticed their "guest" had been looking Arashi up and down when they had made their introduction to one another. She had been politely cold with Hiro and even more so with her, but Arashi had her full attention.

They waited for another five minutes before someone finally said, "Where's that last light stand?"

"The shinobi have it," someone else answered.

"Well where are the shinobi?"

"Over here!" Tsukiko called out, immediately relieved to be called on.

The crew swung their head to her voice. "Get over here then."

They walked over to them and tried handing off the equipment. "Here you go," she said to the crewmate who first spoke, holding out the head to be taken.

He looked at the head and then at her. "Why don't you try putting it together?" he suggested.

Both Genin were surprised by the suggestion and it showed on their faces. They weren't expecting that. They just thought that they were handing off the equipment. "Aren't you supposed to have training to do something like this?" Arashi asked him.

Somehow, the entire crew started to chuckle at that. "Technically speaking, yes," the guy said.

"Technically?" he repeated.

"Haven't you ever helped your family put together a lamppost?"

That was a question he couldn't answer and one look at Tsukiko told him that she couldn't either. So he tried something else. "Are you going to let us just figure it out or are you going to help?"

"Of course we're going to help, we're not heartless," the man replied, actually sounding offended at the question. He folded his arms and looked at the two of them with disappointment in his eyes and a frown on his lips, which actually made his beard droop a little bit.

"Sorry," the dyed redhead apologized, feeling bad for asking.

"Ah, it's alright. Look, you start and if you have any questions, you just go ahead ask." He sounded friendly and seemed to have lost what made him upset. Both Genin looked at each other again. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with what was being suggested. So they started trying to assemble the light on their own.

(Location: Republic City)

"_Agni have mercy, this isn't good,"_ Asami thought to herself as she looked over the latest report walking down the docks. Despite all she had tried to do for her company, it just hadn't been enough. Future Industries was going to fall through. She was going to have to do something drastic, hence why she was at the docks. She barely looked up in time to see Korra walked right in front of her. "Huh?" she breathed out in surprise. "Hey! In a hurry?" she asked the Avatar.

Korra came to a stop and looked back at her. "Sorry, I have to talk to Varrick."

"Yeah, me too," she replied. Nothing else was said as they started walking together to their destination.

The ship was still docked where they had left it. There was no one to stop them from coming aboard, so they did. The first place they decided to look was the bridge. They got lucky there, in a manner of speaking. Varrick was there, along with Zhu Li and an awestruck Bolin with Pabu on his shoulder, but he had a blindfold over his eyes and a bow in hand with an arrow nocked. He released the arrow just as they came up the stairs, surprising them both, and hitting the target beside them, already full of arrows.

Varrick took off the blindfold and saw them first. "Oh, hello!" he said in greeting before turning his attention to Bolin. "See? I told you I could do it."

"Sorry I ever doubted you," Bolin said, sounding very impressed.

Korra decided to cut through the chitchat and get right to business. "We can't wait for the President to act. We need those troops _now_," she declared.

"And my company is about to go under," Asami said, following her example. "I have to find a way to make some sales."

"Right, okay," said Varrick as he handed the bow back to Zhu Li. "Got it. Idea storm! Get the supplies!" he told his assistant and pointing to a cabinet. She bowed and backed away at the same time, something that was actually impressive to watch happen. "You're about to get an inside look at how Varrick Global Industries stays at the forefront of imagination innovation, _or_ 'imagivation!' That's trademarked, pal," he told the girls.

Zhu Li came back with a rack, pads with hooks on them, and a plate of chili peppers. Both Korra and Asami were unsure at what this was all needed for but didn't say anything. Fortunately for them, Varrick was happy to explain. "Brain work requires increased circulation," he told them as he took a chili pepper and popped it into his mouth whole. His face began to redden, sweat appeared on his brow, and his eyes began to water. "Let's do this!"

The pads were already on his legs and he used them to hold himself upside down on the rack. Zhu Li knelt beside him with a pen and paper at the ready. "Okay, here come the ideas. Fast and furious." His forehead was beginning to redden from all the blood rushing to it. "Pink mint lemon tea. Radio for _pets_. Uh, hand shoes." It was beginning to sound like he was just sprouting random things that were bordering on madness when he stopped and said, "Hold on a tic. We don't need the President to go to the South. We just need the troops! Let's go straight to them! If there's one thing I know about troops, it's that they love _fighting_."

That sounded like the first viable idea to Korra. "I know General Iroh. He might be willing to help us," she told him.

"A man on the inside," he remarked with a grin. "Perfect! And you need to sell some mecha tanks," he said to Asami. "I know some people who need them. We'll ship 'em South."

"That's perfect!" the Avatar agreed, looking over at her. "You'll be making money for your company _and_ you'll be helping to defeat Unalaq." Asami smiled a little at the prospect of it all, glad for the support.

"It's true," the tribesman hanging upside down said. "If you can't make money during a war, you just flat-out _cannot_ make money."

"It's dangerous on the seas right now," Asami pointed out to him, "but I'm willing to try if you are."

"It'll be crazy risky, but I love crazy risky!" he proclaimed with a mad grin. "End storm!" He started swinging himself back and forth before coming off the rail with a flip and landing squarely on his feet. "Zhu Li, get those other ideas to research and development. I want prototypes by next week," he told his assistant. She ran off without a word.

"I don't understand why it's so hard to get Republic City to support the South," Korra complained. She knew that Naruto had tried to explain something to her about it but the fact that he was taking the president's side clouded his judgement on it.

"Don't worry, I'm already working on that," he assured her as he walked over to a screen and a projectile. "As soon as people see _this_, they'll be lining up to fight Unalaq. Zhu Li, do the, uh— the thing." She came back and turned on the projector, casting a beam of light on the screen. Within that light was a picture showing Northern soldiers standing in rows at attention.

Bolin leaned his head closer to Korra. "Don't freak out. It's not real," he whispered to her.

"I had a film crew documenting the entire Northern invasion," Varrick explained to them as the picture changed to a moving picture of soldiers on the ships in the harbor. But then it quickly changed to Eska lowering her hood and then glaring at the screen.

"Ahhh!" screamed Bolin at the sight of her, lifting his hands to hide his eyes while Pabu jumped down and ran away. But as soon as it came, it stopped. "Sorry," he apologized. "I keep doing that."

"We're gonna cut this footage together with scenes we shoot of our superstar Bolin here playing a Southern Water Tribe hero _battling_ the evil Unalaq," Varrick explained while the screen kept going. "_No one_ will root for the North after they see 'The Adventures of Nuktuk: _Hero_ of the _South_!'"

As he finished, Bolin flexed his arms to try and look more intimidating. It worked a little, until he looked at Korra and Asami and said, "I'm Nuktuk! What do you think?" Their looks of disbelief were their answer.

* * *

The only time Mako had moved from the couch was so he could grab a ledger of known criminals. He was flipping through it with no real kind of urgency, just doing it to really take his mind off of Korra and their fight. But as he kept doing it the faces started to blur together. _"Maybe I should take a break,"_ he thought to himself. But he kept going. Something was nagging at him about what happened at the center.

He barely heard the door to the apartment open or his brother walking in. "Oh, man, you should have seen Varrick today. That guy is a genius," Bolin proclaimed.

"Uh-huh," he said without looking up from the book.

"He's gonna help Asami sell her mecha tanks to the South, and he came up with this great idea for Korra to get General Iroh to fight Unalaq without President Raiko ever even knowing."

That got his attention. "What?" he asked his brother. "That's a terrible idea!"

But he kept going like he hadn't heard him. "And he's gonna put me in the movers as this hero, Nuktuk!" He took a dramatic pose and started quoting what Varrick had said. "He's a man of action, but he's got a heart of gold. He was born in the tundra."

It just sounded like one of his usual fantasies and Mako didn't have the time for it. "Look, I'm trying to do something that's actually important here," he snapped at Bolin, stopping him from going any further.

At his brother's rebuke, he stopped. "Oh. Oh, sorry. Uh, sure. What is it?" he asked, making his way around the coffee table to sit down on the couch.

Mako put the book on the table but kept staring at it. "Something doesn't make sense about this bombing. I just don't buy that the Northern Water Tribe was behind it." Bolin took the book and flipped to the next page. Mako took a look at the page. For a moment, it looked like the faces were all the same again. But as he drew his eyes across them all, his vision suddenly cleared. "Wait a second! That's him!" He pointed to the picture at the top; at the man he remembered exchanging fire with that night. "That's the guy that attacked the center! I gotta go show this to Beifong!" He grabbed the book and stood up, already heading for the door.

"Glad I could help," Bolin called after him as he slammed the door closed. "Nuktuk saves the day again!" he declared proudly and theatrically.

(Location: Southern Air Temple)

"All right, Meelo," Tenzin began as he stood beside his son in front of his lemur, "the first thing you need to do as a trainer is establish _dominance_. You are in charge. Never forget that. Now call Poki."

"Poki, come here!" Meelo commanded, looking at the lemur and pointing to the ground in front of him. But the lemur just scratched his ear. He walked forward a couple of steps and said again, "Poki." That was when the lemur leapt up at him and started moving around his body, making him giggle as he collapsed to the ground. "Poki, no!" he tried to say while still giggling.

"Meelo…you're rewarding him for bad behavior," his father said with a stern expression.

"But he's tickling me," he protested. It wasn't a good argument.

The rest of the early afternoon went on like that, trying to have Poki obey simple commands. It wasn't easy and there were more failures than successes. But while Tenzin had been expecting it, Meelo hadn't. He soon declared that he was tired and that he and Poki were going to take a nap. They were all set and ready to sleep when Tenzin noticed that the lemur was in the bed too.

"You can't let him nap in the bed with you," he explained to Meelo. "You are the alpha lemur. He has to sleep on the floor." Meelo was disappointed but he did as he was told. When he put Poki on the floor, he looked at the lemur sadly. "I know it's hard," Tenzin told him as Poki jumped back up onto the bed, "but it's for the best."

"No, Poki, this is my bed," Meelo told the lemur as he put it back down on the ground. "You sleep on the floor." Poki just looked up at him with big sad eyes but he wouldn't budge. It was only when the lemur laid down that he did the same. "Being alpha lemur is lonely," he declared sadly before falling asleep.

"I know," his father said, remembering his own training under his father. It had been the exact same thing he was putting his son through. But it turned out for the best and that was why he was doing it.

(Location: Land of Spring)

"So tell me," said the daimyo's granddaughter as she looked at Arashi. "Have you traveled much? I've traveled all around the world."

"_I doubt that,"_ he thought while he and his teammates stood by, waiting to be called on for something. The scene was being shot and they waited by the wall, trying to stay out of the way. Well, they were trying to stay out of the way; the granddaughter just couldn't stay silent. Oddly, she chose to talk to him and not the others.

"Well?" she asked.

"Ma'am," he started.

"Ah," she stopped. "I told you, call me Yukie." She gave him a smile, a pretty thing.

"I don't think I know you well enough to call you that, ma'am."

"That can be fixed." Tsukiko was giving her a dirty look for some reason he didn't know.

"Cut!" the director roared out. The scene stopped, the actors stepping out of characters. Those who needed makeup reapplied had the artists come over to them.

"What's going on?" Hiro asked, looking around to see everything.

"I don't know, I thought that the scene was going fine," Arashi remarked. He could hear the actors speak their lines. No one had stumbled or botched anything (they already knew that the director didn't have any of that). "Maybe it was a positioning thing."

"Think it's going to be a problem?"

He looked right at the Hyūga. "I know what you're thinking, Hiro. I'm not going up there."

"I didn't say anything," he protested mildly. However, there was a small smile on his lips as he spoke.

Arashi saw the smile and scowled. "You were thinking it. Don't try denying it; I see your little smile."

"Guys, take a look at the clock," Tsukiko said. They did that. The digital clock positioned just so everyone in the corridor could read 12:01pm. It was time for lunch.

"Oh," the dyed redhead said, feeling a little more than stupid.

"Yeah, oh," Hiro agreed.

"Does that mean something?" Yukie asked them all but keeping her attention on Arashi.

"It's the lunch break," the other girl there told her.

"Hey, where's the food!?" someone shouted in an outraged voice. The three Genin swung their heads to where the voice came from. It was one of the actors, standing off screen. He was looking around for something but wasn't finding it. He was getting angrier the longer he was looking.

A quick look in the corridor showed them that there were no tables for food. There was no food at all. "Didn't someone get the order for the kitchens?" Tsukiko asked in a hushed whisper. "There was supposed to be food here!"

"I didn't get anything," Hiro told her.

"Neither did I," Arashi said. "I thought it was passed off to…" He stopped and looked over at the princess. They all did.

"What?" she asked when she noticed the stares. In the background, the angry voices were beginning to get louder.

"Did they give you the paper for lunch?" Tsukiko asked.

She thought about it. "One man did give me something when we started," she said to them but also to herself. "But it was blank and I assumed he was trying to be cute since it was my first day. I do not abide such things."

"Do you still have it?"

She looked at the Uchiha like she had lost her common sense. "No, of course not," she answered. "I threw it away the second the man's back was turned."

"_What!?"_ thought all three of the Genin. How could she do that?

"What are we going to do!?" Hiro demanded in a breathy whisper. His eyes watched as the confusion initially set amongst the cast and crew was being replaced with anger quicker and quicker.

"What's the big deal?" Yukie asked them. She looked like there was nothing wrong and that they were being rather foolish.

It made Tsukiko want to punch her. "We need that list so they can eat, you—" She stopped when she realized that she was about to insult royalty. Yukie saw her stop and smirked at her. The urge returned in a big way.

Hiro took over for her. "We need that list so the cast and crew can have lunch, Yukie," he told her. "No lunch mean angry people and that's never a good thing."

"Okay, so go get the food," she told him like it was the most obvious thing right then and there.

"We don't have the list. We don't even know where the kitchen is."

"Oh, that part's easy." She looked down to the left, pointing with her finger. "You just go down that, make a right, another right, a left, and then go straight until you smell the food. When you can smell it, it should be right around the corner."

Tsukiko gave her an incredulous look. "That doesn't help!"

"I gave you instructions. How hard would it be for you to follow them? I thought you were a kunoichi?"

All sense of being respectful and polite fled her mind at that veiled question. "Why you pompous little—"

"It's okay," Hiro said, stopping before she could even start, placing a hand on her raising fist. "I managed to get a map of the palace. I think we can find the kitchens."

She stopped, took a deep breath, and lowered the fist. "Alright, Hiro and I will go find the kitchen and make sure that they get at least a platter of snacks going to bring back. Arashi, you run crowd control."

"What? Me?" he repeated, caught off-guard by what she said.

"Yes, you," she repeated. "Glad to see your ears are still working."

He began to feel uncomfortable with the idea. "I'll go get the food from the kitchen, Hiro—"

"I have the map," the Hyūga said, already holding it in his hands.

"Then Tsukiko—"

"I am not staying here any longer with this twit," she looked at Yukie, "than I have to."

"What did you just call me?" the princess demanded with an enraged expression.

But the Uchiha paid her no mind. "Handle them and handle her. We'll be back before you know it." She left him there with the daimyo's granddaughter without a second thought to him. Hiro at least had the decency to give him a sorry shrug before leaving.

Arashi just stared at their backs. _"How could they just leave me like this?"_ he asked.

Yukie was having different thoughts, mostly directed at Tsukiko's retreating backside and mostly consisting of _"Bitch."_ Those thoughts vanished when she saw Arashi heading towards the crew and she followed.

The cast really did seem angry and she didn't understand why. So she made a small mistake, it wasn't that big of a deal. She barely paid attention to the scene as the only interesting Genin of the three explained to the crew that it was a mishap on their part and they were taking care of it. "Whose fault was it?" the director asked him.

"Hers," he replied, pointing his thumb at her. She stared at him in shock, unable to even consider that he would throw her to the wolves like that; realizing too late that the attention was already focused on her.

(Location: Republic City)

At Police Headquarters, everyone was busy doing their jobs and trying to ensure the city would last another day. Everyone except for a pair of detectives named Lu and Gang. They were content to sit at their desks and eavesdrop on the meeting going on in the chief's office. It was an easy thing to do since they were so close to it. "How did this Cultural Center attack happen right under your nose?" they heard President Raiko asked the chief. "And why haven't you arrested the Northerners responsible?"

"We're working on it, sir," she answered.

"Well, work harder! If you don't get any results soon, I'm going to find someone who can."

The doors to the precinct opened and they barely noticed that the "Super Cop" Mako walked in. "I got a break in the bombing case," he told them, walking up to their desks with a photo in hand. "I I.D.'d the guy I saw at the scene."

"That's great, Mako," Lu said, mispronouncing his name.

"Yeah, you better run that in to Beifong right now," Gang told him. Compared to his partner, who was short enough to fit comfortably in his chair, he was tall enough to have to scooch down to get comfortable.

"You think?" the Firebender asked, a little unsure.

"Sure. You're gonna be a hero!" the short one of the pair told him. He looked at the photo like it would inspire confidence. They watched him walk up to the chief's door and knock on it, making their special handshake once he had gone past them.

He walked through the door and almost instantly the chief blew up on him. "What makes a _rookie_ beat cop think he can interrupt _my_ meeting with the _President_?" she demanded. Outside, the two detectives started laughing.

"I'm sorry, I just—um, I found something out about the bombing," they heard the beat cop tried to explain, which just added to their hilarity.

"Well, give it to Lu and Gang, you moron. Now get out!"

They stopped their laughing as he came back out. "Sorry. Was she busy?" Lu asked him, making it sound like an innocent question.

Mako didn't answer, choosing to slam the photo on Gang's desk. "This is the guy I saw sneaking out of the building right before the explosions. He's a member of the Agni Kais. Someone must have hired him to make it look like _Northerners_ attacked the Cultural Center."

The tall one of the pair took the picture and looked at it for a second. "Hmm," he said to himself, making it sound like he was considering it. But then he opened a drawer and dropped it in without a second thought.

The rookie of the three was a little surprised at the move but didn't say anything about it. Instead, he chose to ask about the case. "Did you learn anything about that remote control I found at the scene? That's gotta be the key to finding out who's really responsible."

"Listen, kid, it was the _Northern_ Water Tribe, okay?" Lu told him.

"Yeah, give it a rest, Super Cop," Gang agreed. The way they saw it, it was a cut and dry case, easy to open and easier to shut.

He stared at the both of them for a second before giving up and going over to his own desk. He sat down just as the door to the chief's office opened and closed, letting the president walk out, his bodyguards following behind him. He stood back up at attention and the president stopped in front of him. "I've heard good things about you. You've made some big triad busts for a rookie."

"Thank you, sir," he replied.

"And you're dating the Avatar, right?"

"Yes, sir," he answered, even though he felt like he was about to be caught on something.

"I'm concerned that she might be getting some bad advice from Varrick. You wouldn't happen to know if they're plotting anything that might compromise the security of Republic City, would you, officer?" He couldn't look the man in the eye. "Let me remind you that you've sworn an oath. You're a man of the law before anything else."

"Yes, sir," he said for a second time.

"Well, keep up the good work." He turned and walked towards the door.

Mako stood there, just standing at attention behind his desk. A silent battle began inside of him. _"Agni burn you, Bolin,"_ he thought to himself. _"You shouldn't have told me what Varrick was planning."_ He didn't want to do what he was even considering at the moment but the man reminded him of what he had done when he joined the force. There was no way out of it. The battle was decided. "Wait, there's something you should know." The president stopped and looked back.

* * *

"Thank you for seeing me, General Iroh," Korra said to the man. They stood on the deck of his personal battleship and the fleet's flagship, the _Scarred Dragon_.

"What can I do?" Iroh asked her.

"The South needs military support before Unalaq wipes them out completely, but the President is refusing to give the order. So I decided to come to you directly." It was a quick, blunt, and honest answer.

It was just the way he liked it. "I see." He started to think it over and come up with a plan. "Well, suppose I were to take the fleet South on some _routine_ training maneuvers. And let's say we were to _accidentally_ run into a hostile Northern blockade. We'd have no choice but to defend ourselves, wouldn't we?"

"I guess you wouldn't," she replied, catching the drift immediately. "Thank you!" She felt elated. Finally, someone was going to help.

"Swapping old war stories?" the president asked as he came onto the deck, Korra twisted her head back to look at him, stunned to see him there.

"Mr. President," Iroh said, saluting right and standing at ease.

"I hope you're not planning to take any military action without an order from your commander-in-chief?" he asked with a frown on his face.

"Of course not, sir," the general answered.

"Good," he said, "Because if a single vessel leaves this harbor without my say-so, you'll be court-martialed. Am I clear?"

"Crystal, sir," Iroh said, his voice showing no emotion other than understanding the orders.

Hearing the answer he wanted to hear, he turned his attention onto Korra. "Your activities here are bordering on insurrection. The Avatar does not command the military of the Republic. _Don't_ go behind my back again," he warned her, pointing his finger at her. "As you were, General Iroh," he said to the general before leaving the ship.

Korra waited until the hatch that led back inside the ship closed with a slam before bursting out with, "I _hate_ that guy!"

"I'm sorry," Iroh apologized. "My hands are officially tied."

Her anger dwindled at his words. She wasn't angry at him so it would've been pointless to throw it at his feet. "I understand. Thanks anyway."

"But you should talk to the Fire Lord," he suggested with a brighter tone of voice. "My mother and grandfather have _always_ been good friends with the Avatar, and the Southern Water Tribe. I'm sure they'll be willing to help."

It sounded like an idea and a good one at that. "Thank you, General."

* * *

Bolin stood in front of a whole camera crew and Varrick whist standing on snowy background listening to easy music. He probably would've felt nervous about the entire idea, if it wasn't for the fact that he had some concerns. "Wouldn't I be _cold_ wearing this outfit in the snow?" he asked Varrick, looking down for a brief moment at said outfit. It was a vest about a size too small made of white fur, blue shots, boots, cloth bracers, a bone necklace, and a large club. He had seen nothing like this down in the South Pole and he was certain if people from there saw him looking like this, they would laugh their heads off. He was a little surprised that Varrick hadn't thought of that.

But the man didn't seem to care about what people might think. "Ah, Nuktuk is _never_ cold," he declared after finishing looking at him through his own lens (AKA his hands).

He would've said something in protest if Ginger hadn't walked past in a Tribal outfit that left nothing to the imagination. "Ohhh," he said in semi-longing, "Hey, Ginger."

She didn't say anything back to him. She just walked up to beside Varrick and flipped her red hair. "How about that, huh?" asked Varrick to Bolin, pointing at her and her hair. "It's the latest product in my Varri-manageable Hair Line: Varri-dye! We get some shots of her using it before Unalaq kidnaps her; I _guarantee _we sell a million cases week one."

Suddenly the sounds of a polar bear dog thundered before it as Naga came riding in carrying Korra. "Bolin, I need you to watch Naga while I'm gone," she said without preamble, hopping down from the saddle and running up to him.

"Where you going?" he asked her

"The Fire Nation," she answered. "I'm going to try to get them to help the South." She turned her attention to Varrick. "I need a boat."

"What happened with General Iroh?" He had thought that was a fire-proof plan.

She frowned. "He was going to help, but then President Raiko showed up. Someone must have tipped him off, but I can't figure it out. No one knew about it except for us and Asami." She wondered for a moment if Asami had ratted them out but dismissed it. She had as much as she did riding on this. She wouldn't sell them out.

"And Mako," Bolin added idly with a smile on his lips.

"Mako?" she repeated before turning to glare at the Earthbender in Water Tribe getup. A part of her brain wondered why exactly was he wearing something like that but most of it was focused on what he had just said. Somehow, it made sense and she didn't want it to be so.

"What?" he asked, looking confused at her face. But then he connected the dots too and realized what it meant. Instead of worrying about it, he put on a confident face. "There's no way Mako would have told," he told her. She just turned and stormed out of the room as quickly as she came in, leaving him with a "Right?"

* * *

Asami climbed the last flight of stairs that led to her sensei's floor. The steps were steep and old, creaking and groaning with every step. When she first started coming here to learn, she had thought she would wake up the building with every step she took. But now she knew it would take more than that to even rouse the tenants. She had only met a few of them in the halls. None of them ever look down at her for being her father's daughter, instead giving her a respectful "Miss."

She walked up to Naruto's door and knocked on it before using the key given to her. She walked in and found Naruto sitting in his chair talking into the telephone. One eye caught her and a finger raised up to tell her to wait. She did and he finished up. "Alright thanks, Zuko. Yeah, I'll see you and Izumi at the dinner. Goodbye."

She waited until he put the phone back into the cradle before speaking. "You know Fire Lord Zuko?"

He gave her an eyeful as he stood up. "I'm his brother-in-law. Of course I know him."

"Oh, right." She felt stupid for asking that question. Of course they would know one another. "Sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?"

"Well, it was a stupid question."

He regarded for a moment. Then he nodded. "Good. You admitted it."

"It was obvious."

"True, but some stupid questions are not obvious and even when they are discovered; people will refuse to see them."

"Uh…is that a Paragon lesson or a life lesson?" She had rapidly figured out that learning from Naruto didn't exactly mean she would only learn about being a Paragon. She had learned some life lessons in the process, or at least she thought she had.

The reason for that was because he never gave her a straight answer. He would just look at her for a moment, like he was now, and then say nothing about it. True to form, he just said, "Come," and walked right past her through the door. She followed him out the apartment, closing the door behind her. Together, they walked up the stairs to the roof.

She let him go out first, having remembered the first time she walked out first and almost lost her head in the process. It was the first of his unprovoked attacks. "So it's another spar today?" she asked him as she followed him out, leaving the door open with a small stone. The day was nice, if not a little nippy.

"Yes," he said, turning to face her. "Today we will see how you fare against an opposite style."

Once, she might've asked him what that meant. But now, she was able to figure out what he was saying, most of the time. "You attack with Firebending; I defend with Waterbending and so on and so forth."

"Yes." He set aside his weapon and moved into a solid Earthbending stance, arms held parallel to his shoulders, hands clenched into fists.

She would have moved into an Airbending stance, keeping her feet light and her hands in peaceful gesture, but she had a question on her mind when she saw his move, something he had done many times before. "Naruto-sensei, why haven't you ever attacked with your sword?"

"You asked this question now?" He didn't sound surprised, more like mildly exasperated.

"When else is better?"

"Hmm, fair enough," he conceded, still holding his stance. "I don't use my sword because I wish to ensure that you live through the spar."

He said the words casually but they still made her spine shiver. "Are you that good?" she asked him.

"Yes. If I draw my sword, than you know that it is serious, especially if I unleash it."

"Unleash it?" she repeated, finding out that it was an odd choice of words. It made it sound like the sword was a thing being contained.

"Pray that if you ever see it, it's not because it's being directed at you."

It was a chilling feeling that washed over her when he said those words. But it was also something that made her interested. "Will I get one?" Buying a sword was not easy nowadays. They were considered to be old fashioned and only used in demonstrations.

"Perhaps, if I think you're worthy of it. But it is not a weapon of a Paragon. Now, shall we continue?"

She nodded and moved into an Airbending stance. The first rule of any Airbending set or stance was that you never made the first move. Act, do not react. So even though she was ready for the spar to come, she did not move. She waited, keeping her limbs loose and limber. Her sensei did make the first move.

She deflected the punch and pushed it aside, moving around him. He swung around and stepped into a high kick. She twisted around the kick, using the same momentum to push the kick down and offset his balance. But he let the leg fall, swinging down through the momentum and planting itself in the back. His body followed it as well, leaning back and then suddenly moving forward.

She saw the way his body shifted into Waterbending when his foot planted and tried to switch to Firebending. It was a half second too late. His strike sent her stumbling backwards two steps. Once, it would've sent to the ground completely but now she was able to recover faster and move forward to attack.

But before she could even throw a punch, she felt something pierce her calf and pain spread like a river of fire up her leg. "Ah!" she yelped in pain, stumbling to the ground. She looked back to see what had happened and saw an arrow sticking out of her leg. "An arrow?" she repeated. "I was shot with an arrow? I thought this was a spar," she told Naruto, turning her head back to look at him.

"What was the first thing I taught you?" he asked her.

"Just because they're coming at you in one way, doesn't mean they won't come at you in another," she recited instantly. "What does that have to do with the arrow in my leg?"

"You weren't paying attention to different ways. Even if you're in a fight, stay aware of any potential threats." He walked over to her, reached down, and yanked out the arrow.

She hissed as the pain came again. But it dulled and muted as he pulled out a roll of bandage and wrapped the wound up. _"I'm glad that I didn't wear my formal clothes,"_ she thought to herself as she held herself there. The cost to fix it would've been a severe hit to what she had left.

"There," he said when he was done.

She stood up, watching how she placed weight on the leg. "Okay, so who shot me?" His only reply was to whistle.

A shadow dropped down from the entrance's roof, his landing making her turn to see who it was. It was a man wearing simplistic brown clothing that was managed to look rustic but she could tell was cut by a modern tailor. He wore a black headband around his forehead with a red triangle emblazoned on it. He wore deep red face paint across both his eyes, spreading out like wings. He held a bow in his hands and a quiver full of arrows across his back.

She took all of this in and then asked the obvious question. "Who are you?"

"This is Captain Měiyù, leader of the Yuyan archers," Naruto introduced him, standing over him by a couple inches.

"Ma'am," the archer said with a respectful incline of his head.

"Captain," she replied. She looked at her teacher. "Why is he here?"

"Aside from shooting you to teach you a lesson?" he asked with a slightly mischievous grin.

"Yes."

"Introductions," he answered honestly.

"What?" she asked with the utmost obvious confusion in her voice. How did shooting her qualify as an introduction?

"The Yuyan archers are loyal to the Fire Nation, but their first loyalty is to the Paragon of the Fire Nation." He fixed her with a look that waited for her answer to his next question. "Do you know what that means?"

She did. "They serve you."

"And when I retire, they serve you." He looked at the archer. "Thank you, Měiyù. That will be all that I need of you today. Go out and enjoy the city. But be careful, things are tense right now. I'll come have dinner with you later at Kwong's and you can fill me in on the archers."

"Sir," the captain said with a salute. He turned and walked back into the building.

"He's a good man," the old man said once he was gone. "His grandfather served me as a second-in-command well."

She was somewhat listening to him. She was still thinking about the Yuyan archers being under her command. The prospect of having an armed force at her beck and call was a surprising notion to her. She knew of the Yuyans' reputation. It was also a scary thought. "Are we the only Paragon who has this kind of power?" she asked him.

"No," he said with a shake of his head. "Gāng has command of the Dai Li. Always remember this, Asami: the Paragons keep the Avatar in check but we also keep each other in check."

"Because just as it's possible for the Avatar to fall, so can the Paragons?" she asked. He only nodded once. It was all she needed.

(Location: Land of Spring)

"I can't believe that you did that to me," Yukie complained to Arashi at the end of the day's work. The cast had gone away and so were the three Genin. But she had stopped them so she could talk to him.

"I had to," he told her with no apology in his voice. "It was your mistake and you didn't look like you were going to owe up to it."

"I hardly did anything wrong," she protested. She made one tiny mistake the entire day and everyone had been giving her dirty looks for the rest of it.

Tsukiko opened her mouth to say something but Arashi noticed and stopped her. "I got this," he said to her.

"You sure?" she asked him.

"Yes." He looked back at the princess. "You want to work for a living; you take responsibility for your mistakes. It's as a simple as that." Something both his dad and Jiji had said time and time again. It was only now that he was beginning to understand what they were saying.

But when he said that, Yukie just groaned loudly. "Geez, you sound like my uncle," she complained.

Hiro couldn't help but ask the question, "Which one?" She had several if they had all been in the court.

"Kenji," she told him. "You know the guy who used to be a Konoha shinobi but retired so he could marry my aunt?"

"He's right."

She groaned again and threw her arms up in the air. "Whatever," she declared before stomping away from the three of them.

They let her go without saying a word. "Nicely done, man," Tsukiko told the dyed redhead. "I couldn't have thrown her to the wolves better myself."

"But she's going to be a pain in our butts now," Hiro pointed out to them both.

"She was already that." She had been barely able to not look down her nose at the two of them all day.

"Well, now she's going to be a bigger one." And he wasn't going to be looking forward to it.

"If she owes up to any mistakes she makes, I think we will be fine for the rest of the week," Arashi said hopefully.

"Or the next two weeks," the Hyūga added.

"Or that," he conceded, remembering the conversation in the throne room.

"So basically, we're not going to be fine. Great, just what we need," Tsukiko declared with a long exasperated sigh.

"She might change after today, Tsukiko," the dyed redhead told the Uchiha. Her attitude might've been a bit condescending but he could hope that it would change once she realized what he said had been the truth.

"Of course you would think that. You who she was crushing on," she retorted. She had seen the way the princess had been staring at him, paying attention only to him, and speaking only to him.

That actually got him by surprise. "What?" he asked but she was already walking away, "Hey, Tsukiko! You don't drop a bombshell like that and walk away!" He went after her. Hiro sighed in resignation and followed them. It was probably going to be a long couple of weeks. None of them saw the shadow at the other end of the corridor.

(Location: Southern Air Temple)

A week after Tenzin had started teaching his son how to an animal trainer, Meelo asked everyone to come outside with him after breakfast. They stood out in the garden, looking on as Meelo stared down at his lemur. "Poki, sit!" he commanded and the lemur did. "Roll over." Poki did as he was told. "Good boy." He reached into his pocket and tossed the lemur a treat.

"Well done, Meelo!" Tenzin told his son, standing by his side. "I knew you could learn to train Poki."

"Not just Poki," he declared. "I trained _all_ the lemurs. Watch!" he told them all as he pulled out a whistle and blew.

Poki ran to the edge and threw himself off, opening his wings as he did. He flew upwards and the entire herd of lemurs at the temple flew up after him in formation. As everyone else stared at the scene in utter awe, Meelo was directing the lemurs. He would blow into the whistle and point to a point in the air with his finger, where they would fly to. Then he swung his finger across with a blast from the whistle and they followed, turning in unison. Once more blast of the whistle and they landed in a semi-circle in front of him.

Tenzin could only stare at them all. He had never seen anything like that before. He couldn't have done it. His father couldn't even have done it. "I've created a monster," he said quietly to himself. He turned his attention back to Meelo. "Uh, maybe we should forget about all this training discipline for now. Why don't you and Poki just have fun and play?" he suggested.

"Thanks, Dad, training makes me tired. Come on, Poki," his son said to his personal lemur. They ran back inside but not before he gave two blasts of the whistle and sent the rest of them flying away.

"What was that?" Bumi asked Tenzin while Meelo closed the door behind him.

"I was just showing him how to train his lemur," he explained.

"For how long?" he demanded.

"It was only a week."

"A week?" he repeated incredulously.

"Yes."

"…Don't give him a bison. Spirits only know what he'll be able to do." Tenzin found himself agreeing a little with his brother.

(Location: Republic City)

The first thing everyone heard in the Police Headquarters was the sound of thunder striking wood, or a close approximation. The people who actually saw it knew it was just the Avatar kicking the door to the office space outside the chief's office open. "You ratted me out to the President?" she shouted at Mako, marching right up to his desk.

He was sitting there and had been expecting her arrival a little bit (and with that particular entrance). "Korra, let me explain," he said to her, trying to remain calm.

"Explain why my boyfriend stabbed me in the back?" she demanded, putting her hand on his desk, getting into his personal space.

"Look, the President of the Republic asked me a direct question. What was I supposed to do?"

She knew that logically he had a point, but her mind was being logical at that moment. She slammed her other fist onto the desk and proclaimed, "You betrayed me, and my family!" She was done there. With one Airbending-enhanced kick, she sent his entire desk flying over in front of Lin's door.

Fortunately for Mako, he managed to stand up in time to avoid getting taken along with it. Unfortunately, he chose to stop being calm and snapped, "Enough! Look, I have a job to do! I can't constantly be worrying about keeping you from making another _huge_ mistake!"

That just made her angrier and she snapped back, "Well, I _have_ a job to do too, only it seems like _you're_ always standing in the way of me getting it _done_!"

"Well, I guess if we're both putting our jobs first, maybe there's no room for our _relationship_!" Once those words were said, they both fell silent.

The anger was still burning inside of Korra, but it had been doused with something else: realization and hurt. "So, what?" she asked him. "Are you breaking up with me?"

"Yeah," he answered sadly, accepting the fact. "I guess I am." A tear began to form in the corner of her eye but she refused to let him see it fall, turning away and running out of the office before it could.

"What the flame-o happened here?" Lin asked after opening her door to see the wreck.

"I broke up with the Avatar," Mako told her, still with that sadness in his voice.

She heard the sadness in his voice and saw it on his face. But she also saw how Korra left and chose to put a smirk on her lips. "You got off easy. You should have seen Air Temple Island after Tenzin broke up with me."

"Been there, saw that, had to help rebuild, don't want to do it again," Naruto remarked as he appeared behind her. "It's also why you're not allowed on the island with cables anymore."

"I've already apologized for that ten times over," she told him.

"So, you broke up with Korra," he said to Mako, who just nodded. "Hmm, like I said: Hormones and Stupidity."

"Uh, yes, sir," the Firebender replied, unsure if he was talking about Korra or him. Lu and Gang started sniggering at his misfortune.

They sniggered a little too loudly. "What's so funny?" Naruto demanded, swinging his head to look at them.

They froze at the sight of his scowl. "Nothing," Lu told him.

"Something must be funny if you're laughing and not working. Aren't you busy with the bombing?" he asked them. They looked at each other and that was the only answer he needed. "Pick up the desk and put it back," he ordered, pointing at Mako's desk with his cane.

"What?" they said in unison.

"Since you're obviously not working, I'm giving you work. Now pick up the desk and put it back."

Gang tried to be defiant. "You're not our boss," he said, leaning back and folding his arms.

"No, but I am," Lin said, fixing them both with a look. "Now do as he says or else I'll give him permission to hit you with his sheathe, again." That was the incentive that got them out of their chairs. But even though they heaved the desk back up to its original positioning and place, they did so reluctantly.

(Location: Korra)

She had managed to snag that speed boat off of Varrick and was heading to the Fire Nation, alone. She was so focused on getting there, she didn't really know when Republic City fell out of sight and all there was to see was just ocean. She didn't know and she didn't care. She just wanted to get to the Fire Nation. But as she drove the boat and listen to the roar it made on the waves, her thoughts started turning back to Mako, causing a tear to leak out and fly away on the wind.

"_No, don't think about him,"_ she told herself, moving her hand to wipe away the tear remnants. As she did, the boat shuddered and kicked beneath her, catching her by surprise. _"What was that?"_ She looked back and saw water being thrown at her boat. She looked even further to see who was throwing the water and saw her cousins, coming after her in their own boats.

"You ruined my wedding!" Eska shouted at her, throwing another glob of water. Korra swerved the boat out of the way and returned fire with a long water whip. She destroyed their boats but they leapt out and landed on the ocean, bending it to propel them forward.

They were much faster this way, catching up with her and going down either side. "No one steals my Bolin!" Eska continued to shout at her cousin. She leapt up into an overarching kick and slammed a long tendril of water into the front of the boat.

Korra screamed as the boat was destroyed and she went airborne. But it was a brief scream. She took a deep breath and arced back into the ocean. When she came back up, it was atop a water column, giving her the height advantage. She started throwing fire at them and they returned with water. It quickly became an exchange of volleys.

One of them got in a lucky hit and sent her flying again. But she bent an air column to steady herself and brought the water one back up. _"Let's see how you two like this!"_ She twisted the column around and bent it outwards, expanding it into an orb.

Both twins got caught by the orb and it felt like they were being pounded on by a thousand watery hammers. They put their hands up to deflect some of the flow and kept moving forward. But then they saw something glowing beneath the ocean's surface, something big and dark. They knew what it was right away.

When the orb was at its limits, Korra had to drop it. She positioned herself to continue the fight but all she saw were the twins fleeing. _"First they attack and now they're leaving?"_ she asked herself as she lowered herself back down to the ocean's surface. _"What is up with—?"_ She couldn't finish the question because the ocean exploded behind her. She turned around to see a dark spirit looming over her.

It screeched some kind of battle-cry and swung a tentacle at her, which she dodged. It repeated the attack and she dodged for a couple of times. But then it struck her and she fell to the ocean. As she sank into the ocean's depth, she reached inward and activated the Avatar State.

She rose back up with her eyes glowing and bent the ocean up to encircle the spirit in glowing ribbons. Then she began to calm it down, bending the water around and around it. The glow crept from the ribbons onto the spirit, up from the base to its head. For a moment, it looked like it was calm and would sink beneath the surface and she relaxed a little. But it cost her.

The dark spirit broke free and screeched at her again, its mouth wide open, the shock of which snapped her out of the Avatar State. _"What the…how?"_ she asked herself, stunned. She thought that would work!

It dove onto her, mouth agape. Trying anything, she reached to her side and bent out a powerful blast of Firebending but it was too late. The spirit swallowed her whole and disappeared beneath the ocean's surface. Within a few seconds and after the water fell back down, it was like nothing had happened at all.

Desna and Eska watched all this happen from a short distance away, standing on small floes of ice. They had watched dispassionately, not lifting a finger to help their cousin. Instead, they shared one look with one another before turning around and fleeing the scene.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

So Arashi's team is in the Land of Spring and they've met the daimyo. At this point, it does seem like every old person he's met know his Jiji and he's getting a little more than sick of it, hence why he had that outburst.

I believe that if you make a mistake and you're caught, you accept the blame. Yukie, being a royal princess, has never really had that situation for her, which is why she's surprised when Arashi throws her to the wolves like that. This whole being a grunt is going to be a shock for her and it's probably going to be a long week too.

I'm sure that some of you were expecting that ship scene have the arrows everywhere but since I've stated that Varrick was a master of weapons, that wouldn't have worked. So it was best just to go with showing it. Speaking of Varrick, that one difference between him and Sokka is a little more than glaring. As far as I remember, Sokka has apologized for what comes out of his mouth and Varrick hasn't, not even to Zhu Li.

Měiyù didn't get a lot of screen time this chapter but he'll be around. I figured it was a good a place as any to introduce the Yuyan archers to Asami. Also, the Water Tribe and the Air Nomads will not have their own special forces. 1: the Air Nomads are still working their way back up to their former standing. 2: I try not to subscribe to the idea that if one has it, everyone else must have it too.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	30. Problems and complications

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 30: Problems and complications

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Land of Spring)

"Morning," Arashi said to Hiro as he stepped into the mini-kitchen in their rooms, yawning and stretching his back. He wore his usual pajamas, having rolled right out of bed. He walked straight to the fridge and rummage around for some eggs. Their rooms were basically composed of a living/dining room with the mini-kitchen built off to the side, a bathroom large enough to handle both of them in there at the same time, and two separate bedrooms. They had been told it was a standard set for guests staying overnight.

"Morning," Hiro said back from where he sat at the little table just outside the mini-kitchen, watching him rummage as he ate his cereal. "Aren't you supposed to be up on the roof running around like a lunatic?"

"Tsukiko's been telling stories, huh?" he asked, not even looking up from the fridge.

"Ever since you started living in her house," the Hyūga of the two answered. He wore a nice cotton robe over his pajamas, as he was taught to look presentable even when he was waking up. It might sound silly, but as his mother always said, "You never know who's going to walk through the door at any given time."

"Well, I would be if not a few things. Ah! Here we are." He stood up with the carton of eggs in hand. He closed the fridge with his hip as he walked over to the stove.

"What are those things?"

"1: I really don't know this place, so I had have to take a better look around," he explained as he looked around for a pan, soon finding one over the stove, "and I don't think that I will have the time to do that with all the filming we're supposed to be helping with."

"It sounds like you just wanted an excuse to not do it." The excuse did sound really flimsy. Tsukiko had told him about how the dyed redhead had been on her roof practically the first day. And now he wasn't doing it because he didn't know the place? Yeah, that didn't sound like it worked.

"2: There are a lot more people living in this building than Tsukiko's house and I don't think that they would appreciate my running around."

"Still sounds like an excuse."

"3: There is a very good chance I would lose my positioning and enter the wrong window. That alone could cause trouble if I enter a lady's window."

"You mean like Rin-sensei's and Tsukiko's window," he asked with a smirk on his face.

Arashi paused in bringing down the egg to crack and look over at him. "Okay, for that first one: ew, that's our sensei." But even though he said those words, he could admit that his sensei was hot. He was just glad he had Korra (despite the distance between them and her relationship with Mako). "For that second one: it was one time."

"If you say so," he said, still with the smirk on his lips.

"You know, I'm beginning to wonder if dragging you through that little adventure was a good idea." This new Hiro was much different from the old Hiro, more confident and content to poke fun at him and Tsukiko.

"It's too late to do anything about it."

"Trust me; I'm well aware of that." He turned his attention back to his egg, cracking it against the edge.

Things fell silent between them as he cooked his eggs. The kitchen came alive with the sound of them hissing in the pan and the smell of them being cooked. He was in the mood for scrambled this morning. He took the nearby wooden spatula and started moving the eggs around, making them into scrambled. It was a process that took five minutes. Once he was done, he put the eggs onto a plate, put both pan and spatula in the sink, grabbed a fork, and sat down at the table opposite of his teammate.

"Any good?" asked Hiro as he watched the dyed redhead take a bite. The window was right behind Arashi and the morning light covered him in a glow that almost seemed otherworldly.

"Needs some salt and pepper," he remarked, "You mind passing them down?"

"Here." He took the shakers in hand and held them out for him.

"Thanks." He reached out to take them, only to freeze once they were in his hand. He slowly put them down.

"What?" his teammate asked him.

Arashi suddenly twisted out of his chair and leapt for the window, all but shoving it up and thrusting his head out. He held that position for a couple of seconds longer and then he pulled his head back. "Dude, what the hell?" demanded Hiro.

"Sorry, just thought someone was watching me," he said as he came back to the table.

"Yeah, I was."

He shook his head. "No, someone else," he clarified, sitting back down. He picked up the salt and pepper and sprinkled them onto his eggs. When they were properly dosed, he started eating. They tasted much better now. _"Ah, nothing like a good set of eggs to start the day."_

Hiro dropped his slightly sarcastic voice and asked Arashi his next question. "Do you think it was Rin-sensei trying to catch us by surprise?"

"I don't know. Do you think she would do something like that to us?"

"I think it would be a viable way to test our reactions and awareness. You never know when you're going to be attacked on this job," he pointed out.

"Are you talking about our mission now or our profession?" Arashi asked him, a piece of egg dropping off his fork. "We're Genin on a mission for a film crew. I don't think anything is going to happen to us."

"You just threw your head out the window because you thought that someone was watching you."

"…Okay, you may have a point."

The door to their room opened and Tsukiko walked in. "Hey, slobs," she said in greeting, slamming the door close behind her.

"You're calling us slobs?" Arashi asked her. "I've seen your room, Tsukiko, remember?"

"Once, you saw it once," she told him.

"I saw it more than that."

"You saw it like that once."

"Again—"

"Alright, just stop!" He shrugged and went back to his eggs.

"What's up, Tsukiko?" Hiro asked, looking at her over his chair.

"I can't come and see my teammates and probably share breakfast too?" she asked back, walking over to the table and take the seat between the two of them in her hands, like she was waiting for their permission before she sat down.

The boys shared a look with each other. They couldn't find anything wrong with her suggestion, so there was no real reason to say no. "Sure," Hiro told her. "Cereal's over the fridge."

She smiled. "Thanks." Once she had her food set down in front of her, she started eating with the rest of them.

"So what are we doing today?" Arashi asked her.

"How should I know?" she asked back.

He pointed his fork at her. "You're the one bunking with Rin-sensei. She must be planning something for us during today's work."

She shrugged her shoulders carelessly. "She said something about a training session before we got to work with the crew. But that's all and it was in passing as she went into the shower." She saw the faraway looks on their faces at that last sentence and became disturbed. "Guys, that's our sensei," she snapped at them both.

They came out of it at that and looked promptly embarrassed. "Sorry, reflexive instinct," Arashi apologized with a sheepish grin.

She just rolled her eyes at him. "Boys, I will never understand you and your kind," she declared, pointing her spoon accusingly at them both.

"Like girls don't do the same to us?" Hiro challenged her.

"No, we don't."

"Liar," he declared.

"I am not lying," she protested between mouthfuls of cereal.

"You are so lying."

"I am not."

"Oh yeah you are," he said with a victorious smirk on his lips as he stared her down.

She returned his stare and held it. She didn't know why he was that smirk on his lips. He hadn't won anything. "You're delusional. I'm not lying."

"You're lying," Arashi said simply as he lifted a piece of egg to his mouth and ate it. He didn't even look up from the plate.

She swung her head to look at him. "And what makes you so sure?" she demanded, certain that he didn't have a reason.

But he did. "Your nose does that little twitch when you lie."

Her confidence drained away from her quicker than she could blink, leaving her sitting there with a heavily blushing face. "It does not!"

He looked up at her. "It just did."

"No it didn't!" But she looked down at her nose, damn near making her cross-eyed in the process. Sure enough, it was twitching. She clapped her free hand down on it, hiding it from their sights. But it was too little too late.

Hiro's smirk turned into a smile. "So you were lying."

She managed to stop blushing enough to take her hand away but they could tell that she was still embarrassed. "Of course I was lying. Why would anyone talk about that kind of stuff out loud?" Both Arashi and Hiro raised their hands in answer. "Oh sure, you would. You're guys. Guys do stuff like that. A girl keeps that kind of stuff to herself."

"Not anymore," Arashi remarked as he put his fork on the plate, done with his meal.

She wanted an end to the conversation before it got even more embarrassing for her. "Oh look, all three of us are done. We should probably get going now." She stood up from the table so quick she almost threatened to knock it to the ground.

"Hold on, we're not going anywhere yet," the dyed redhead declared as he stood up as well.

"And why's that?"

"We need to clean and put away the dishes." He looked over at the mini-kitchen, where the sink still had the frying pan in it.

One look at the kitchen and both his teammates' felt a little off-ease. "Oh, yeah, that," Hiro said dejectedly.

"That," he agreed. "Come on."

"Do we have too?" Tsukiko asked, staring at the kitchen with apprehension. This whole chore thing was still rather new to her. She still had a hard time understanding how a single bathroom could get so messy in a day, let alone a week. (Her mother's response hadn't been much helpful either, "You should know, it's your bathroom.").

"Yes, come on."

"I mean, we've got to get to Rin-sensei's training and—"

"Tsukiko, this is a part of your training too, remember?" he asked, pinning to her spot with a look. It was a look that silently commanded the target to obey with what the obvious thing was going on at the moment.

But she still tried to resist. "I know that, but—"

"You don't hear Hiro complaining, do you?" He swung his head to look at the Hyūga, pinning him to his seat before he could actually say anything in his defense.

Hiro wanted to say something, having the same feeling about chores that Tsukiko did. (Who knew that washing, drying, folding, and putting away laundry could be such a pain?) But the look stopped any argument he could've come up with. He finally surrendered with a sigh. "No, I'm not complaining." He stood up with bowel in hand.

Seeing her only means of support out of this mess crumble left Tsukiko with nothing to stand on. So she gave up too. "Alright fine," she said.

"Good. Come on, it's only a few dishes. It's not gonna kill ya." Stepping behind them, he walked them into the kitchen.

(Location: South Pole)

Both Eska and Desna stood in front of the Southern Portal. It was truly a mesmerizing sight. The light hummed and flowed with blue energy that seemed purer than any they had seen. If they listened close, they would've sworn the portal singing a quiet, secret song that it only knew. The light played with the snow, the ice, and the trees, casting away shadows and making them dance for a hiding spot.

But in spite of all this beautiful scenery, Eska hadn't come there to see that. She had come for a reason and that was to meet with her father. The only problem was that he wasn't there. It was getting on her nerves. "Where is he?" she demanded, looking around and seeing no signs of him.

"Father said he would meet us at this location," Desna reminded her. "He'll be here." It wasn't the fact that their father was a no-show that mildly concerned him. That would've been the barricade they had past that was turning into something stronger and the troops with supplies coming in. A whispered sound touched his ear, making him turn his head to his father walked out of the portal. "Were you just in the Spirit World?" he asked.

"Never mind that," Unalaq said, brushing the matter aside as he walked past them. He stopped and looked back at them. "Where is the Avatar?"

"She was within our grasp until a dark spirit attacked her," Eska answered.

"They're _out_ of control," her brother added.

But that wasn't what he heard. "You didn't get her?"

"The Avatar is dead," his daughter declared.

He gave them both a long angry look. "We will have a talk about this later. You will not enjoy it." He turned back around and walked out of the forest of dead trees.

Eska waited until she could no longer see her father or hear his footsteps before she bent a pillar of ice up from the snow and smashed it into the ground with her fist. She bent up another and repeated the process, again and again for three more times. That was when Desna said, "Enough."

She stopped but she looked at him with angry eyes. "You feel the same as I do."

"I do," he admitted with no fault. "But rage does not help us."

If she was a normal human being, she would've snorted in derision or something along those lines. Neither she nor her brother was blind, deaf, or dumb. They saw how their father looked at them and how he had talked about Korra when they were younger. They didn't know how he knew so much about her since the festival was the first time they had come to the South Pole. But when they saw her for the first time and how their father looked at her, they knew what they were being compared to and they hated it.

But it was a mixed kind of hate. Even though they hated their father for what he was putting them up against, he was still their father. And they couldn't really hate Korra (except for her being a Southerner and that was just because of where she was born) since she didn't know about it. They would obey Unalaq as he was their father and commanded their obedience. They just didn't have to like it.

(Location: Republic City)

Bolin, Varrick, and Ginger sat in the private booth to watch the mover premiere. The audience below was eating up the entire thing, cheering for the good guys and booing the Unalaq character, going so far as to throw their popcorn at him. But they kept cheering for Nuktuk; especially when he went on to end the fight against Unalaq.

"Bolin, look up there," Varrick said to the Earthbender, grabbing his head and pointing it up at the screen. "What do you see?"

"I-is this a trick question?" he asked in confusion.

"I'll tell you what I see: a _star_ being born. You're a star. People love stars. Stars tell them what to think and how to act. Bolin, have you ever tried to force a monkey marmot to ride a bicycle?"

"Uh…not that I can recall," he answered. The only time he had ever seen a monkey marmot was at the city zoo.

"Of course you haven't. You can't _force_ monkey marmots to do anything. They've got to want to do it themselves."

"Right," he said, not really understanding what he was saying.

"With these movers, we'll have the support of the people, and before long, they'll persuade the President to lend his troops to the war effort." His head jerked to the side when he felt a ball of paper hit him in the side. "Ow!" he said quietly so not to interrupt the mover. He picked up the ball, noting that it had been crumpled up intentionally. Inside was a written note.

Some of us are trying to watch this thing and can still hear you. Kindly shut up.

You've already be given your answer regarding the South.

And leave that kid alone. He can make his own choices.

Naruto

One look over to his left and he saw the old Paragon sitting in the next box over. They made eye contact and the old man pointed to his ear and then placed a finger on his lips. The message was clear. Varrick could've done something in reply but doing so would've ruined his premiere and that was not what he wanted. So he turned his attention back to the screen.

It seemed like it was getting to the good part, as Ginger's character was being led up to Unalaq, who laughed evilly on his throne. "My evil plan is working. I've captured Nuktuk's beautiful girlfriend," he proclaimed, walking up to said girlfriend and grabbing hold of her chin.

"Not so fast, Evil Unalaq!" Nuktuk declared as he burst through the throne room's doors atop his trusty arctic panda, Roh-Tah, while Juji, his loyal snow raccoon, rode with him. "Oh, I _will_ save my true love _and the South_!" He leapt off Roh-Tah and quickly defeated the remaining guards with a swift Waterbending move. "And now, your time is up."

Unalaq simply pointed his finger and the rest of his guards moved to attack. Nuktuk put a valiant effort but he soon became overwhelmed and was caught beneath a net. "It's no use fighting, Nuktuk. My anti-energy net makes bending impossible," he declared triumphantly.

"No! Please. Power…weakening," Nuktuk cried, trying to break free but growing weaker by the second.

"Nuk-terrible," Roh-Tah declared in a panic.

"Will this be the end of Nuktuk? Can he escape from Unalaq's trap and save the beautiful Ginger?" asked the narrator as the screen switched to the title card. "Find out next week on _The Adventures of Nuktuk: Hero of the South_."

The audience started clapping and cheering as the screen faded to black. Bolin smiled, happy to see them cheering at his mover. He looked over at Ginger sitting beside him. He decided to make his move. "Wow. We got some major chemistry on-screen. Am I right?" he asked her.

"Yeah," she replied, "_On_-screen." She stood up with a scoff and started to leave.

He spun around in his chair to look at her. "What's wrong? Are you mad because I left you in the clutches of the evil Unalaq? I'm gonna save you in the next episode." She didn't stop and he started getting desperate. "Ginger, let's work through this." She didn't even pause to look back at him. He suddenly felt depressed and slumped against the chair.

"Varrick, another one of your ships has been captured," Zhu Li told her boss, standing beside his chair.

He stood up to face her, angry at those words. "Darn it, Zhu Li, haven't I told you I _hate_ getting bad news without first getting _good_ news?" he demanded.

She flinched at his anger and quickly looked for something that could be good news. Luckily for her, all she had to do was look down at the crowd. "Oh, well, the good news is it looks like your first mover has gotten a great reception."

But he wasn't happy about it. "That's _old_ news! Let's go." He marched out of the booth. She followed.

Bolin was left alone in the booth, still slumped against the chair. He heard someone sit down in a chair beside him. It took a minute for him to look over and see that it was Naruto. "Having trouble in the land of love?" the old man asked as he lit his pipe.

"Yeah, I am," Bolin answered with no shame in his voice.

"You want my advice? Forget about her."

Ironically, that was what got him to flip around so he was sitting proper and stare at the Paragon like he had lost his mind. "How can you say such a thing?"

"Kid, I've got eyes and I've got a memory. I've seen girls and women like her throughout my life. They may come in different sizes and colors, but they're all the same thing: eye candy. And eye candy is not suitable to date."

"But—"

"There are no buts about it, Bolin, although I will admit that she has a nice one." He puffed away on his pipe.

He looked at the old man with a slightly ill look on his face. "Aren't you married? What would your wife think?"

He stopped puffing and looked at the Earthbender with amusement in his eyes. "My wife would've seen nothing wrong with what I just said, since we were always faithful to each other. I was just pointing out an obvious fact. That alone should tell you not to try and date that girl. Find a girl with sustenance."

Bolin didn't argue the point since he knew that if he tried, he would lose the argument. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to give up. He knew there was something between him and Ginger. So he chose to change the subject. "What did you think of the mover?"

"Are you asking for my honest opinion?"

"Yes. I wouldn't ask you what you thought about it if I didn't want your honest opinion." He knew very well that the man had an eye for good things. He just hoped the mover would be one of them.

"Alright then," the old man said, leaning back into the chair and taking a long puff before speaking. "I thought it was a step back and a devolvement into clichés and overall badness."

Bolin's whole body shuddered like the words punched his very soul. "Come on," he said with a wheedling voice. "It wasn't that bad."

"Bolin, I could see the edges of the set itself, you didn't even try to look like you were jumping off who I'm assuming was Naga, and the lines were so dramatic they became dull. The only thing that was good about it was your so-called Waterbending."

"Varrick insisted that I learned the proper stances and moves before we start doing those scenes." It had felt weird to him to do those moves. They were too flowing and moving for him to grasp the first couple of times. But he was proud to say that he got the hang of it. "But that's only thing you found good?"

"Yes. If I come back for the next one, it will be for the laughs." With that said, he stood up and left.

* * *

Mako stood behind the glass in the interview room but he wasn't looking at the interview about to happen. Instead, he was looking at a picture of him and Korra taken at the festival, before everything got bad. They were smiling, standing behind two cutouts with their faces showing. It was a happy picture but it made him feel sad. _"Should I have broken up with her like that?"_ he asked himself. It had been two weeks since Korra vanished and he doubted if how they broke was the right way or not.

The door to the room opened and Asami walked in. "Is it true?" she asked him.

He turned to face her, putting the photo away, "I'm so sorry. Your entire shipment was stolen."

She had looked worried before he told her and now she looked even more worried. "Without that sale, I don't know how much longer I can keep my company going. What am I gonna do?" she asked.

"Don't worry. I'm gonna find whoever's responsible. Chief Beifong is about to question the captain of the ship." He pressed the button on the nearby intercom so they could listen in. Beyond the glass, Lin stood beside the interview table with the captain of Varrick's ship sitting there and Lu and Gang on the other side.

"I know it's been a long day, but walk me through what happened," Lin told the captain, a professional-looking old sea dog.

"We were ambushed about thirty klicks outside the harbor," he explained. "We never heard them coming."

"This is the third attack this week at about the same location," she remarked.

"Yep, and smack-dab in Republic City's jurisdiction, which means another problem for us," Lu declared before he started sighing and twiddling with his mustache. "All this stress is gonna turn old black beauty gray."

"It's gotta be Northern Water Tribe," Gang told their chief confidently. "They're trying to stop supply lines to the South."

"I agree. Is there anything else about the attack you remember? Anything unusual?" she asked the captain.

"There is one thing," he admitted. "The bombs exploded in a way I've never seen before. They didn't have fuses. It was like they were being detonated remotely."

Mako's eyes went wide in realization. "Like the bombs at the cultural center," he said aloud. He turned for the door, walking quickly over to it.

"Wait, where are you going?" Asami asked him.

"I gotta grab some evidence." He left the room just as Varrick entered.

The Tribesman watched him leave for a brief moment before walking over to her. "Asami, I heard the news. I can't _believe_ they took my fifth favorite ship in the Varrick Industries fleet! Named her after my mom. Rest in peace, _Rocky Bottom_," he said solemnly.

She might've said something about the name if she hadn't been more concerned about the implications of what had happened. "Without the money from that shipment, Future Industries is almost broke," she reminded him.

The door to the interview room opened and Mako walked in on the other side of the glass. "Chief, I think there's a link between this attack and the attack at the cultural center," he told Lin, holding a box in his hands.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked him angrily.

"Solving this case," he answered, putting the box and looking at the captain. Inside the box was the device he found that night and a photo beneath it. "Did any of the people who attacked you have one of these in their hand? I think it's a remote detonator."

"It was too dark to see anything," the captain answered him.

"Mako!" barked out Lin.

"Chief, I don't think the people who attacked were Northern Water Tribe."

"Of course they were Northern Water Tribe. They were Waterbending," Gang said, making it sound like he had lost more than a few of his brain cells.

But he persisted. "Was this one of the guys who attacked?" he asked the captain, pushing the device away to show the picture. It was the picture of the same man he saw the night of the attack.

"No, I don't recognize him," he replied, looking at the picture with no recognition.

"Oh, that's embarrassing," Gang said, clearly enjoying what was happening.

"Nice try, Rookie," Lu told Mako with a laugh.

"Mako, leave," Lin ordered the Firebender with authority in her voice, "Now."

"Great work, everybody," Varrick said as he walked into the room with Asami right behind him, "Another open and shut case for the dynamic mustachioed duo!" Both Lu and Gang smiled and twirled their mustaches.

Asami saw it differently. "Wait, I think Mako might be onto something."

"Chief, I know it's a long shot, but I have an idea how we can catch these guys," the Firebender told her.

"Yeah, let's all listen to the rookie," Lu remarked sarcastically.

"He's doing a better job than you!" she snapped.

"Whooooo's hungry?" asked Varrick.

"Enough!" Lin shouted, shutting them all up. She looked over at Mako. "I don't want to hear you lame-brained rookie ideas. You're a beat cop, not a detective. Now hit the street and do your job!" The only thing he could do was nod, salute, and leave with Asami behind him. Lu and Gang as he left but it only made her turn her attention to them. "And you two! Get to work instead of goofing around!"

They stopped laughing but remained in good humor. "You got it, Chief," Gang said with ease.

The two of them walked out of the room with Varrick in tow, talking to both of them. When they were gone, she sighed a little in relief. "I'm sorry you had to see that unprofessionalism," she told the captain. He chose not to say anything.

* * *

"Lu and Gang are idiots," Mako groused as he and Asami stood outside on the steps. "I hate them and their stupid mustaches."

"Forget them," she told him. "What's this idea of yours?"

"A sting operation," he replied. "I was thinking we'd set up a bait ship, take it out into the open ocean, and capture whoever attacks it."

It sounded like an option to her. "Let's do it."

"It's not that easy. For the plan to work, we need the police, and Beifong already said no."

That was a stumbling block, but she was positive they could work around it. "We can make it work, just the two of us."

He looked uncertain, staring down at the ground. "I don't know. I don't want to go behind Beifong's back. If she finds out, I could get kicked off the force."

"Mako, I need your help," she said to him, her voice taking on a pleading tone. "My Mom is gone. My Dad is in jail. Future Industries is all I have left of my family."

He looked up and saw the worried expression on her face. Her eyebrows were stretched anxiously and the same emotion showed in her eyes. But it even though she was worried, she was still eye-catching. "I want to help you, but this is more than a two-person job. First of all, we'd need a ship."

They both noticed some kind of shape out of the corners of their eyes. When they turned to look at it, they saw it was Varrick standing really close to them. The surprise of which made them both step back in surprise. _"Where did he come from?"_ Asami asked herself, instinctively slipping into an Earthbending stance.

"Nice movement and good form," he told her, eying how she moved. "But enough about that, let's talk about what you're planning. You need a ship? I got a ship. I want in on whatever you're talking about. I love being in on plans."

"The less you know, the better," she replied. What they were considering could possibly drag him and his business down. She couldn't let that happen, not if she wanted to keep her own company floating.

But he didn't seem fazed by her rebuttal. "Perfect! I love not knowing things."

Mako looked over at Asami. "All right, I'm in," he declared while Varrick walked away. "Let's get these guys."

(Location: Land of Spring)

Arashi twisted his head to look down the corridor but there was no one there. "What's the matter?" Yukie asked him, sounding faintly annoyed.

"Nothing," he said, turning back to look at the cast going about their business. They were shooting in another hallway again. The crew was doing two separates scenes and so Rin decided to split the team to cover both while she kept watch. Hiro and Tsukiko didn't even flitch when they volunteered to work with the other group, leaving Arashi with the daimyo's granddaughter.

"It can't be nothing," she said with a look of annoyance. "You did that, so it must be something."

She had a point there. "Shinobi thing," he told her.

"Shinobi thing?" she repeated.

He nodded. "Have to make sure that everything is going fine."

She rolled her eyes. "That's easy; all you have to do is watch them moving around like a flock of chickens." She gestured to the crew to emphasize her point. Her voice wasn't loud enough for them to hear her or the conversation would've been over right then and there.

"We have to keep an eye on the lookout for everything and anything that might be a threat. And you never know when that could happen." He had learned that one from his Jiji but he found that it could be applied to a shinobi. He wondered if that had been the man's intent from the start. He watched the day's work go on from where he stood against the wall. Everything seemed to be going fine, none of the actors were complaining and the crew was going about their business like the professionals they were.

Yukie snorted, quite loudly. "Whatever," she finally said. Her snort got some looks from the crew but she ignored them like they weren't worth her time. She had heard some of them call her the Brat because of the way she acted. It was rather quite rude. She had done nothing wrong. It was them who were behaving stupidly.

The dyed redhead heard the snort and looked at her from the corner of his eye. "You know, you should be a bit more polite to them."

"Why should I? They're not being polite to me."

"Well, you did cost them time for food. But you're the one who wanted to be here."

"No, I wanted to be there," she pointed at the actors playing out the scene, "Not here with them all." She swept her hand at the crew in disdain.

He saw where she pointed. With the first, her face was full of longing and envy, the second with disgust. "We all have to start somewhere."

"I should've been given a headstart. I mean, have you seen who my grandmother is?" she complained.

"Yeah, I have seen her. She was sitting on the throne when we walked in," he replied with a straight face.

"Ugh, you don't get it, do you? I'm a princess, I'm above them." She gestured again to the crew. "And since I'm above them, my rightful place is among them." She gestured at the cast. Her eyes became full of longing and envy again. She looked at one of the actresses and the eyes narrowed. She could pick out a few things that she was doing wrong.

He could find a few things wrong with that belief. Perhaps Tsukiko was right about her. Perhaps she was a twit. But if she was, he could help her with that. "Maybe that's why your grandmother did this to you," he offered up to her.

"No, she did it because she enjoys my suffering."

"I don't think that's it."

"Do you know her?" she challenged him. Her eyes were still watching the cast. That one actress was still going about it all wrong.

"No," he said hesitantly.

"Then you don't get to say anything about her. Oh this is ridiculous!" she suddenly burst out.

"This conversation of ours?" he asked. She marched up to the cast, ignoring him. "Hey, wait!" She still ignored him so he had to follow her.

"Excuse me, coming through here!" she said loudly, pushing through everyone to walk onto the set.

"Cut!" the director called out. The scene stopped and everyone looked at her irritatingly. "What do you want?"

"To correct some courtesies mistakes," she answered, ignoring him for favor of the actress that was going about things wrong. "You, what do you think you're doing?"

"What…what do you mean?" the actress asked her, sounding both surprised and then angry.

"You're supposed to be a maid and you're talking to him," she pointed at the actor, dressed like a minor noble, "like you're his equal. Do you see what you're doing wrong here?"

The angry took over the surprise. She pushed back her brown hair from her face in an angry motion. "No, I don't. I know the scene. We are equals in our plan, so we speak like equals."

"A maid speaking to a nobleman like they're the same rank inside a palace where anyone can just walk in on them?" she asked rhetorically. "Are you an idiot?"

"_Oh boy, here we go,"_ Arashi thought in resignation. He couldn't catch up to her in time. She was going to have to deal with this on her own.

(Location: Republic City)

Mako and Asami watched as the empty crate was closed tight and lifted up onto the ship by the mecha tanks, which had been refitted for heavy work. They watched from the front of Asami's warehouse, fit to burst of mecha tanks and planes. "The ship's all loaded with the dummy crates. Let's get this sting operation going," Asami said to Mako.

"Not yet. We need some extra manpower," he told her.

"What about Korra?" She asked. Her question made his eyes fall to the ground but she didn't notice. "No better muscle than the Avatar."

"Right, uh…Korra," he said uneasily. "Yeah, actually, she's um she's out of town right now."

That's when she noticed how awkward he was becoming. "Everything okay with you two?" she asked.

"Yeah, yeah," he told her. "Forget about Korra. I'll go talk to Bolin." He turned and ran off before she could say anything else.

"_Well that was weird,"_ she thought to herself as she watched him leave. _"Are they fighting or something?"_

"_If they are, you could use it to get Mako back,"_ a secret part of her whispered from her mind.

She thought about the idea for a second but quickly dismissed it. They had dated one another but it didn't work out. Sure, she felt a little jealous when she looked at the two of them together, but she knew Korra had been the same way when she was with him. Trying to break them up would just be rude and obnoxious.

A chill ran down her spine and her instincts told her to drop to the ground. A cane swung past the space her head had been just moments ago. She pressed her hands into the ground and swung her legs up into a kick. They struck the back arm holding the cane, stopping it in its tracks. She moved forward, spinning her legs into a kick. They were swatted away but she kept her momentum going, following the attacker.

She felt like she was about to strike him when she noticed something out of the corner her eye. She dropped down the ground again, just in time to see a knife pass over her. She rolled up into a fighting stance, facing her sensei. "Hmm, pity," he said as he placed his sheathed sword back down on the ground.

"Pity?" she repeated.

"Yes," he smiled. "You seem to be learning."

She realized that was a compliment then. "Thank you, Naruto-sensei."

"Don't thank me yet. That just means I get to up the training." He looked past her into the warehouse and then back at the ship with the mecha tanks below closing another empty crate. "So what are we doing?"

"Just something that will help save the company. The shipments I'm trying to send to the south have been attacked."

"I heard about that." He stared at the ship for a moment longer and then turned back to her. "So, who are you doing this with?"

"Mako, it was his idea," she answered.

"Do you want my help?"

The question came as a surprise to her and it showed on her face. "Are you sure? I know you gave me advice but…?" She didn't know how to frame the question she had so she just left it hanging.

But he seemed to understand what she was trying to say. "I'm not just here to teach you to take over my job, Asami. I'm here to help you with any problem you might have. Is this shipment loss a problem?"

"Yes."

"Do you want my help?" She considered it for a long couple of seconds. There would be benefits to having him there but she also wanted to do it on her own, so to speak. But would that be the worth of refusing him? She debated long and hard with herself and then she answered.

* * *

The first thing he heard when he was outside the door to the apartment was music. He thought that Bolin had just turned on the radio. But when he opened the door and walked in, he found the room crammed with stuff that shouldn't have belonged there. The thing that stood out was the hot tub right in the middle of the parlor with Bolin in it. "Hey, Mako, what do you think?" his brother asked, spreading his arms wide at the room. "I did a little redecorating. It turns out that one of the perks of being a star, you get lots of cash."

All he could do was look at the marble statue to his right. "Is this a marble statue of you?" he asked. He knew it was a redundant question but he still had to ask. It was definitely a statue of Bolin dressed in his Nuktuk garb and doing some ridiculous pose.

"It's also a hat rack." Pabu purred by his side, just as comfortable as he was.

"We don't even have hats," he told his brother irritatingly.

"That's because we never _had_ a hat rack. And now we do." He took a second look at his brother. "Mako, you seem stressed. I think _you_ need to take a little dipity dip." He slapped the water a couple of times to prove his point.

"I don't have time to take a dipity dip, okay?" Mako said, walking up to the tub. "I'm trying to catch whoever's been attacking the shipments, and I need your help."

"You need my help?" he repeated. He stretched and groaned like he was thinking it over. "I don't know. I'm kinda busy."

"You're sitting in a hot tub."

"I'm maintaining my instrument. As an actor, my _body_ is my instrument."

"Are you gonna help or not?" Mako demanded, now very irritated and grabbing the edge of the hot tub.

He stood up and walked over to his brother. "You know, I recall a time when I needed your help, and you basically told me to get a life."

"So that's a no. What am I supposed to do now?"

"I don't know, Mako. Figure it out," Bolin replied, mimicking his brother. "Remember? That's what you said to me. Hurts, doesn't it?" he asked with a smug smirk on his face. Mako stared at him for a moment longer before turning around and he sat back down in the tub. But then his brother bent the flames in the heater connected to the tub up, making it hotter and the tub to erupt into smoke, which made him scream in pain. "Ow! My instrument!"

* * *

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Asami asked Mako. They were standing in front of a familiar door off a familiar street. But just because they were familiar to her, didn't mean that she enjoyed coming here.

"No, but it's our last resort," he replied. After Bolin's refusal, he didn't see anyone else who could or would help. So he reached out and knocked on the door, the iron echoing the sound.

The faceplate pulled back and a pair of eyes looked out at him. "Hey, Mako," the voice belonging to the eyes said. "Whatever you think we did, we didn't do it."

He didn't rise to the question, knowing full well that it was the standard response. "I'm not here on police business. I'm running an off-the-books operation, and I thought the Triple Threats might want a piece of the action."

"How big a piece?" the man asked.

"Enough to get Viper's attention," he answered. The faceplate closed and the door opened. They walked inside. The doorman, who turned out to be Hard-top, led them through the restaurant to the back, where there was a private meeting room and two chairs they sat down in.

The top men of the triad came into the room, the last of which was Viper. He sat down in the chair across from them. "So Mr. Law and Order needs our help, huh?" he asked Mako in amusement. That amusement quickly turned to business. "What's in it for the Triple Threats?"

"I am personal friends with that Avatar," Mako told him. "I _might_ be able to convince her to give Shady Shin his bending back."

"Sounds good to me, boss," Shin said to him from where he stood by the chair. He had been the only triad member who took too long getting to the Avatar to be healed and thus came in after the whole near rape incident. Because of that, there was a lot more screening and once they found out his ties, they promptly kicked him out of the hospital.

Viper glared at him, silently telling him to shut it. "What about the rest of us?" he asked.

"I've got vehicles, all brand-new and top of the line," Asami told him. "They can be yours if you help." It might be trouble selling to criminals but if it helped her business stay up, she would take it.

He smirked in victory. "I think we got ourselves a deal."

(Location: Land of Spring)

It was now the lunchbreak and there was food on hand this time around, mostly because the Genin made sure Yukie didn't get the pieces of paper. All three of them sat out of the way of everyone else at a small table. Their sensei stood nearby, watching and eating too. At least, they assumed she was eating since every time one of them looked at her, her facemask was up but there was less food on her plate.

"So you guys are pretty much done with your scene?" Arashi asked Hiro and Tsukiko.

"Yeah, pretty much," Tsukiko agreed.

"Are you going to be done for the day or come back and help us?"

"We don't know. There are a few things left to be taken care of but after that, it's kinda up to the director," Hiro told him.

"I hope we get the rest of the day," she remarked. "That way, I don't have to put up with that twit of a girl."

"Actually," Arashi said, "I think she's less of a twit then you think."

"That still means she's a twit," she declared vehemently, looking over at where Yukie was eating her lunch. It was a meal crafted finely by the palace's chefs but she ate alone near the set. If she was bother by the fact she was alone, she didn't let it show.

"Hold on, Tsukiko," Hiro told her. He looked at Arashi. "What do you mean by that?"

"She instructed one of the actresses on proper conduct between a maid and a courtier whilst in public even though they are working together. She laid it out in such a way that it was easy to understand," he explained.

"That was generous of her."

"Yeah, it was." He had just stood there, transfixed as she gave a five minute lecture to get her point across. She didn't waste any time or yelled at the person of her lecture for getting it wrong. Once she was done, she walked away. Some of the crew didn't send her so much nasty looks after that.

"Wait, you said less," Rin-sensei pointed out. "How do you mean?"

"Well, she kinda stopped the scene by walking right into it instead of waiting for the director to call it."

"Like I said, a twit," Tsukiko said with authority. "I'm surprised you still don't see it."

"No, I see it. You guys were the ones that left me with her, remember? How could I not get to know her better?"

"Is she hitting on you again?"

"Not that I'm aware of." That was a weird question, especially since she was the one who told him what the princess had been doing. And for some reason, Tsukiko looked very satisfied with his answer.

"Perhaps she would be less like a twit if she got to know all of you better?" Rin-sensei pointed out to all of them. Again her mask was still up but there was less food on her plate. The three of them wondered for a brief moment just how she was doing it.

But then that moment passed and they were back on topic. "No thanks," Tsukiko said. "She would still be a twit. Just look at her, staring at the set like she wants to marry it."

"Marry might be a very strong word," Hiro protested slightly. But he could admit that Yukie was staring at the set with a powerful longing in her eyes.

"So you think she should come over and sit with us?" she asked him.

"Well…"

Arashi sighed in surrender and stood up. "Fine, since you guys insist on making me do this again and again, I will go do it. I just want you to know that it's really beginning to annoy me." With that said and done, he walked away from the table and over towards Yukie.

Both Hiro and Tsukiko watched him in confusion. "Uh…what did he mean by that?" Hiro asked.

"I believe that was his way of telling the two of you to stop making him be the one to talk to the director and producer," Rin told them both.

Recognition and realization drew across their faces. "But we didn't do it this time," Tsukiko said in protest. "I just don't want to be sitting with the twit."

A frown appeared on her face, made more foreboding by the facemask. "Watch your tongue, Tsukiko. She is a princess and the granddaughter of a good friend to the village."

"But she's unbearable."

"Perhaps if you tried making an attempt to befriend her instead of just dismissing as an unbearable twit, she wouldn't be such one."

"I did try," she fumed. "She just brushed me off and looked down her nose at me while she did it." It had been really grating to suffer through that. She had wanted to either punch her in the mouth or strangle her, maybe even both.

"Then you should've tried harder, not give up so easily." She looked at both her and Hiro.

"I didn't say anything," he said in protest.

"You did the same thing she did. So you should try harder too."

He couldn't argue against that point. "As you say, Rin-sensei," he agreed.

"Hey," Arashi said to Yukie as he sat down beside her.

"What do you want?" she asked a little rudely.

He let it pass. There wasn't a point in getting angry about it. "We were thinking that you would like to eat with us."

"Who this we?" she asked, still rude.

"My team," he answered, gesturing back at where they were sitting.

"Are you kidding? You want me to sit with them?" Her eyes matched the incredulous tone in her voice. Her hand gripped the chopsticks so tight he thought that she was going to snap them in half.

"You're by yourself," he pointed out to her. "You sure you don't want the company?"

"I'd rather be alone than with your group." She eyed him up and down, that little smile coming back onto her lips. "You're welcome to sit with me if you want."

That sounded like an idea that could go south really fast, especially with the way Tsukiko had told him about her. "Come on, Yukie. I'm just trying to extend a hand here for all of us. You really want to eat here next to the set alone?"

She looked at the set, then at him, and then over at his team. Her grip on the chopsticks lessened as a thoughtful look came onto her face. "I might, provided they do something for me," she finally said.

"What would that be?"

"Your two teammates apologize to me."

He heard the question but didn't quite understand it. The confusion he had about it showed on his face as he asked, "Um…for what, exactly?"

She lost the thoughtful look and replaced it with an irritated frown. "Do you want the list of what they've done wrong?"

"Do you have a list?" He had a feeling she was bluffing. They had only known each other for a couple of days. There was no way she could compiled a list of thing she thought Tsukiko and Hiro did wrong.

She huffed in annoyance, putting the chopsticks down. "Fine, I'll give you the top two things they did wrong."

"_That means she doesn't have a list."_ At least he was right about that. But he didn't like how the rest of the conversation was going. All he could do was go with it. "And they would be what?"

"They don't consider the proper courtesies when speaking to me and they were rude to me without apologizing," she declared with absolute seriousness. But it was the fact that she was so serious about two ridiculous things that made him snort in laughter. "You find this funny?"

He managed to stop the snorting and look at her. "When you say proper courtesies, are you talking about the fact that they treated you like a human being?"

"I am a princess," she stated like he was a simple idiot. "They forget their place when speaking to me."

"Actually, no they didn't. If anything, you did."

"I beg your pardon!" she almost shouted at him, standing up from her seat.

He stood up too. A quick look from the corner of his eye told him that the cast and crew were much too busy eating and talking amongst themselves to care about them. His team wasn't so sure of since he would've had to turn his head. "You're a princess and they're the heirs to their respective clans."

"So?"

"Isn't that pretty much the same thing?" he asked. He wasn't sure about the levels of etiquette in the Elemental Nations (not that he paid much attention to them in any form), but he was fairly certain those were on the same level.

"No, of course not," she told him. _"Perhaps I overestimated him if he can't grasp that simple concept."_ How could he not? It was perfectly understandable to everyone. Clan heads and their heads are lower on the ranking ladder than a princess or a daimyo. If he didn't get that, then she wouldn't bother trying to teach him. She would just go back to her lunch, which was already getting cold since his interruption. "Now if—"

The only thing she heard before he suddenly shouted "Look out!" and found herself on the floor was the creak of metal against metal. She stared at the tiled floor and angry poured through her vein. _"How dare he!?"_ she silently asked. She turned around to look at him and to lecture him on proper conduct but the words died right away.

The dyed redhead was standing before her, holding one of the light poles with his hands. If he hadn't pushed her out of the way, the thing could've very well landed on her hands or arms. They would've been broken if he hadn't done anything. The pole was one of the longer ones, reaching past his head with its light shining at the ceiling. "Are you okay, Yukie?" he asked her.

"Ye-yes, I'm fine," she answered, swallowing air and ignoring the fact that he didn't say princess before her name. She could only stare at him and how he was holding the pole up. She didn't know his arms could be that strong. They didn't look so muscular before. She couldn't help but wonder if the rest of him looked like that.

"That's good. Do you mind getting out of the way for a minute?"

She was knocked out of her staring. "Huh?"

"Could you get out of the way for a minute?" he repeated himself. His voice seemed to start getting strained but it still kept its cool and casual tone, a tone that intrigued her from the start.

"Oh, oh yeah," she told him. She quickly crawled out from under him while his team ran up to help him lower the pole down to the ground without any noise.

Arashi stared at the pole, then at Yukie. He noticed how she was looking at him. It was more than how she had looked at him before. Before was interested, now was "You saved my life, how can I thank you?" That was a level he didn't think he wanted from a client's granddaughter. "Not a word, Tsukiko," he told his teammate quietly, knowing full well she saw the look too.

"I didn't say anything," she replied as their sensei and the rest of the production crew came running over.

"Good. Keep it like that."

(Location: Republic City)

Mako looked down at the water flowing past the ship. They were sailing out of the harbor, all ready to set off the con. "This is right around the area where the attacks happened," he told Two Toed Ping, who leaned on the rail same as him. "So keep your eyes peeled, and stay quiet."

"I agree. Keep quiet. Mouth zipped, don't say a word," Ping agreed. As he talked, Asami rolled her eyes from where she was leaning against the bulkhead nearby. "That's the best thing to do when you're trying to ambush somebody, which is what we're doing here, and it's basically what I'm always doing. I mean, I _am _a gangster, after all, and—"

"Two Toed Ping, please," Mako cut him off, already getting annoyed.

"Oh, right." He paused for a moment before speaking again, this time going for a question. "So, what's it like dating the Avatar?" The cop beside him only turned his head away and sighed in annoyance. "Come on, Mako, I gotta know."

"Ping, stay focused!"

"What? What are you so weird about it? If I was dating the Avatar, I'd tell _you_ all about it."

"There's nothing to know." He exhaled a little sigh and said, "I broke up with her."

"You broke up?" said a very surprised Asami, "When? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know," he replied as she walked up to him. It didn't seem that important to what was happening to her and he didn't really think he had to tell anyone until both he and Korra did.

Ping just started laughing. "Yeah, right," he said to his fellow Firebender. "_You_ broke up with the Avatar. Like that happened." He leaned over the rail and looked down the side of the ship. "Hey, Shady Shin, Viper," he called out. "Mako says he broke up with the Avatar."

"_Sure_ he did," Shady Shin replied.

"Yeah, I did too," Viper said. All three of them burst out laughing. That laughter seemed to echo up and down the ship.

"All right, would you guys knock it off and do your job?" Mako asked with a small snap in his voice.

"Yeah, yeah, we're on it," Ping told him, walking away for a moment.

He groaned slightly and put his head in his palm. "And this is why I never shared gossip with these guys." They were worse than wives meeting at the market.

* * *

Everything was ready to be shot and that's what the assistant director wanted. "And action!" he called.

"Forget about me," Ginger told Nuktuk as she lay on the table, hands bound to it while the drill slowly descended. "You _must_ capture the evil Unalaq before he gets away."

"No!" Nuktuk declared. "I'll never leave you." He leaned down and kissed her full on the lips, something she hadn't been expecting.

"Cut!" Varrick shouted, making everything stop. "There's no kiss in the script."

"Sorry, I just kinda lost myself in the moment," Bolin apologized. A goofy smile crossed his lips. "It just felts so right." Ginger sat up, her hands easily slipping out of the rope binds, and made a disgusted face at his words.

"It did, huh? Your girlfriend's about to die, and instead of untying her, you _kiss_ her." There was a brief pause before the man exploded into a big grin. "Wait a minute! Maybe that will work. Yes! It's genius! Everybody take five. Except for you, Zhu Li. Grab the tweezers. I've got some neck-hair issues to resolve."

As the break bell rang, Bolin went over to Ginger. "So…that kiss," he began. "I liked it. And it seemed like you liked it too."

She had something to say about that and it started with an "Uch. You're confusing Ginger the actress with Ginger the character." She stood up from the table and walked away.

Confused as he was, he still went after her. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I'm totally getting, like, a weird vibe from you right now. It's like, a minute ago, when we were shooting, you were into me, but now you're not."

"That's because Ginger loves Nuktuk, not Bolin," she told him, making it sound like it was the most obvious thing on this side of the planet.

"But Nuktuk _is_ Bolin," he protested. "I'm a hero." She still walked away from him, leaving him to sigh in defeat. _"Maybe Lord Naruto had a point after all."_

* * *

"And that's why they call me Two Toed Ping," the man finished, wiggling his toes for extra emphasis. He had offered to tell Mako and Asami why he got his name and she had agreed before Mako could stop her. So he hopped up onto a crate, told them about how he joined the triad, and promptly pulled off his boots to show off his toes.

"Because you have two _extra_ toes," Asami said in morbid fascination, looking at twelve toes in front of her.

"That's right. And there was already a Twelve Toed Ping on the south side."

Mako barely let anything show on his face at that story. He didn't know it until now but even before this he knew better ask about how the members joined the triad. That was an excuse for them to regale kids with stories glorifying the crime life, making it easier for them to join. A faint whisper of something caught in his ear, making him turn to the left. "Wait, guys. Do you hear that?"

"I didn't hear anything," Asami told him.

"Nope," Ping added.

So it was just his mind playing tricks on him. Great, just what he needed. "Ah! What's taking so long?" he asked in frustration.

"You just gotta relax, like me. Maybe try taking your shoes off," the other Firebender suggested.

He wasn't interested in that. He was certain he had heard something. "I'm gonna check it out."

He walked down the length of the ship, trying to find whatever it was that got his attention. "So how long do we have to stay out here?" he heard Shady Shin ask from above, getting his attention right away. He stepped underneath a staircase to hide from sight.

"I told you, it's gonna be a few hours," Viper told him, standing at the rail above beside him. "What, do you have a hot date?"

"Actually, I do. And I wanna look my best. I gotta shower and shave. I have a whole routine, okay?"

"Well, your date's gonna have to wait."

"She's not gonna be happy about that," Shin commented.

"Too bad," his boss told him. "We were paid to keep Mako and that dame distracted for a few hours, so that's what we're gonna do."

"See? This is why I never get dates."

"_Those sons of bitches!"_ swore Mako silently as he scowled up at them. He and Asami asked for help and this was how they repaid them!? He turned back and went to find Asami. She was right where he left her, watching Ping clean each of his twelve toes. She turned to face him when she heard the sound of his footsteps and he signaled her to come over. "I just overheard Shady Shin and Viper," he said when she got to him and they were out of Ping's sight. "We've been double-crossed. We have to get off this ship."

"_What?"_ she thought in shock and surprise as he grabbed her by the arm. It didn't last long and then she started running too. But when they got to the side with the speedboats, they ran into a surprise.

"Where do you think you're going?" Viper asked, standing in their way with Shady Shin and a few others. Mako didn't waste any time in bending a large burst of flame from an uppercut, making them all fall down to the ground. While they were distracted, he and Asami leapt onto the nearest speedboat. Viper sat back and saw them standing there. "Get—!"

His command died on his tongue as he felt a wave of cold anger wash over him. Sweat started to emerge and trail down his head and his neck. His breathing became hard and erratic. He started shaking. His only thought was, _"Oh Spirits help me."_ When he forced himself to look around, he saw he wasn't the only one like that.

Mako cut the ropes with his Firebending and the boat fell away, but the triad didn't even trying to go after him. They were too busy being caught that icy feeling traveling down their spines and then burrowing into it. "Good evening, everyone," the voice of Naruto spoke to them, seemingly pleasant but they all could hear the undertone to it. "If you could all make your way to the ship's bow, I would like to talk to you all."

What they would've liked to do was leap over the sides of the ship and swim for their lives. But they all knew on an instinct level that wouldn't keep them alive, only prolong what was coming and make it all the worse. So they did as they were bidden, walking from where they were to the bow.

They found him standing there with a coat over his clothes and a pleasant expression on his face. "Good evening," he said to them once they were all there.

"Good…good evening," they said back, too afraid to not be polite about it.

He smiled but that feeling of anger got colder. "Who knew that you all had manners?" he asked rhetorically. "Now than, here's what's going to happen next: I'm going to be giving all of you a beatdown. But before I do that, I'm going to ask a question and depending on your answer," he raised his sword two inches off the ground, "I may or may not be drawing this out and sending a few corpses over the side."

Viper swallowed what air he could and asked what everyone was thinking in a shaky voice. "Wh-what's the questi-tion?"

The pleasant expression and the smile vanished, being replaced with cold fury and outrage. "Did you screw over my apprentice _before_ or _after_ she came to you and asked for your help?"

He felt that either way he could possibly answer that question was going to be bad. He just hoped that he would live through it. "A-after," he told the old man. The only thing he felt before he fell into unconsciousness was pain on the side of his head.

* * *

"What was that all about?" Asami asked as she drove the speedboat back to the harbor. She was silently relieved that she had taken her sensei's offer, knowing full well what had them all stop short and start looking very afraid.

"Someone paid the Triple Threats to keep us distracted," Mako told her while looking back at the ship. He had expected them to come after the two of them but so far, no other speedboats were chasing them.

"Distracted? From what?" she asked, looking over at him. But then she realized what that meant and her eyes widened in realization and horror. "Oh no," she said.

She floored it back to the harbor and leapt out of the boat once they were close enough to get off. They sprint for her warehouse and threw open the doors. Everything was dark inside, which made her realizing horror feel even worse. It became complete when she threw the switch and the lights came on in the warehouse, revealing it to be completely empty. "Whoever paid the Triple Threats stole everything," Mako said as he looked at the empty floor.

She knew that, having figured it out by herself. But that wasn't what was on her mind. No, what was on her mind was her company and what this meant for it. It only meant one thing. "I'm ruined. My company…it's over," she declared sadly.

"We should check out your other warehouses. Maybe they didn't have time to hit them all."

"You don't understand," she told him, letting her head droop. "Everything I had was in here."

"We have to search the place for evidence," he said, taking a thinking pose with his hand on his chin. "If we can find a lead—"

"Mako…it doesn't matter anymore," she cut him off.

Those didn't sit well with him. He looked over at her. "I can figure this out." If he just worked at it, he could find whoever it was attacking her shipments.

But she didn't have the same idea. "Just stop. It's over. I give up."

"Well, I'm not giving up on you," he promised. She was his friend. He had the chance to help her. He would do just that.

She looked up at him with tears of defeat holding in her eyes. She cut a sorrowful picture looking at him like that. Agni help him, she was as beautiful as she was the day she ran into him. But they had tried dating and it didn't work out. They had moved on. Before he could think or even say anything else, she leaned in and kissed him. A surprised sound got caught in his mouth at the move but besides that, he didn't fight it.

It must've been the sound that she heard. She stopped the kiss, stepped away, and instantly was embarrassed. "Sorry, I—"

He was just as embarrassed and tried to find a way out of the conversation. "Uh…it's-it's okay. Um …anyway…I gotta run. I'm gonna find out who did this. And I know just who to ask."

* * *

When Ping was thrown against the wall, he could feel that pain from what he was already feeling. But that didn't mean he could act nonchalant about it. "Hey, Mako," he said to the Firebender who was holding him against the wall. "Uh, you're not mad about last night, are you? Just so you know the triad already paid for that."

Mako could see that in how he had been holding a crunch in his left arm while his right arm was in a sling and there were patches all over his face. But he didn't care about that. "Who hired you to double-cross us?"

"I don't know," Ping said instantly.

"I think you do know," he retorted, bending out a fire dagger and holding it against his throat. "And you're gonna tell me, or we're gonna have to change your name to 'No Toed Ping.'"

"Really, I don't know. You have to believe me. We never met the guy who hired us."

"You expect me to believe that?" he asked with a dry chuckle. That was practically their first line of excuse!

"After you left the hideout, some mook showed up and said his boss would pay us to keep you distracted," the criminal explained quickly and in fear for his life. "We'd never seen him before, and we ain't seen him since. Come on, Mako, you know how these deals work. Please, I would never lie to you with my lucky toes on the line."

Unfortunately, he knew that to be true. There was nothing else to be gained. "Get out of here," he ordered, pulling him away from the wall and shoving him back into the ally. Ping didn't waste any time in hobbling away for his life.

(Location: Land of Spring)

"Alright, what the hell happened at lunch today?" Tsukiko asked at dinner, looking at her teammates and her sensei. With the work for today done, everyone had packed up and went for dinner in the nearby dining hall. As usual, the shinobi sat at their own table, watching everyone else.

"I don't know," Arashi told her. "All I heard was the sound of the pole moving and I saw it about to fall out of the corner of my eye. I reacted and stopped it from falling down on the princess."

"Or on you," she added.

He had thought about that. "Maybe but maybe it was also coincidence that it fell when I was right there."

"It shouldn't have fallen in the first place," Hiro protested with a flourish of his chopsticks. "I helped set up those poles myself. They were secured. They should not have fallen." He was annoyed and angry about the whole thing.

"Hiro, you're not exactly an expert in setting those things up," Arashi pointed out to him.

But he was undeterred. "They taught me enough to know that they shouldn't have fallen like that. Somebody had messed with that pole."

"If that's the case, who?" asked Rin, wanting her students to find the answer.

"It wasn't the crew, that's for sure," Tsukiko said. "We all saw how worried they were when they came rushing over."

"They were worried for him," Hiro said, pointing his chopsticks at Arashi, "not for Yukie. After all, they mustn't let the grandson of Naruto Uzumaki damage a pinky." He didn't say it with annoyance or irritation, more like a faint mocking which probably would've been more if the situation was lighter.

Arashi shuddered at his words nonetheless. "Could you not put it like that?" he asked his teammate.

"It's the truth. They were about to send you to the doctor's office until Rin took a look for herself and declared that you were fine." The dyed redhead had been all but fighting them off as they pulled him to the door and had been losing the fight.

He chose to look past that and look at what he said first. "So you think that one of the crew pulled that kind of stunt just to freak out Yukie?"

"She's not exactly loved by everyone here," Hiro pointed out.

"That would be putting it mildly," Rin said. "But the crew is professional and so is the cast. No one would be willing to risk the daimyo's ire just to go after her granddaughter because she's a little snooty and arrogant.

"Oh, come on. A little?" repeated a somewhat outraged Tsukiko. "Rin-sensei, have you even met her!?"

"Yes, I have. When we came here for the mission and times before to meet with my brother. I will admit that Yukie does look down her nose at people she thinks are beneath her. But that is only because of her upbringing. Beneath it all is a nice girl who can be friendly. You just have to get past the layers that she has."

"Well, have fun with that."

"You're not even going to try, Tsukiko? How disappointing," she said with disappointment in her voice. None of the Genin could tell if the disappointment was genuine or just mocking.

"I've said it once and I'll say it again. She's a twit and I will not make nice with her if she remains a twit."

"Actually, I think that's the first time you've said that," Arashi told her but his eyes were focused on what was behind her.

"Also, it's quite rude to talk about someone behind their backs," Yukie said, standing behind Tsukiko with a plate of food in her hands. Tsukiko almost leapt out of her place at the sound of her voice while the others just smiled politely at her. "Good evening," she said to them.

"Good evening," Hiro replied, his manners kicking in on instinct.

Tsukiko turned around and glared at her. "Didn't your mom ever tell you not to sneak up on people?" she demanded.

Her question made both her teammates snort into their food, trying to hold in their laughter. What they were trying to hold bounced around and echoed in their minds. _"You're a kunoichi! You're supposed to know when someone's sneaking up on you!"_

"She did," Yukie replied. "But my uncle told me to do it anyway."

"Is there something you need, Yukie?" Rin asked her, the faintest amount of curiosity in her voice.

She looked at them all again, this time with an uncertain look in her eyes. "…May I sit with you?" she finally asked in a quiet tone of voice.

Their sensei didn't say anything but the Genin looked amongst themselves. Tsukiko's eyes were hard and pleading but they couldn't hold against Hiro's and Arashi's silent argument that she was lonely and wanted some company. "Sure, you can sit with us," Hiro finally told the princess.

She smiled widely at them. "Thank you." She sat down right next to Arashi. Within a few minutes, she was talking with the group like she had been a part of them since they formed. And while it took longer than expected, Tsukiko started talking to her as well.

(Location: Republic City)

The first thing Mako noticed when he walked into the set was just how many people were around. Some were just speaking amongst themselves, some were building stuff off to the sides, some were manning those cameras, and some were just standing or sitting around. His brother happened to be one of the sitting people, eating popcorn loudly as he did. "Bolin, have you seen Varrick around?" he asked his brother. He got no response. "Bolin!" he said again but his brother kept eating the popcorn. He sighed in annoyance and caved, saying, "Nuktuk."

That got his attention. "Yes? Oh, hello, Mako. Didn't notice you there," he said, sounding like he was completely surprised.

"_You saw me walk right in here,"_ the Firebender mentally growled. There were days when he wanted to thump his brother so hard that he would have to see sense. But today wasn't going to be that day. "Where's Varrick? I need to ask him something."

"Hmm, can't say that I've seen him. But I've been kinda busy, you know, rehearsing for my big scene. There's gonna be some crazy 'pyrotechnics,'" he explained, using air quotes for emphasis. "That's mover speak for explosions."

"We need Nuktuk on set. Running explosion scene," one of the people near the set shouted.

He heard his name and started to stand, but froze at that last part. He looked up at his brother, still standing there and waiting. "Or sometimes we just call them explosions. Anyway, wish I could stand around here and chitchat, but you know, I gotta go shoot my big scene."

Mako watched him swagger off to the set. _"How are we related again?"_ he asked himself. And then he remembered. They were brothers.

A bell clanged overheard loudly and everyone started to back away from the set, giving Bolin the space alone. They all fell behind the cameras and waited there. "Okay, the set is clear. Camera's rolling. And…action!" that same person shouted out.

"Ginger, stay down! I'm coming for you," Bolin shouted with an outstretched hand.

"_Dramatic as always,"_ Mako silently remarked as he watched his brother run down the length of the set. While he ran, a series of explosions went off behind him, always exploding right after he went past. But as he watched the scene play out, the Firebender realized something: those explosions seemed familiar. A quick look around the area and he found the guy handling the explosions sitting nearby, fitting tubes of dynamite into a belt of sorts with a newspaper by his side.

Mako only got a quick look at the headline, something about fishing bodies out of the harbor, before turning his attention to the man. "How did you rig those explosions to go off like that?" he asked, walking over to him.

"Neat, huh?" the man asked back with a proud smile. "It's a Varrick Industries exclusive. Here, check it out." He reached into the box beside him, pulled something out, and handed it to him. "The explosions use a remote detonator."

Mako looked at what he had been given. It was a device just like the one he had found the night of the bombing. The only difference was the colors. His eyes widened in realization. "Varrick," he whispered in realization. Now he knew the truth.

* * *

He didn't waste any time rushing over to Future Industries, barging into Asami's office. "Asami, I think I know who set us up," he announced.

She looked up from what she was writing with a slightly confused look. But the person sitting on the other side of the desk spun around in his chair. It was Varrick with a sly and smug look on his face. "Hello, Mako," he said in greeting.

"What are you doing here?" the Firebender asked with a mixture of confusion and suspicion.

"He just saved my company," Asami declared happily, standing up with papers in her hands. "Varrick bought a controlling interest in Future Industries. Isn't that great?"

"Yep, I like to think I'm always there to stand up for the little guy," Varrick declared. As Asami walked around the desk, he pulled her in for a shoulder-to-shoulder hug. "Especially if that little guy can help _this _guy become a _bigger_ guy."

She looked mildly uncomfortable at the hug but brighten up when she looked over at Mako. "So what were you saying, Mako? You think you know who hired the Triple Threats?" she asked, pulling away from Varrick.

"Yeah, and I'm _real_ close to proving it," he said, eyeing Varrick. "I'll fill you in later." He turned around and left the office.

He walked past Naruto in the corridors. He didn't say anything to him but the Firebender would've sworn that as they past, the old man whispered, "Keep doing what you're doing." He didn't stop to look back at the man, it would've been suspicious. He just kept walking.

* * *

Everything felt warm and yet, she felt hurt and tired. There was something course pushing against her back and she could hear something crashing nearby. _"Sand and waves,"_ a voice whispered to her. Were those the names of the things? They sounded about right. _"You have to open your eyes."_ She tried but they felt so heavy, like they refused to open willingly. But a few attempts, they did open.

The first thing she noticed was how bright things looked. She might've closed her eyes to block out the lights but there were shadows in the way, giving her time to adjust. But as she adjusted, she saw that the shadows weren't shadows, they were people, three of them. Her breath came in as a gasp and she started to panic. "Get away from me!" she shouted, twisting upwards and instinctively bending the air to push them away. But it tired her out so much that when she landed on her feet, she fell to her knees. She could only stare down at the sand, panting in exhaustion.

"It's okay, we're here to help you, Avatar Korra," one of the people, an elder man, said to her.

He said the name like she should know it, but she didn't. "Who's-who's 'Avatar Korra?'" she asked him, looking up.

She saw the look of apprehension and surprise on his face. He looked up at the other people. They had the same expressions on their faces. "What happened to you? How did you end up on our island?"

"I…don't know. I can't remember anything." That was the last thing she said before the darkness took her. The last conscious thought she had was that the world seemed strange tilted as it was.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

I know that Varrick's movers are supposed to be like old fashioned movies. But to Naruto, they are a step backwards. He grew up with color and TVs, now he's back to corny old black and white? He would definitely have an opinion about that. He might even do something about it.

Since Varrick was a student of a Paragon, he would've learned the stances and movements of the four styles. Hence why he insisted on Bolin doing the Waterbending right because let's face it, in the canon his moves looked stupid.

If you're wondering what Naruto did exactly to the triad, I told you in the chapter itself. All you have to do is look for the clues. And if you're wondering why I didn't just write it out, it would've been too much of a hassle.

Alright, you all know what's coming next. I'm going to be combing the next two episodes into one just so I don't leave you guys all hanging and because I can. But you should also expect some color commentary along the way too.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	31. Going back

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 31: Going back

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Unknown)

The light danced with shadows as the sun went over trees and back. She saw this happening and yet, she wasn't moving herself. Where was she going? How she could be moving when she was still. **"You're being carried,"** a voice said just outside her ear. It was different from the previous voice, sounding more real. She turned her eyes to where the voice had come from but saw nothing. **"You'll see me when I choose to let you. For now, enjoy the ride."**

The light and shadows faded to a cool darkness as she was taken inside a building. "We found the Avatar washed up onshore, but she doesn't remember anything," she heard the woman speak to someone.

"_Who…who?"_ she tried asking the voice, but unable to ask the question.

But it seemed to know what she was saying. **"Who am I? I am someone you once knew, a long time ago."**

That made no sense and yet, it did at the same time. A name came to her, a formless thing that should've meant to her. It kept repeating away in her head. It didn't mean anything to her but it should. Why didn't it mean anything? She heard the name so many times she began to say it. "Raava. Raava. Raava," she whispered even as she felt something solid against her back.

An old woman appeared by her side. Fire appeared in her hands and she moved it above her. But it didn't hurt. It felt warm and gentle. "A dark energy has infected her. We must purge it before it destroys her Avatar Spirit," she said.

She didn't know what that meant but the firm feeling left her back and she was carried to something that felt small and yet big at the same time, all the way feeling rough and twisting. It felt like she was going lower and everything was getting cooler. "Let the waters cleanse the darkness that plagues your spirit," she heard the old woman proclaimed.

That made no sense but then she felt something cool, wet, and liquid press against her back. But then it felt nice and restful. Strength came back to her eyes and she could open them up again. When she did, she found herself submerged in the liquid yet she could breathe just fine. Some part of her said that shouldn't be possible but she was doing it, glowing in purple too. She could hear the liquid moving all around her but she could still breathe easy.

"**Ah, nice of you to join me,"** the voice said again, just outside of her ear. She turned her head and saw someone floating close to her. He wore a cloak that swirled black and white, never mixing into grey. She could not see his face and wondered who he was. **"You shouldn't ask that question of me,"** he told her, somehow knowing what she was going to say. **"Rather, you should ask her."**

He didn't point or do anything to acknowledge a direction but she somehow knew where he wanted her to look. She turned her head to the front and saw a girl floating just opposite of her. She wore blue clothes, had dark skin and hair, and watched her with a serene expression. "Who are you?" she asked the girl.

"**I am you,"** the girl replied.

Those words rang true in her mind because it did feel like she was looking at a mirror image. But she still didn't know who she was exactly. "Who am I?"

But she didn't acknowledge him. She watched as the girl rippled away, like a pebble being tossed into water. A man took her place, pale skinned, wearing orange and yellow clothing below a red sash and a blue arrow tattoo showing prominently on his bald head. **"****You are the Avatar,"** he told her.

Looking at him, she felt at peace and comfortable, like she would be able to confide in him. Oddly enough, it still felt like she was looking at her own reflection. But she was still confused. "I don't know what that is."

The waters rippled again and he was replaced with another man. This one was much older; she could see that in his white hair and beard and sagging skin that seemed to be a tone lighter than the previous man. He wore robes of deep red and a headdress was atop his head. **"****In order to remember, you must regain your connection with your Avatar Spirit,"** he said. She nearly recoiled away from him. Even though she still felt like she was looking at herself, something told her to ignore the traitor and murderer in front of her.

She didn't know if the man could sense this or not but the water rippled again. This time, a woman took his place. She was dressed for battle in clothes of green. A gold headdress, much bigger than the last one, rest on her forehead above a face painted white with red highlights around the eyes. **"If you don't, darkness will engulf the world. You will die, and our era will end,"** she said.

She was confused, and not just because she had to be weary of the woman, like she would be too heavy handed and forceful. She was confused because she did not know what to do. "How do I regain my connection?" she asked the woman.

The water rippled again and a man took the woman's place. He wore the same colors as her and his hair and skin were the same too. She wondered if he was her father for a moment. But that feeling of looking at herself still remained, along with the feeling of exasperation. **"****Go back. Return to the beginning. Find Raava," **he told her.

As he spoke, a current somehow appeared from behind him and slammed into her, so strong that it carried her away. She couldn't fight it as it took her away from the man, his image growing smaller in the distance until he finally disappeared from sight. **"Whee!"** the voice said, enjoying what was happening to them. But she wasn't. She was unsure of what was going on, confused, and scared. **"Oh relax, you'll be fine,"** he told her. **"They sure do love to be dramatic. I have no idea where they get it." **

The current came to a sudden halt, vanishing like it hadn't been there in the first place. She looked around and saw that everything looked the same as before. But then she felt a warm light behind her. She turned in the water and saw an orb of light right there before her. Inside that orb was a young man, probably only a year younger than her. His clothes were simple and worn. He had dirt under his nails and his black hair looked like it could use a wash. But yet, he had a smile on his lips and his amber eyes were bright.

That feeling of knowing who this person came back a hundred fold. But she didn't recognize him. "Are you Raava?" she asked, hopeful for a yes.

"**No, but I can help you find her,"** he answered. **"My name is Wan, and I will show you how I became the first Avatar."**

"**This is going to be interesting. You don't mind if I tag along and give some color commentary?"** the voice asked. She didn't answered, too busy watching the first Avatar slowly drift into a scene that seemed to be painted into being behind him. **"I thought not. Let's enjoy the ride now, shall we?"**

She still didn't say anything. The painting was now complete and she found herself being drawn into it, following the man into it.

* * *

"Nobody steals from the Chou brothers!" shouted the smallest of said brothers as they chased Wan down the street, waving his polearm around. There were three of them and they could be easily told apart just by their height.

"Really?" he asked as he banked around a corner, "Because I just did." It had been a little difficult getting over the wall but after that, it was laughably easy to grab the food and stuff it into the bag. It also helped that the brothers didn't exactly focus on their exercise.

"You're dead, Wan," the biggest brother declared.

He saw the balcony in front of him and leapt up onto the rail. "Actually, I feel quite alive." He leapt backwards into the air. That might've seemed crazy for a regular person but he knew what he was doing. There were lines of clothes being hung out to dry. He reached out, grabbed one, and used it to bounce up into a windowsill. He landed just in time to see the brothers come crashing down all the way to the ground.

"**Ooh, that look like it hurt. I'm surprised they're not dead."**

Glad for the easy cushioning down below, he leapt down and landed easily atop of them. He bounced to his feet and kept running. It didn't take them long to get up and follow him but he knew the city's streets like the back of his hand. He was only a street away from the gate to the outer city. Once he was there, he could relax a little. The Chous didn't like stepping outside of the inner city. He saw the entrance, a simple arch, and ran right through it. A flock of birds sat on the bridge beyond the arch but he sent them flying.

"Hey, stop!" one of the brothers shouted.

"_Yeah, right,"_ he thought to himself as he leapt up onto the nearby roof, _"Like I'm going to stop now!"_ He kept running across the roofs, leaping down and up them as he went, along with some swinging around just to mix it up. He didn't hear them behind him, which proved his theory about them and the outer city. Once he knew he was safe, he started to slow down into a walk. He saw an open balcony nearby and dropped down to it. Letting his legs rest a bit, he sat down to open the bag.

But before he could even eat the bread roll in his hand, the Chou brothers landed on the same balcony. He froze for a second at the sight of them. He had been certain that they wouldn't come out of the inner city! "He-he-hey, fellas!" he said nervously. "You're just in time for lunch!" He threw the roll at the biggest Chou, hitting him right on the nose. While he was distracted by the pain, he leapfrogged over him to get away, bag in hand.

But as his feet landed on the ground, a pole slammed into his legs, knocking him to the ground. Before he could get back up, he was surrounded. "I told you no one steals from us," the smallest brother said with a victorious smirk, kneeling down so he could look him in the eye.

Before he could even make a retort, the biggest brother grabbed hold of him and lifted him up into the air. All he could do was smile weakly at the big red bruise of a noise staring at him. But that got him thrown into the air over the city walls to the outskirts. The good news for him was that he landed somewhere soft so he didn't get hurt badly. The bad news was that place happened to be one of the pens where they kept the animals, which was full of mud and muck.

"**That's a smell that's not going to leave any time soon. I'd feel sorry for him, but he's the one who got caught."**

* * *

By the time he was able to get out of the pen, wash off the muck, and head back to his house, the sun was setting on the city and the forest around it. His house was a rickety thing of a single leveled house, built around a tree. There wasn't a bed inside or anything that actually made it a home, just a table and some carpets, along with a cup and a jug that could hold tea. But still, it was his home.

When he stepped through the entrance, he saw Jaya sitting nearby. "Did you steal from the Chous again?" he asked.

"Yeah, and I got to nothing show for it except a few dirty rolls and a whole lot of bruises," Wan complained whilst pulling out the few rolls he managed to pocket in his shirt. He handed one to Jaya and walked over to the back, where one of the blankets they had was draped to make a shadowed tent. He knelt down and offered the roll out. "Hey, Yao, I got some food for you.

What looked like a tree trunk roughly carved into the shape of a hand reached out to take the roll. The arm and body the hand belonged to came into light, revealing an old man who looked to be half a tree, especially around his face. "Mmm. Delicious!" he declared as he scarfed down the roll. "Thank you, Wan."

"**Well, he looks he's about to go any time now and not just from old age."**

Wan sat down across from Jaya and was about to eat his roll when a couple of animals came into the house and looked up at him. "You guys are hungry too, huh?" he asked them. He didn't expect an answer from them, knowing full well that they couldn't speak. He tore his roll into tiny pieces and scattered it all over the floor. The animals all gladly converged on the crumbs, eating away happily.

"Wan, you should eat," Jaya told him.

"They need it more than I do. Besides, I'm tired of eating scraps." He reached over to the nearby jug and cup, pouring some tea for himself. It was a weak tea that tasted more like water than anything else. "If only there was some way to get into the Chous' food cellar. We'd be eating like, well, like Chous."

"If Chou the Elder catches you sneaking into his palace, you'll end up dead. Or worse, he'll banish you to the Spirit Wilds."

Those last two word got Yao's attention. "No, don't get banished. You don't want nothing to do with those spirits," he told the two youngsters. "They'll get inside ya, scramble up your mind, turn you into this a monster!" He gestured at himself when he said that last word, practically screaming it out.

They both watched as the old man buried his face in his hands and turned away from them, back deeper into his shadowed spot. Jaya looked back at Wan. "Don't do anything crazy, Wan," he said cautiously. "You just gotta accept the world is the way it is. Some people have power. Some people don't. And you don't."

Wan sipped at his tea and looked out the nearby window, back out at the city. "Not yet, anyway," he said as an idea came to him. It would be risky, but the reward would be worth it.

* * *

The leader of the huntsmen stood in one of the outer city's squares. He usually did this kind of asking before each hunt so he could get more volunteers and therefore have a better chance of actually getting food. "Are you strong? Are you fearless? Do you have what it takes to battle the spirits?" he asked the people in the square with his men behind him. "Then join the hunt." Even though he did this each dawn before each hunt, he never really expected to answer his call.

"Count me in," Wan said as he came to a stop in front of the group, raising his hand to get their attention and then lowering it once he was sure he had it.

The head huntsman looked him up and down with a questioning look. What he saw didn't impress him, instead it made him laugh. "We're going to be out in the wilds for a week. You wouldn't last two seconds."

"I can handle myself," he told the man with a smug expression and folded arms. The former disappeared when he asked, "We all get fire, right?"

"Yeah, but do you know how to use it?"

"Well, not exactly, but I—"

"Ah, let him come," one of the huntman's men said as he came around and put his arm around Wan. "Not like we got any other volunteers lining up."

"All right," his leader decided. "Welcome to the hunt." Wan just smiled back at him.

* * *

The walk out of the city and to the edges of the Sprits Wilds was long enough that the sun had risen up into the sky and making it blue in the process. But Wan hadn't really paid attention to that. He was too excited that his plan was working. Also, this was the farthest he had been out of the city and its surrounding area.

The path they were walking on came to a sudden stop where the grass met rock but the hunters kept walking like it was nothing. Wan followed them as they climbed up a ledge that faced the city, giving them a nice view of it. The lead huntsman took a horn from his belt and blew a long solemn note from it. It echoed in the air for a moment before vanishing away. But that was all that was needed.

The city began to shake. Then it rose, revealing it to be resting on the back of a giant animal, whose head they were looking at. "The lion turtle," Wan said in awed wonder, knowing full well what it was.

"Great guardian of our city, we are venturing into the Spirit Wilds to bring back food for our people. Please, grant us the power of fire," the huntsman asked, using his voice loudly and clearly.

"**The power is yours to keep until your return,"** the lion turtle declared, raising its claw up to hold in front of them.

"You're first, kid," he told Wan.

He stepped forward and the lion turtle placed the tips of its claws on his heart and head. **"****May the element of fire protect you against the spirits,"** it proclaimed.

Light glowed from the claws. He could feel power flowing through into him from those claw, filling him with power. When the light died and the claws pulled back, he could still feel that power. Wanting to test it out, he threw it out in front of him. The fire came roaring out, so quick and powerful he was caught off guard and stumbled back to the ground.

He landed with a thump right next to the lead huntsman, who barely looked down at him. "Just make sure you aim at the spirits, not us, okay?" he said, walking past him.

"Sure thing," he replied, standing up and looking at his hand for a brief moment.

"**He has something planned. Can you wonder what it is?"**

Soon the entire party had the power of fire from the lion turtle. With it, they turned and ventured into the Spirit Wilds. It didn't take long for them to be completely encompassed by the forest. This was different from the forest around the city. There they felt safe and protected. But here, that safety wasn't there. "Everyone, stay close," the lead huntsman told the party as they went down the rough path. "Spirits love to pick off stragglers."

"Uh, guys?" Wan said from the back, both legs and voice trembling from fear. "I don't think I can do this."

The entire party stopped and looked at him when he said that. They weren't happy. "Now, quit your whining. We haven't even seen a spirit yet."

"I think I wanna go home."

He walked up to Wan's face, placing his finger right at it. "I knew you were nothing but a sniveling coward. Go give your fire back to the lion turtle," he ordered, shoving him back and turning away, "and don't ever show your face around me again." He and his hunters walked deeper into the forest, leaving Wan there.

He turned away with a sad expression but once he was certain that they weren't looking back at him. _"They fell for it,"_ he thought in triumph as he walked out of the Spirit Wilds. He had timed it so it was easy to get back to the lion turtle and back to the house.

Yao and Jaya were playing Pai Sho when he stepped through the entrance. "Wan, you're back," Jaya said with some surprise, having expected him to stay in the Spirit Wilds for much longer than just a day.

"What goodies did you snatch for us this time?" Yao asked, rubbing his belly.

Wan replied by extending his hand forward and bending the fire into his hand. The action surprised both of them, with Yao leaping back with a yelp of fear. It was only reasonable, since he was half tree and wood burns. "What did you do?" Jaya asked Wan, his voice quickly turning accusing. "You can't steal from the lion turtle."

"Really?" he asked, extinguishing the fire and putting on a satisfied smile, "Because I just did."

"**I see you're not the only one who's cocky about what they have."**

* * *

Night had fallen as Wan, Jaya, and their compatriots walked to the Chous' palace. The road was unguarded since no one had dared to try to rebel against the Chous. That is until now. But even as they walked, Jaya still had his doubts. "You know it's forbidden to bring the power of the element into the city," he told Wan. "Please, go back to the lion turtle and return the fire."

But Wan wouldn't have any of it. "Jaya, it's time to stop being so afraid of the Chous and show them we have the power to change things." Seeing that they were close enough, he reached into the bag he held and took out the mask inside. He put it on, the mask almost making him look spirit-like. Everyone else followed his example with their own masks.

Once their identities were hidden beneath the masks, they continued their march up to the palace of the Chous. Wan stepped forward once they reached the gate and looked up. "Hey, Chous!" he called out. "Open the gate, and let us in."

His voice was loud enough to get the attention of Chou the Elder, who stepped out onto his balcony to look down at them. "What are those filthy peasants doing here?" he demanded incredulously.

"**The man makes it sound like he's never had to deal with angry peasants before. Either this is a new thing or he has a selective memory."**

His sons stood behind him and heard the same thing he did. "Don't worry father. We'll take care of them," the biggest brother assured him before they all turned to leave.

When the gate and the Chou brothers stepped, Wan felt a wave of satisfaction. Now that he had the power, he could easily beat the three of them without breaking a sweat. But before he could do that, he had to get the food. That was what they had come for. "Hand over all the food you're hoarding, and we won't give you any trouble," he demanded.

All three of the brothers laughed a high pitched laugh that was grating on the ears when it was just one. When there were three, the effect was tripled. "You're not getting past us," declared the biggest brother. "We have the weapons. You're powerless." He pointed said weapon at the man who spoke, emphasizing his point.

But all he did was fold his arms. "Powerless, huh?" he asked, openly mocking them. Identical scowls appeared on their faces. They lowered their polearms and started marching towards the group.

But Wan pulled back his arms and then threw them forward, throwing fire at them. The blast was strong enough to knock them all to the ground and to break the gate wide open. The way into the palace and the food was clear. "Follow me!" he ordered the group behind him. Together, they all ran into the palace.

They ran across the grounds to where the food was stored. Whenever the Chous felt like giving out food, they always took it out of a little well-made shack up against the eastern wall, well insight of the gate. Wan spotted it right away and broke down the door with his fire. "Grab as much food as you can," he ordered.

Everyone ran into the shack to grab food to haul home. "Maybe you're right," Jaya said, wearing a monkey mask, as he came up to his friend's side. "Maybe we do have the power to change things."

The group started coming out of the shack with bags of food over their shoulders. It looked like the plan would work. They'd be able to get out of the palace with decent food for once. "Stop right there!" someone suddenly shouted out.

Both Wan and Jaya looked at where the voice was coming from and saw the brothers coming at them with the palace guard. "Looks like the Chous found backup," Jaya stated.

"**Thank you, Captain Obvious!"**

"Get everyone out of here," Wan told him. "I'll hold them off." He leapt towards the enemy, scattering them with his fire. Surprised by the move, the guards broke away from their formation, making it easier for him. One of the guards came at him with a spear. He grabbed it and swung him around, sending him crashing into the nearest person, who just happened to be the biggest Chou brother. They crashed into the ground while he used his momentum to throw the spear away.

A sudden weight landed on his back and he stumbled. He tried getting the weight off of him but whoever it was held firm. The guards began to encircle him, waiting for him to fall down. He wouldn't give them that chance. He encircled himself first with the fire, protecting himself from everyone expect the person on his back. With a heave, he threw that person onto the ground. But he felt his mask go with him.

The person landed on the ground with a thud, turning out to be the smallest Chou brother. "No, please!" he begged instantly, throwing his hands up into the air. "Have mercy!" He looked up at the man who would end his life and saw a familiar face holding fire in his hand. "Wan?"

Wan stared down at the brother. It would've been easy to take his life right now. All he would have to do was bring his fist down. But was that what he came here to do? To kill someone? All he wanted was some actual food. He didn't want to become a murderer. He let the fire in his hand and around die away, becoming nothing. As soon it had, guards slammed into him, sending him to the ground.

They grabbed him by the arms and forced him back to his feet. The smallest brother was standing before him, his usual arrogant expression back on his face. "Even when you have the power, you're afraid to use it," he declared smugly.

"**Ha! And this is coming from the guy who was groveling on the ground only a second before! These guys are all the same!"**

* * *

After spending the day in the dungeon, Wan was taken outside the city at dusk. At the ledge where the huntsman had sounded the horn, he stood in front of the Chou family whilst the lion turtle watched from behind. "Tell me who else was involved in the rebellion, and I might take mercy on you," Chou the Elder told him.

"**The key word there is 'might.' That guy has no attention of being merciful."**

Wan stared at them all in defiance. "I'm not telling you anything," he declared. He wasn't going to sell out his friends.

"Then, you've left me no choice. Wan, you are hereby banished," he declared.

His shoulders slumped in defeat when he heard those words. To be banished was a death sentence. No one survived outside of the city. The smallest brother was happy about the proclamation. "Yeah!" he added to his father's order. "And give back the fire you stole."

The guards at his side grabbed his arms and started dragging him to the lion turtle. "No! Wait," he said, struggling against their grip. But they pushed him forward so he stood alone. He looked up at the animal that carried their city, hoping that the plea he had would be heard. "Great lion turtle, I am sorry for stealing the fire from you, and I accept my punishment. But please, I need to be able to protect myself in the wilds."

"**Never again may you return to this city,"** the lion turtle declared, making his hopes fall. But the lion turtle was not done. **"But I will allow you to keep the power of the element."**

His hopes rose again at that proclamation. He bowed his head in grateful respect. "Thank you," he said.

"**Go."** The lion turtle closed its eyes and lowered itself back into the ground, its head disappearing into the earth.

Wan turned around and saw the looks of surprise on the guards' and the Chous' faces. He started to walk past them, feeling much braver than he had a moment before. As he passed the smallest brother, he whispered, "Coward."

"What did you say!?" the brother screamed, lifting his weapon.

"Leave, Wan!" ordered Chou the Elder, "Now!" His guards grabbed the boy by the arms and pulled him away from the family, pushing him towards the Spirit Wilds. He took one last look at the city, his home since he had been born. His bravado disappeared and was replaced by sadness. He turned his back and walked into the Spirit Wilds.

Both Yao and Jaya watched him leave from the high branches of the tree they lived in. "Bet he doesn't last till morning," Yao told Jaya sadly.

"**These guys are a cheerful bunch, aren't they?"**

* * *

Wan had thought that the Spirit Wilds had been unnerving in the daylight but in the night, it was downright nerve-wrecking. He had lit a fire in his hand to give him light but that didn't help much. His eyes darted from side to side, seeing everything while his ears heard everything. His mind raced with thought that something was out there, waiting to come and get him. He heard something move behind him and instantly turned around.

"_What was that?"_ he thought, looking for the danger. He saw it again in the form of a spirit coming towards him. He threw his fire at it, hoping that would be enough to destroy it. But the spirit broke apart and reformed into two smaller versions, flying away into the forest.

He kept moving but it seemed like the spirits were following him everywhere he went. Any time they got close, he would throw fire but they always seemed to avoid it. _"Where are they?"_ he asked as he turned in place, trying to find them.

When he took a step back, his foot landed on something squishy and yet resistant.** "****Hey, watch where you're stepping, human!"** a tiny voice instantly complained.

He swung his fire around, trying to find where the voice was coming from but could see nothing. "Who said that?" he demanded.

"**Down here!"** He looked down and saw a spirit in the shape of a blue frog pulling itself out from under his sandal. **"How'd you like it if I started walking all over you?"**

He breathed in relief at the sight of it "You're just a little frog."

The frog pulled itself completely free and instantly grew to a size that towered over him, scaring him and making him lose his fire. **"Who's little now?"** it demanded with a much deeper.

"**He didn't see that coming."**

The frog tried to stomp down on him with his foot. Wan stumbled out of the way, falling to the ground. He turned around and ran away, missing the frog's tongue in the process. He neared some plants before finally stopping, thinking that he was safe from harm. But then no sooner than he had stopped that one of the plants reached out and swallowed.

"_Ah! I'm trapped! I'm trapped!"_ he screamed inside his head while fighting to get free. But the plant's jaws (if they could be called that) were strong. The only way he could get out was when he threw fire in the mouth, making it so hot that it had to spit him out with a burp. The burp woke up the other planets and so he ran.

He ran hard and fast away from them, hoping that he wouldn't be chased by them. He already had to deal with spirits; he didn't want to have to deal with man-eating plants that could move too! He finally stopped to look back. No plants were following him. _"Finally,"_ he thought in relief, falling down to the grass.

He laid there, trying to catch his breath. He was beginning to understand why being banished was a death sentence. This was his first night and he had already been attacked twice! It wasn't even the third hour of his banishment! _"I need to find a safe place,"_ he thought to himself.

But before he could even do that, the grass beneath him sprouted vines and grabbed hold of him, dragging him down into it. He struggled against it, muffled screaming coming between the vines in his mouth as he was brought further down. But it wasn't until he used fire to burn the vines off that he got free. The grass stopped moving and he tore out of it, running for his life deeper into the forest.

"**He's not having the best time of it, is he?"**

* * *

When day came around, Wan was still alive. He just hadn't slept the entire night and it showed in the rings under his eyes. He hadn't stopped moving the entire night, always looking out for whatever would come at him next. But that didn't mean everything was alright. He was tired and hungry. When he passed under a tree with large fruits hanging from the branches, his stomach growled at the sight of them.

They were hanging right there, looking so fresh and tasty. _"One couldn't hurt, right?"_ he asked himself. He reached out and plucked one off the branch. He held it in his hands for a moment, taking it all in, and then bit down for that first juicy taste he was hoping for.

But the fruit vanished in his hands. Instead there were hornets buzzing all around him and were all aiming at him. They buzzed around his head, trying to sting him. He started running around, trying to get them away. "Get off me! Get off me!" he screamed, swatting at them while trying to run.

His efforts led him to running to the edge of a nearby cliff. It took him a second to realize that he actually ran _over_ the edge before falling down it. The good news was that he lost the hornets on the way down. The bad news was that he got a couple of more scrapes and bruises each time he hit the cliff, which was more than just a few times.

When he finally landed at the bottom, he laid there against the cliff-face. _"I wanna go home,"_ he thought miserably. He had barely gotten through one night in the wilds. He was tired, he was hungry, and he was lonely. He missed everything there was about his old life. The house he lived in might've been in a tree, but he had a roof over his head. The food he had might've been scraps, but he was fed. He might've been at the bottom of the social order of the system, but he had friends. He missed them all now than he ever had.

The sound of gently-moving water filled his ears and he looked up. He saw an oasis just out of reach. Fruit-bearing trees hung around the pool that lay in the center. The water itself, around and in the oasis, looked cool and clean. The only way onto it was by a single stone bridge. But that wasn't a concern now. He found a place to eat and rest. He just had to get there.

Finding the energy to stand up and walk was easy since he had the motivation in front of him. He quickly reached the stone bridge and started crossing it. But then a spirit, shaped like one of the aye-ayes he had seen the city's forest but standing up, appeared in front of him and shoved him away, hard. **"You are not welcome in my oasis, human,"** it declared with folded arms.

Wan got back to his feet slowly. "Please, help me," he begged. "I'm starving and I haven't slept all night." He just wanted to rest.

But the spirit didn't seem to be in the mood to budge. **"****Not my problem."**

He was tired, he was hungry, and above all, he was irritated. Food and drink was just outside his reach and he was being denied it. "Let me pass," he ordered, throwing fire at the feet of the spirit.

To his satisfaction, the spirit looked surprised at it. But then it turned anger. **"****You dare use fire against me?"** it demanded in outrage. It vanished from sight for a quick second before reappearing behind Wan. ** "Now, be gone with you!"** It grabbed him by the shoulders and tossed him into the nearby bush. Then it headed back to the oasis without a second thought.

He burst out of the bush, afraid that it would come alive. But it didn't and he was left on the path. He watched dejectedly as the aye-aye spirit left him there. The oasis was out now and he had hoped that wouldn't be so. He slumped his shoulders in defeat and walked away. But after a few seconds, he noticed that there was a virtual convoy of spirits passing by him. He backed into the bush, afraid that they might do something to him.

But they walked passed him, heading straight for the oasis. Once they passed the aye-aye spirit, they would drink, eat, and bath in the oasis. _"Hmm, that might make this easier,"_ he thought as he came up with an idea. It took a few moments but once he stepped out of the bush, he was clad head to toe in it.

He joined the convoy and walked across the bridge. The aye-aye spirit saw him right away. **"****And who might you be?"** it asked.

He had an answer for it and made sure to make it sound dramatic enough to be a spirit. "I am Bushy, the Bush Spirit," he declared. "And I would like to enter your oasis."

"**Very well,"** it said after moment of puzzlement. **"You may pass."** Wan thought he was fine as he passed the spirit. But then it started sniffing the air. **"Wait a second,"** it declared, grabbing his head. **"Something stinks."** It pulled off the mask and revealed Wan to all of the spirits there. **"I knew I smelled a human!"**

"**Really, he should never underestimate the power of a spirit's nose."**

Wan grinned sheepishly at being caught, like he had whenever he was caught in the city. But the guards usually didn't grab him by the shoulders and toss him into the water. (No, that would've been too considerate). His costume came apart in the water as he sat back up and hacked out what went down. When he could breathe again, he looked up at the spirits on the bridge. "Come on, let me in, just for a little while," he pleaded.

"**No!"** snapped the aye-aye spirit. **"Go back to your lion turtle."**

"Believe me, I'd love to go back home," he retorted as he stood back up. "But I can't. I was kicked out." The fact of that still hit him hard, just like the fact that he missed what he had left behind hit hard.

"**That's too bad,"** one of the spirits surrounding the aye-aye spirit remarked.

"**Poor human,"** said a second one. They actually sounded kinder than the aye-aye spirit.

Of course, it had something to say about the whole situation. **"****Don't pity him. He's just like every other human: ugly, destructive, and lacking any respect for nature."**

"Who are you calling ugly, Ugly?" Wan fired back, placing his hands on his hips.

All the spirits looked at the aye-aye for a reply. But he was too surprised at the retort to come up with one so quickly. So he settled for a grunt and placing his hands on his hips too. "**If you can't go back to your city, then you should go live in another one,"** the first friendly spirit suggested.

That suggestion stopped him for a second and he stared at the spirit in disbelief. "What? There are other lion turtles?" he couldn't help but ask. He had thought there was only one and he had lived on it!

"'**There are other lion turtles?'"** mocked the aye-aye spirit before shouting at him again. **"Of course there are, dozens of them! Boy, you humans are stupid, too."**

Despite the fact that he had just been called stupid, a hope began to fill Wan. If there were other lion turtles out there and they all had cities on their backs, he could find one. He could make a new life for himself. "So which way to the nearest lion turtle city?" he asked.

"**Hmm,"** the aye-aye said, seemingly thinking it over, before replying with, **"I think it's on the other side of none-of-your-business valley."** He laughed loudly and looked at the other spirits for support but no one else was laughing with him.

Neither was Wan. If anything, he was more irritated by it. He was trying to get out of their way so he could find another lion turtle but all they did was make light of it. Why did he even bother? "Real funny," he told the aye-aye spirit. "You know what? I don't need your help. I'll find it myself." He turned around and walked through the pond, intent on getting back on dry land away from them. But after a few steps, he suddenly fell deeper into the pond.

"**He does not have a lot of luck. I wonder how much this is going to happen to him."**

* * *

Wan managed to pull himself out of the water and walk off into the forest with what remained of his dignity. He wasn't aware of when his clothes had dried, but he was more focused on the fact that he was still hungry and thirsty. Why he didn't get some water while he was still in the pond? Oh wait, he knew. He didn't want to look desperate in front of the spirits. Damn his pride!

He came upon a tree that had a bounty that was unusual but one he was glad to see. A cat deer was trapped in a net, trying to struggle free but failing. The sight of potential food motivated himself forward. He licked his lips and brought fire to his hands. But as he approached, the cat deer looked at him. It didn't hiss or snarl at him, warning him to stay away. It stared at him with a look of surrender. It looked at him knowing full well what he wanted and could do nothing to stop him.

It let out a pained whimper and Wan stopped, losing the fire. He couldn't do it. He wouldn't be a murderer just so he could eat. But he couldn't just leave it hanging there. He walked up towards it and it growled in response. "It's okay," he assured the animal. "I'm gonna get you out of there."

He looked to the tree and started climbing it, reaching the branch that held the net's knot. But before he could even reach out to untie it, the hunting group from the city appeared on the other side of the path, coming up to the tree. "Finally, we caught something," the leader said. "Get it down."

They started moving towards the net, only to stop when Wan stepped onto the branch and into sight. "Back off," he ordered.

"Wan?" said the leader in surprise, coming to a stop. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm saving this animal."

"That animal's our dinner. Now, get out of the way."

"**And, it starts."**

"No!" Wan declared before leaping down, blasting down fire at them. They scattered from the blast and he was able to land safely. But he knew that he was outnumbered. So he did what he thought was best and ran into the forest. Some might've called that cowardly, but he was smart enough to know it was his only chance.

He soon heard the hunters behind him and soon came the fire being thrown at him. _"Don't look back at them, just keep moving,"_ he told himself. If he looked back, he would slow down and they would catch up to him. He kept running, only to come to a stop when he noticed a familiar patch of grass in front of him. _"Oh crap."_

He looked back and saw that the hunters were catching up to him. He had to do something to escape from them. He looked up and saw vines hanging from the trees, just out of reach. Then he looked back and saw one of the hunters about to grab him. He jumped for one, grabbed hold of a vine, and used his momentum to swing to the other side. He landed on his feet and kept running.

From behind, he could hear the hunter crying out "Ahh! He-help! Help!" before suddenly going silent and he knew that the grass had gotten him.

He slowed down a little to see if they were still coming after him. They were. _"What now?"_ he asked himself, looking around again for something that could aid him. He saw some hornets-disguised-as-fruits hanging from a nearby tree. He grabbed hold of two and threw them at the hunters as they came into sight. Once they left his hands, he started running again.

One of the hunters started shouting, "Get 'em off! Get 'em off!" Then his voice faded away with a scream.

"_There's only two left,"_ Wan thought to himself in ragged triumph as he kept running. The odds were better now but he still needed to beat them. As he tried to think up a way to do just that, the remaining hunters started throwing fire at him again. One throw landed right behind his feet and exploded, sending him flying through the air until he crashed into a tree branch and landed on the ground, dazed and unable to move.

The hunters caught up to him quickly after that. "Well, looks like you're all out of tricks, Wan," the leader declared.

There was nothing Wan could do except watch them bring fire to their hands. But then the aye-aye spirit appeared from behind them and then leapt into the other huntsman, possessing him. His body started contorting and twisting itself about as it took control. **"I. Really. **_**Hate**_**. Humans!"** it declared loudly, the huntsman's body morphing into something that was half human and half spirit, like Yao was.

"No, no!" the lead huntsman screamed in fear as the spirit-possessed hunter took a few swings at him, turning away and fleeing from the scene, not once looking back.

The aye-aye spirit left the hunter, appearing behind him. After being dazed for a second or so, the hunter saw his hands, felt his face, and realized what he had become. So he ran away screaming. **"****I don't know what he's screaming about,"** the spirit remarked as it picked up Wan. **"He's better looking now."**

"**You would say that, you're not the one who's being changed. Spirits should be a bit more considerate."**

* * *

The aye-aye spirit took him back to the oasis. Whatever odd looks the others gave him, he ignored them. He put Wan into the water and stepped away, letting the water do its thing. It began to glow and engulf Wan with its glow. As he floated there, noticing the cat deer he had saved was right above him, he didn't feel so tired or hurt any more. "I feel great," he proclaimed as the glow died away. "What's in this water?"

"**It has special healing properties,"** the aye-aye spirit told him as he sat up.

One of the spirits offered him a fruit. "Thanks," he said, taking it and taking a bite. "So what did you do to that hunter?"

"**Spirits are able to take over a human body for a short time. If I stayed in there any longer, I would've killed him, which I did consider,"** it added as an afterthought.

"Thanks for saving my neck. But why'd you do it?" he asked. This was the same spirit that was belligerent and hostile to him only a few hours earlier. The change was a little surprising.

"**I saw you save the cat deer from those hunters."** The cat deer in question padded forward and rubbed its cheek against Wan's. He patted the other cheek in return.** "I've never seen such an act of selflessness from a human before."**

"Told you I wasn't like the others," he told the spirit before standing back up on his own two feet.

"**Guess I underestimated you, human."**

One of the other spirit approached Wan, a curious looking creature that looked like a tall misshapen plant with a kind face. **"****Are you off to find another lion turtle city?"** it asked him.

"I was. But I think I've had enough of humans for a while." He had come to that conclusion whilst dealing with the hunters, only thinking hard about it now. "I've decided to stay here and learn the ways of the spirits."

"**What a great idea."**

"**That'll be fun,"** said another spirit, who looked more vaguely like an animal but more see-through.

"**N****ow, now, hold on. A human living with spirits?"** asked the aye-aye rhetorically. **"It's never been done."**

"First time for everything, right?" asked Wan.

It thought the idea over for a second. **"****Hmm, I guess we can try it. I've never had a human as a pet before. I think I'll call you 'Stinky.'"**

"The name is Wan," he corrected the spirit with an annoyed look.

"**Stinky is more accurate."**

* * *

And so he stayed there at the oasis, living amongst the spirits. It was a little tough, he could admit to that. They didn't see things the way he did and did things in their own time. The aye-aye spirit seemed to enjoy surprising him from out of nowhere, trying to get him jump out of his skin, and usually while he was sleeping. He didn't try to hit it or anything, mostly because he couldn't. The spirit would leap away before it could it get hit, laughing like it was his own personal joke.

But still, Wan found that he liked it there. When the hunters found the oasis and all the fruit just begging to be taken off of their branches, Wan fought them off. They kept coming back and he kept driving them away with minor injuries. It was only a month after he started staying at the oasis that one of them finally got a lucky shot through, hitting him good in the shoulder. Even though the hunters were driven away, he had to be carried back to the oasis to heal.

"Aah, that stings," he groans as the water healed him. His eyes were closed and he relaxed into the pond.

"**You're lucky that was the only place they hit,"** the aye-aye spirit said from behind him. **"It was stupid to step in like that."**

"I had it."

"**You got yourself hurt, Stinky, really hurt this time."**

He frowned. "I got them away, didn't I? I know how to use fire to defend the oasis."

"**You know how to use fire just as well as the other humans."**

"I know that." If anything, he knew how to use it better than the huntsmen. How else would he have been able to drive them away again and again? They only had their fire sometimes; he had his every second of every day.

"**He means to say that you wield it just as pathetically as they do,"** a deeper voice rumbled, oddly from above him.

He opened his eyes and saw a giant white dragon hovering in the air over the oasis. He stood up from the water but doing so quickly made him woozy and stumble a little. But he couldn't tear his gaze away from the dragon. "Um…hi?" he offered.

The dragon didn't return his greeting, only choosing to look down at him with disdain. **"You wield your fire like its some kind of club, just whacking it around senselessly,"** it told him. **"But if you learn properly, you'll find it much easier to use."**

"And, uh, are you going to teach me?" he asked, unsure if he should bow his head in respect or try and run. He knew the stories about dragons. Some said that they were dangerous monsters that would kill someone as soon as they laid eyes on them. Others said that they held vast treasures jealously. And some said that they were benevolent creatures that kept to themselves.

"**Yes, but only because I owe him a favor,"** it said, looking down at the aye-aye spirit for a long moment. But then it turned its gaze to him. **"Rest well. Your training will begin soon."**

"Um, okay." He sat back down in the water, letting it cool and continued to heal his wound. But he couldn't help but wonder. _"What exactly can the dragon teach me about using fire?"_

* * *

As it turned out, the dragon could teach him a lot. He became a student and that went on for months which then turned into two years. With each lesson he took and learned, he found that the dragon was right. How he wielded fire was crude and graceless. But as he learned, he turned into something more flexible and graceful. He didn't just use the fire. It was more like it was a part of his body, bended to action by his mind.

"**So that's where the term came from. I thought it was something more epic."**

As practical lessons, he used the attacks by the huntsmen to help him. There he could see the difference between them and he could barely keep his laughter in. They were throwing their fire like it was some kind of projectile. They could do so much more with it than and yet, they didn't. It was a simple matter of turning it against them and driving them off time and time again. The spirits were glad for his assistance. They started seeing him less of a curiosity and more like a friend.

As the years past, he got older. His hair got less spiky and was more prone to falling down over his head. He could have grown a beard if he wanted to but chose to settle for just a short and simple goatee. With each year that passed, the attacks got less and less until they finally stopped coming. And while Wan was relieved that happened, he soon got bored. He had finished his lessons with the dragon and he was beginning to have an itch to see the rest of the world.

So he made his choice and began packing up a few supplies. The spirits didn't protest him for his wish but they were sad when he was ready to leave them. "You ready to go, Mula?" he asked the cat deer he had saved all those years ago when he had climbed onto her back. He had learned her name from one of the spirits who could communicate with animals.

"**You sure you want to leave?"** the aye-aye spirit asked him. Over the years, despite all the arguing and pranking with each other, the two of them had become good friends. Now it was sad to see him leave.

"Yes. It's time I see the rest of the world and find the other lion turtle cities." It was something that he had wanted to do when he first came to the Spirit Wilds but had put it aside to defend the oasis. Now, he was going to do it.

"**The man wants to leave the comfort of what he knows to see the world. At that time, that was something new."**

The spirit didn't argue with him or call him an idiotic human like he was prone to do when they argued. Instead, all it said was, **"****I'm proud to call you my friend, Stinky."**

He chuckled at that old insulting nickname, having long stopped being annoyed by it. "Thank you for everything. Goodbye, everyone," he told all the spirits there before urging Mula forward. She took off with barely any urging, racing over the bridge and into the wilds.

"**We'll miss you,"** one of the spirits called after him. He would miss them too.

"**I would be surprised if he hadn't missed them."**

* * *

He and Mula had no particular destination in mind in their journey. They just chose to go where the path took them. When they were tired, Wan would make camp and they would sleep. When they were hungry, they would eat. When they were thirsty, they would drink. This cycle kept them going through the world for two weeks now, yet they found no other lion turtles or humans.

When they came across a wide stream, they stopped to drink. While Mula dipped her head down to drink, Wan filled up his sack with the stuff before taking a drink. _"Ah, this is nice,"_ he thought to himself. It was a nice sunny day and he was almost tempted to just lean back against a nearby tree and relax the day away.

"**What is it with you people and relaxing?"**

The ground started shaking suddenly and spirits came running out of the nearby forest. Both Wan and Mula watched them run in confusion. Spirits weren't known for running from anything, not any they knew. What was happening?

"**The all-powerful spirits are battling!"** cried one of the spirits

"**They're gonna wipe out the entire valley!"** shouted another.

"_All-powerful spirits?"_ asked Wan silently. _"What are they talking about?"_ The ground continued to shake in the direction they were all running from. He leapt onto Mula's back and they went towards the shaking. After they came through the forest, Mula halted with a growl, noting wanting to go another step further. Why she didn't loomed over them both. Two spirits, one white and one black, were wrestling each other. They weren't shaped like any spirit he had seen before. The closest thing he could think of was a kind of squid.

"…**So there they are."**

After watching them, he saw that the white spirit was holding the black spirit down, preventing it from getting away. He leapt down to the ground and blasted a stream right between them. "Stop or you'll destroy everything!" he shouted once he had their attention.

"**What are you doing?"**

"**This doesn't concern you, human!"** a stern woman's voice told him. Even though he saw no mouths on the spirits, he had the feeling that the voice came from the white spirit. The black spirit broke free of her grip and tried to run, but she grabbed it again and slammed into the ground.

"It does when the lives of spirits and animals are in danger."

"**If you're a friend to spirits, then use your fire to help me break free,"** a man's voice pleaded with him. This time, he felt like the voice came from the black spirit.

"**Don't involve the human. This is between us,"** the white spirit told him.

"**Please, save me. She has tormented me for ten thousand years,"** he begged.

"Ten thousand years?" Wan repeated in stunned awe.

"**Don't do it, kid. Just leave them be. Walk away."**

He considered it for only a moment before bending his fire at the white spirit. "Let him go!" he ordered.

"**You idiot."**

The fire didn't seem to do anything to the spirit, except make her irritated enough to swing one of her tentacles at him with enough force to send him flying into the nearby bush. Luckily, he landed on some of the soft bush and didn't get anything to hurt. He walked out and saw the two spirits were still fighting.

"**Don't do it."**

They both similar, even the markings of the front looked to be the same. The only thing that separated them was their color. But even that seemed to get mixed up as they fought each other. They got tangled up only to get loose and then repeat the process over again. If the black spirit wanted to get free, he was having a hard time seeing how.

"**Don't do it."**

But then he noticed how when they stretched apart, only their tails were connected. If he struck there, they would separate.

"**Don't do it!"**

He swung himself into an arc, bringing the fire down right at that breaking point.

"**DON'T DO IT!"**

The fire struck the point they connected and an explosion erupted from the sight of it. It was just as bright as it was loud, forcing Wan to cover his eyes but not his ears. He heard the white spirit scream in pain as the orb faded away and the black spirit flew out of her grasp.

"**YOU IDIOT! WHY COULDN'T YOU HAVE LEFT THEM ALONE! YOU'VE JUST SET THE PATH AND YOU HAVE TO WALK IT!"**

"**Thank you, human,"** the black spirit said to Wan from atop a nearby mountain peak. **"You have performed a great service for the spirits."** Without another word, he flew away and disappeared behind the mountains.

"Do you realize what you've done?" the white spirit demanded of him. She looked smaller than before.

"Yeah, I helped a spirit who was being bullied by you," he retorted with righteousness in his voice, staring her down (which was a little weird since she didn't have eyes) and using that same righteousness to point his finger accusingly at her.

"**You are gravely mistaken,"** she retorted, **"I was keeping him under control."**

"And what gives you the right?" he asked angrily.

She turned her…head, he supposed, to look at him. **"****You don't even know who I am, do you?"**

"Should I?"

"**Yes. My name is Raava."** He had a look of slight confusion on his face at her proclamation but she kept going. **"That spirit you freed is Vaatu. He is the force of darkness and chaos. I am the force of light and peace. Since the beginning of time, we have battled over the fate of this world. And for the past ten thousand years, I have kept darkness under control and the world in balance, until you came along."**

With each word she spoke, he found himself realizing what she said had been the truth. He didn't know the names but he had heard the stories about light and darkness battling each other since the beginning of time. And he had just intervened in that very fight, thinking it was just two spirits fighting each other. "So, by freeing Vaatu, I let chaos into the world?" he asked.

"**Precisely,"** Raava said sharply. **"The human and spirit realms are headed toward annihilation, and it's all your fault."**

"_Raava. I found you."_

"**You've just figured that out, have you? Look, don't talk. Just watch what's happening."**

Wan looked up at the spirit, wanting to explain himself. "I—"

"**Do not give me excuses! The human and spirit realms are headed toward annihilation. And it's all your fault,"** she told him again, like she was talking to a child who couldn't understand what she was saying. **"This is why humans have no place interfering in the business of spirits."**

"This world is home to all of us, and what happens here is everyone's business," he told her.

"**Ha, like she would actually listen to that. Ah, that's not fair. He doesn't really know her yet."**

"**Thanks to you, this world may cease to exist!"** Raava snapped at him.** "I only hope I can track down Vaatu before it's too late."**

"Let me help you," he offered. If it was his fault for letting Vaatu get away, then he was responsible for making sure that he was contained again.

"**I don't want your help. Don't interfere with me again, human!"** She flew up into the air and went after her dark counterpart, disappearing behind the mountains like he had done.

* * *

He and Mula watched her leave without saying anything. What could they say to the spirit? "Let's get moving," Wan finally told the cat deer. Together, they started to take the long way around the mountains. Raava might've refused his help, but that didn't mean he wouldn't try tracking Vaatu himself.

They followed what Wan thought Vaatu went for a month but did not see either him or Raava. All spirits that they had met hadn't seen them either (and didn't want to see them by the sound of it). Yet, they persisted in following the two spirits. Wan was so focused for making up for his mistake that trying to find the other lion turtles was put aside.

He was riding Mula through a bamboo forest path when they saw a tall tree with fruit shaking nearby. While this was normally nothing to be concerned about, they could feel no wind blowing. He urged her into the forest and she obeyed, their curiosity urging them on. They reached the tree and saw an amazing thing: men in robes were harvesting the tree. It was a tall tree and they weren't climbing it. No, they were using wind to ascend and pluck the tree.

"**It's the air, not the wind. They get finicky when you make that mistake."**

Do you see that, Mula?" Wan said to his friend, "People. And they have some kind of wind power.

"**I just said it was air!"**

He urged Mula into the clearing with the other people, giddy with excitement. "More humans!" he said loudly as he looked at them all and they did the same. "I found you." The men, five of them, reacted in a way that he wasn't expecting: they turned and ran away from him. "Wait! I'm friendly!"

He and Mula raced after them while they used their power to leap through the bushes and branches, vanishing from sight. When the two of them cleared the forest's end, they found themselves running full force to the edge of a cliff. Mula stopped in time to prevent her from going over the edge, but in doing so she sent Wan flying off of her back.

He was only airborne for a second or two before coming down on a tree jutting out of the cliff side, holding onto the bush with all he had. Then he started climbing back up to the cliff and to stability. As he put his arms on the ground, he took a moment to breathe. He heard footsteps before he saw one of the men coming running at him. For a panicked moment he thought that the man would run on his hands and send him falling into the abyss below.

But the man didn't do that. Instead, he leapt into the air and used the wind to guide his feet to the forest that was appearing out of the sky below the cliff. But as Wan climbed back up and stood up, he turned around to get a better look and instantly knew better. "The legends are true. Another lion turtle city. And it's flying," he said in wonder as he watched the lion turtle just float there in the air. The men he saw in the forest stood before the lion turtle on its forearm whilst it touched their head and hearts, taking the power it had given back. "I have got to get over there."

"**And how exactly does he plan on doing that?"**

He quickly figured out a way to get onto the lion turtle. It involved bending a young, and therefore flexible, tree back and then using it to send him flying. Mula helped him taking the rope he had tied to the tree and running around a nearby boulder, pulling the tree back to what he thought was the right angle. He took the rope from the cat deer's mouth and tied a quick knot, securing it. "There," he declared after testing the robe and finding it taunt.

"**Huh, I have to admit, I did not think that he would have gone that extreme. He must enjoy the rush."**

Once he was sure, he climbed up onto the tree, sitting right there at the top. "Okay, Mula. Wish me luck," he told his friend. With one quick swing of fire, the rope burnt apart, the tree snapped forward, and he was flying towards the lion turtle.

He could feel the wind pressing against his entire body. That, along with the feeling of falling through the sky, sent more than a shiver of excitement jolt up his body. He screamed in two parts excitement and three parts horror. But as gravity began to take control of him again and he fell down more than forward, he saw that he wasn't as close to the lion turtle as he wanted to be.

His screaming turned more to panic as he passed under the lion turtle's shell. For a second, he thought that this was the way he was going to die. But he saw vines hanging off the lion turtle's shell and one was within reach. He grasped it with both hands, feeling the burn in them as he fell a couple more inches. But then he stopped, only swaying in the air with the vine, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Once he climbed up the vine onto the lion turtle's back, he started walking around the city there. Well, city might've been an overstatement. This was nothing like the city he grew up in and around. This actually looked more like a village built in tandem around the forest. He saw no buildings made of stone, only of wood. The paths were straight and coordinated, only going where it felt natural.

But what was most amazing was the fact that the people around him were different. They didn't wear clothes like he did, just the robes he saw the harvesters wore. But the men also had no hair on their heads, only a strange kind of blue tattoo that over the head that ended right above their brows. It also seemed to stretch across their arms too. As he strolled, a spirit passed right in front. He flinched away in surprise but watched it float away. The inhabitants didn't seem to mind the spirits like his city would have. It was something different…something interesting. "Wow," he said as he took all of it in.

"**Yes, yes, it's all very pretty. Now get a move on."**

Wanting to make introductions as quickly as possible, Wan ran up to the nearest group of people, which were three men just sitting around. "Hi, how are you? I'm Wan," he introduced himself to them. They didn't say anything in reply, choosing to just look at him. He felt awkward but kept talking. "Um, sorry to interrupt, but it's been a while since I've seen other humans."

"Where did you come from, stranger?" one of the men asked him, his voice kind but also curious.

Now that he could answer. "Another lion turtle city far away. For the past two years I've been living among the spirits and exploring the wilds."

"Remarkable. Come. Sit with us," he offered as a spirit hopped onto his shoulder. "We would love to hear of your travels."

But before Wan could even take him up on that offer, the spirit started to shake in place before transforming into something darker. Before, it was green with soft edges and a curious look to its eyes behind its yellow beak. But now it was a dark red, its edges had grown sharper and where the beak had been was now a mouth. It leapt off the man's shoulder at Wan, but he ducked to avoid it. It didn't seem to matter much to it, choosing to just run off somewhere.

"…**Okay…this is new. I had never seen anything like this."**

"_What is going on?"_ Wan thought as he looked around. All the spirits in sight turned dark and were spreading chaos all over the village. People were running from them, shouting and screaming in panicked fear. Unfortunately, it didn't take him long to get an answer. It came in the form of a shadow falling over the village. When he turned to see what was casting the shadow, his eyes hardened. "Vaatu," he said in recognition.

The spirit of chaos looked down at him. **"****So, we meet again, human,"** it remarked like it was a surprising but also amusing thing.

The men he was just talking to him walked up behind him and saw Vaatu as well. "Why is the great spirit of the darkness here but not his other half?" one of them asked.

He couldn't help but wince a little at that question. "Uh, I'll explain later," he told them before jogging a little closer to Vaatu. "Leave these people in peace," he called out. "They've done nothing to harm you." What he got for an answer was a dark spirit flying so close to him that he was forced to duck and avoid it.

The dark spirit went after a mother and her child. He drove it off with his fire but that got the attention of all the dark spirits. They converged upon him and he fought them off. They tried to surround him but he stopped them from doing that. They tried going after the villagers and he stopped them from doing that too. Eventually, they stopped attacking and looked up at Vaatu.

Wan did the same. He saw that the dark spirit was rising up and ready to strike. He stood ready to defend himself but then a streak of white struck Vaatu. **"****Be gone,"** Raava commanded her counterpart as they flew into the bushes. She came out and flew around Wan and the villagers, driving away the dark spirits.

"**How are you feeling since our split, Raava?"** Vaatu asked as he flew calmly and almost serenely up into the air. **"I've never been better. When Harmonic Convergence comes, I will destroy you forever."** With that last word said, he flew away and so did the dark spirits.

Wan breathed a sigh of relief once the battle was done but all that got him was Raava's attention. **"****I told you not to interfere,"** she snapped at him.

"I had to do something," he protested. "These people were in danger."

The villagers all gathered around them. "Great spirit of light, we thank you for your help," one of the men in the front said to her. But how did you become split from Vaatu?"

"**Ask him,"** she declared, somehow managing to look down at Wan.

He could feel the eyes of everyone on him and turned to faced them all. "It wasn't my fault. Vaatu tricked me into freeing him. I'd take it all back if I could."

"**Hmm, two excuses and a pointless promise. How disappointing."**

"**It's too late for that. Now that Vaatu is free, he is turning other spirits dark. The more spirits he turns, the stronger he becomes."**

That was when he noticed something between the two of them. "He's getting bigger, and you're getting smaller." Already she was much smaller than she had been before, towering over him by barely three feet where before it had been much more. Also, the details on her markings seemed diminished too.

"**As darkness grows, light fades." **

He couldn't look at her, but there was something he could do. "I'm sorry for endangering your village," he said to the villagers, "but I promise to set things right."

"How?" asked one of them.

* * *

The answer to that lay in going back to solid ground and speaking the animal their village was resting on. "Great lion turtle, I ask that you grant me the power of air so that I can defeat Vaatu before it's too late," Wan pleaded.

The lion turtle looked at him with a look of serenity mixed in with some confusion. **"****You already carry the power of fire,"** it pointed out. **"No human has ever held two elements at the same time."**

"I'm not like other humans. I can learn to do it." He had to learn how to do it.

"**Hmm, perhaps,"** it remarked, considering his words**. "But to do so, Raava must hold the power for you until you master it."**

"**Ancient one, why would I do that for a human?"** asked the aforementioned spirit, **"Especially one who's caused so much trouble?"**

"**Hm, I sometimes forget that she could be a bit of a bitch. In hindsight, she and Vaatu are remarkably similar."**

"Raava, please, I can't let the world fall into chaos because of my mistake," Wan begged her. "Neither of us can defeat Vaatu alone, but together we have a chance."

She was silent for a moment, considering his words. **"****You may be right,"** she acknowledged, **"Very well. I will help you to master the power of air."**

"Thank you. And in return I will help you restore balance to the world."

"**And thus begins a beautiful friendship. Take note of my sarcasm."**

* * *

As Wan, Mula, and Raava left the lion turtle and the village it carried behind, the human looked over at the spirit. "What's this harmonic thing Vaatu was talking about?" he asked her.

"**Harmonic Convergence,"** she replied. **"That is when Vaatu and I must battle for the fate of the world."**

That sounded like something that was a big thing. Details were probably going to be needed. "How long do we have until then?"

"**About a year in your time,"** she answered.

"Then we better start training."

"**Again with the obvious statements. What is with people and the obvious statements?"**

Their journey led them to a nearby volcano that was still leaking out magma. The skies were covered in dark clouds and the ground was littered in rivers of lava. Once they found a relatively safe spot, Wan began practicing his Firebending one last time, just so he could remember the motions. "All right, I'm ready to try air. How's this gonna work?" he asked.

"The only way for me to give you the other element is to pass through your body and combine our energies," Raava explained from where she stood.

"Great," he said in reply. "So you've done this before." It was nice to know that he would be safe hands.

"**No. This has never even been attempted. It is very dangerous."**

He should've figured that he wouldn't be that lucky, but now wasn't the time to lose hope. In fact, now more than ever was the time to keep hope up. "That's what they said about living in the Spirit Wilds, and I survived that. I'm ready. Give me the air."

She arced up into the air before flying down right through his chest. The moment she entered and passed through him, it felt like nothing he had ever felt before. It was like all the good memories he had, the good times he had with his friends both human and spirit, the times he was successful in grabbing food, the moments where he defended the oasis, everything mixed into one glorious feeling that slammed home. But he also felt power; more power than he had ever felt commanding fire. It felt like he could take on the entire world and conquer it.

Then the moment passed and Raava was outside of him. He fell to his knees, letting his eyes close. Inside his body was a different power. Instead of the fire's warmth and raw energy, he felt peace and calmness. Eager to try out the new element, he took a stance and punched. The air came rushing out in a great gust before vanishing completely. "It feels completely different," he remarked. The fire had been strong and powerful. But this felt…fluffy.

"**That's what we're going with here? Fluffy? Well, at least I now know where Aang got it."**

As he looked at his hands, feeling the power in them, a thought came to him, one that begged to be answered. "If you and Vaatu have the same fight every ten thousand years, why hasn't one of you destroyed the other?" he asked Raava.

"**He cannot destroy light any more than I can destroy darkness,"** she explained as he continued to practicing bending the air. **"One cannot exist without the other. Even if I defeat Vaatu in this encounter, darkness will grow inside me until he emerges again. The same will hold true if Vaatu defeats me."**

"That doesn't sound so bad. Even if Vaatu wins, you'll come back," he pointed out to her.

"**Yes, but you will probably not survive to see it."** There was the slightest edge of humor to her voice when she said that. **"Vaatu will destroy the world as you know it. Darkness will cover the Earth for ten thousand years."**

It sounded grim in any way he thought about it. And the more he thought about it, the more he came to believe that fire and air would not be enough. "If I'm gonna help you battle Vaatu, then I should visit more lion turtles."

"**That might the first good idea you had,"** she remarked with her usual cuttingness. He made a face at her.

* * *

When their journey began, they were alone. Wan kept training with the air but soon found difficulty in doing so. It was different from the fire and acted differently. The stances he had learned from the dragon didn't work for the air, either being too strong or too weak at the wrong times. "Argh, this is frustrating," he groused as he watched the plume of air vanish. The three of them were resting for the night atop a grassy hill. If he looked around, all he could see was just grass, grass, and a lot more grass.

"**What's the problem?"** Raava asked, curiosity overriding her usual attitude.

"What I've learned isn't working," he told her.

"**Then learn something new."** She made it sound like it was the easiest thing in the world to do.

But that only irritated him. "Yes, like it would be so easy to find a spirit to teach me how to properly use air." A thought came to him when he said those words, something that made him change the flow of the conversation. "Why is there so much conflict between humans and spirits in the first place?"

She had an answer for that.** "****This physical world is where humans come from. Spirits come from another realm. At the north and south poles, the two realms intersect. Over time, more and more spirits have drifted into this world. Humans have been forced apart, settling on the lion turtles who protect them, and losing touch with each other."**

"Most people think they live in the only human city in the world." That was what he had thought for the longest of times.

"**Most humans think only of themselves, no matter how many others are around."**

"But not all of us," he countered.

"…**No, not all of you,"** she admitted. **"And you might be thinking too highly of your problem. You might yet find an answer."**

* * *

As it turned, he did find an answer two days later when they came across bison flying through the air. How they flew got his attention and he followed them, copying their motions as best when he could whenever they had stopped. Raava didn't complain or argue the fact that they were wasting time doing this. In fact, she seemed a little impressed by what he was doing.

That was how they spent the autumn, leaving only when Wan was certain that he had a good grasp of what he was doing. Then they journeyed south, where Raava knew a lion turtle was resting beneath a deep lake. The lion turtle in question carried a village of fishermen on its back and agreed to give Wan the power of water when his case was pleaded. Then they spent the rest of the winter by the ocean side because Wan was inspired by the pull and push of the waves. It was hard going, not only because there were no actual animals to mimic, but a pack of wolves kept trying to eat Mula. That was where he put what he was trying to learn to practical use. He soon put the ferocity of the wolves' attacks into practice of his own and fending them off became a lot easier. He also learned from them coordination, how to move from attacking to defending in a single motion.

When winter ended, they started traveling again. They found a lion turtle carrying a city much like Wan's old home buried in the desert that held the power of earth. Receiving that power took a little longer because he actually had to give a good reason for wanting the power. Fortunately, he could and he received the power of the earth. As they journeyed out of the desert, a sudden sandstorm forced them to hide out in a cave. In that cave, they found badgermoles and Wan was soon mimicking their movements and helping out in their tunnel digging too.

"**Well, so long as he was being helpful…"**

When spring ended and summer began again, they left the desert. Now that he knew all the elements and could bend them, Wan wanted to refine the bending. He wanted to make them better, stronger. So he trained in the woods, making the arts he learned better and better. Every time he was ready to change, Raava was there for him.

One afternoon, he was going over the revisions. He had already done fire and was finishing up water. When he was done, he stood still so Raava pass through him. After she swapped out water for earth, he got back to his feet. "When you pass through me, I feel an incredible rush of power," he said before bending up a large chunk of the earth out of the ground. He broke it in half and sent it flying, just like he wanted.

Seeing that he was done, Raava passed through him again, swapping out the earth for air. "I feel like I'm changing. The more we practice, the stronger I become," he remarked. Something caught the attention of his nose, making him smell the air. "Smells like smoke."

"**Humans are nearby,"** Raava told him, landing down beside him. She had been getting smaller and smaller during the year they had been together. The way she was standing now, she barely reached his shoulder.

"Let's check it out." He hopped aboard Mula and all three of them went in search of the smoke and the humans. At the edge of the forest was a slope which they stopped at. It allowed them to see a small village down below and the forest burning beyond it. They stared, not at the village, but at the forest beyond. "What in the…?"

What they saw needed more answering. They came down the slope and towards the village but they saw that it was empty. So they angled to go around and see what was burning. As it turned out, it was the villagers setting the trees on fire so they could pull them down and make lumber out of them.

"**Haven't these people ever heard of the axe?"**

One of the villagers saw Raava come flying in and reacted badly. "A spirit!" he shouted, throwing a fireball at her.

Wan was close behind on Mula. When he saw the fireball, he leapt in front of Raava and knocked the spirit away with small shield of air. "Easy there, fellas," he said loudly, keeping his hands where they could be seen. "We're friendly."

They all stared at him with hostile eyes and he looked at them too. They were lean but strong. Their clothes were becoming frayed and ragged. If they had come from a lion turtle city, it must've been some time since they had left. As they stared, someone walked forward. "I can't believe it. Wan?" the man asked in surprise.

He might've put on some inches and muscles and grown a small goatee, but Wan recognized his friend immediately. "Jaya!" he said joyously, meeting his friend in a brief hug. "What are you doing out here?"

"You inspired us," Jaya explained with a small laugh as they stepped back from each other. "Once we heard that you survived out in the wilds, we decided to try it too."

That was good to hear. Nobody should have to live under the Chous if they had to. "Where's Yao? Did he come with you?"

The happy expression on his face died away, replaced by a mournful one. "Yes, but sadly he didn't make it. We…we lost a lot of good men along the way. "Wan felt sad too. That old man had been a friend of theirs even before he had possessed by a spirit. When Raava came to his side, Jaya took note of her. "So why were you protecting this spirit?"

"This is Raava. Don't worry. She's not like the dark spirits you've probably run into."

"Dark spirits?" he said, making the words sound like they didn't exist. "What's the difference? We throw fire at any spirit we see around here. Just like they attack any man," he declared.

"_What?"_ That wasn't the Jaya he had known.

"**And here we go."**

"**You have no idea what you're doing,"** Raava told the villagers angrily. **"You're only making things worse."**

They all scowled at her, clearly not wanting to hear her words. Someone might've said something to her if another villager hadn't looked back and shouted, "The spirits are coming back!" They all looked in the direction he had and saw the incoming tide of spirits.

"Let's wipe 'em out this time!" Jaya told the villagers, turning to face them all. "We'll burn down this whole forest if we have to!" They all roared in agreement and ran towards the spirits, eager for the fight.

"What happened to you?" Wan asked his friend. "When did you become so violent?"

"You showed me we could change the world if we just stopped being so afraid. Now we're doing it," he replied before rushing off to join the other villagers.

Wan just stared at his friend's retreating backside. "This isn't what I had in mind." He had made friends with the spirits. Why couldn't they?

"**If you have to ask that question, then you really don't know your own friends. Now what does that tell you? Wait, I forget, he can't hear me."**

The villagers and the spirits met on a small field outside of the village. They didn't attack each other right away. Instead they stood a few yards away from each other, seizing them all up. Wan started run over to stop it before it began when he heard the aye-aye spirit shout out, **"****Get out of the forest, humans."**

He came to a stop between the two groups. "Wait!" he shouted at them both while Raava landed by his side. "We can resolve this peacefully."

"**Stinky?"** the aye-aye spirit said in surprise which soon turned into happiness. **"You came back."**

"It's good to see you again," he said with a smile.

"**You and Raava are just in time to help us clear these tree-killing fire-lovers out of here just like the old days."**

"You are the one who's getting cleared out," Jaya told the spirit.

"There's no need for violence," Wan said to them both. "I know there must be a way to work out a compromise." Above him, thunder rumbled in the distance. That was odd, considering there was barely a cloud in sight.

"**You have a good heart, Stinky,"** the aye-aye spirit replied. **"But these **_**fire-tossers**_** aren't like you."**

"Spirits like him killed our friends!" Jaya told him. "I can't let them get away with that."

The thunder grew louder and closer. From out of nowhere, storm clouds converged and darkened the entire sky. Lightning flashed and struck the earth and for a moment, Wan could've sworn he saw Vaatu looking down at them from the clouds, laughing at them. As they all heard the laughter, the spirits transformed into dark spirits. They stared at the villagers with utter hatred. **"****We are protectors of the forest,"** the aye-aye spirit proclaimed with a much deeper voice. **"We won't let you burn it down."**

"_Oh no,"_ Wan thought in horrified realization.

Raava realized what was happening just like he was. **"****It's Vaatu. He's growing stronger, using their anger to turn them to his side."**

Jaya mustered up a flame and threw it at the dark spirits, which they avoided with ease. **"****Wipe them out!"** the aye-aye spirit ordered.

They started towards the humans but Wan pushed them back with Airbending. The humans saw that as their chance to throw fire at the spirits, but he deflected that. He kept moving between the two groups, trying to prevent them from fighting. "Stop, please!" he begged as he kept them away. Neither side wanted to quit the fight. If anything, being denied it urged them on.

"**It's like watching two platypus-bears trying clash with each other but can't figure out how to cross the stream between them."**

As he kept fending them all, Wan could see no end in sight. He had to make it all stop somehow. "Raava, we need to combine our energies," he told her. "Maybe then we'll have enough power to stop this." She flew towards him as he went still. She passed through his body but did not come out the other side. The power he always felt when she passed through came back and stayed. Energy began to leak out from and coalesce around his body into a white aura.

Just as the two sides were about to attack each other, he leapt into the air and held himself there. He bent water, earth, and fire into three rings around him, ready to use. "Enough!" he shouted down at the two groups. "You need to stop fighting now, before you destroy each other!"

The power he had was massive, so much so that it began affecting the spirits making them pause and shudder. They started turning back to their original selves with the aye-aye spirit one of the first. **"****Stinky, w-what happened?"** it asked as it looked to him.

"He's controlling all four elements," Jaya said in an awed voice as he too looked up at his friend.

"**Thank you once again for the obvious statement. You people never seem to run out of them."**

But while Wan was trying to make sure that they didn't fight, the power inside his body was beginning to grow out of his control. He concentrated, gritting his teeth, and tried to keep it in. But it was too powerful. Pain began to dance on and in his body. **"****Wan, I have to leave your body, or I'll destroy you,"** Raava said to him. She knew the danger of her possessing him. It was why she had never done it to a human before.

He knew the risk too but wouldn't budge on it. "No. It's working. If you leave, the fighting will start again." He would not let that happen. He could make them stop fighting. They could make peace between them but they had to stop fighting first. He just had to hold on for a little bit longer so the rest of the spirits could turn back.

He tried to hold on but the pain that had been attacking him all over his body came together in one giant feeling that hit him all together at once. He let out a brief gasp of pain before blacking out. The elements he was bending vanished, making him start to fall to the ground, and Raava was cast out of his body. **"****Wan!"** she cried out, flying down and grabbing hold of him. She carried him away while the humans and the spirits, now back to their dark selves again, finally clashed.

* * *

"_Urg…what happened?"_ Wan asked as he slowly came back to consciousness. He felt grass beneath him. He opened his eyes and saw Mula nearby, standing beneath trees. _"Why am I at the forest?"_ He had been at the village. The mere thought of what could've happened there made him stand up and look over the nearby slope. He saw the battleground was empty, but the fact that a battle happened was plain to see. "We have to go back," he declared aloud, already going for the slope.

Vaatu suddenly appeared at the slope, stopping him in his tracks. **"****Don't bother,"** the spirit told him. **"Your human friends have already been annihilated."**

He heard those words and his heart clenched. "No!"

"**Enjoy your final days. See you at the end of the world!"** He flew away, somehow managing to make it mocking as he went.

Wan watched him and then turned his attention to finding Raava, having noticed that she was nowhere in sight. He started looking for her and found behind a rock. She had grown so small that she could hide behind it perfectly. _"I'm not the only one it took its toll on,"_ he realized in shock as he listened to her shiver and moan in pain. "Raava…"

"**I'm sorry, Wan,"** she told him as he picked her up and held her in his arms. She looked so tiny and fragile there. She was too small to travel by herself. As Mula came over to his side, he reached out, opened the pack, and pulled out a teapot that he had picked up on his travels. He slid her in and cradled it in the nook of his arm. Then he climbed atop Mula and urged her on. They left the village and the forest behind.

* * *

When she had regained enough of her strength to speak, Raava told them where they had to gone. They had to go south. It was a journey that took many days, so much so that they turned into weeks and then into months, summer turning to autumn. During the journey, they saw much evidence of Vaatu's growing power. Dark spirits were becoming more and more abundant and growing so bold that they were beginning to look at the lion turtles to attack. Wan tried to help but more often than the lion turtles were able to take care of themselves.

The further they went south, the colder the air became. The land became emptier and the wind was sharper, forcing Wan to wear a scarf around his neck and over his head. They were three weeks into traveling across the barren tundra when Wan saw a blue beam of light shooting up into the sky from out a small forest. Raava spoke then. **"****We're almost there."** She paused for a moment. **"I was wrong about you, Wan. I had no idea that humans were capable of such nobility and courage. I'm sorry that we do not have much more time together."**

"Let's not give up before the battle's even begun. Who knows what will happen?" he replied with a smile as he looked ahead. "After all, this is my first Harmonic Convergence."

As Mula cleared the tree line, they got a clear view of the portal. It was coming straight out of the ground. **"****This is the southern portal to the Spirit World,"** Raava declared. **"Here, Vaatu and I will do battle once again, at the place where the two worlds meet."**

Whatever it was and wherever it went, there was a serene-like quality to it. Wan felt at peace just by being near it. Mula must've felt the same way for she did not shy away from it. She walked towards it calmly. Passing through the portal didn't feel odd like Wan thought it might've been. In fact, it felt like just passing through a sheet of water.

But once they passed through and came out the other side, Wan could tell that they weren't in his world anymore. The first thing he saw was the giant tree off in the distance but still closer than the red portal he saw directly opposite. The area around the portals and the tree could've been similar to the barren land in the Mortal World but this had been rougher, rockier. There were little streams all around them and the sky was dark and foreboding. There seemed to a path to the rocks and streams, something that almost seemed to flow in a particular direction.

"**Yeah, yeah, take a look from the air and you'll get it. Move on already."**

A shadow appeared from the other portal and grew thicker and bigger with each passing second. It didn't take long for Vaatu for to emerge from the portal and he loomed over the three of them. **"****Are you ready for our final battle, Raava?"** he asked. **"Thanks to our friend separating us, I think this time I may be rid of you once and for all."**

"**It's nice to know that he is still like that."**

Wan got down from Mula and walked towards the dark spirit. "Before you get to her, you'll have to go through me," he declared with a challenging look.

The dark spirit found that to be little more than amusing and he wasn't above showing it with a chuckle. **"****No human can stand against **_**me**_**."**

Wan could admit that Vaatu was different from the last time he had seen him. He was much bigger than before, the markings on his body much defined, and he seemed to have a lot more tentacles than before. But Wan wasn't going to back down. He hadn't before now and he wasn't going to stop. He had made a promise and he was going to keep it. "Haven't you heard the legends?" he asked Vaatu. "I'm not a regular human anymore."

"**And ring the bell! Ding-ding-ding! …Maybe I've been spending too much time with Bumi and Naruto." **

He threw a barrage of fire at the dark spirit, who only flew into the air to avoid them. He kept up the barrage, trying to hit Vaatu. But he managed to avoid them all with a grace that was enviable. He landed in between Wan and Mula, spooking the cat deer away, and swatted the human away from the portal. While he was airborne, the spirit followed him and loomed over him when he landed. **"****I lived ten thousand lifetimes before the first of your kind crawled out of the mud!" **he shouted. His markings started glowing with a purple energy. He arced back and lunged forward, firing a beam of the same colored energy.

"**Whoa! What the…I didn't know he could do that! Have they been holding out on me all this time?"**

The beam carved through the ground as it reached Wan. But either Vaatu did not have a good aim or he wanted to draw out the fight because only the edge of the bean hit the human before disappearing. But even the edge of the beam was enough to send him flying again. **"****It was I who broke through the divide that separated the plane of spirits from the material world!"** Vaatu declared as he flew lazily around him and then firing the beam again. He followed Wan, clearly enjoying what he was doing. **"To hate me is to give me breath. To fight me is to give me strength. Now prepare to face oblivion!"**

Wan got up just in time to see the beam coming towards him. He used his fire to push him into the air and away. The beam tried to follow but he was able to avoid it. He couldn't stay in the air for long, landing in a roll and trying to come back up to his feet. But the pain his body had sent him back down to his knees. It had been only a couple of minutes since the fight had started and he was already this beaten.

He knew why. He was going up against a spirit that was ancient with only one element. He thought he could do it by himself but he had been wrong, so wrong. There was only one way to make this fight at least somewhat even. "Raava!" he called out to Vaatu's opposite, and his friend. "The only way to win is together."

She heard his plea and flew out of the teapot. Before Vaatu could do anything to stop her, she entered his body. The power he had felt months before came back and that same energy surrounded his body. Vaatu flew at him, trying to crush him with a tentacle. But he leapt onto a cloud he made and flew away. The tentacles gave chase, smacking down on the ground trying to hit him. But he had learned enough from the bison to know how to move away quickly. His opponent kept missing him and he kept putting ground between them.

One of the tentacles did hit his cloud and he flew into the air as it dissipated. He twisted in midair and bent a strong blast of fire at Vaatu, pushing him back. Wan tried to land on his feet but the momentum knocked him down and sent him rolling. His world became a blurry mess for a moment, but then it cleared and he found his feet beneath him again. He pushed deep and used the earth to send him flying right at Vaatu.

He started twisting himself to put some spin into his next attack. He tried to kick out a stream of fire but got a tentacle in his chest before he could get it fully out. He fell back to the ground, forming a cloud underneath his feet to keep himself going. He reached out to a nearby stream and bent the water at Vaatu. He hit the spirit a couple of times but it didn't seem to do anything.

"_I need something with power to it,"_ Wan thought to himself. He looked down briefly at the ground and knew where to find it. He bent out three giant boulders and carried them into the air. He passed Vaatu and swung around, throwing the boulders at him. But he glided past them like they didn't matter.

Wan realized his mistake. The earth might've been strong but it was slow. He would need something else to work. He tried thinking up a new tactic as Vaatu came at him, tentacles swinging. He flew past but got hit by one of them. His cloud fell apart and he fell to the ground. But he quickly bent a new one and flew away from the spirit, bending fire at him all the way.

But it was only a few seconds before the pain hit him hard again. He lost control of the cloud and fell to his hands and knees. His body was telling him that he couldn't keep doing this, that the power was too much. It wasn't the only one. **"****I have to leave you. If I stay any longer, you will die,"** Raava insisted.

He knew that. His body was only alive through the pain. All he wanted was for it to end. But he couldn't let it be like that. "It doesn't matter. If you leave me now, Vaatu will destroy everything. We have to finish this together!"

He hopped back up onto his feet, bending a cloud under it to carry him. He charged straight at Vaatu, who did the same. When the dark spirit fired another beam of energy, he bent the air beneath him to send him flying high in the sky. He flew over the spirit and bent a stream of fire at its back. He landed but the pain drove him to his hands and knees again. _"I have to move!"_ he said, forcing himself to stand up again.

As he did, Vaatu struck, grabbing hold of him with a tentacle. First he was dragged across the ground, feeling it scrape hard against his back. Then he was flung into the air and felt the energy beam slam into him. It felt like getting hit with a hammer, pierced by a sword and a spear, electrocuted, buried alive, drowned, set aflame, and losing his air all in one great anguishing moment. When the moment ended, he fell to the ground and it was all only when he stopped that he realized that he was up against the southern portal.

He tried to get up but Vaatu flew over to him and shot a tentacle at him, holding him down. **"****The Harmonic Convergence is about to begin. The era of Raava is over,"** the dark spirit boasted. Wan tried to get up, to fight back, but the pain made him too weak against the tentacle. All he could do was lay there.

Above them, the portals bent forward, meeting each other over the tree. As soon as the ends met, their colors turned to the same shining gold. Lightning and thunder boomed from the connected portals, making them a virtual rod of a storm. But it wasn't just that. The very air thrummed with energy from the entirety of the universe. Wan could feel it pressing down on him like a wet sponge trying to cool him off.

As Vaatu turned to look at the connecting portals, he glowed purple. His power grew too. It was taking in the energy around them and making itself stronger. But as his power grew, so did Raava's. Wan's body glowed blue with her markings on his chest, lifting the pain away. **"Wan, do you trust me?"** she asked him.

"You know I do," he replied. After the year they had spent together, how could he not trust her?

"**Place your hand on the portal."**

"_What will happen if I do?"_

"**Something new, something…different,"** she answered, sounding unsure.** "Even I do not know what will happen. But it will give you the power to defeat Vaatu."**

"_How?"_ he asked.

"**I just know."** Her markings and the blue glow left, giving him back to the pain.

It sounded strange, but what could he do? Vaatu had him. It would take a moment for the spirit to crush him now, if he felt like it. But all it would take for him to touch the portal was a moment too. Fighting the pain, he lifted his right hand, reached back, and touched the southern portal. For a moment, it felt like he was just touching water.

But then the portal hummed to his touch and the blue glow came back, washing over him like water, relieving his pain as it moved. When it reached Vaatu's tentacle, he pulled it away with a grunt of surprise, looking back to see what was happening. But it was too late; Wan was completely engulfed in the blue glow. The cosmic energy he had taken traveled down deep into his soul, he could feel it. His body started telling him that something else was happening to him.

"_Raava,"_ he tried to ask, unsure of what was happening. It felt like the power he had when they merged, but too much of it. It felt like he was full to burst and he just might do that.

"**Do not fight it, Wan,"** she told him as she let the flow of the energy carry her deep into his soul.

He did as he was told. He did not fight it. He let it happen. The cosmic energy carried Raava into his soul. There it was altered so she could be a part of it. When that happened, when she became a part of him, his eyes glowed white.

In that one moment, something changed in him.

In that one moment, he saw farther then he could've ever have seen before.

In that one moment, he could see the universe.

And he saw that it was beautifully glorious.

But to look at the whole of the universe was too much for one person. He forced himself to look away from it all, falling down to his hands and knees. The work was not done. The cosmic energy was building inside of him, changing everything that he was and had been before. It became overwhelming, coming to a boiling. He couldn't hold it in. So he lurched upwards, threw his head back, and screamed as the energy came out in a great explosion of light.

At the sight of the light, Vaatu was forced to fly away lest he get caught in it all. It was only when it began to fade that he dared to look back. He saw Wan standing back onto his feet, his body still glowing blue and his eyes a bright white. But he looked past that. He looked deeper and he saw the truth. **"No! This cannot be!"** he protested.

"**Next time, don't pause to gloat, you idiot!"**

Wan did not say anything back. He was feeling everything with new eyes and new knowledge. He was different now. Not quite human, not quite spirit, but something in between. But what did that mean. **"****We are bonded forever,"** Raava declared. Yes, yes they were. He could feel her being a part of him. And he could feel what they had to do.

As the blue glow faded, Wan attacked Vaatu with a renewed strength. But he did not strike with just one element. How could he? What he knew now by instinct eclipsed what he had learned for a year and even before that, making it all seem laughable. No, there was a better way to fight and he knew how to do it. Better yet, he knew how to end it.

He struck with a barrage of water, fire, and earth, using them with better ease then he ever would have thought he had. Vaatu tried to dodge like he had before but these attacks came in faster and stronger, catching him every single time. As the last boulder got him in the middle, it stunned him for a second.

But a second was all Wan needed to encase him in an orb of air. Then he surrounded the orb with a ring of fire, air, water, and earth each, furthering tightening his control over it all. He guided the orb towards the tree and the large gap it had in its trunk. Once there, all it took was one last push of air to send the orb into the tree, where it became engulfed in a great light that spread out across the edges of the area before disappearing.

Vaatu was now encased in an orb of energy inside the tree, unable to move even to break free. "This is your prison now," Wan declared as he felt his new power recede back into his soul, losing the glow in his eyes. "And I will close the portal so no human will ever be able to physically enter the Spirit World and release you."

"**Do you think that this will hold me?"** Vaatu demanded.

"Yes, I do." He turned his back on the spirit and walked towards the northern portal. Mula came to his side and he hopped aboard without even thinking about it. He dismounted once at the portal. He reached out his hand, placing it on the beam, and used what he suddenly understood to bend the energy into itself, sealing itself close. That was one portal closed. Now he had to close the other one. But before he could do that, there was something else he had to do.

* * *

"**What!?"** was what all the spirits shouted down at him after he told them what he wanted them to do. They all began to jabber at him, voices mixing together to create a noise that just buzzed inside of his ear.

"**Why would we leave?"** one spirit, which looked like it was mixture of tree and monkey, demanded.

"You must," Wan told him.

"**I doubt that. We have made our homes here. We shouldn't leave."** Other spirits started agreeing with it. They seemed to band together beneath its leadership.

He faced the spirit down from where he stood in the midst of them all. He had called all the spirits together in the Mortal World and created an immense cave in the depth of the earth to hold them all. Now they were there and they had to listen. "And what will you do when the humans come?"

"**No human would dare leave the lion turtles!"** one of the spirits, looking like a great glob of water, shouted with an echoing voice. **"They're too scared!"**

"**And if they do, we'll drive them back!"** shouted a spirit that was ironically a stone shaped with a human face on it.

"And what if they keep coming back?" he asked them all. "What if they keep coming back in force and keep attacking you all? It'll just mean more senseless fighting for both sides."

The aye-aye spirit, who had been quiet this entire time, finally spoke. **"And you want us to leave this world, Stinky?"** it asked.

He nodded. "Yes. The spirits must stop fighting with humans and return to their home in the Spirit World. I will teach men to respect the spirits so that balance will be maintained." He looked at them all and declared, "I will be the bridge between our two worlds."

The spirits could've argued long and hard about what he had said, and they did. But he kept repeating that they had to go back to the Spirit World to maintain the balance and that he would help the maintaining. They might've scoffed if they couldn't sense that he was different now, someone who was both mortal and spirit at the same time. The aye-aye spirit took little convincing before siding with him.

That seemed to be the one thing he needed. After that, the spirits agreed more or less to go back to the Spirit World. It ended up being a mass migration of spirits marching towards the southern portal, entering its light and disappearing from his world. The last spirit to leave was the aye-aye spirit, who turned to Wan and bowed like a master greeting a student. Wan returned the gesture. "Goodbye, old friend."

"**Goodbye…Stinky,"** the aye-aye spirit said with a smile before stepping through the portal. Once it was through, his friend closed the portal forever.

"**And you were the one who reopened it, way to go."**

* * *

A week later, he found himself standing before the lion turtle he had first lived on. He had been called to it when he had been passing through the forest he had been first banished to. But now, the lion turtle stood before a cliff facing the sea and everyone that had still been living on its back stood on that cliff.

Chou the Elder stepped forward to speak. "Great lion turtle, what is the reason that you have called us all here?"

The lion turtle didn't answer him. Instead, its eyes found Wan, who had been standing adjacent to the whole group. **"Come forward,"** it rumbled.

All eyes fell to him. The Chou brothers looked at him with their usual expressions of arrogant disdain. Once those looks would've made him want to punch them or steal food right from under their noses. But those days had long since passed. Now when he looked at them, he didn't feel towards them, good or bad. "Great lion turtle," the biggest brother spoke. "Wan is an exile from the city. You yourself said—"

"**He will come forward,"** the lion turtle spoke again and this time, there was no arguing.

Wan stepped forward, walking past the Chous without even bothering to give them a look, and stood before the lion turtle. "I am here," he announced himself.

"**You have changed,"** the lion turtle noted. He didn't say anything in reply, thinking it would be redundant. **"Do you know why you are here?"**

"I felt you call out to me." It was a weird thing to say but that was the only explanation he could think of. He had been passing by and heard the lion turtle one night, telling him to come.

"**Yes."**

"Why?"

"**You should hear our words ourselves, as the maker of this new era."**

Those words were confusing and he was compelled to ask, "Words."

The lion turtle nodded its head slowly. **"The world is entering a new age. Our time protecting mankind is over. We will no longer give humans the power of the elements,"** it declared, its words washing over them all. As they all stood and watched, it vanished beneath the sea.

Wan watched until he saw the shadow vanish beneath the water. He clasped his hands in prayer. _"Safe travels,"_ he offered the lion turtle.

"What do we do now?" someone asked.

"I don't know," another replied.

Wan turned around, looking around at them all. They all had looks of panic and shock, unsure of what to do next. He had that exact same look when he had been banished from the city all those years ago. They would need someone to guide them to a new life. But it couldn't be him. There were more lion turtles out there and they would be dropping their humans off. He couldn't show favoritism.

"We have to find shelter now," an old familiar voice declared. Wan took one look and saw that it was the leader of the huntsman, just with a few more grey hairs. "We take to the forests and make our homes there." Everyone there began nodding in agreement, thinking that it was a good plan. Everyone except for the Chous, that is.

Now that there was a plan suggested, Wan felt compelled to say something. "Jaya's village is only a two day journey from here," he told the huntsman. "I can lead you all to them. I'm sure that they will welcome you all."

The huntsman nodded in acknowledgement. "Thank you, Wan."

He looked at them all. "If you are all ready, we can start the journey."

"Wait!" shouted Chou the Elder, making them all stop. He looked insulted while his sons looked surprised. "What are you all doing?"

"**Ooh, he doesn't look happy. In fact, I'd say he's about to pop a vein."**

"We're finding shelter," the lead huntsman said to him.

"No, you're not. You are under my authority and you will do as I say. That has always been the way. Or have you forgotten that fact?" he asked with an arrogant sneer on his face. "Now, our first order of business is for you all to build a house for me and my family, then we will—" He stopped when he saw everyone was gathering around the huntsman.

"What are you all doing?" his middle son asked them all.

"We're not obeying you anymore," the huntsman declared.

Chou the Elder grew red at this declaration. His body trembled. "Have you forgotten who I am!?" he shouted, spit flying out of his mouth. "I am your lord! You are nothing but peasants!"

"You are the lord, on the lion turtle." He cast a disregarding look at the fat man and his equally fat sons, who thought themselves great warriors because they wielded weapons. "But we're not on the lion turtle, not anymore. You're not the lord of anything now. You're just a fat little man." He turned his back on the Chous. So did the rest of the people. Chou the Elder and his sons were left standing there on the cliff, watching their former people walk away.

* * *

Wan did as he promised and led them to Jaya's village. To his immense relief, he found that Vaatu had lied that day. The villagers were still alive. Wan stood by and watched as the newcomers were welcomed with open arms and he thought that his role would be simple enough.

But he turned out to be wrong.

"**Of course he turned out to be wrong. When have things ever been simple, hmm?"**

Just like his former home, the lion turtles all over this side of the planet were dropping their humans off and leaving them. People were confused and scared, fearing that spirits would come and kill them all. Wan traveled all over, convincing them that the spirits gone back to their own world and they were safe. He even became a teacher, helping refine those who had the elements into proper Bending forms.

But even as he tried to soothe them and teach them, the fear and confusion were still there. When they could not take it out on the spirits, they began fighting each other. People were going to war over differences in ideals, positions, or just to grab more land. No matter how many fights he stopped, another one seemed to be brewing and a second was ready to erupt.

One night, he and Mula were resting beside a river. The fire he had made was beginning to burn low and he was growing sleepy himself. As he readied himself for sleep, Raava spoke out. **"Wan, stay awake,"** she told him. **"There are people coming for you!"**

Those words snapped him awake and he stood up, ready to defend himself. But those people were already there, standing on the other side of the fire. There were four of them. They were garbed in dark robes and hoods with a medallion resting on their chests. Even though he could not see them, he could feel their eyes watching him.

He kept his hands in clear sight. "It's alright," he said to them. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Oddly enough, that assurance only made them laugh. "He's funny," a man's voice came from the one on the far right. "He thinks he can take us."

The laughter died away. "We're not as young as we used to be," another man's voice, much more grating to the ears, spoke to the left of him.

"And he's not as dangerous as what we fought," a cold woman's voice spoke on the far left. "We should just end him now." Those words set Wan on edge. He watched them all carefully now.

"He's different from what we've faced," another woman's voice, this one much gentler, spoke from the right. "He only has one half."

"That half was enough to cause this cluster-fuck of events," the first man spoke. "And he wasn't opposed either."

"What are you all talking about?" Wan finally asked them. They were talking like he wasn't there and it was a little irritating.

That feeling of the eyes came back, holding him in place. "We're talking about you, you blundering blockhead," the cold woman's voice told him. "Do you realize what you have done, sending the spirits away?"

Of course he did. "I did it so there wouldn't be any more fighting between spirits between humans and spirits."

"And now the humans are fighting each other."

His face fell slightly at that remark. "I know. But I'm trying to help them."

"There is no helping them," the second woman told him.

"I don't believe that."

"What are you going to do about it all? It's in the nature of humans to fight against what they don't know. You thought you were helping them by sending the spirits by you've only turned their attention onto each other."

"Congratulations," the second man said with a deep amount of disdain and sarcasm. "You've set them to kill off each other."

"No," he said with a shake of his head. "That will not happen." He stood straighter and looked at them. "Different groups of people must learn to live together. This is my mission: to use Raava's light spirit to guide the world toward peace."

They all stared at him in silence. The entire night around them was still, the only things that seemed to make a sound were the river and the fire. Finally, a different sound broke out: the sound of the first man laughing. "Save me, I think he's serious," he said as he laughed. "This is quite different from what we're used to, isn't it?"

"So?" asked the cold woman, turning her attention away from Wan.

"I say we step back and watch. He says that he holds Raava, let's see him prove it."

"It would be amusing to watch," the second woman agreed. "Besides, it'll give us time to train our successors if he plans to stick around." The second man said nothing, only nodding in agreement.

"Very well," the cold woman said before looking back at their subject. "Consider yourself lucky that we chose to spare your life this night, boy. But trend lightly from now on. We have seen many horrible things done in the name of peace and light. You may hold Raava, but that doesn't make you good. We will be watching you. If we see you fall, we will end you."

Their piece said and done, they disappeared back into the night. Wan just stared at where they stood. "Well that was weird," he finally said.

* * *

The years passed. The fights continued to erupt. He kept forcing them to stop. He continued to teach. But with each passing year, the fights grew into wars. Wars that he couldn't stop before it was too late and he could only migrate the damage. Friends died or turned against his beliefs. Jaya had been the first and most painful, becoming a vicious warlord that was set on conquering new lands. When they finally fought, Wan struck him down with tears in his eyes and buried him with the respect their past friendship asked for.

But even as the years passed, he kept going. He kept teaching and kept stopping people from fighting. He started to be given names by the people he stopped and taught.

Teacher.

Stranger.

Wanderer.

Intruder.

Peacemaker.

Bridge to the Spirits.

Avatar of Raava.

As he got older, they seemed to use that last one more and more, until the other names fell by the wayside. Even the full name itself faded away until only the first part stayed true.

The years continued to pass. The faces kept changing around him until everyone he had first known were long gone. Even Mula, his ever-faithful companion, had passed on. But he still kept fighting to bring peace between people, even as nations, tribes, and kingdoms were forged and fought. More often than he would have liked, he found himself on one side of the fight instead of being natural. And it was after 500 years of doing what he had promised that it came to an end.

He sat on the ground at the edge of the now quiet battlefield, resting his back against an entrenched stone ring. His armor, for he wore armor now (he had to), was a mixture of old and recent, the most ancient being the shoulder-plate he had taken off Jaya. He only had to look up or off to the left to see the results of the battlefield. He only had to listen to hear the sound of things burnings or the distant moaning of survivors. He only had to sniff to smell the fire and the smoke and the smell of death.

He wasn't sure if it had been a wound given in the battle or if it was just his age finally catching up to him (he was older than 500 years after all) but he could feel the end coming. And he knew that for all he had done in that time, it wasn't enough "I'm sorry, Raava," he said to his one constant companion. "I failed to bring peace. Even with Vaatu locked away, darkness still surrounds humanity. There wasn't enough time." If he could, he would've chuckled at the irony of his own words.

"**Don't worry,"** Raava whispered to him as things began to darken. **"We will be together for all of your lifetimes. And we will never give up."**

Those words were a comfort to him. As he breathed his last, their combined spirit left through his mouth and dissipated into the air. He closed his eyes. The last thing he heard was a small baby crying. _"Don't worry, little one,"_ he thought as he faded away. _"I am here. I am yours…"_

She was confused. Why would he say something like that? To the sound of a baby's cry no less? But that cry sounded familiar too. How could it though? She didn't remember anything. She didn't know anything about…

That was when it hit her, when she knew.

That crying baby wasn't just any baby. It was _her_!

Her eyes snapped open, alight with the glow of the Avatar State, and she lurched up with a gasp of air. She stayed there, looking at her knees and the water flowing beneath her under the rope bed. "I remember," she said. How could she have forgotten?

"Do you know who you are?" the voice of the shaman asked from above.

She looked at the old woman and the men beside her. "My name is Korra. I'm the Avatar."

Never had that one word meant so much and yet feel so different to her before.

* * *

After they hauled her back up, she was told that she was on Bhanti Island and that she had been brought to the head shaman. When she made mention that everyone she knew was probably worried sick about, the shaman just nodded in acknowledgement. The two women walked out of the temple to the grounds. There, Korra saw sky bison grazing on the field. "We've been raising this herd of air bison since the Hundred Year War," the shaman told her. "I never thought I'd be able to present one to the Avatar."

Korra instantly realized what she meant. "Thank you for all your kindness," she told the shaman, completely grateful. "I wonder how long I've been away."

"That I cannot say, but you do not have much time left. The Harmonic Convergence is only weeks away."

With what she had just seen, she knew why her uncle had made her open the southern portal and why he wanted the northern portal open too. He wanted to free Vaatu. "I have to close the spirit portal before that happens."

She was able to choose a sky bison quickly enough and took off from Bhanti Island. The only person she felt best to talk to spirits about was Tenzin and she knew where he was. She had to get there.

"**So, did you enjoy that?"** that familiar voice asked from behind.

She turned and saw him standing on the back of the bison. Everything around them had frozen still. "What are you?" she asked him.

"**I'm a spirit, which should be obvious. And I've been around for a while."**

That was cryptic but she probably should've expected that. "If you've been around, why did you watch with me? You must've seen those events when they happened."

"**Truth be told, I was a little out of it when it happened. Watching it a couple of times helps me refresh the memory. Plus, I get to give color commentary."**

"I heard." There hadn't been anything she could've done to make him stop talking during the whole thing. If there had been a way, she would've taken it.

"**Do you understand the truth now?"** he asked, his slightly humorous tone switched for a much more serious one.

She nodded. "Yes, I do." Now that she knew the truth of the Avatar, she couldn't treat so lightly now.

But the spirit shook his head. **"You don't. But I don't blame you. You only saw the second part."**

"What?"

"**Were you confused and surprised by what those four cloaked people said to Wan, why they made it sound like they had been through it before?"**

Of course she had been but it wasn't like she could ask them what they were talking about. There was just one thing nagging at her brain. "Were they the first Paragons?"

"**Yes. Like I said, you only saw the second part. If you want the full truth, you have to see the first part."**

"How do I do that?"

The spirit seemed to think it over for a couple of moments before finally speaking. **"When Naruto or Yue announces that they are taking their apprentice on a training trip, tell them that you are coming with. When they refuse, tell that Sifu is breaking the protocol. Now, you'd best be getting to Tenzin."**

He vanished and the world began turning again. She stared at the spot where he had been for a second longer. Then she turned her head back and urged the bison on.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

Okay, this is the canon origin story of the Avatar but I am going to be sticking my own canon onto it. The original bit is going to be part one. That's not going to come right away. I am still debating whether I should do between seasons two and three or at the end of the series.

I know that Vaatu said that Jaya and the others were killed but I wanted to keep them alive so that Wan could see how it feels when one of his friends turns against him. That's a hard feeling and one that doesn't leave.

I was always a little miffed that they never showed what happened to the Chous. Personally, I would've loved to see them go from being the high and mighty nobles who look down on the peasants to ending up tending to the pigs once the lion turtle left.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	32. Wandering around and running ahead

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 32: Wandering around and running ahead

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Land of Spring)

"Okay, I gotta say, I'm impressed," Tsukiko said with awe as she strolled down the street, looking at what was around her. She had been to many of the shopping centers in Konoha but none of that could compare to what she was looking at now.

"Yeah, me too," Hiro agreed with a nodding head. He had been to many of the same centers she had but like her, hadn't seen anything like this. There was something different in the air. Maybe that was it.

Arashi just rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Rubes," he said. "You sound like you've never been to a market day before." His ears buzzed with the sounds of farmers and merchants shouted their wares, almost competitively so. People were walking up and down the streets, looking at what each stall had to offer. The air was crisp, fresh, and clean, making him feel alive.

Tsukiko turned her head back to him. "Who you calling a rube?" she asked him challenging.

"I'm calling you a rube."

"I am not from the backwaters."

"Neither am I. I used to live in a city, remember? You're the one who lives in a city that claims to be a village." And that just sounded weird when he thought about it.

"Oh yeah?" she asked. "If you used to live in a city, how do you know what a market day looks like?"

"We don't have malls where I'm from. The farmers and merchants still bring in their wares to sell each month and I would use to go and see what they had." That had always been a happy memory for him, walking past the stalls with his family and seeing what there was to see.

She just smiled triumphantly. "Like I said, backwater," she told him. He ignored her.

The stands were all around them as they walked down the street and the air was full of great smells. Arashi only had to breathe in to taste what was being cooked. There was bread, meat, and even fish. Was there also barbeque sauce cooking too? He could definitely taste and smell sauces. Oh, it didn't matter in the end. They all smelt great. "Do we have cash?" he asked Hiro.

"Yeah, we do," he replied. "I got it right here." He jiggled the pouch on his belt. "Why do you ask?"

He looked at his teammate like he lost his mind. "We're here at market day and you don't plan on getting anything?"

"I was taught to look with my eyes and not my hands," the Hyūga replied, letting go of the pouch. He sidestepped a passerby with a twist and stepped back without a second thought.

"So was I. You still haven't answered my question."

"I don't know, Arashi. I just came here to look."

"We all came here to look," Tsukiko said. "We've got a day off from the production and Yukie decided that we would go out into public." There was a slight tone of annoyance in her voice when she spoke that last sentence but not as much as she once had.

"I have always been allowed to come out on market day," Yukie replied, looking past the annoyance like it was nothing. "But it's always been with a contingent of guards watching my every move. This way is much more fun."

"We still have to keep an eye on you," Hiro reminded her.

"That doesn't mean you can't enjoy the day too. Sheesh, you sound so much like the guards," she declared with an irritated huff. Here she was trying to enjoy the day and the shinobi were trying to be all business-like. They were her age for the love of Kami!

"She's right, guys," Arashi joined in. "Let's try to enjoy what the market has to offer while keeping an eye on the princess." They were here to relax a little bit, not be even more business-like.

Hiro considered their words as he walked beside the dyed redhead. "Fair enough," he finally conceded.

"Thank you, Arashi," Yukie said to him with a smile

"No problem," he said back, giving her a grin in return.

"Okay, we get it," Tsukiko said, moving just a little bit faster. "Let's move it along."

"What crawled up your butt and died?" Arashi asked his teammate, catching up with her before she vanished into the crowds. Yukie and Hiro did the same.

"Nothing," she replied quietly. "I just get irritated whenever she does that."

"Does what?"

"Never mind," she said instantly. If he couldn't see it after all this time, there wasn't any point in telling him.

But his face showed the confusion he was in about what she was talking about. "Are you—?"

"Hey, you're the one who's been harping on about market day. So let's get to it already." Someone pushed past her roughly without even muttering an apology. She whipped around to shout at the guy but he was already gone, vanished into the crowds around the stalls. So she settled for muttering, "Asshole."

"Come on." He put a hand on her shoulder and urged her back to where the group was going. She didn't try to fight it.

Her anger at being pushed like that soon faded away. Her enthusiasm came back as they explored the stands. This had been nothing like the shopping centers back in Konoha. There, if you caused a ruckus, you would be escorted out. But here, it seemed like causing that kind of a distraction was actually encouraged. She and the others watched two fish merchants shouting out their prices to any passerby. Then they turned on each other and started throwing insults. First it was on their fish and it progressed to their families. Then they started throwing fish at one another.

Once she saw the fish flying, Tsukiko had a feeling that the whole thing was staged. The fish were being thrown at a height that wouldn't hit anyone passing through and there was also no one trying to get through and break up the fight. When the fish stopped flying, the audience that had formed applauded and the two merchants bowed to them. Then they continued to sell the fish they had.

"They did that on purpose?" Hiro asked as the audience disappeared, going back to what they were doing.

"Yes, they do," Yukie told him, smiling in enjoyment. "They're a regular at market day. Sometimes, I even think that they practice before they come here."

"Fish merchants practicing insulting each other before doing it in public?" asked Tsukiko. She shook her head. "Now I've heard everything."

"I hardly doubt that, you haven't hit your twenties yet."

"Neither have you."

"I am well aware." The princess wasn't even fazed by the fact of it. She accepted it with the grace and poise that was expected of her.

"Hey, guys!" Hiro called out, getting their attention with a big wave of his hands. "Come take a look at this!" He gestured wildly at a nearby stand.

They all quickly came over and saw what he was seeing. It turned out to be a case full of creatures, all scuttling around over each other. "Whoa, that's a lot of lobsters," Tsukiko said, pressing her face against the glass to get a better look. Hiro was right beside her while Arashi just looked over their heads.

"You've never seen a lobster before?" Yukie asked with an amused voice that was also a little surprised. She sometimes had a hard time believing that that people she was with were actually shinobi from the Land of Fire.

"Of course I have. But they were all dead and in the supermarket," she replied without turning her head around.

"You go to the supermarket?"

"Of course I do." She wasn't a princess or anything like that. She had to help the parents whenever they went grocery shopping. At first it was just putting the supplies when they got home but now she was helping out in the grocery store. It was something that she liked doing, oddly enough.

Yukie, on the other hand, had never been to a supermarket of any kind. She was only allowed to come out to the markets freely when market day came around. She looked over at Arashi and saw the mystified look on his face. "What's wrong?" she asked him, instantly concerned.

He must've seen the concern because he smiled slightly and waved it off. "It's nothing."

"Really?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's nothing." But even as he said it, his eyes fell back on the tank of lobsters.

He must not have sounded convincing enough because of his teammates turned around and looked him right in the eye. "What's the matter?" Tsukiko asked him.

"Nothing's the matter."

"Uh-huh," she said, not believing it for a second.

"I'm serious."

"What is it, Arashi? Something's got your attention." She stood her ground and looked him right in the eyes.

"It's nothing. It's…" His voice trailed off as he looked at the lobsters. "They just look a little weird, that's all."

Both his teammates and the princess looked at him like he had said the weirdest thing to ever be said. Tsukiko looked back at the lobsters, watching them scuttle around, and looked back at him. "They're lobsters."

"I know. It's just a little weird to see an animal that's only one half."

"One half?" she repeated in disbelief. "It's a lobster, what more do you want from it?"

"Where I'm from, we don't just straight lobsters. What we have are lobster-squids or lobster-crabs." He remembered those quite well on market day. His father always made a habit of seeing if he could reach in the tank and grab one. There had always been one that tried to snap his hand off.

"Lobster-squid?" said Yukie in clear disbelief.

"Lobster-crab?" said Hiro in the same disbelief.

"You sure your head's not rattled, backwater boy?" Tsukiko asked Arashi with the same amount of disbelief.

"My head's fine, you guys," he said with a frown.

"Come on, no such things exist."

"Not on this side of the planet but they sure do where I come from," he stated adamantly.

"Right, of course they do." She didn't believe him and one look at Hiro and Yukie showed him the same thing.

"They do," he insisted. "The only weird kind of animal that I ever heard of in the Bending Countries was the bear that the Earth King had for a pet."

They were silent, waiting for him to continue. When he didn't, Hiro said, "And?"

"And what?" asked the dyed redhead. "He had a pet bear."

"What's weird about that?" Yukie asked him. She could admit that having a pet bear was a little on the grandiose side but she still didn't the problem.

"It's weird when it's just a bear."

"Was it a bear with extra legs or a weird nose or something?" Tsukiko asked.

That was close to a platypus-bear but not what he was thinking. "I don't know. I've never seen it myself. But I've been told it was a normal bear."

"So?"

"You know what? Forget about it." He made a point to walk away from the lobster lest the conversation continue.

They followed him and the conversation was soon forgotten. The path through the stands led them to a variety of spots. There was no semblance of order when it came to where and how the stands were set up. It seemed like food stands would be set right next to furniture stands as well as art stands. They could've easily found a man selling beard right next to a woman selling landscape paintings (and they did). Despite Hiro's attempts to keep the buying at a minimum, the pouch kept coming out again and again for tasty food and little trinkets.

"Rin-sensei is going to kill us," he moaned as they walked away from the stand that did funny face pictures. The pouch was near empty now.

"We didn't get anything from that last place," Tsukiko told him. She had thought that the picture drawn for her had been a good one and wanted to get it but he pushed them all away before she could get the money.

"Oh yes, one place out of Kami knows how many." He had lost track of how many stands they had gone to and how many times he had bought something.

"Rin-sensei gave us the money so we could enjoy ourselves."

There was a delicious smell in the air that perked his stomach's interest but his brain clamped down hard it. They did not need to spend any more money. "Yes and I'm sure that she would've wanted some of it back."

"Well, we still got some left." She perked up her head and sniffed the air. Her eyes became alit with desire. "Ooh, something smells good. Anyone smell it?"

"No," Hiro said instantly, even though he could smell it too.

"Oh come on. It smells really good," she pleaded with him.

"It really does," Yukie agreed. Her feet were already beginning to step towards the smell.

"No, we had enough to eat already," the Hyūga among them said insistently. He looked over at Arashi with a pleading look. "Back me up here, man."

"Well, I'm still a little hungry," he said with a sheepish grin on his face. As if on cue, his stomach rumbled.

"You just ate!"

"What can I say? I'm a growing boy." In the back of his head, he thanked Bolin for that excuse (and for not having an older brother to glare at him when he said it).

"That's not an excuse!" But then his stomach rumbled too. They all looked at it and then him. "Shut up."

Arashi laughed at his response, so did Tsukiko and Yukie. A faint tremor rumbled through the ground and up his feet, making him stop laughing. "Huh," he remarked, looking around. "That has to be some earthquake if we could feel it here."

Yukie looked at him oddly. "The Land of Spring doesn't get earthquakes."

"But I—" He went silent as he heard a faint wailing sound high in the air that was getting louder with each passing second. His eyes went wide. He knew that sound. It was same sound that came attached to Bolin whenever he was Earthbending and had a cold! "Get down!" he shouted for all to hear. He turned around and pushed his group down to the ground.

"Wha—!?" yelped Tsukiko as she fell backwards and faced the sky. She wanted to shout at Arashi but then she heard the sound too.

—_eeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!_

_THUD-BLAM!_

She felt and heard the shockwave rather than see it. It was a chilling sound, like a house collapsing in on itself from out of nowhere. For a moment, there was nothing but silence following the sound. But then came the cries of confusion, pain, and horror. Then she smelled smoke and fire and saw something glowing at the edge of her vision. _"Is something burning?"_ she asked herself.

"Stay down!" Arashi told them.

That was when she realized that she was under him, alongside Yukie. All it took was one look between the two of them before their faces went red with embarrassment. "Get off!" she ordered her teammate.

"Don't move!" he told her. He didn't even have the dignity to look right at her. He was too busy looking ahead. "Hiro, you good?" he called out.

"I'm…fine," Hiro's voice, slightly shocked and panicked, spoke back. It sounded a little far away for some weird reason. "Are…are you alright?"

"Yeah, I am. Can you make your way over here?"

"I think so. Hold on."

"Hey, get off!" Tsukiko snapped at the dyed redhead, losing her patience.

"Look," he started, finally looking down at them. Then he realized the position they were in. His cheeks inadvertently went red and he quickly backed off, keeping himself low. "Sorry. But seriously, stay down."

"Do as he says, Yukie," she told the princess before flipping over onto her stomach and crawling over to Arashi's side. "What's going on?" she asked, getting up onto her knees.

"It was an ambush." He pointed at where he had been looking at first. "We were lucky."

She turned her head to look at what he was pointing at and went still. There was a large boulder not even a foot from where her head had been. The thing towered the stands and she had no idea how thick it was. Then she noticed that some of the stands were on fire and there was smoke everywhere. "Wait, where's Hiro?" she asked, looking around but not seeing her teammate.

"He's on the other side of the boulder."

There was a brief moment of relief in her chest. She had thought that something horrible happened to him. But that relief changed into concern a second later. "Who do you think it was? Shinobi from Iwa?" she asked, knowing full well that it and Konoha didn't have a good history.

But Arashi shook his head. "No." He stood a little higher and looked around, trying to find the attackers. They had to be close. As he turned to the south, he saw one blocky teenager looking at all the chaos with an enjoying expression on his face. Everyone else was running around, trying to find people they care about or getting help. But he just stood there.

Arashi knew that kind of build the teen had. It was the same kind an Earthbender would have. "Hey, you!" he shouted out to the teen. It was enough to spook the guy and make him take off running. "Damn it!" He leapt to his feet. "Tsukiko, stay here!" he told his teammate.

"But—!"

"Don't argue!" He ran before she could say anything else.

There were people everywhere in the ruins of the stands but he only had eyes for the teenager. His large back couldn't hide no matter how much he tried to duck and cover behind anything. Arashi followed him out of the market area, glad that his training with Jiji finally came into use. He leapt over burnt rubble and slid under it too, pushing past people to reach him.

When the market vanished, it was replaced by twisting and turning alleys. The teen was probably trying to lose in there. But he knew alleys, having spent a good time in them. If one knew how they worked, they would be fine. All he had to was keep pace and make sure that he reacted in time to whatever was thrown at him.

"Stop!" he shouted at the teen as they banked a corner, ending up in an alley with no exit. "There's no way out of here. Surrender and come quietly."

The teen finally turned around to face him. His face had the same kind of blockiness his body had. His dirt brown eyes looked over him and his lips pulled back into a smug victorious grin. "That will be all," he said loudly and clearly.

There was a paused moment as they both waited. Arashi wasn't exactly sure what he was trying to do and he just stood there with that smug victorious look on his face. "…Okay, are you done just standing there looking like a smug jerk?" the dyed redhead asked him, breaking the silence.

The smugness vanished from his face. It was replaced by bafflement and then anger. "That will be all," he said again.

Now Arashi was getting annoyed. "What does that even mean? Do you honestly expect me to just obey you because you've said those words? Talk about stupid."

"That will be all."

"No, it won't. Surrender yourself or I'll make you surrender." He moved into the **Gōken** stance, ready for the fight.

The anger left and the smugness came back. "No shinobi can best me. I am stronger than any of them." He folded his hands into a seal. The earth shook and quaked around him, lurching upwards to form crude columns. "See my power!"

The dyed redhead did. He wasn't impressed. Earthbenders in their second month of training could do better than him. But there would've been nothing he could say that would make the difference. So he settled for a flying kick, landing it right in the middle of the teen's stomach. As he doubled forward, Arashi swung the other leg up, getting him right in the chin.

"Ah!" the teenager yelped as Arashi flipped away from him. He clutched both his chin and his stomach. But his eyes glared at the shinobi. "How dare you?"

"Easily," he replied.

The teen roared with rage as he folded his hands into another seal. The columns lurched forward like komodo-rhinos readying to charge. But that wasn't a problem for Arashi. To him, they moved too slowly. He zipped past them and attacked the teen with a hard right. It connected with his shoulder. He swung his left but got the other shoulder this time.

The teen responded by with a hard kick to his stomach. He tried catching it but failed and was knocked down to the ground. He instantly got back up when he felt the earth shake, even though the move was enough to make him feel nauseous. The ground split apart but hardly enough to make him fall through.

More columns broke out of the ground around the teen. With a concentrated grunt, he hurled them right at Arashi. They fly high and slow, letting the dyed redhead a chance to make sure he could see them. _"You've gotta be kidding me,"_ he couldn't help but think as he watched them come flying down. They were so freaking obvious!

All he had to do was sidestep them when they came down. One by one, he stepped out of the way. The teenager looked completely shocked that had happened. _"What? Has no one ever dodged these things?"_ Arashi asked. He didn't bother to answer that question. Instead, he decided that enough was enough.

He pulled out a kunai and threw it at the teenager. He saw it coming and clapped his hands together, raising up the earth in front of him to form a wall. It worked and his brow was caked and riddled in sweat at the effort. But he couldn't have a moment of victory at stopping the kunai before his head was driven into the rock and he fell unconscious.

Arashi stood behind him as he fell down, having ran around to the side and then behind him. All he had to was shove hard and gravity did the rest. Now came the pain of dragging this guy to a place he could be interrogated. _"He has to be at least twice my weight,"_ the dyed redhead thought to himself as he stared down at the unconscious body. Earthbenders put on a lot of muscles and weight fast.

Then he remembered that he didn't need to do it alone. He pulled out his cell phone, flipped it open, and quickly dialed. It didn't take long for the phone to connect. "Hello, this is Rin."

"Sensei, have you heard about the market?" he asked.

"Yes, we're on our way down there now."

"We?" he asked with slight confusion.

"My brother and the palace guards are coming with me. Where are you?"

He looked around. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, he could see that the alley he was in was pretty non-descriptive. It looked just like any other alley he had ever been in, dingy, dirty, and smelling just a little too rank. "I'm in an alley south of the market, that's all I can give you."

"Where's Yukie?" a man's voice demanded.

He paused and looked at the phone, taking it away from his ear. "Who is this?"

"Give me that," he heard Rin snap, which was followed by the sounds of a short struggle. "Didn't your mother teach you better?"

He put the phone back to his ear. "Sensei, who was that?" he asked now that he knew his teacher was back on the phone.

"That was my brother."

"Oh, sorry," he said. The guy sounded really different on the phone then in person.

"His question still stands. Where is Yukie?"

"She's still in the market. Tsukiko and Hiro are with her."

"You're alone?"

There wasn't any point in trying to say anything otherwise. "Yes. I had no choice."

"Are we going to have a talk later on?"

Even though she wasn't there, he shook his head. "No, there's no need for that. If I could've taken back-up, I would have."

"Then why didn't you?"

"Hiro got separated from us by a giant boulder. I saw the guy who caused the attack and he took off. Tsukiko was with me and the princess so I left her to protect Yukie while I pursued the attacker."

"And you have the attacker now?"

"Yes, I do." He looked down at the unconscious teen. "And you're not going to believe what he is."

"Try me."

He heard the magic words and he answered them. "He's an Earthbender."

As if on cue, the teenager woke up with a shout. He stood up and slugged the dyed redhead right across the face, sending him facing across the alley until he landed on the ground hard. "Wuff!" he breathed out in an explosive gasp.

"Arashi?" spoke Rin through the phone.

"_Whoo that hurt,"_ he thought a little dazedly._ "Guess the guy's got some strength to him after all."_

"Arashi, talk to me."

"Did you think you could best me that easily?" the Earthbender demanded, facing him and actually thumping his chest.

"_I thought guys only did that in those movies."_ He sat up and felt his face where he got hit. It stung to touch and hurt. _"Hopefully that's all I'm going to get out of that punch."_

"Arashi, what is going on?" his sensei demanded.

He stood back up, albeit a little shakily. "I'm going to have to call you back, sensei. He's back up." He closed the phone before she could have a chance to say anything about not doing anything. He knew that he was probably going to catch hell for that later, but that didn't seem so important now. "Shall we continue?" he asked.

"Continue what?" the teen demanded.

He answered promptly, "The kicking of your ass."

(Location: Royal Palace)

"A-aah!" cried out Arashi as the nurse wrapped the bandage around his abdomen. "Would you please be careful?

She wasn't really comforting. "Suck it up," she said back. "It's your own fault for getting your ribs bruised."

"What was I supposed to do, just let the guy get away?" It didn't know if it was the pain his body was in or the pain he was getting from her sharp wrapping and tugging, but it was making him extra snarky.

"I'm sure you could've done it without so many injuries."

He doubted that. The Earthbender just would not stay down. He got back up no less than four times before the palace guards and Rin showed up, having heard the sounds of fighting in the alleys. They found the Uzumaki sitting atop the teenager's back while said teenager had a metal bucket jammed onto his head. No one asked him for details. The guards just took the teenager and Rin brought Arashi back to the palace.

The door to the medical office opened, getting Arashi's attention. He looked over to it and saw his team standing there. "Hey, guys," he said. "Come to see the show?"

"Be quiet, working here," the nurse told him. She pulled sharply on the bandage, making sure it was tight.

"Aia!" he gasped, halfway between gasping for air and losing it. When he could breathe again, he glared at the nurse. "You did that on purpose." She didn't say anything back, just went on with her work.

"How is he?" Rin asked as she appeared in the doorway behind Tsukiko and Hiro.

"Well, he's pretty banged up, but he'll live. I would keep him on light duties until the majority of his wounds are better," the nurse told her without taking her gaze off of him.

"We're guarding a movie production. How light can you get?" Arashi asked.

"You would not be on my table if that truly was the case," she said, finishing the last tie to the bandage. "There, you're done."

"Finally," he groused as he hopped down from the table. The jolt of landing on his feet jarred his injuries and made him wince. But on the whole, he was fine. He grabbed his shirt and gently put it back on. He would've done the same with his jacket but the nurse fixed him with a look that told him no, so he just slung it over his shoulder.

"Good, now you brief me on what the hell happened," Rin declared, walking over to him.

Both Hiro and Tsukiko followed her into the room but the nurse stopped them with a look. "If you're going to have a talk, have it somewhere else. This is not an office," she declared.

Rin looked over at her and nodded in acknowledgement. "Very well, we will leave you to your job. Come along, you three." She turned around and marched right out the door. Her students followed her like ducklings following their mother.

The corridor that led to the medical office was empty but they all knew that the palace itself was on complete lockdown. Guards were roaming everywhere and people were hurrying back and forth trying to get things done or pass on information. "Is the production still on?" Arashi asked Rin as they walked along.

"No," she said without looking back at him, "Mr. Saito suspended production and ordered everyone to help in any way they could." They turned a corner and walked into one of the busy corridors, the sounds of all those people washing over them like sand against wood.

"Did he do that for publicity?" the dyed redhead asked.

"It doesn't seem to be so. The cameras have all been left behind in their quarters. Here's a room," she declared, stopping before an opened door that showed an empty room. There was a table and some chairs but nothing else really, which meant it was supposed to be a meeting room. She walked to one side and sat down in one of the chairs there.

Her students walked to the other side and sat down in the chairs there. They were comfy and smooth feeling, like they could relax in them instead of wanting to get out of them as soon as they could like some chairs were prone to make them do. Tsukiko looked over at Arashi as he put his jacket on the chair's back and started snickering. "What?" he asked her, hearing her snicker as he sat down.

"It's nothing."

"What, Tsukiko?" he asked more insistently.

She stopped her snickering long enough to look him right in the eye and say, "You like the beginnings of a mummy." He had bandages around his neck and lower jaw as well as his left eye. There were also bandages on his arms and she already knew about the one around his torso.

"Tsukiko, pay attention," Rin told her shortly. Her voice left no room for arguments. Now was not the time for being playful. It was a time to be serious.

"Yes, sensei," she replied, turning to face her and becoming completely serious.

"Good." She shifted her gaze to Arashi, who sat in the middle of the three. "Tell me what happened."

"Would you like me to start at the beginning of the day or when the attack?" he asked back. Normally with the way the question had been framed, someone could've accused him of being a smart-mouth. But he was being serious and he hoped that his sensei would see that.

She did. "Start at the attack. I already know that you went out to the market protecting the princess."

He took a deep breath and then began. "It was about three hours into our trip. We had all smelled something delicious in the air and were keen on finding out what it was. Hiro was trying to refuse since we had used the money pouch a lot that day but he was beginning to weaken. Before Tsukiko and Princess Yukie could whip out the puppy dog eyes," Tsukiko and Hiro shot him a look, but for different reasons, which he ignored, "I felt the earth shake and I remarked that there must have been a big earthquake for us to have felt it there."

"The Land of Spring does not get earthquakes," she told her student.

"That was what the princess told me. It seemed strange to me feel the earth shake but knowing that there was no earthquake. Before I could say something about it, I heard a familiar shrieking sound high in the air. I looked up and saw large boulders falling down from the sky. I shouted for everyone to get down and pushed the princess and Tsukiko to the ground."

"That he did," Tsukiko chimed in.

"Thank you, Tsukiko," their sensei said in a tone that told her to wait her turn. "Continue, Arashi."

"I stayed down while the boulders fell down all around us. When I did get back up, I stayed low and searched the surrounding area for whoever could have thrown the boulders. I did not see Hiro so I called out for him. He responded from beyond the boulder that had landed close to us and tried to make his way back to us. Tsukiko got up and stayed low too, helping me in the search. But she did not know what we were looking for. I soon found the person responsible for the attack. He was standing alone, watching everything whilst people around him were running.

"I called out to him and he fled. I told Tsukiko to stay with the princess so I could go after him. The chase led us away from the market and into the alleys. He tried to get away from me by throwing crap in my way but I stayed on him and eventually cornered him in a dead end. And then…" He trailed off at that point, remembering something that happened back in Republic City.

_Rin had gotten down to the ground floor and was making her way through the guards when she saw the man from the highest point now down on the ground floor, walking through like there wasn't a care in the world. Anyone who tried to stop, he dealt with and then kept on walking. "Stop that guy!" she shouted when she saw that he was walking away from the fight. "He's getting away!"_

_It didn't seem like anyone heard her. Everyone was more focused on freeing chained children and carrying them out the way they had come or keeping the guards and the slavers away. So she went after the man herself. "Rin, wait!" she heard Arashi shout, but she did not look back at him._

_She followed the guy out of the hall, away from the chaos of the fight. Once she was from the din, she could hear him whistling and it made her furious. "After all he's done, he's whistling!?" Oh he was a dead man! "Get back here!" she shouted after him, yet he did not stop walking away._

"_Rin!" called out Arashi as he followed her. What they ran through was a corridor that had many branch-offs but they stuck with him as he kept going straight, eventually reaching a door. He opened it and walked through it, leaving it open._

"_Bad move," thought the kunoichi. She ran right through the door and found the man, seeing that he was old enough for his grey hair to start going white but not to have lost his blocky build. "Stop right there," she ordered him as he was walking towards some kind of rail._

_He did stop and then he turned to look at her. "Why would I go now when I haven't taken everything I need?" he asked her. _

"_What?" Footsteps echoed in her ears and she turned an eye to see Arashi come running in._

_As the blonde came to a stop, the first question he was, "Why does this room look like it belongs in a train station?" It was almost creepy how exactly it looked like one. They were currently standing on the platform and where the guy was standing was the rail and the tunnel._

"_Ah, here he is now," the guy said with a smirk on his face._

"_Huh? What are you talking about?"_

"_That will be all from you, Arashi," he said, looking right at the blonde. _

"_Do you think that I will let you just walk away?" Rin asked him, a hard edge in her voice. "You've been kidnapping children, brainwashing them, and then selling them as soldiers or entertainment."_

_He shrugged his shoulders carelessly. "It's all part of the business. I've been doing it longer then you were born and I'll keep on doing it."_

"_I doubt that."_

_He laughed arrogantly. "Doubt all you want, the fact remains the same. I will be leaving here with the cargo my employer wants and you will let me."_

"_Why would I do that?"_

"_Because if you step over to me, you will die," he answered with a smirk._

"_You aren't fast enough to stop me."_

"_Possibly, but that is faster." He pointed down to the ground. She followed his gaze and saw thin red laser an inch off the ground. "You trip that; you'll be forced to inhale a chemical substance that will kill you in five seconds."_

_A familiar sound entered Arashi's ear and he saw a light appear in the tunnel. _"A train is coming in? Here?"_ he thought to himself, surprised. He didn't think that a train would actually come down here._

"_Ah, here comes my ride now," the man said, turning around to watch the train come in. The light was getting brighter and brighter. "Arashi, step over the laser and come join me. My employer will be expecting you. It's best not to keep him waiting."_

"_No," he said. Why would this guy think he would come?_

_He turned around to look back at him. "I said to come join me."_

"_And I said no. Are you deaf?"_

"_That will be all, Arashi. Now come here."_

"_For the last time, no," he said defiantly. _

_A look of confusion appeared on the man's face. "What is going on? I was assured that it would work. He's away from his grandfather; he should be easy for the taking. Why isn't he obeying my commands?"_

"Arashi!" said Rin-sensei sharply, bringing him out of his memories.

"What? Sorry," he apologized. "There was just something the teenager said that we've both heard before."

"What would that be?"

"That will be all."

Her eyes widened ever so slightly as she remembered the same memory. That was something to be concerned about. But there was nothing that could be done about it now. They would have to go to the Yamanaka clan once they got back to the village. "What did you after he said that?"

"Not what he wanted, that's much I know. He got annoyed and tried to repeat the words but he got the same end result. After that, we went at it." Again, he paused and thought about what and who he had faced. "I would like to add something."

"Go ahead."

"This guy was by no means an expert in Earthbending. In fact, calling him a novice would've been a bit much. He had no control over his Bending abilities and he kept wasting time by doing those handseals."

"Handseals?" she repeated.

He nodded. "Yeah, before he tried doing something new with the earth, he would make a different handseal. I don't know what they 've been teaching this guy but a master Earthbender would point out that he didn't need to do that." In fact, he would've been sure that Korra, Bolin, and Lin would have rolled their eyes at the teen if they had seen him in action.

"I see. Is that all?"

"Well, after I knocked him out the first time, I called you and let you know where I was somewhat. During our conversation, he got back up and knocked me to the ground. I told you I would get back to you, hung up, and fought him again. We fought three more times before you arrived and I knocked him out each time."

She turned to look at both of his teammates, sitting on both sides of him. "Can you corroborate his story?" she asked them both.

"I didn't see him run off because I was on the other side of the boulder," Hiro answered, a little too quickly and a little too rushed. "But I heard his voice calling out to me. I responded and he told me to get over to the other side and meet up with Tsukiko. It took me about ten minutes to navigate a path that could reach them."

"Why didn't you go over the boulder?"

He looked surprised at her suggestion. "It was too big. It would've taken too much time."

"I've been teaching you how to walk up trees, Hiro."

"Sensei, you know my control over that is the weakest of us three. I know I've been working on it, but I didn't think it would've been useful in that situation. I could've injured myself trying to do it."

She considered his explanation. What he said was true; he did have the weakest control over tree walking as of right now. He judged the situation and decided that it would've been too risky to try and use it to climb over the boulder to reach his teammate. However, it also would have been a good time to try it out in a real situation rather than training. "You made a good call," she finally said. "But nevertheless, you should have tried to go over."

"Yes, Rin-sensei," he replied with a bowed head, accepting the slight rebuke he knew was the last sentence. He didn't protest it because he found that he couldn't.

She took notice of how he looked. He seemed shaken and stunned. She knew that he wouldn't sleep well tonight and there was nothing that she could do about it. "What about you, Tsukiko?" she asked the Uchiha.

"It happened just like Arashi said," Tsukiko answered, sounding much less stunned then Hiro. "Ten minutes after he left to chase down the attacker, Hiro found me and the princess. Together, we got her away from the market and back to the palace. Unsure of what had happened or who caused it, we took the backstreets and alleys whilst keeping a lookout. We ran into a contingent of palace guards who recognized Princess Yukie and brought us back into the palace safely."

"Is that all?"

"Yes," she replied.

"Where's the guy now?" Arashi asked.

"My brother has him and interrogating him right now. He will get to the bottom of what happened."

"Are you sure?"

She fixed him with a look that made him fall silent. "Yes, I am sure. I know my brother and I trust him to get the job done."

"Alright, sorry," he apologized. "I wasn't trying to judge him or anything."

"Of course you weren't," she replied, not believing him for a second. "In any event, this is the last part of this for you three."

"What about Yukie?"

"The princess is fine. Until the production is back on, she will not be under your watch."

Those words struck a chord with him and not in a good way. Outrage and anger filled his bones and he stood up. "That's not right!" he protested. "What happened out there at the market wasn't our fault?"

"Did I say that it was?" she asked calmly. Her face didn't betray anything that she might've been feeling at that moment.

"No but—"

"Arashi, shut up and sit down."

"Hang—"

"Sit!" she barked out, a commander to her soldiers.

When he heard the command, his body automatically sat back down in the chair. His brain was telling him not to push it or he would be in deep trouble. "Yes, sensei," he said, not looking her in the eyes.

She wouldn't have any of it. "Look me in the eyes when you're speaking to me," she told him. He looked up and met her gaze. "Now, say that again."

"Yes, sensei," he repeated. He was a little embarrassed at having to do that. But he could admit that it was his own fault.

"Good. Now clean out your ears and listen. I said that she wouldn't be under your watch until the production starts back up. That was the reason she came under that watch in the first place. I never said you couldn't see her."

"Oh." Now he really felt embarrassed, not to mention stupid. He heard a snicker from Tsukiko but when he looked at her, she had a straight face. He looked away and out of the corner of his eye, he saw a smirk tugging at her lips.

"As a matter of fact…" She turned her head to the door. "Are you going to come in any time soon or just stay out there?"

The Genin all looked at the door. It slammed opened to reveal Yukie standing there. She ran into the room and all but leapt into Arashi's lap. "You're okay!" she squealed in happiness, hugging him really tightly.

"Ack! Arm! Arm! Arm and ribs!" he cried in pain. He waved his free arm for help but Hiro just looked amused and Tsukiko looked exasperated.

Thankfully, the princess got the point quickly. She let go and backed off, blushing rather prettily in embarrassment. "Oh, sorry!" she apologized.

"Ah, it's okay," he assured, waving it off.

She looked at the bandages wrapped all around him. "Those must hurt a lot," she said.

"_Talk about stating the obvious,"_ Tsukiko thought to herself, along with a mental eye roll. She got a look from Rin but also saw a smile beneath the mask, so she knew that her sensei shared the same belief.

"It's nothing. You should see the other guy."

Now that, the Uchiha girl had to respond to. "Really, backwater boy?" she asked him, taking his attention away from her. "You're using that old line?"

"Line?" he repeated in confusion. "What are you talking about? The other guy really does look worse than I do."

"He's right," Rin said, changing from an officer demanding a report from her subordinates to a teacher having fun with her students, relaxing into the back of her chair. "I've seen the other guy, he does look worse. What exactly did you do to him anyway?" she asked the dyed redhead. "He looks like a raccoon with those black eyes and broken nose."

"I might've run him into the wall a couple of times," he answered. He didn't sound embarrassed or proud of what he did, even though his teammates and Yukie were looking at him with surprise. "Or it might've been when I knocked his feet out from under him. Could be both of them," he admitted.

"Jeez, overboard much?" asked Hiro with a shaky laugh.

They all looked at him when he said that. "You okay, man?" Arashi asked him, concern evident in his voice.

"Yeah, yeah I am."

"You sure?" he asked. The Hyūga didn't really look that okay.

Hiro might've tried to wave it off but he could see the looks he was getting from all of them. "I'm just shaken up by what's happened, that's all," he explained. "I mean, we're just got through an ambush and we don't know why. Would that be cause for concern?"

"I'm used to it," Rin told him bluntly. He knew that, she was a Jōnin. A shinobi didn't get to that rank by playing around in a garden.

"I knew it was something that we would have to face," Tsukiko said. "But I was a little surprised by it all too."

"It's not the worst I've been through," Arashi said bluntly, making all eyes but the Jōnin fall on him. "What? It's the truth."

"Yeah, we know," Hiro said, feeling really stupid at that moment. Compared to what his friend had been through, a little attack like that probably would've been nothing.

"Alright, that's it," Rin told them all, standing up from the chair. "You guys go and relax for the rest of the day. Your duties will continue once the production starts up again."

"What about the Bender?" Arashi asked him.

"What about him?"

"I'd like a chance to talk to him."

"Do you have any idea how to properly conduct an interrogation?" she asked him, half challenging but also half curious. She had only known him not even a year yet.

"I've been talked to inside an interrogation room, if that's what you mean." And not just the first time he met Korra either. His Jiji was always of the opinion that if he wanted to get into trouble, he might as well enjoy the full benefits of it. That had cut his career as a pick-pocket and a scam artist short. (Not that he was even good at them).

"No, that's not what I mean."

"Then no, I don't."

"Then no, you're not going to talk to him," she declared with a note of finality to her voice.

He knew that was going to be the last word of it but he still felt like he had to give his reasons. "I just thought that I might be able to help figure out where he was from in the Bending Countries, how he got here, stuff like that."

She looked at him with an acknowledging eye. "And while that would be helpful, your inexperience would outweigh your usefulness here," she explained.

"Okay, but maybe we should do something about that."

"_Smart thinking, kid,"_ she silently praised him. Out loud she said, "Perhaps I'll have a talk with the Torture and Interrogation Force when we get back to the village, see if they can give you a couple of lessons."

"Thanks, I'd appreciate that."

"I make no promises," she told him as she walked out of the room. But he would still take it any way.

* * *

Arashi was walking down a road through a forest but had no idea how he got there. That was enough to warn him that something funny was going on. When he stopped and actually looked around, he saw additional things that confirmed that funny something. For one, the night sky was completely dark, no stars or moon, and yet, he was able to see where he was going quite clearly. He could see the forest lining up both sides of the road but the trees were just too perfect to be believable, not to mention they seemed kind of fuzzy. He couldn't focus on just one of them.

"Okay, what's going on?" he asked himself, keeping a sharp look on his surroundings. His hand drifted down to his holster, wanting to have a weapon in hand, but found that there was nothing there.

"**I would say that you are walking to somewhere, but you've stopped,"** a voice off to the side replied. **"And now, you're going to be quite late with no excuse."**

He turned to the voice and found the person it belonged to, crouching up on a tree branch. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded, shifting his balance to be ready to attack. He didn't know who this guy was so he had to be careful. He couldn't see the person either; only barely able to make out that it might be a guy.

"**Hmm, your Gōken is a little sloppy. You're putting too much weight on the back foot. If someone was to get in close, they could upset your balance and send you down to the ground,"** the guy told him, sounding a little amused at what he saw. **"If Guy could see you, I don't know if he would be making you to laps or pushups until you got it right."**

He changed his stance, correcting his mistake. But his eyes still watched the guy. "Thanks, but you still haven't answered my question: who are you?"

"**Well, there are many answers to that question."**

"Cut the crap."

"**Now, now, there's no need to be rude. You're quite impatient, you know. You remind me of a couple of my old students."**

If this guy was supposed to be trying to piss him off, he was doing a spectacular job. But Arashi was not going to let his emotions loose so easily. He had been taught better than that. "If you're going to reminisce, do it on your own time. But until then, get your ass down to the ground and tell me who you are."

"**If that is what you want, I will give it,"** the guy replied.

"_Then why didn't you do it in the first place?"_ he asked silently as he watched the man drop down to the ground smoothly, landing in a crouch. He stood up and stepped out onto the road. Arashi's first thought was that he was looking at one of Rin's brothers. It wasn't Kenji, he knew that much. Then he remembered that he had seen this man before, in a picture in the Uchiha clan complex. "You're Kakashi Hatake, Rin's dad."

"**That would be me,"** he said, somehow making his eye do the smiling for him. **"It's a pleasure to meet you."**

"You're dead," the dyed redhead stated bluntly. It was obvious because Rin always talked about him in the past tense and the guy he was looking at was exactly the same as he saw in the picture. He barely looked thirty.

"**Yes, that is true,"** he admitted carefree. **"I've been dead for quite some time now haven't I?"**

"How would I know? I've never met you."

His eye smile went away and the eye looked at him with something that was probably trying to be hurt. **"You've met my daughter, haven't you?"**

"Yeah, doesn't mean I met you."

The look went away as soon as it had come. **"You're a smart kid."** He looked over the younger kid, taking note of how he was still in a fighting stance. **"You can relax now. I'm not going to hurt you."**

"Right," Arashi said in clear disbelief.

"**Come on. You know I'm a shinobi from Konoha. I'm on your side."**

"No, you _look_ like a shinobi from Konoha," he corrected, making sure that there was enough space between the two of them. He didn't want a chance to get attacked. "For all I know, you could be someone or something else entirely and are just waiting for an opportunity for me to let my guard down."

He didn't say anything for a moment, choosing just to stand there on the side of the road. **"Like I said, you're smart."**

"So I'm right."

"**No,"** he said with a shake of his head. **"You're just really paranoid."**

"My Jiji and the streets did not raise an idiot."

A surprising thing happened when he said that. The would-be famous Konoha shinobi actually looked sad. **"I know. We all know that."**

"We? Who are we?" That didn't make any sense. The guy made it sound like he had been watching his life along with some other people. Arashi started to get angry at that implication. If there had been people watching him why didn't they do anything about it? Did they just stand by and watch in amusement?

"**That's not important right now,"** he said shortly, losing the sadness.

"Oh no, you're the one who brought it up. Talk about it."

"**Or what?"** the masked shinobi asked in amusement, folding his arms across his chest.

"Or I'll make you talk about it."

The man who claimed to be Kakashi just laughed. **"You do realize that you would be way out of your league if you did that, right? I'm sure that you've read up on me and what I did. Do you really think that a Genin barely out of the Academy would be able to beat me?"** Even though he asked that question, his non-confronting stance became confronting. He took the **Gōken** stance smoothly, something the dyed redhead was still having trouble with.

Arashi knew what he was saying was true. There wasn't really a point in trying to fight him, but that didn't mean he was going to drop his stance. "Alright, you've got a point. But you've gotta be honest with me if you want my trust. First off: tell me where the hell we are."

Kakashi came out of his stance just as smoothly as he had slid into it. **"We are somewhere in the Spirit World."**

That surprised the Uzumaki, almost making him drop the stance (almost). "The Spirit World," he repeated.

"**Yes."**

"The Spirit World."

"**That's what I said."**

"The _fucking_ Spirit World."

Kakashi gave him the same look his daughter would give that spoke volumes about his intelligence. **"We've already established that to be the case. Perhaps we can move on now?"**

"Wait, wait, wait, if I'm in the Spirit World then where are the spirits?" That should be a given.

"**They won't be bothering us, since this is your dream alone with me and all."**

Being told that he was in a dream was comforting, somewhat. But it still begged more questions. But there was one question that was paramount to them all. "How am I here?"

To that, Kakashi shrugged his shoulders. **"We pulled you in here so we could pass on a few words through you to Rin. Something is going to happen very soon and she'll be able to take care of it if she heeds these words. Pass them on, would you?"**

When he heard the words he was supposed to say, Arashi could just stare at him. "And how exactly am I supposed to convince my sensei that they came from you. You're supposed to be dead."

"**Tell her you met me while getting lost on the road of life,"** he replied, gesturing grandly at the road before them. **"I like coming here."**

"And if that doesn't work?" It couldn't work, it just sounded too stupid.

"**If it doesn't work than just tell her that I'm glad she kept my collection."**

* * *

Arashi woke up and the first thing he heard was the sound of something burning. It wasn't like a fireplace burning or torches burning to light the way. No, this was a sound that he was all too familiar with and wished to Agni that he wasn't. It was the sound of a building burning. He leapt out of the bed and ran for the door. "Hiro, get up!" he shouted.

"Wha…?" said Hiro in sleepy confusion behind his room's door. "What's going on?"

"Something's on fire! We have to help!" He threw open the door and was out of the room without waiting for him to wake up and get moving.

He didn't know which way to go, so he followed the smell. It was stronger to his left, so he turned that way and ran hard. He passed a window that someone left opened and instantly swung out through it. Following through with his momentum, he swung upwards and landed on the roof. The second his feet touched tile, he swung his head around to find the fire. He found it off on the other side of the palace. It was a single building but was burning so thoroughly that it was like a pillar of flame.

He had smelt the fire before he saw it but now that he did see, his memories were coming back. All he could smell was the fire. All he could hear was the house burning and his sister crying. He couldn't breathe, there was too much smoke. He couldn't breathe! "Arashi?" he heard Hiro's voice call out from below, much more awake now.

The voice of his friend snapped him out of his memories as quickly as he had gotten into them. It took him a moment to get his breath under control. "Up here!" he called out. "Swing out the window."

He was panting a little when he finally reached the Uzumaki. It came to a still and then a stop when he saw the fire. "Merciful Kami," he breathed out in horrified awe. "Is that the barracks?"

"We gotta get over there," Arashi told him.

"We do?" That fire looked like it was already out of control. What could they do?

"Yeah, we do. It could get out of control and spread to the rest of the palace!"

"Oh, right!" He felt completely idiotic for not even thinking about that prospect. He looked at the fire and saw people outside already trying to douse it. There was a well in the courtyard where buckets were being drawn from. "There! We can help there!" He leapt down the side of the building and started running, not giving a damn about how weak his footing might be.

When he had time to reflect on it later, he was amazed that his footing had held the entire trip down. But at that moment, he was more focused on reaching the bottom and helping out. Arashi fell in right beside him as they touched ground and raced towards the people around the building, their voices already shouting through the air.

"Where's the fire team?"

"They're plugging a hose in! They'll be ready in a moment!"

"Is everyone out?"

"Yes!"

"We need more water!"

Both of the Genin took that as an order. They grabbed buckets and dipped them into the well. Once they were full, they hauled to the fire and threw the water into the fire. They did the process three more times before some spotted them. "What the hell are you doing?" someone shouted at them.

A hand grabbed the back of theirs shirts, dragging them away from the well. They looked back and saw it was Rin's brother. "We're just trying to help," Hiro tried to explain.

"We've got people already taking care of that," he said shortly, letting go. "Now put those buckets down before you hurt someone."

"We wouldn't do that!" Arashi protested, really offended that he would even think something like that of them.

But he didn't seem to care. He just turned back to the fire and the people trying to douse it. "Rin, take your students and get them under control, again!" he called out.

Rin came jogging up to them. She was dressed in her uniform, making the Genin wonder if she had slept in it. "They're just trying to help, Kenji," she told him, "Would you rather have them just sleep through it?"

"Not my concern right now."

"Here comes the fire team!" someone shouted. Across the grounds a group of people came jogging hard and fast, hauling a hose with them.

"Come on, you two," Rin said to Arashi and Hiro, guiding them away with gentle but firm hands on their backs.

"We were just trying to help," Hiro told her as she led them to a spot where Tsukiko was already standing. The sound of the people talking all at once grew muted the further away they got but the smell of the fire and smoke still remained strong.

"I know and I applaud you for it," she assured him. "But my brother is right. Plus, throwing buckets of water into the fire is incredibly old fashioned, not to mention time-consuming if you don't have a line to help you."

"It wasn't like we could just use a **Suiton** jutsu," Arashi protested. "We don't know any."

"I know that. Fortunately, I do know one that will help in this situation."

"Hey, guys," Tsukiko said to Hiro and Arashi once they were close enough.

Their sensei let go of their shirts. "Okay, you three stay here while I go help." She looked at Arashi. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he told her.

"Good to hear. Stay." She turned around and ran back to the burning building.

"We're not dogs," Tsukiko grumbled. But Rin-sensei was already back at the fire, spraying a jet of water out of her mouth. Steam hissed and coiled in the air from where it made contact with the fire.

"You got out here first?" Hiro asked her.

She looked at him and saw his surprised look. "Don't look so surprised, Hiro. You know I've got family in the village's fire department."

He was well aware of that, having met some of them himself. "Yeah, but that's your family, not you."

"My family also has a mandatory thing for all children in the clan to learn what to do when it comes to fires. We are a family of **Katon** users after all."

"What did you do?" Arashi asked her.

"I heard the explosion of the fire and got down here. I was helping people get out of the building before Kenji found me and dragged me away over to Rin."

He felt offended for her. "Why would he do that? You were helping."

"I don't know." She would've put it down to the idea that he didn't want to see any kid get hurt by that fire if he didn't seem to be so rude about what she had been doing.

Hiro looked back at the burning building. The fire was getting under control now with all the water being thrown on it. "What do we do now?"

"Stand and approve? That's what I've been doing."

That didn't sit well for him. "There has to be something that we can do."

"You got any ideas? I'm all ears." She looked at him expectantly.

"You got any idea what caused the fire?" Arashi asked her.

"No," she said, turning to look at him. "It just happened so suddenly. The people we got outside have no idea what happened either. It was like an explosion went off on the ground floor."

"Is that where they would keep the explosives?"

"How would I know?"

She had a point so he didn't try arguing the point of it. All he could do was think and look at the fire. The others did the same. For a lone minute, they didn't say anything to each other as they watch the fire get beaten down. "Is the princess okay?" Hiro asked, breaking the silence.

"I would assume so," Tsukiko replied. "I don't see her anywhere out here. The guards are probably keeping the royal family safe."

"That's good. For all we know, this could've been meant for them and it happened too soon."

"Yeah, I guess that could be it," Arashi said with a frown. "But this is a bit spontaneous, isn't it? I mean, I thought the Land of Spring had been at peace for the longest time."

"They have been. Any sympathizers to the old regime were rousted out a long time ago," his Hyūga teammate told him. "That was required reading at the Academy."

"Yeah, I remember reading that section on it." It had been a quick read through but he remembered that it had happened in the days of the Godaime Hokage. "And this came out of nowhere."

"Yeah, it just happened," Tsukiko said in agreement.

He frowned as a thought came to him. "Would you say that it's convenient?" he asked his teammates.

They both looked at him. "What makes you say that?"

He gestured at the roaring fire. "I mean, this just happens out of nowhere."

"That's what fires do."

"I know but this is just too…convenient," he trailed off as he looked at the fire. A bad feeling crept into his mind. "Oh no," he said as the implication settling into his head at that moment. "Please, please let me be wrong."

"What are you talking about?" Hiro asked, only to watch as his friend take off at a fast pace. "Hey! Arashi, what are you doing?!" He didn't get an answer, so he and Tsukiko took off after him.

"Rin-sensei!" called out Arashi as he ran to the people fighting the fire, "Rin-sensei!"

Both she and her brother heard him. They stepped away from the crowd and met him before he could get any closer to the fire. "What are you doing?" Kenji demanded angrily. "I told you to stay away from the fire!"

"Where's the Earthbender being kept?" the dyed redhead asked.

"What?"

"Where is he being kept? Was he in the barracks?"

"Kid—"

Rin shot her brother a look before answering her student. "No, Arashi, he wasn't in the barracks. He's being held on the other side of the palace."

Once he heard that, it all clicked together.

"_This guy was by no means an expert in Earthbending. In fact, calling him a novice would've been a bit much. He had no control over his Bending abilities and he kept wasting time by doing those handseals."_

"_My brother has him and interrogating him right now. He will get to the bottom of what happened."_

"_I heard the explosion of the fire and got down here. I was helping people get out of the building before Kenji found me and dragged me away over to Rin."_

"_It just happened so suddenly. The people we got outside have no idea what happened either. It was like an explosion went off on the ground floor."_

"_And this came out of nowhere."_

"_Would you say that it's convenient?"_

"_He's being held on the other side of the palace."_

"Where are they keeping the Earthbender?" he demanded, his voice taking a coat of panic to it.

"Kid—" Kenji started to say.

"Where are they keeping him!?" he shouted. "The barracks burning is just a distraction! Someone's breaking out the Earthbender right now!"

"What?" said both Hiro and Tsukiko, staring at their teammate like he had just been proclaimed Kami.

"Are you sure?" Rin demanded.

He nodded insistently. "Yes, I am. Whoever sent the Earthbender must've also sent a Firebender with him to distract us." He pointed at the barracks. "If that Firebender was at the same level as the Earthbender, he could've easily caused the barracks to go up in flames. No Firebending master would make such a mess."

She looked over at her brother. "Kenji," she started to say.

Whatever it was, he already knew it, going for a radio strapped to his side. "Jail unit, come in." There wasn't a reply, so he tried again. "Jail unit, this is Kenji, come in." No reply. His face twisted itself into a look of anger. "Shit! Come on!"

He tore across the grounds and they went after him. But it proved fruitless in the end. When they got to the jail cell, the guards were dead and there was a giant hole in the back of the cell. Rin went to the dead guard slumped against the wall, checking to see what exactly it was that killed him. "His throat's been slit," she announced, standing back up.

"Oh Kami, I think I'm going to be sick," Hiro said, his stomach already getting queasy on him. He had never seen an actual dead body before. Suddenly, it was all he could see or smell. Tsukiko didn't rubbed it in his face or mock him for it because she was having the same feelings about it too. The only one who didn't look the littlest bit queasy between the three of them was Arashi.

But that might've been because he was checking out the hole in the cell. "The Earthbender made this," he announced as he backed away from. "They escaped through there."

"And most likely came in the same way," Kenji replied as he finished checking the other dead guard (whose death was obvious just by looking at his broken neck). "Damn it. They have a head-start and with the time to assemble a tracking team, that'll become longer and they'll get away."

"_Oh. So that's what he meant,"_ he thought to himself as he stepped out of the cell. The hallway was a little cramped with all five of them there, but he was able to look at both him and his sensei. "Actually, there might be a way to track them and Rin-sensei's the one to do it."

"Her?"

"Me?" Rin asked sounding a little less surprised then her brother.

"Yeah," he said with a nod. Then he realized what he was about to say and thought of how stupid it might sound. But he still had to say it. "I had a dream and I met your dad. He told me to pass on a couple of words to you when something happens." He gestured back at the busted cell. "I'm guessing this was the something."

"How do you know that it was our father?" Kenji asked him, suspicion filling his voice as he stared down the dyed redhead.

"Well, for one thing, you two look like him."

"You were in a dream. You've could read about him and your mind could've conjured up an image of him."

He didn't know about that but he wasn't going to argue the point. He turned his eyes to Rin. "Sensei?" he asked.

"I'm afraid that I'm going to have to side with Kenji on this one, Arashi," she told him. "Unless you have something better to prove that it was our dad?"

"I met him while getting lost on the road of life," he said with a completely straight face.

"…Okay, you met him," she acknowledged. Her brother nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, Tsukiko and Hiro just stared at the two of them in disbelief. _"Seriously? That's all it took?"_ they asked silently.

"What did he want you to say?"

"You have the dogs, use them," Arashi said, repeating it word-for-word.

Her reaction was not something that he had been expecting: she went completely still and she suddenly looked very nervous. Her brother looked at her in stunned surprise. "You?" he said. "You had them?"

"Um…yes?" she said not sure if she should really say something about it.

"He passed them onto you?"

"Yeah, he did."

"He passed them onto you?" he repeated. "You who used to freak out every time a dog used to sniff your leg?"

That was a question that managed to get her out of her nervous state as she looked at her brother with an irritated look. "That was their fault. I'd liked to see you wake up beneath a bulldog that almost suffocated you in the night who then proceeded to demand breakfast loudly, getting the attention of the rest of them. You'd be singing a different tune about them too."

"Uh, Sensei? Sir?" said the Uzumaki between them, getting their attention. "Not to break up your family time, but we need to track where the Benders are going. Do we have an option to do that?" He looked at his sensei expectantly.

She hesitated but the look stayed there. She looked back at her other students and saw the same look on their faces, along with curiosity. "Yes, we do," she finally admitted.

"Then get a move on already," Kenji told her. "Contact me when you found where they are going."

"You're not coming?"

"I have to make sure that fire gets doused properly and make sure my family is safe. Besides, you were the best at tracking in the family," he said with acknowledgement in his voice. "Maybe that's why you got them."

"I'm not taking that as compliment."

"Just get done, Rin. I'm not going to hold your hand here." He turned around and hurried away.

They all watched him go until he vanished from sight and his footsteps faded from sight. Then the Genin turned to look at the Jōnin. "You'd better get to it, Rin-sensei," Tsukiko told her.

"I know. Just give me a moment." She had to mentally prepare for this.

"Wouldn't we just be wasting time doing that?"

"_She's right."_ She couldn't just delay it. So she bit down on her thumb, letting the blood flow out, and formed the handseals she had seen her dad preform. **"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"** she said as she slapped her hand on the ground.

Her students watched as a plume of smoke engulf the cell and her. When it cleared, there was a pack of eight dogs standing right in front of her, all their eyes looking at her. They were all different breeds but they all had jackets on and they were all wearing Konoha was an impressive sight, which was ruined when Tsukiko said "Is that a pug atop the bulldog?"

Both of her teammates threw her a look but it was the truth. The pug looked at their sensei. **"Rin,"** it said shortly in a deep gravely male's voice.

"Pakkun," she said back. "It's been a while."

"**A couple of decades but who's counting?"** There was a hint of bitterness and sadness in his voice, like he was upset that how long it had taken her to get back to them. It made the Genin wonder what exactly had happen because that whole thing with the bulldog could just be it.

"Look, I need your help tracking some people down. Can we please have the talk you want later?"

The dogs all looked at one another but didn't say anything. Tsukiko found herself unconsciously holding her breath as she waited for them to say something, anything, in reply. Finally, the pug looked back at Rin-sensei and said, **"Alright, what do you need us to sniff out?"**

Rin breathed an audible sigh of relief. "There are scents in the cell. Find the most recent ones; they should be the ones that go out the hole." They were already sniffing around before she finished the second sentence. It wasn't even half a second before one of them let out a howl and bounded out the hole.

The rest of the dogs did the same and so did Rin. "Come on!" she shouted to her students. They didn't waste any time in following her.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

For the record, going to a market on market day is much more interesting and fun than just going to the grocery store or the mall. If you ever have the chance to do so, I encourage you to go to one and enjoy yourself. Just be sure to bring money.

Yes, the dead are making an appearance to Arashi's side of the planet. I thought it was a little bit fitting. Korra and her group have to deal with the spirits, Arashi and his group has to deal with the dead. Plus, having a meeting with Kakashi on the literal road of life just seemed to be good an idea to pass up once it came to my head.

I have been given some rather flattering news recently: one of my readers has asked my permission to put this story up on TVtropes. I'd like to think that's an honor but I've never really been there myself. If you'd like to go read about it, be my guest. Now I can only hope that my other stories get there one day.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	33. Help asked and given

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 33: Help asked and given

"Talking"

_"__Thinking"_

**"****Bijū/spirit talking"**

**_"_****_Bijū/spirit thinking"_**

(Location: Eastern Air Temple)

Jinora stood over the green dragon bunny spirit as it nibbled on the grass in the garden. She stepped closer and it turned its head to look at her. "Gotcha!" she shouted as she leapt for it. But it hopped out of her grasp and then used its wing-ears to fly away. "Furry-Foot, come back." It turned back to look at her and flew down to land atop her head for a brief moment. It flew away, leaving her to giggle. As she stood up, the other dragon bunny spirits flew down around her.

"Jinora, there you are," called out Tenzin as he walked down the path behind her. "Come on, everyone's waiting." She turned her head to look at him. On it was a mixture of surprise and unease, which made him curious. She looked like she had just been caught with someone that wasn't supposed to be there. "Were you playing with someone?"

She was surprised by his question before she realized that he couldn't see the spirits. "Oh, just some…imaginary friends," she lied quickly. He stroked his beard like he always did when he was trying to appear wise; unaware that Furry-Foot was holding onto the back of his head and holding it wing-ears high, giving her father a goofy looking appearance. She giggled as he turned away. Once she was done, she followed him to where the rest of the family.

They were in tiled part of the garden where it was more appropriate to eat. Her mom, brothers, and sister were all sitting at the table while Aunt Kya sat on the edge of the tree. "Stop telling lies," she told Uncle Bumi, who was standing over her.

"It's true. I once beat an Earthbender in a rock-throwing contest!" he insisted. "I have the trophy to prove it and I can have Yue and Gāng back me up."

They might've continued with the argument if Tenzin hadn't spoken. "All right, who's ready for an exciting tour of the Eastern Air Temple?" he asked them all. "We've got a lot to see today, including ancient statues, ancient gardens, and the meditation hall used by ancient Airbenders."

"Yay," Ikki said, clearly bored, "Old things." At that point, the homework she was working on (and what kind of parents gives their child homework while on vacation?) was more interesting than another tour. Even Meelo was bored. She could tell just how big the snot bubble coming from his nose was.

Tenzin stared at his two children in disbelief. He could not believe that they could act so disinterested in their cultural history. He had gone on this very same trip with his own father and never once had he been bored. Yet here his children were, bored. He was about to say something to them when a shadow filled the entranceway behind them. Then it turned into someone familiar and surprising. "Korra?" he said, showing his surprise to his former pupil.

Everyone turned their attention to her when he said that. His children were the first to react, shouting "Korra!" and running over to her. She bent down to give them all a hug and they gladly took it.

"What are you doing here?" Pema asked, surprised but also glad to see her as well.

"And how did you know where to find us?" Kya asked too.

"Tenzin's itinerary," Korra answered, taking her attention off the kids. "We went over it like a hundred times before we left Republic City."

Feeling proud, Tenzin looked at his siblings. "See? This is why schedules are important," he declared. While Kya rolled her eyes at him, Bumi acknowledged what he said with a short nod.

A happiness she hadn't realized that she had lost ever since they had left the South Pole filled Korra's heart. "It's so great to see you all again," she told them all with a smile.

Tenzin smiled back. "It's great to see you too, but why aren't you training at the South Pole?"

"Wait, you don't know about the Civil War?" She would've thought they would hear rumors at the least.

But he was surprised to hear it. "What? No. We've been out of touch with the outside world since we started our vacation."

"Tenzin's idea," Bumi informed her, even though he was just as surprised as his brother. "What happened?"

"So much," she told him. "I-I don't know where to start." There really were a lot of things to go over. She hadn't really considered it until just now.

"Just tell us everything!" Tenzin said.

"Everything?" she repeated once. "Okay." She took a deep breath and let it all out. "I opened a spirit portal at the South Pole, but then Unalaq turned out to be a bad guy and wanted to take control of the South, so I sort of started a Civil War, but when I went to find some help, I was attacked by my cousins, and then by a giant dark spirit, and then I forgot who I was, and then I met the first Avatar, and then I realized I shouldn't have opened the portal in the first place, and now I need to close it again!"

She stopped and took a much needed deep breath. Tenzin didn't take long to reply. "I knew this would happen."

His family turned their attentions to him. "You did?" Kya asked.

"Of course!" he said insistently.

* * *

Some people might've gotten down to brass tacks right away after hearing that kind of a bombshell, but not Tenzin's family. Pema had insisted on sharing breakfast as a family and there would be no denying her (something which Tenzin had figured out a long time ago). So they sat down around the table and together as a family. Korra enjoyed herself, having actually missed these kinds of meals. They had become so much a part of her life that she had taken it for granted. She hoped that she wouldn't make that mistake again as she laughed at the kids' antics and being able to hold Rohan again.

Once breakfast was done, Korra and Tenzin retreated to a private part of the garden, sitting down on a bench next to a little stream. There, Korra filled him on what she had seen in the vision. At some points, Tenzin thought that he couldn't believe his ears. It all sounded so incredible, especially most, if not all, records of the first Avatar were lost to history. "So Avatar Wan imprisoned this dark spirit Vaatu in the Spirit World?" he asked her.

"Yes, and now I think my uncle is trying to free him," she replied, truly feeling like an idiot about trusting him.

"I knew Unalaq was hungry for power, but never realized how far he would go to get it." Now he knew why Lord Naruto and Sokka had always thought that his ascension to Chieftain of the Water Tribes had been suspicious.

She was still feeling like an idiot about what she done. "This is all my fault," she declared.

"No, don't blame yourself. This is Unalaq's doing. Now, we must focus on setting things right before he can do any more damage."

"Thank you."

"So, you need to close the Southern portal, but if Unalaq's army controls the South, how are we going to get to it?"

That question brought her out of her slightly depressed mood. "I thought about that. My best chance to close the portal is from the inside. I have to enter the Spirit World." There was a determined glint in her eyes when she said that.

"A journey to the Spirit World," Tenzin said to himself. "All my years of spiritual training have prepared me for this moment." It felt like this was his destiny: to guide the Avatar to what she needed to do. He stood up and declared, "I will help you. Today, we enter the Spirit World."

(Location: South Pole)

"Father, what are we doing here?" Desna asked Unalaq as they stood before the portal leading into the Spirit World. They had been summoned from the city to come here and it looked even more different. The barricade that had been bent into being around the forest had now been replaced by a sturdy wooden wall and it looked like the construction wasn't done. It seemed to be that their father was going to build a fortress or a citadel over the portal.

Unalaq would've fixed his son with a hard look, if he had been bothered to look away from the portal. "You're here to straighten out the mess you caused when you failed to capture the Avatar," he said shortly.

"I told you, it wasn't our fault." It wasn't like they had called up that dark spirit from out of the sea to attack Korra.

"You're right. It was my fault for trusting you." Again, he lamented the fact that Korra was not his child. Things would be so much more simply if she had been. "Harmonic Convergence is almost upon us. This is my opportunity to change the world."

"We'll make it up to you, Father," Eska promised him. She knew full well that they had made a mistake and intended to correct it.

"Good," he said, finally turning his head to look at them, "because I'll need your help to open the northern portal."

Both of the twins were surprised by his words. They seemed to come out of nowhere. "I thought only the Avatar could do it," Desna said in protest. After all, wasn't that why they had been sent after in the first place? If their dismal cousin wasn't needed, why had they been ordered to hunt her down and bring her back?

"I believe there is another way." He didn't say anything else. Instead, he walked through the portal. His children saw no other choice but to follow him. Once they were through and in the Spirit World, they took a quick second to look around. What they saw was nothing like what had been described in the books. There was nothing beautiful or horrifying about what they saw. It was just a lot of sharp-looking rocks and one old dead tree. It was actually pretty boring.

"This way," their father told them, walking away from the portal's light. He walked to the edge and looked ahead, to the far side. There, an orb was embedded in the ground. At its center it was a burning yellow but outwards from there, it turned orange then to red and finally to black. "There it is, the northern portal."

(Location: Konoha)

The Hokage sat at his desk, working on the paperwork just given to him. It was a request for additional funding but it didn't specifically state what the funding was for. All it had was a council member's name on it. "Like that's going to be enough for me to sign it," he said to himself as he pushed it to the side. "Haven't they figured that out yet?"

He reached for another piece of paper when someone knocked on his door. _"Thank you, Kami,"_ he silently gave thanks. Then he comported himself and called out, "Come in." The door opened and Team Seven walked in. He started to smile widely at the sight of his daughter but stopped himself before he could do so. He had to be a Hokage now, not a proud father.

"Team Seven, reporting in, sir," Rin announced once they were all in the room.

He looked at them all and saw something had changed in the Genin. They looked tried, weary, things that should not apply to them from an easy C-rank mission. No, something happened. "Report," he told her.

"The mission went off initially as planned. We guided and protected the production during its stay in the Land of Spring. My students also became friends with one of the daimyo's granddaughters as she became partially involved in the production."

"Involved how?" If a princess had gotten hurt on the watch of Konoha shinobi, he could be looking at a disastrous political fallout that had the potential to be even worse as it went on.

But his old teammate's next words made him breathe in relief. "She helped the Genin in their fetch-and-carry tasks, as well as helping to set up the scenes, and providing tips on how to act in accordance to rank to make it more believable. She had a slightly bumpy start but it smoothed out and both the producer and the director had asked her if she wanted to take it further at the end of the production."

"I see." He eyed them all and saw they were still looking the same. "But that's not really happened, is it?"

Rin shook her head. "No. There was a market day while the production was going on. The Genin took the princess to go visit the stands and enjoy a day off. But while they were there, the market was attacked."

"By what?" he asked.

"By an Earthbender," Arashi answered before Rin could. She didn't say anything in protest, letting him take the report from there. "The market was attacked by a teenaged Earthbender. I called him out when I saw him and he tried running for it. I went after him and was able to subdue him just in time for Rin and her brother, along with guards from the palace. He was taken back to the palace to be interrogated, but that night a Firebender set the barracks ablaze in order to distract everyone so he could get the Earthbender away. Fortunately, I had realized that the barracks was a distraction and promptly told Rin."

Then Rin took over again. "My team and I, along with my brother Kenji, all ran for the jail but the cell holding the prisoner had a hole in the back wall that was big enough to escape through. Seeing no other choice, I summoned my dad's dogs and used them to follow the scents. They took us all the way out of the city and into the mountains."

Madara was surprised that Rin had used the dogs of Kakashi, since he was aware of her opinion about dogs in general. But that was inconsequential to what was going on. "What did you find in the mountains?"

When he asked that question, the Genin started to look sick and unhappy, even though they tried very hard to hide it. Rin was completely stoic as she continued. "We found a facility hidden inside a mountain. There, children were being brought in chains. Slaves," she said.

"Not just any kids," Arashi added quietly, "Kids from the other side of the planet, the Bending Countries."

Madara connected the dots and his breath was caught in his throat. "Good Kami, the kidnappings, your mission to the Bending Countries," he said to Rin.

She looked him in the eye. "It's worse than that, Madara. There was a symbol carved into the walls of the facility, largely so. That way, it was the only thing the kids could see when they wondered where they were. It was a symbol of two circles intersecting."

He started to swear but stopped at the last second, remembering his daughter was still in the room. Instead, he settled for an angry look and his fists tightening up. He knew that symbol well. So did Rin. She had it branded on her back. "Tōitsu," he muttered just loud enough for them to hear. While the Genin didn't know what that meant, Rin nodded in acknowledgment. "Damn them. Damn them to hell and back." He forced himself to stay calm and looked at his teammate again. "What did you do?"

"We took an initial survey of the entrance and the opening area, just enough to see the symbol and how the slaves were being treated going in. Then we pulled back."

"You pulled back?"

"Yes."

That was something he didn't think would be possible. When it came to Rin and anything that even looked like slavery, there was no stopping her until it was completely destroyed. It happened over in the Bending Countries and she only found it then. To hear her pull away from destroying a slaver operation was something unheard of. "Why did you pull back?"

To that, she looked at her students. "Tsukiko reminded me that we would be outmanned and have no idea what to do if we just charged in. Hiro pointed out that the entrance was at the base of the mountains and for all we knew it could've filled the entirety of the inside. And Arashi reminded me of what happened the last time I just charged straight in.

"I saw their reasoning and agreed. We pulled back to the daimyo's palace and informed her of what was happening. I recommended to both her and Kenji that she assembled a strike force to take out the facility. She agreed to it and Kenji suggested that they hire out to one of the hidden villages, possibly here or at Suna."

That made sense to him. Lady Koyuki was known to be on good terms with the Kazekage, just as she was on good terms with his parents. "Do you know if she's inclined to one or the other?" He didn't like asking the question but he had to for the sake of professionalism. He was the head of one of those villages. If he didn't say anything, his detractors would get wind.

Rin knew that too. "She didn't say one way or the other. Just that she agreed. After production was done in the Land of Spring, our work was done and we came back here."

He gave her a brief nod and looked at the Genin. "Is there anything you would like to declare?"

"No, sir," they replied, not exactly in unison, but close enough to make it count.

"Head to the hospital and get checked out. Once that's done, you have the rest of the day off to rest and recover. Dismissed," he said with finality. Hiro and Arashi instantly went for the door but Tsukiko stayed behind, looking at him expectantly and needing. One look told him that she wanted her father, not the Hokage. "Later, Tsukiko, when I get home," he told her. She nodded and followed her teammates out.

As soon as the door closed, Rin looked at him. "It might be best for them to have the week off. That was no normal C-rank mission."

"That's part of being a shinobi," he reminded her.

"I know that, but they're still green Genin. Kami, all I have to do is look at Hiro and Tsukiko once and suddenly they're five years old, clutching my leg, and calling me Aunty Rin."

He knew that feeling too; except for him it felt like Tsukiko was the twins' age. Dear Kami he was not looking forward to when she hit puberty and got the attention of boys. "So, you used your dad's dogs?" he asked.

She nodded. "I had to. There was no other way."

"How did they treat you?"

"Cordially enough," she answered. "Once they tracked the scent back to the mountain, they disappeared."

"Do you think you're going to use them more?" He knew that her father passed on the dogs to her, having been told by her after the funeral. He always thought it had been odd, but maybe Kakashi had seen a situation like this coming.

"I don't know, maybe?" It was a weak answer and they both knew it. She looked back at the door for a second, eyeing intently.

"Making sure they aren't listening through the door?" He only asked that because both of them, along with Kuro, had done the same when they were Genin.

"Yes." Once she was done staring, she looked back at him. "There's something else going on here, Madara."

He looked at her with renewed focused. "What is it?"

"Arashi told me about something that happened during his fight with the Earthbender. Before it actually happened, the teenager used a phrase on Arashi. He was expecting it to work and yet Arashi doesn't seem any different. From what he told me, the teenager used it twice and got angry when it didn't work."

"Maybe he was delusional?" he offered, playing the advocate.

"That might be the case, if we both hadn't heard the phrase before."

"What?"

"When I busted the ring in Republic City, the man in charge tried using that same phrase on Arashi and it didn't work. He was just as surprised as the teenager was supposed to be."

"What do you supposed that means?" he asked her.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. But I want the Yamanaka clan to take a look inside Arashi's head. There might be something that can tell us what's going on with that phrase."

He nodded his acknowledgment. It was a sound plan. "I'll contact the hospital and tell them to have Inoji's father come over to take a look."

(Location: Republic City)

Bolin was hanging from what was supposed to be the claws of a giant bird (they never told him what kind of bird it was specifically). They had been filming a scene inside the studio and he had been doing well. But then director called for lunch and everyone left, leaving him alone. He thought they were coming back to get him down but he was still up there. "Hello? Anyone? Nuktuk's still up here, all alone," he called out, hoping to get a reply. What he got was the sound of a door opening and Asami walking onto set. "Asami! Hey, what are you doing here?"

Asami walked closer to the set. "Varrick invited me to watch some of the filming," she explained. She came to a stop and looked around. "Are you filming right now?" It didn't seem like it since they were the only two in there.

"Right now?" he asked, "Nope. We're uh… we're at lunch." They had just forgotten to get him down. Yeah, that was it."

Mako walked onto the set, aiming straight for her once he saw her. "Asami, there you are. Is Bolin around?" he asked.

"Up here." He started struggling with the equipment that was holding him upside down. He was fairly certain he knew how to do it. It was just a matter of working with it all.

"Good. I've got something to tell you both."

His brother managed to get the claws to unhook him. But he realized a second too late that he was still in the air and promptly crashed to the floor with a loud shout. "Ow, aww," he groaned from the floor. "Oh, I got to stop doing my own _stunts_." Why was he doing them in the first place? Oh, right. He was trying to impress Ginger and be a man. Well, that hurt sometimes.

Mako gave his brother a look before turning his attention over to Asami. "I found out who's been stealing from Future Industries: Varrick," he whispered the name.

As Bolin stood back up and heard the name, he couldn't believe it. "What? No."

Asami just looked confused. "He attacked his own ship?" she asked the Firebender.

"Yes! It was a ploy. He wants Republic City to go to war, and he wants control of the businesses that stand to profit the most from it. He already had all the shipping. All he needed was Future Industries."

While that did make some kind of sense to her, she also had a hard time believing it. "Varrick helped _save_ Future Industries. He's my business partner now, not an evil mastermind. Mako, you seemed stressed," she told him with concern.

"I _am_ stressed!"

Bolin gave her a knowing look. "See, this is why I had to move out."

That was news to her. "You guys aren't living together anymore?"

"Nope. It was time for this eagle hawk to spread his wings and fly," he declared, flapping his hands like they were wings. His brother gave him a dirty look but he ignored it.

Asami stared at the brothers for a long second. To her, Bolin moving should probably go on the backburner for the moment. "Sounds like you've had a pretty busy week," she said to Mako, placing a comforting hand on his chest, stepping in closer. "Maybe you just need to relax."

Bolin stared at the two of them standing so close together. It looked so familiar. Why wouldn't it? They had only broken up half a year ago… "Wait a minute," he said, looking at them more closely. Are you two," he snapped back with a gasp and pointing an accusing finger at them, "you're dating again? What?"

Of course, they had excuses lined up. "Dating? No!" said his brother.

"That's crazy!" Asami protested.

He wasn't having any of it. "Korra just left a week ago!"

Mako felt like they were getting off topic. They weren't to talk about him and Korra's relationship. "Guys, listen to me. Varrick is up to no good, and I have proof. The detonators he uses in his movers are exactly like the one I found at the cultural center attack. And those explosions were exactly like the ones the captain reported when Asami's shipment was hijacked. Don't you see?"

"Anyone could have gotten their hands on one of those detonators," Asami told him.

"Yeah," Bolin agreed, having seen enough of them around the set. His brother was sounding crazy. "Let it go, Mako. Let it go."

"Gah!" his brother suddenly shouted in irritation. "No! I'm not going to let it go!" He turned around and walked away.

_"__Why can't they see it?"_ Mako asked himself, leaving the set behind. He was trying to help Asami and she wouldn't believe him. And now, Bolin was acting all high and mighty, not to mention idiotic. They weren't being any help. As he started to turn a corner, an idea came to him. _"Maybe if I speak to Lord Naruto, he might help."_ That was a plausible idea.

But before he could even think about trying to find the old man, his path was blocked by two big guys he knew as Varrick's bodyguards. "Varrick's been looking for you," the one on the right said with folded arms.

"I'm sure he has," he replied, watching them both carefully.

(Location: Eastern Air Temple)

"You're lucky," Tenzin told Korra as they stood on a mound made with spiraling steps. "This temple is the most spiritual of all the air temples. Why, this very garden is where my father met Guru Pathik."

Korra was actually excited for this. After Unalaq, going back to Tenzin felt good. Plus, there were new interesting things to do. "Wow! Spirit World, here we come."

He smiled at her. "I'm glad to hear that. Now, I have an idea on how to get in. Follow me." He led her down from the temple to a field in the nearby forest, where his family was waiting (minus Pema, who was taking care of Rohan). There, they took mediation positions and began to concentrate. To help the feeling along, Tenzin had his children playing instruments with very precise instructions. Ikki was blowing the horn with her Airbending while Meelo rang the bell with his small metal club.

It was all quiet and serene, even peaceful. But Korra still felt like she hadn't crossed over. She cracked open her eye to look at Tenzin sitting next to her. He looked like he was concentrating hard and could've already gone over. "Are you in the Spirit World?"

"I would be," he replied, opening his eye, "if Meelo could ring his bell at the appropriate intervals."

All eyes turned to his son. "Aww, did I do it wrong?" he asked disappointedly. He had been trying to following the instructions he had been given.

His father just stood in exasperation. "Let's try something else."

As he walked off, Korra stood up and looked at the kid. "I thought your bell ringing was just fine."

He smiled widely. "Thanks!" He began banging the bell wildly, forgetting what he had been told and just enjoying himself.

Next, Tenzin led them to a cliff that had a face of an Air Nomad nun carved into it. Before she sat down, Korra wondered if she was sitting on the head of one of her predecessors. If she could've, she might have looked back through herself to find out. But she couldn't and there was a bit of a time problem on her hands. So she sat down beside Tenzin.

This time around, incense smoke was going to be used to send them into the Spirit World. But as Tenzin sat there and tried to concentrate, the smoke crawled up his nose and made him start coughing. "Kya, this is too much smoke. You set it up wrong," he told his sister. "This isn't going to work."

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I did what you told me."

"Well, the moment's ruined," he said as he stood up and walked away again.

Jinora watched her father walk away. Then she turned her attention back to Korra and realized with a start that the spirits she had been playing earlier that day were flying around her. "We could have tried a little longer," Korra said to Tenzin as she stood up and went after him.

The spirits followed her for a couple of seconds longer. As Jinora stood up and followed, Furry-Foot looked back at her. It made its adorable little squeak before it and the rest of the spirits down to the valley below. She ran to the edge. "Come back, Furry-Foot," she called out, looking over the edge and seeing them vanish into the forest.

"Hey, Jinora, what are you chasing?" her aunt asked her.

She turned around and saw that they were the only two left on the cliff. "Nothing," she lied quickly. She went after her father and siblings, missing the look on her aunt's face.

Tenzin decided to take Korra to the temple of Avatar Yangchen, the Air Nomad Avatar before Aang. They sat alone at the base of her statue. "Focus, Korra. Focus," he told her, his eyes closed.

"I am focusing," she replied, her eyes closed as well.

"No talking. Feel the energy of the universe."

"Okay, I feel it."

"Korra, really!" he snapped from out of nowhere. "I'm trying to concentrate here!" He stood back up. "I don't think this location is going to work either."

Korra looked up at him with a suspicious eye. "What's going on with you?" she demanded. "First, you're blaming Meelo, then Kya, and now me."

"Well, nothing is feeling right to me."

She stood up and looked at him. Before, this would've been the point where they would start arguing and end up both walking away in a huff. But that wasn't what was needed now. So she took a breath and said to him, "I don't want to rush your feelings, but we're kind of in a hurry. How did you first get into the Spirit World? Let's try that."

The agitation that was making him hunch his shoulders disappeared, leaving them to slump down. "Well…actually, I've never been into the Spirit World," he confessed.

Korra stared at him in complete shock. She couldn't have heard what she just did hear. It couldn't be right. Tenzin had to have been the right guy to get into the Spirit World. He was practically the master of spiritual stuff! But here he was admitting to the fact that he hadn't been there before. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" Kya's voice asked from behind. She turned around and saw Tenzin's entire family standing outside the temple, looking just as surprised as she was.

Tenzin looked at them with exasperation but not irritation as they walked in. "You heard what I said."

"Yeah, but I want to hear it again, just to be sure."

Korra was still staring at her teacher in disbelief. "You've never been into the Spirit World?" she asked him again.

Pema was in the same boat as she was. "But you used to spend days in the temple meditating," she said to her husband.

"_Trying_ to get in," he explained, "It never happened. It's my greatest shortcoming as an Airbender, spiritual leader, and son of Aang."

"Welcome to the "I Disappoint Dad" club," Bumi said with a short laugh. Suddenly, he was feeling a lot better about his inadequacies about being a son of Aang's.

His sister was more focused on the problem at hand then the fact that her little brother was admitting to failure. "If you've never been to the Spirit World, how were you planning to get Korra into it?"

He looked over at her and said, "I've spent years studying the techniques and theories of ancient spiritual leaders. Now that the Avatar needs me, it must be my time."

While that was a hopeful sentiment, Korra was doubtful. "Tenzin, Harmonic Convergence is almost here. If Vaatu escapes from the Spirit World—"

"You have to trust me. I can help you," he insisted, stopping her before she could continue. She fell silent, still unsure.

"There might be another way," his sister said, looking down at her niece. "Jinora, is there something you want to tell Korra?"

All eyes fell on her, even her father. "Jinora?" he said with some confusion. "She's too young and untrained to have any knowledge about spiritual matters."

"Actually," his daughter said, a little hesitantly, "I think I do know where Korra needs to go to get into the Spirit World."

"And how would you know that?"

"My spirit friends showed me." She looked up into the air and said in a loud voice, "It's okay. You can show yourselves."

For a moment, everyone looked at her like she had something odd. But then a light pulsed in the air, which led to four more lights. The spirits showed themselves as the lights faded, surprising everyone there except for her. "How did you do that?" Tenzin asked her as he watched the spirits flutter around in the air.

"Jinora," her mother said in an awed voice.

"Bunnies!" shouted out her little brother.

She corrected him by saying, "Actually, they're dragonfly bunny spirits."

"I knew it," Kya declared, placing a proud hand on her shoulder looking at Tenzin, "Looks like she does know something about spiritual matters."

The spirits hovered in the air for a couple of seconds more before flying out of the temple. Ikki and Meelo went after them, laughing all the way. "So cute!" said Ikki.

"Bunnies!" shouted Meelo.

"Come back!" they both cried as the spirits kept on flying, going past the edge of the temple's cliff and into the skies beyond.

The rest of the family walked out of the temple at a more sedate pace. "How long have you been able to do this?" Tenzin asked his daughter.

"I don't know," she said to him, "I guess I've always kind of had a connection with spirits." When he heard that, he couldn't help but jealous of his own daughter for doing something that he had been striving for so easily. As soon as he felt it, he felt ashamed for even thinking such thoughts.

One of the spirits came back to them, looking at Tenzin for a moment and then flying over to his brother. He couldn't help but laugh as it licked his ear. "I think this one likes me," he proclaimed. It settled on his shoulder, pretty much making it fact.

Korra kept her gaze on the rest of the spirits as Meelo and Ikki made grabbing motions at them. "Are they here to help?" she asked Jinora.

The Air Nomad watched as the spirits descended out of view down the cliff. "I think they want you to go down there," she said, pointing at them as they went down.

"I don't know," said a very doubtful Tenzin. "The spiritual energy is historically strongest _near_ the temple." He had read enough of the writings and manuscripts left behind and preserved to know that much. They were quite clear on it.

"No offense, but I'm guessing the spirits have actually been to the Spirit World," Korra told him, "so I'm gonna follow them." She knew that he meant well, but she had just been given a very glaring sign. So she was going to follow it.

Bumi couldn't resist what a golden opportunity that was being given to him at that moment. So he stepped to his brother's side and said, "If we need to go to the Tenzin World, we'll call you."

Tenzin scowled and Pema said, "Bumi," reprovingly.

"What?" he asked. "It's not like he's not gone there before."

(Location: Konoha)

When Tsukiko walked through the door to her home and took off her shoes, the first thing that she did was go looking for her little brother. She found him where she had expected him to be, watching something on the tube while Mom was making dinner in the kitchen. "I'm home," she announced once they could see her both. She didn't wait for the usual reply before walking over to Itachi and engulfing him in the tightest hug she could give him.

"Ah!" he yelped in surprise as the tightness, beginning to try and wiggle free. "Mom, help! Tsuki's trying to kill me!"

Mom came out of the kitchen and looked at the scene. 'Tsukiko, while I'm sure that your brother has done something that merits death by hugging," she said, her eyes alight with amusement, "I would like to at least hear the reason before you continue."

"I'm not killing him," Tsukiko said, still holding him tight. "I'm showing just how much I love him, even if he's a snot-nosed smart mouth."

He stopped wiggling and actually looked up at her, saying with the utmost sincerity, "You're being weird, more than usual."

"I can't show that I love you?"

"Not when you're usually chasing me down the hallway screaming that you're going to kill me for something that I didn't do." That just made her laugh in some sort of sob and hug him tighter. "Ack, stop it! I can't breathe here!"

Mito watched her children, her amusement vanishing from her eyes when she realized that something was wrong. When Tsukiko finally let go of her brother, she spoke, "Itachi, could you please go check on the twins for me?"

"But Mom, my show's still going," he protested, looking back at the TV.

She just arched an eyebrow at him. "We both know full well that's a rerun. Now I'm not asking you to relocate the entire complex. I'm just asking to check in on the twins.

He would've complained more but the eyebrow was already up and that meant whatever he was going to say next would be ignored. Besides, what she said was the truth. "Alright, alright, I'm going." He walked out of the room, trying to walk quickly without running.

She walked over to the TV and turned it off with the remote. When she put down the remote and turned around, Tsukiko was already hugging her middle, making her shirt wet with tears. Her hands went to her daughter's back and started rubbing it comfortingly. "There, there," she said soothingly.

"I'm…I'm…I'm so glad I have you guys," she said through the tears. "I'm so glad I have the whole clan, even Benihime! I love you all!"

"I know you do, Tsukiko. We all love you too, even if some of them don't admit it." She let her daughter sob for another minute before saying, "Alright, what happened out on your mission? I thought you were guarding a production of a movie."

Her daughter did her best to stop her crying, sniffling and wiping her tears away. "W-we were. But we came across something…something…" Her tears threatened to leak out of her eyes again.

But Mito didn't chastise her for showing weakness for she never thought that tears were a sign of weakness. Neither did her husband, one of the many reasons why she loved him. "What did you find?"

"A slave camp," she whispered. "I didn't see much of it but…those kids…just walking in there with…with no hope on their faces. I don't want to see anything like that again."

"Oh." Her heart clenched for her daughter for what she had seen. She was a kunoichi herself, having come from Kiri, and she knew the risks of the job. She also knew that her daughter knew the same. But even so, that did not mean she wished her to see such things. "Oh, my girl, I'm sorry you had to see that."

* * *

Hiro stood outside the door to his lady grandmother's rooms. He wanted to reach out and knock but his hands stayed by his side. His grandmother intimidated him some times. She was Hinata Hyūga, the Konoha no Eihei (Sentinel of Konoha), who protected the village from invasion during the last war. She had a gaze that seemed to look past all his defenses and into his very being. She did not suffer fools gladly, not even in her own clan. The story of how she struck down those of the clan who opposed bringing the branch family back to the main and removing the cursed seal was still legendary and yet spoken in hushed whispers.

After seeing all that he had during the mission, he wanted to talk to someone. But both of his parents were out on missions at that moment, so that just left his grandmother. And yet, he was still standing outside her door, not knocking on it. "Come on," he whispered to himself. "You know she's in there. All you have to do is reach out and knock on the door." But his hand was still by his side. "You want to talk to someone, she's family. You can talk to her. Just raise the hand and knock on the door."

He was just about to raise the fist and knock on the door when he heard his cousin shout out "Hiro, there you are!" alongside Aoimaru's bark.

He sighed inwardly and turned to see her coming his way at a breakneck pace. "Hey, Tsume," he said just before she skidded to a halt in front of him.

"You're back!" she declared.

"Yes, yes I am."

"So, how was the mission? I heard you went to the Land of Spring for the production."

A shudder started to come up from his feet but he fought it down. _"Show her nothing,"_ he told himself. She didn't need to see what he had been through. It didn't need to show. "That we did," he said to her, keeping himself calm. "We took the train there."

The door opened and their grandmother stood there. It was a move so sudden that either of them couldn't help but jump back in surprise. "Is there something you require?" she asked her grandchildren, looking down at them both.

Tsume smiled at her. "I just came by to talk to Hiro about his trip, Grandmother. I found him standing out here."

"I see." She turned to look at him. "Did you need something, Hiro?"

"Um—"

"Um?" she repeated, arching an eyebrow.

_"__Crap!"_ He knew how much she hated words like that. It made people sound weak and gullible. "I mean no, no I don't need anything in particular. I was just wondering if you knew when Mom and Dad were going to be back." Yeah, that was it. He could work with that.

"They said that the mission would take them about two weeks to three to finish."

That meant they wouldn't be around to talk to any time soon and he was still unsure of talking to her. "Alright thank you, Grandmother. We'll be off now." He turned and walked away with his cousin in tow.

If she noticed anything about his attitude, she didn't say anything about it as she followed him down the corridor. She seemed to be more interested in the mission itself. "So, how'd it go?" she asked him as they turned the corner, going out of their grandmother's sight.

He actually had to pause and think about what to say, even if he kept moving. "It went fine," he finally said. "We just did what we were doing here, fetching and carrying."

"Yeah, but you were able to work with Hiroto Takahasi himself!" she exclaimed loudly, following it up with a dreamy-sounding sigh.

It only took one look between him and the dog to get them rolling their eyes. "Tsume, tell me you still don't have that poster of him in your room?" he asked her.

She lost her dreaminess and gave him a steady look. "And if I said I did."

He rolled his eyes again and said, "Oy."

She scowled at him and swatted at his shoulder. "Knock that off. You do that every time I mention his name."

"That's because you become dreamy like whenever you talk about him," he retorted as they finally walked out of the corridor and into one of the Hyūga complex's gardens. This one had a big tree that dominated the space, filling it with shade. "Do you realize how much blackmail material I could've gotten off of you from that alone?"

"You wouldn't dare."

For some reason, those three words made him feel nostalgic. It was like he was a different person then he had been before but she was still the same. Blackmailing her on one of her crushes seemed so trivial now. "You're right, I wouldn't," he agreed simply. And he left it at that. "You want to sit down and relax a bit?" He gestured to the garden.

She shrugged her shoulders and said, "Sure." They walked together into the garden and flopped down on the ground against the tree. There they talked. But while he was able to enjoy the talk, he still couldn't relax. He should've knocked on the door and talked to his grandmother.

(Location: Spirit World)

"Father, haven't the spirits had ten thousand years to open this portal?" Eska asked Unalaq as they approached the northern portal.

Desna agreed with his sister. "If they could not succeed, what makes you think we will?" he asked.

Fortunately, Unalaq had the answer. "By entering the Spirit World through the portal," he told them, stopping a good distance before the seal portal, "we bring with us something the spirits never had: our bending." It was more of a theory then anything but he was not going to let them know that. He could not afford to show weakness. So he bent water out of a nearby stream and directed it at the portal. "Join me!" he called to his children. "Together, we can open this portal."

The twins shared one look between them. The idea their father was suggesting was a bit far-fetched. He almost seemed desperate to open the portal. But he was wiser than they were, they could admit to that. It was quite possible that he was onto something. They too bent water from the stream and unleashed them in a torrent against the portal.

The sealed membrane of the portal seemed like it was starting to buckle from under the pressure of three torrents. Unalaq felt hope that he was right and they would break through. But like most things he thought about in his life would be right, he was proven wrong. Instead of buckling, the membrane emitted energy in the form of bright purple lightning. For a moment it was just there, like a web in the air. Then it exploded and disrupting their water and striking not him, but his son.

Desna flew backwards with a brief shout of pain. When he landed on the ground, he stayed, groaning in that same pain. "Desna!" cried his sister as she stared at his fallen body.

"Leave him!" her father ordered. "Keep bending!" He bent the water again from the stream and directed it right at the portal.

His daughter, on the other hand, went to her brother's side. She could see that it was bad. "He needs a healer at once!"

He didn't even bother to look back at her. He kept his focus on the portal. "This is more important!"

She looked at his back for a quiet second. In that second, she wondered if he would be any different if Korra had actually been his daughter. Then she discarded the thought, declaring it useless. "I'm taking him back." She picked up her twin and walked back to the portal, leaving her father alone in his work.

_"__This has to succeed,"_ he thought to himself, slugging the water against the portal. When the water dissipated, he bent more out of the stream and started again.

(Location: Republic City)

The room Varrick's guards brought Mako was underground and only lit from the long line of coals in its center. Varrick was on the other side of the room, swerving around in his chair to see him. "I hear you've got some ideas," the businessman said. "You wanna tell me about them?" The glow of the coals made the lighting in the room make him seem eerie.

The line was not what Mako was expecting from him. But he wouldn't be intimidated. "Go ahead. Torture me all you want. I'm not gonna talk," he proclaimed. He was certain that he could the heat from the coals to defend himself.

"Torture?" repeated Varrick, making it sound like he was confused. "The only thing I want to torture is this pesky foot fungus." He lifted his foot to show the aforementioned fungus (not a pleasant sight). He stood up from the chair and started walking across the coals. He yelped and cried in hot pain with every step he took across, but he didn't waste time getting to the other side. "The burning means it's working," he remarked off-hand. He gave his guards a look and they left him alone in the room with Mako. "I heard you've been investigating the recent attacks on my ships, and I think you know that I know that you know, you know?"

"Know what?" asked the cop. He could've said that he was trying to play dumb but in all honesty, he was a bit confused by the man's words.

Like Korra when she was in one of her moods, he went from serious to bright in an easy second (which made him wonder if that was an inherent Tribe thing). "That the world is a dangerous place, and that's exactly why I want to offer you a job on my security force."

Mako had an answer for that. "I have a job."

"We need you. Me, Asami, Bolin," he declared, walking over to the young Firebender and throwing a comradery arm around his shoulder. "We're all in the same team here. We want you to join us. You wouldn't want anything to happen to Asami, would you? I mean, I heard you and her were kind of, uh, an item again. Or what about your brother?" he asked.

"What are you saying?"

He leaned in and his voice became slightly threatening, even though his face didn't change its encouraging look. "I'm saying I want your help to _protect_ them. Without you, who knows what could happen."

"Thanks for your _concern_," Mako said, knocking the arm off his shoulder, "but the answer is no." He turned around and walked out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

(Location: Eastern Air Temple)

Tenzin guided Oogi to the valley's bottom, following the spirits down that way. Since he was flying, everyone else who came with sat in the saddle and couldn't see his face. His brother and sister could read the tenseness on his shoulders but only Kya paid actual attention to it. Bumi was too busy playing with the spirit that had adopted him. "Oh, you are just so cute. I'm going to name you Bum-Ju. It's short for 'Bumi Junior,'" he declared. He put Bum-Ju next to his face and looked at his brother's back. "Don't you think he looks like me?"

"The resemblance is uncanny," Tenzin said shortly and without even looking back.

Jinora sat next to Kya in the saddle, feeling like she had done something wrong. "I think Dad's mad at me," she declared.

"Your father's not mad," her aunt told her comfortingly. "His pride's just a little bruised since he isn't able to see spirits like you." Personally, she thought it was good for her little brother. It would help bring him back down to earth.

"You have a natural gift," Korra said to the young Airbender. "That's pretty lucky."

"You're the lucky one," Jinora replied. "You actually got to meet the first Avatar." To have that kind of experience would've been like a dream come true for her. "I know about a lot of Avatars, but I don't know anything about him. Is it even a him? Or is it her?"

"It's a him, Avatar Wan. He was amazing. I saw how he became the first Avatar by fusing with Raava, the Spirit of Light."

"The Avatar is part spirit?" she asked, a little surprised by the idea. But it also made sense and she exclaimed, "Of course! Just like the statue."

Kya looked quizzically at her niece. "What statue?"

"When we were at the Southern Air Temple, I was drawn to this old carving. I couldn't figure out what it was until now. It was the first Avatar."

"When did this happen?" Korra asked her.

"It was on the solstice."

"That's the day I opened the Southern portal."

The coincidence was so on point it couldn't have been a coincidence. It was all connected and the realization of this made both of them say in awed voice, "Whoa."

As Oogi landed on the valley floor, Bumi shouted out, "We're here!" No sooner had the bison landed the spirits flew into the forest beyond. Everyone climbed down and went after them.

It turned out to be quite the walk through a thick, untended forest. If they weren't careful, they could've run into a bush or stumble over a thick root. "Are you sure these spirits are leading us into the right place?" Tenzin asked Jinora, holding her hand, as he followed in the front.

Despite asking his daughter, it was his brother who answered, "Of course! I trust Bum-Ju with my life." That wasn't a remark worth replying to, so he didn't.

After another ten minutes of walking, the trees of the forest parted ways into a cluttered clearing. The spirits flew towards the middle of the clearing, hovering over a natural stone platform with tall rocks surrounding it in a circle. In the middle was a hole that was almost covered by a large slab of stone. The place was covered in vines and moss but Korra saw something on one of the rocks under its moss "Look," she said. There are carvings on them." To her eye, they almost looked like Airbending symbols.

To Tenzin's eye, they were Airbending symbols. He knew instantly where they were standing at. "This is an ancient Airbender meditation circle."

As she looked around further, Jinora could the presence of something brushing against her. It was a feeling that she had had before but never so obvious or potent. "There's a lot of spiritual energy in this place," she told her father, "but it feels really strange."

"We'll have to perform a spiritual cleansing ceremony," he declared.

"What are you talking about?" Bumi asked.

"Dad taught it to me. This site has been neglected for many years. A cleansing ceremony will help strengthen its connections to the Spirit World." It was a good thing that the Temple had been cleaned and populated. There were items there he knew they would need.

(Location: Konoha)

Tsukiko stood outside her father's office. It was after dinner and the sky was dark outside the windows. Her father had asked her to come up here once she had finished helping Mom and Itachi clean the kitchen and put the twins to bed. She was feeling very nervous standing there. The only time she had been called to Dad's home office was when she was in serious trouble, like really serious trouble, the kind of trouble where no amount of apologizing would get you out of it. _"Why isn't Arashi here?"_ she asked herself. She had barely seen the dyed redhead all day today. Once dinner was done, he was gone and she couldn't go after him.

"Tsukiko, come in here," she heard her father call out from behind the door.

She gulped, but reached for the handle and opened the door. She walked through and closed it behind her. Her father's office looked just like his Hokage office, albeit with much less clutter. A computer dominated one side of his desk while on the other side was a small stack of books. Her father sat between the two and watched her calmly. He didn't seem angry which she took as a good thing.

The first thing he did when she stood in front of the desk was stand up. "The first thing you should know, Tsukiko, is that you're not in trouble," he told her. Then he walked around the desk to her and pulled her into a hug. "The second thing is that I am proud of you and always will be. You kept yourself composed when reporting in to me as shinobi to their Hokage. I am sorry that you had to see such things on your first trip out of the village."

She held onto him like she wasn't going to let him go. But even while she was glad for the praise, there was still some doubt in her mind. "We should done more," she said into his chest.

He knelt down so that they were looking one another in the eye. "You did exactly what you should've done."

"But…all those kids…those chains…" It was a horrible image, one that wouldn't go away no matter how much she wished it.

"Tsuki, listen to me. You did exactly what you should've done. You kept Rin from going in there. You stopped her from possibly doing anything rash."

She didn't know what that was supposed to mean. "Why was that important?" she asked him.

He fell silent for a long second. To her, his face looked like it was trying to decide whether he should say something or not. She wondered what it was. Finally he said, "When I was a Genin, Rin had been kidnapped by the very same organization you found in the Land of Spring."

Her eyes widened in shock. Her aunt-figure and sensei had been kidnapped? That didn't seem possible to her. Rin-sensei had a lot of bang to her buck. She was able to keep her cool in most situations (it would've been all if she hadn't seen her brother talk about the dogs). She wanted to deny what he was saying but she knew what she had seen when they stood at the edge of the forest, watching those kids walk into the facility. "What happened?" she finally asked.

"It was a year after the Fourth Shinobi World War had ended. My team and I were heading to the Land of Hills to deliver a package. As soon as we had finished the mission and crossed the border back into the Land of Fire, we got ambushed. Our sensei was killed, Kuro was seriously injured, and I was knocked unconscious. It was only when I came to that I realized that Rin was missing. I carried Kuro and Gurei to the nearest town and radioed the village for help.

"We searched for Rin everywhere but we couldn't find her. After a month of trying to find her, the village decided to call it quits and stopped the search." He saw the stunned look on her face and smiled in gratitude for it. But she had to know why they had done that. "We were still recovering from a war, Tsukiko. It was better to invest what resources we had in rebuilding the village and the shinobi forces."

She lost her stunned look for a horrified one. "So you agreed with what they did?" She could not believe that her father would do that. Not him. He wouldn't let one Konoha shinobi be lost.

"I do now, since I am the Hokage. But at the time, I did not. I protested vehemently at the suggestion. When it went through regardless, I went on my own to find Rin. I spent the next two months trying to find her. I practically tore the Countries apart trying to find her. Every single whisper I found, I hunted down. If people got in my way, I pushed them out of it."

"And the village approved of this?"

"Hardly," he answered, holding his finger and thumb about an inch apart from each other, "I was probably this close from being declared rogue. What saved me was the fact I found where Rin was, an underground marketplace, and called in support to help get her out. Thankfully, I got it from the search party and a lot more others. The entire Hatake clan mobilized to help. Kakashi himself came out of retirement to get his daughter back."

Now that didn't really surprising to Tsukiko. In fact, she would've been surprised if the opposite had happened instead. "So you found Rin-Sensei?"

Her dad's face became sad. "Yeah, we did. We found her in a private little jail cell next to the master bedroom of the man that was running the place. There was a brand on her back that covered damn near half of it. It was a brand of two circles intersecting."

Her breath got stuck in her throat. "You mean…?"

He nodded. "Yes, the same group that you found in those mountains is the same group who kidnapped her."

"But why?" she asked him.

"We don't know. We never found out. It didn't matter to us at the time since we were using what limited intel we had to destroy the organization." Irritation crossed his face. "But it seems like we missed a few parts and now they've come back." But he stopped before he said anything more. He stood back up and looked down at his daughter. "That's not why I called you in here, though."

Nervousness clenched at her stomach again. "What did you call me here for then?"

He walked back around to his desk and sat down in his chair. "If you wish to stop being a kunoichi, I will not stop you."

The nervousness was replaced by shock. It showed on her face as she stared at him. "What?"

"You've just gone through a traumatic experience, something that happens to all shinobi. But you've gone through it when you're still young. It would be enough to make anyone not want to be a shinobi anymore."

"How could you ask me that, Dad?" All she had wanted to be was a kunoichi, to serve the village and be the best at it too. Now he was saying that it was okay to give up? It made her angry. How dare he say that?

But he just looked her in the eye. "Tsuki, have you ever wondered why your Uncle Akamaru isn't a shinobi?"

Her anger went on hold, being replaced by confusion and curiosity. She didn't know what that had to do with her but she had wondered about that. While there were others in the clan who weren't shinobi that was because they hadn't graduated from the Academy yet or had retired. But her uncle was the only one who hadn't become a shinobi. "I have," she finally admitted.

"Like me, he was born during the war. But when he had been born, a spy from Iwa stole him and your grandmother away from the village."

She was shocked again and she knew it showed. The only thing that she could say was, "What?"

"They thought that he was to be a Jinchūriki and tried to claim him as their own. Your grandmother was taken so that she could be killed later, once they were safe. They were saved, at the cost of Kiba Inuzuka and his hound, Akamaru. But that's not all that happened to him. Because of what Iwa did, Kumo and Kiri started thinking the same and tried kidnapping him too. Battlefields have been made when the Konoha squads recovered him and he's seen it all. He's grown up in war and he doesn't want to see it ever again. Benihime might not call him a coward if she knew what her father's been through."

She did wonder what would happen if that was the case. But that wasn't what was important. "So, what are you trying to tell me, Dad?"

"When Akamaru told our parents that he didn't want to be a shinobi, they accepted it. He found employment working at a pastry shop and once he was an adult, he opened his own store inside the complex. Throughout it all, we never once look down on him for it, just like I will not look down on you if you wish to stop being a shinobi."

She stood there and was grateful for his words. She knew that he loved her and in that moment, she felt it fully. Even if she gave up on the path of the shinobi, he would not spit on her or look away. He would always love her. "Thank you, Dad," she said to him. "But I'm not going to give up on being a kunoichi."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Are you really sure?" he asked her.

"Yes, I am." She found confidence growing inside her as she spoke. "I chose this path and I'm going to stick to it. I may have seen something horrible, but I'm not going to let it make me stop being a kunoichi."

"What are you going to do with it then?"

"Make myself stronger and keep going," she answered without hesitation. "I'll keep going until I'm the best in the village."

He smiled. "So you're aiming for my seat then?"

She shook her head. "I said the best, not the Hokage." To her, those were two separate things.

"Some people might say that's the same thing."

"Not me." If she took the seat of Hokage, she was going to do it without being called a daddy's girl behind her back. He just smiled wider and laughed. She couldn't help but laugh too, forgetting what she had seen that day. But even though she forgot, she wondered how her other teammates were doing.

(Location: Eastern Air Temple)

A quick trip back to the temple and Tenzin was ready to cleanse the site of its misuse. He had retrieved the ancient incense burner that was made specifically for this kind of situation. He placed it down on the ground and instructed everyone to sit in very specific spots all around the center. Once he was sure they were in the right spots, he lit the burner and waited for the smoke to rise up.

Once he saw that it was at the right length, he started to bend it. He didn't rush as he bent it. No, he was gentle. One could say that instead of bending, he was guiding the smoke around the site. As the smoke ringed around the circle, the spirits flew up and away, annoying Bumi in the process. "Good job," he told his brother, "you cleansed the area of the only spirits that want to help us, and you scared away Bum-Ju."

Tenzin ignored him as he focused on continuing to bend the smoke around the circle, adding a third circle to the already two circle of smoke. He kept absolute focus on doing because it had to work. It had to. As he worked he could feel the air around the circle start to change and begin to hum. He also felt the ground begin to rumble and he knew that something was happening. "It's working," he said to them all.

They could all feel it too since the noise was getting louder and louder. It sounded like it was being channeled to a specific point. As the noise grew, they all listened to where it was going and saw that it was going to come at where the hole in the circle was. A second after they realized it, the slab covering the hole was pushed aside by the huge amount of things flying up out of the hole. They flew up into the air to gather and then struck downwards, right back at them.

It was getting struck in the face by a typhoon, only this one bit. Once they swarmed, Bumi recognized the shape of the creatures and relaxed somewhat, the reason for the somewhat because they were still getting swarmed by the creatures. He announced what they were in the usual post-military career Bumi fashion, "Ah! Bats! Evil bats!"

"Not bats," Korra corrected him as they turned and ran, "Dark spirits." The tip off for was the fact that every single bat was glowing a dark purple. They all dove behind the rock columns to hide away from the spirits. The bats followed, passing through the rocks and gathering up in the air again.

Both Tenzin and Korra tried to ward them off with air and water respectively, but it did little to no good. The bat spirits flew right past them again, making them all cower, and back into the circle. "What are we supposed to do?" Tenzin asked, looking for a solution. While one might say that since he was the one who caused it, he should be the one to fix it, he would've been all for it. There was just the problem of not having experience with actual spirits. If he couldn't blow them away with his Airbending, he didn't know what to do.

Korra stared at her teacher, surprised that he didn't know the answer. But she knew. It was the same answer that she saw her uncle use successfully and that she had tried twice to use without any success. _"Well, third time's the charm,"_ she told herself before going back into the circle.

She saw the bats in all their dark spirity glory, flying all around the circle, thick enough to block out the light of the sun if they tried. The old Korra would've instantly gone on the offensive and started attacking. But that wouldn't have done anything, she knew that now. So instead, she brought her fists together in a meditative pose, closed her eyes, and breathed. _"Stay calm,"_ she told herself. _"Learn from your mistakes, don't ignore them."_ As she breathed, she could hear the sound of the energy humming all around her. It was the same sound she had heard when dark spirits had been pacified. She opened her eyes, took a Waterbending stance, and bent water from the nearby creek.

The bats gathered and swarmed down to attack her. But she was ready for them. She bent her water out around the bats and trapped inside a multi-ringed cage. _"Be at peace,"_ she told them as she used the water to channel energy into them, restoring their balance to them. She hadn't really understood what this kind of action had required before. Now that she had, it almost seemed too easy. But she couldn't let herself get cocky, that was what cost her that attempt back at the South Pole.

She kept moving her arms through the motions, keeping them simple, slow, and graceful. Light began to pour through the rings water, going from the bottom to the top. As the light traveled, it didn't stay to the water. It went to the bats, turning them from that dark purple that reminded her of an infection to that bright yellow that told her the balance was being restored. The humming of the energy grew louder and more vocal, even taking on a musical singing tone to it as she continued to heal the bats.

Everyone else just watched in awed wonder as she continued to do this ritual. The light from the water and the bats was so bright that they had to cover their eyes to block it out. "Amazing," Kya said as she watched Korra.

When the bats were fully purified, becoming a giant orb of yellow, they dissipated in a grand fashion, becoming particles of light after exploding like a firework. As the particles fell, the vines and moss covering the circle fell away. They vanished in the same fashion as the spirits, disappearing from sight, leaving the circle as it had been intended, clean with only patches of grass for sitting being the only vegetation there.

As everyone stood back up and entered the circle, Tenzin walked up to her side. "Your spiritual training has come a long way," he declared as he looked over the circle. If he hadn't seen it happened, he wouldn't have believed that this place had been overrun by the forest only a few minutes ago.

"Unalaq may be a horrible person, but his spirit powers are no joke," she replied. That much she could Unalaq. Everything she had to say about him just wasn't good.

But hearing those words made the Airbending master feel ashamed. "He taught you how to transform dark spirits. I can't even get you into the Spirit World."

She saw that he was going to start beating himself up over his perceived failures and chose to stop it before he could. "Everything Unalaq taught me was to help himself. Everything you've done was meant to help me. I am so sorry for turning my back on you as my mentor. I need you now more than ever." It was the truth and she meant every word of it.

He saw that she meant it and glad. "I won't let you down," he promised. She smiled before walking up to him and giving him a tight hug. He didn't fight to get out of it but instead returned it. He shot one look of warning to his siblings but it died away when he saw that he wasn't going to need it. They were silent but wore happy smiles on their faces.

When the hug was done, it was back to business. He took a few more steps to the center of the circle and looked back at everyone. "The ancient Airbenders must have built this site. If we meditate here, we'll be able to enter the Spirit World."

"Why don't you go first?" Korra offered.

He was glad that she offered the opportunity to him. It was finally time for him to prove himself. "After all these years, my father's dreams for me will finally come true."

(Location: Republic City)

Mako sat in his apartment, staring at all the evidence he had managed to collect on Varrick. There wasn't much and what he did have was skimpy at best. He knew this already but still looked through them, trying to find something. He had had no luck trying to find Naruto that day. Either he hadn't been where Mako thought he would be or he had just missed him. After the fifteenth near miss, he gave up on looking for the old man and focused on what he had.

He heard a knock on the door making him stop what he was doing. He stood up and walked over to the door. He opened it and saw Asami standing in the hallway. "Hi," she said in greeting.

"Did you come by to tell me how paranoid I am?" he asked her as she walked. It seemed to be the mood of his friends and family nowadays.

She reached out and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "No. I just wanted to come by to make sure you're okay," she explained. "You seemed so agitated earlier."

"I'm fine."

She walked past him into the apartment proper. She had been told about all the things Bolin had gotten but didn't see them anywhere in sight. She took that as a good thing. "Maybe you need a night off. Why don't we go get some dinner?" she asked, turning back to look at him.

He closed the door and walked back over to her, saying, "No, thanks. I'm a little busy."

"Too busy for Kwong's Cuisine?" She stepped forward and placed her hands on his chest, which only supported a simple undershirt. "Remember? We had our first date there."

They both knew what she was doing and in some part of her brain, Asami was telling herself that she was being an idiot. Mako was dating Korra. They already had their chance. But that was only part of her mind and it didn't have the majority vote. She could see the same thing going on in Mako's head too. "Maybe I do need to get my mind off things," he agreed, pulling her closer and then kissing her.

They didn't get that far before the apartment door started getting hammered on the other side. "Police!" shouted Lu.

Mako stifled an audible growl as he walked over to the door. _"What does he want at this time of night?"_ His irritation turned to surprise when he opened the door and saw it wasn't just him but also his partner and the chief too.

"Hey, Mako," he said as he and Gang walked in, botching his name like usual, "Hope we didn't interrupt you two lovebirds."

"What's going on?"

"We busted some Triple Threats who said you hired them for a job."

He shared a quick look with Asami. A single thought came to him. _"Fuck."_ The owl cat was out of the bag. He might tell it all. "All right," he said with a resigned sigh to the chief. "It's true. We were trying to figure out who stole Asami's stuff, so we hired them for a sting operation. I'm sorry for going behind your back."

Lin's face was stern as she looked at him while the two cops searched his apartment. "According to the Triple Threats, you did more than that," she told him. "They said you helped them steal a warehouse full of Future Industries property."

Asami was stunned by what she had heard and she knew that it showed on her face. But she didn't care. "That's crazy!" she protested.

"You're gonna believe a bunch of criminals?" Mako asked, showing the same amount of disbelief to his boss as she had.

But she was unmoved. "I have to follow up on a lead."

"Well, looky what I found," announced Lu as he walked out of Mako's room. In one arm was a duffle bag and he carried a wad of money on the other hand. "Cash, and these," he declared, pulling out one of Varrick's explosives.

The Chief of Police looked at her man. "What are you doing with explosives, Mako?"

"I don't know where those came from," he tried to protest. He had only gone into his room to change out of his uniform and that had only taken five minutes. He had never seen the duffle bag.

But Gang was already behind him with a pair of handcuffs. "You're under arrest," he declared.

"None of that is mine."

But it seemed like no one would believe him. "Yeah," the cop behind said derisively, "Should've known you'd hook up with your old _pals_. Once a Triple Threat, _always_ a Triple Threat," he declared.

"This has to be a mistake," Asami argued.

"Sorry to break the news to you, sweetie," Lu said, not sorry at all, "but your boyfriend's just a crooked cop. That _sting_ operation was just a way to lure you away from your warehouse."

Gang chuckled at the whole idea. "He was using you the _whole_ time." She stared at him and his partner. She didn't want to believe it but a cynical part of her agreed that it could be true.

"That's not true, Asami," Mako assured her. "I would never do anything to hurt you. It's _Varrick_. This is all _Varrick_. He set me up!"

"Yeah, it's Varrick's fault," Gang said in laughter, like the whole thing was just one big joke. "Varrick. Varrick."

The cops, including the one who was handcuffed, all turned towards the door to leave. But before Lin could step through, Naruto appeared on the other side. "Evening all," he said cordially.

Asami couldn't have been more relieved to see her teacher. _"Thank you,"_ she said to any Spirit that had been listening in at that point.

"Naruto, what are you doing here?" Lin asked him, half in surprise (because he was there when she didn't expect him) and half in resignation (because he was there and she should've figured that he would be).

"I came by to get the package I left with Mako," he answered. "Instead I find this. What's going on?"

"Mako's being arrested," his student told him.

Surprise appeared on his face but not so overwhelmingly. "For what?" he asked.

"This," Lu said smugly, hoisting up the duffle bag and letting it jostle so he could put a little more emphasis in it.

He looked at the bag and then at the cop. "You mean the package I left with him?" He didn't make it sound like he was surprised, but more like he was trying to guide the man through obvious steps.

Both Lu and Gang gave the other a surprised look. They hadn't expected this. All of a sudden, the back of their necks were feeling a lot of sweat. "Do you even know what's in there?" Gang demanded.

"Of course I do. Cash for payment and explosives I bought off of Varrick's technical crew."

While the cops were looking more and more like they were getting into trouble, Lin just stared calmly at the man. "If you bought them, why are they here at Mako's apartment?"

"I paid him to keep them safe while I found a proper location to test them. The boy looked like he needed the cash ever since his brother left and I was feeling generous."

_"__I bet you were."_ She was having doubts about his story, even though things seemed to add up nicely. That's why she had her doubts. "Why were you testing them?"

"My niece saw some of those Nuktuk movers and noticed the explosions. She contacted me and asked me to see if they could be applicable in matters outside of mover production and also if they could be used by a Firebender."

She eyed him, trying to find out if he was telling the truth or not. Her stern and searching glare could make harden criminals crack but he wasn't fazed by it. He stood at the door, smiling slightly like nothing was wrong. "Mako is this true?" she asked the Firebender. Lu and Gang looked at him too.

He wanted to say it wasn't true but two things stopped him. The first was the sense of survival the streets had given him. The second was the warning he was getting off Naruto. When the chief was looking at him, the old man arched one grey eyebrow. It could've been seen as a look of questioning but the young Firebender got the feeling that wasn't the case. It was a warning for him to follow his story, plain and simple. "Yeah, it's the truth," he finally admitted.

Lin stared at him and then at Naruto. It was all too perfect for her cynical cop mind to accept. If it was too perfect, then something must be up. But she couldn't prove it. She could, however, do something. "We'll still be taking him in," she finally said to the Paragon at the door. "He had admitted to having dealings with the Triple Threat Triad. That's not something I can't overlook."

"Very well," he said to her, stepping aside so the way out was open.

Asami stared in shock at her teacher. He was just going to let them go? She wanted to open her mouth, to say something. But she knew that if she did anything in protest, the lie that had been spun would be torn to shreds. So she had to wait until the cops had left. "Alright, let's go, Triad boy," Lu said, pushing Mako towards the door.

"You heard him, move, you crooked cop," Gang added.

Naruto eyed them both and they stopped. Their first knee-jerk reaction would've been to try and look away from those eyes. That is, if they could have done that. But they've been under that gaze before and it was always able to make them freeze in place. When he did look away, it was only a slight inch and it was so he could look at the chief, raising his eyebrow. "Go ahead," she finally said, "Badgermoles know I'm not enjoying this."

"Thank you." He turned his attention back to Lu and Gang. "For the record, gents, Mako is probably about as much crooked as you two are competent." He smiled but it wasn't a pleasant smile. It was more like a smile that was telling them they were about two steps away from a bad place. "So he's not very crooked, is he?"

Gang grew angry at the implication. "You—!" he started to say only to clamp down his mouth before he said anything else.

The smile widened. "Yes?" His right hand had the palm touching the top of his sword's hilt. To Asami, that meant he was waiting for the cop to make another mistake so he could get hit upside the head.

He didn't say anything and neither did Lu. Asami wasn't sure if that was the right thing for them to do. _"You'd just be giving him more room to talk."_

Her sifu didn't disappoint. "And I hardly think that either of you are ones to talk about once a criminal, always a criminal. Or do I need to bring your Red Monsoon days?" he asked Lu, "Or your time with the Agni Kais?" he asked Gang. They still silent, even though their faces went slack with fear. "I thought not." He gripped the sword comfortably and looked away from them.

The cops took that as the invitation to leave. When they finally did, Asami turned her attention to Naruto. "Why didn't you stop them?" she demanded instantly.

He raised his eyebrow and said, "Do you expect me to do all the work?"

"Well…I…" She stopped before she made a fool of herself. "No."

"Glad to hear it. I did what I could to mitigate the damage but the boy was still in trouble." He walked out of the doorway into the hall. "Now, shall we leave his apartment since he's not in it?"

With slumped shoulders she walked out, closing the door behind her. "Will he be alright?" she asked her sensei as they walked down the hall.

He shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Couldn't tell you that, Asami, I'm not a cop. But don't worry, it's not like they're going to execute him." He made it sound so easy, like it was nothing to be concerned about.

She found herself irritated by it. That was her friend being taken away and he was acting like it was nothing. She wanted to lash out and yell at him, maybe even hit him. But before she could clench that fist or breathe deep for yelling, her common sense reminded her that it wouldn't have done her any good. There was also the fact that he was watching her with a waiting eye, like he was expecting her to lose her temper. "I guess I'll have to take what I can get," she finally said. "But I'm not happy about it."

"I'd be worried if you were."

"Why did Lin have to bring those two here to check out the apartment?" she asked him. Lu and Gang just made her angry with the way they dismissed what Mako tried to bring to them.

"It was their case." It was a simple declaration but it made her madder than before. He must've seen the anger on her face for he said, "Don't worry; they have that effect on everyone. It's why they're called the Blunder Duo. There's a betting pool on whether they cheated to become detectives or rigged the exam."

If the situation wasn't so serious, she would've been tempted to giggle and laugh at the nickname. But it was a serious situation so she only had one question. "Why the hell are they on the force then?"

"Because when the chips are down, those two can be quiet serious and focused," he told her as they reached the staircase. His voice did not mock them or sound irritated by the facts he spoke of. "When Amon took over the city, they were fighting the Equalists on the street level." He started down the stairs without any hesitation.

That was surprising. Asami couldn't help but wonder how exactly the two of them could get a name like the Blunder Duo and yet still resist Amon's grasp on the city. How did that even work? As she wondered about it, a different question came to mind. "Was what Mako said about Varrick true?" she asked from the top of the stairs.

He turned back and looked her right in the eye. "What do you think?" She didn't answer him, so he turned and continued walking down the stairs.

(Location: Eastern Air Temple)

Bumi watched his little brother just sitting there with his back towards them all. Night had fallen down around them and he had just been sitting there. He could tell by the breathing that Tenzin was still alive but he wasn't sure if he was actually there or not. So he did what he thought was right: grabbed a big stick and began poking his brother in the back. "You in the Spirit World yet?" he asked.

"No, I am not," he said, before turning around and bending the stick out of his hands, "and stop bugging me." He had to concentrate on getting into the Spirit World and his brother wasn't helping.

"It's okay, Tenzin," said Kya gently from behind him, where she stood with everyone else. "Maybe you weren't meant to guide Korra into the Spirit World."

"No!" He refused to believe that! "Just give me some time."

"_Stop_ being so stubborn," she told him, losing her gentleness and replacing it with irritation. "It's not your destiny. I think _Jinora_ was meant to guide the Avatar."

The idea of it was enough to make him turn around and stand up. "Jinora will _not_ enter the Spirit World!" he declared. "She's not ready for the dangers of the other side, but _I am_. I've spent _years_ training, studying, and mastering everything there is to know about the Spirit World."

Korra knew that was true, since he had tried to get her to read while in Republic City. But he had been trying to get in for hours and got nothing out of it. "Tenzin, we're running out of time," she told him.

But he wasn't having any of it. "If everyone could just be quiet and let me _focus_." He turned his back on them and closed his eyes in concentration, trying once again to get into the Spirit World.

But then he heard footsteps that could only belong to his daughter come to his side and felt her hand on his arm. He opened his eyes and saw her standing there, looking up at him. "Aunt Kya is right," she told him solemnly. "I can guide Korra into the Spirit World. I'll be all right."

Even though he knew that she was right, he did not want it to be so. She was his daughter. He was supposed to protect her. But if he couldn't get into the Spirit World to guide Korra, then someone else would have to and that someone was looking to be Jinora. He looked back at his siblings and saw that they didn't look at him with mocking or disappointed looks. In fact, they were smiling encouragingly. "Perhaps I will never have the connections with spirits like I always wanted…like my father wanted me to have." It was hard to admit that. It almost felt like he was disappointing his father.

Jinora simply reached around his middle and hugged him tight. "It's okay, Daddy."

He stroked her hair and said, "I'm proud of you." He looked over at Korra. "Go. Close the portal. We'll wait here and keep your bodies safe till you return."

"We'll be all right," she told him assuredly.

Together, she and Jinora sat down besides the hole in the circle. Together they closed their eyes and let their breath ease. Together they reached out to the energy surrounding the circle, trying to find a way into the Spirit World. The answer soon came to Korra in the way of a memory, flashing through so quick she could've missed it.

_She was Avatar Long, once a slave-fighter and now a free man. He had fought to earn his freedom from his Earthbender masters and when they refused it, he fought free and learned how to control his powers. He had control over the elements, but if he wanted to end the regime plaguing the Countries, he would need the aide of the spirits. To do that, he would have to go to the Spirit World._

_He sat in the meditation circle on the outskirts of the Eastern Air Temple. His best friend, Jin, sat opposite of him. Even though he was not a Bender, the spirits seemed to converge around him. He seemed to be the perfect way to reach the Spirit world, Long just had to figure out how to do it._

_As he concentrated the Avatar Spirit inside of him to emerge and take over, he found himself reaching out for his friend, taking him by the shoulders. He poured his energy and the energy of the spirits into him, using him as the anchor to make the gate to the Spirit World. Jin began to glow but he did not panic. He trusted Long to do this right. _

_And he was right in the end. Long felt them both going to the Spirit World, like passing through a veil of water that striped away the veil that had been around his eyes for so long. He let go of the Avatar Spirit and looked at where he and Jin was._

As the memory passed, Korra found herself in the Avatar State too. She released it. The first thing she looked for was Jinora and she was relieved that the girl was still sitting in front of her. But then she looked around and saw that they weren't sitting in a meditation circle. They weren't even sitting in a clearing inside a forest in the dark of night.

Instead, they found themselves in a grassland with giant budding plants giving them shade. The budding plants looked so natural that they almost dismissed them out of hand for being so huge. The sun shined brightly down on the land that made everything seem to glow. They both knew where they were, but Korra still felt that it needed to be said, "The Spirit World."

* * *

Unalaq stood before the ancient tree and the spirit held prisoner there. He had tried to open the portal for four straight hours but had no success. So now, he had to own up to his failure. Had his children stayed, this would've been the moment when he would send them back through the portal. Talking to the great spirit was his duty alone. "The Avatar is dead, and we cannot open the Northern portal. I have failed you, Vaatu," he said.

The Spirit of Darkness stared down at him through the crack in the tree. **"You have not failed me…yet,"** he finally said. **"The Avatar still lives."**

Surprise briefly showed itself on the chief's face. His children had told him that Korra was dead. After a moment, he put it down to their incompetence. "How do you know?"

**"****Even though my connection to Raava was severed, I can still feel her presence."**

That meant there was still hope for the plan to succeed. "I'll find her."

**"****The Avatar will find you,"** Vaatu declared. **"She has just entered the Spirit World."**

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

You're probably going to be irritated with me because I decided to skip over them actually finding the facility in the mountains. I did consider writing the scene but it just couldn't go through my head properly. So I figured it was best to write about what happened afterwards, while they were still remembering it freshly. For the record, the name of the organization means unity or unification.

Yes, Tsukiko's uncle was named after Kiba's partner. It had not started out like that but after thinking it over for a bit, I thought that it was a good way to bring the past to the present.

I don't know about anyone else, but I was frequently irritated by the Blunder Duo. It's kinda like the Pro-bending finals; I wish that someone had put them in their place. Then I realized I had Naruto to do that, hence why he should up at that moment. But there are no characters out there nowadays who are completely two dimensional. Even if they are incompetent, they should have some kind of redeeming quality. Lu and Gang might be morons who would be lucky if they solved a case right, but they know how to fight and they love their city.

I should probably try invoking memories of previous Avatars more often. It seems like a great opportunity to flesh out the past of the Avatar. After all, we only up to Yangchen's name and that's it, one complete cycle back. Maybe that's what the creators could do: have a mini-season of OVAs, each one centering on a different Avatar. I'd watch that. Anyone else?

I'll see you all next chapter!


	34. Ghosts and spirits

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 34: Ghosts and spirits

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Eastern Air Temple)

Tenzin sat around the fire with his brother and sister. He was watching his student's and daughter's bodies. Even though they were sitting in proper meditation positions, their lax breathing told him that they had crossed over. And he didn't like it. "I can't believe my little girl had to guide Korra into the Spirit World instead of me. If anything happens to her I won't be able to forgive myself."

Even though she couldn't fathom what he was going through, Kya could guess close to the mark. She put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and said, "She's very smart, and she obviously has a strong connection to the spirits. She'll be fine."

"Yeah," Bumi agreed. "Dad went all the time!" Of course, the times he had actually seen his father cross over were few and far between but that wasn't the point.

And it seemed like his brother knew that too. "They won't have their bending in there," he protested. "They'll be defenseless!"

Now to the Paragon of the Air Nomads, that was just downright rude. "Ahem? Excuse me? But _I've_ never had bending, and I don't think I'd call _myself_ defenseless." And he had his sifu to thank for that (may she and Nyla rest in peace and not come back to haunt him).

"Of course you aren't, because _you_ are a Paragon. You've been trained."

"Nice recovery," Kya told her brother. "Personally, I would've said positive attitude."

"I would've said acute intellect and cat-like reflexes, but whatever," Bumi said, making it sound like it was no big deal. He was still a little offended by it.

"Why don't you two get some sleep?" Tenzin suggested. "I'll take the first watch."

Kya thought that to be a good idea. "Wake us up if you need some company."

"Or if any interesting spirity stuff happens," added her other brother, "like their bodies start floating around and you need someone to help you grab them before they fly off!"

"Bumi!" she snapped at him in a shocked voice.

He turned innocent before they could chastise him for his antics. "I'm just saying, we're here if you need us."

Tenzin couldn't help but smile at his brother while he laid down to sleep. "I know you are." Bumi's antics might drive him up a wall sometimes, but he could always be there when he was needed. "Thank you." The Airbender stood up and walked over to Jinora and Korra. "Please come back soon," he said to his daughter, his hand resting gently on her head.

(Location: the Spirit World)

Jinora was having the time of her life as she looked around the Spirit World. Everything seemed so much brighter, vibrant, and colorful. She only had to look around to see the spirits. It was amazing. "Isn't it beautiful?" she asked Korra with a childish glee. She never thought she would be here to see it all.

Korra, on the other hand, was a little apprehensive. She had seen what the spirits were like they were dark. And to be quite frank, this bright place was a little unnerving. "Just…stick close to me, okay?" she told Jinora as she turned away from looking at what looked like some kind of whale spirit flying through the air. "This seems nice, but you never know when we'll run into some dark spirits." She reached out to touch a nearby purplish-pink flower, only to jerk her hand away when it turned into a butterfly.

The Airbender was enraptured the moment she saw the butterfly flap by, growing larger in the span of a single second. "Look! It's like it's made of jewels!" she declared, chasing after it. "The spirits are so much more beautiful in their own world than they are at home." How could anyone think that this was a dark place?

The Avatar turned her head and saw that she was running away. "Jinora, be careful! Hold on!" She tried to go running after her, only to nearly stumble after something grabbed her foot and stop her.

"**Hey!"** shouted a meerkat spirit from right underneath her, holding her foot, **"Watch where you're going, you giant **_**clod**_**!"** It pushed away that she did stumble back but did not fall down.

"Sorry!" she said instantly.

The spirit looked up at her with folded arms and tapping its claws against its arm. **"****This is a residential area, in case you hadn't noticed. Who do you think you are, stomping through here like that?"**

She had the answer to that. "I'm the Avatar," she declared, folding her arms across her chest.

A second meerkat popped out of the ground close to her feet, asking, **"****The Avatar?"** It sniffed the air for a moment before declaring, **"Not impressed."**

Normally that would've sent her off into a protective rage, saying that she was the Avatar and there was nothing they could do about it (or something along those lines). But she didn't have time for that and she knew that it wouldn't solve anything. "I'm trying to find the spirit portals? I opened one—"

"**I heard Unalaq did that!"** a third meerkat said from behind her.

She turned to face it. "No, I did, but—"

Another meerkat appeared. **"****Well if you opened it, how come you don't know where it is? Huh?"**

She was really outnumbered here and Jinora was too busy chasing after butterflies to help. She like she was losing control of the situation. She tried to get it back by explaining, "B-because I was at the South Pole!"

But it just seemed to agitate the spirits. More and more of them kept popping out of the ground around her, all with a bad opinion of her. **"****I don't trust her."**

"**Get out of our world!"**

"**We don't need you!" **

"**You don't belong here!"**

She turned around and around and all she could see was meerkats all around her. There were too many. They were all speaking at the same time. They were saying mean things to her. She couldn't stop hearing them. Their words were all bearing down on her back, playing on the doubt and worry she was carrying. She didn't want them to be speaking to her. "Get away from me!" she shouted, moving her hands in a practiced Airbending motion. She would only blow them to get them away, not harm them.

But nothing came out of her hands. She stared at her hands in disbelief. What happened? **"****Did you guys see that?!"** the first spirit asked the others. **"She tried to bend at us, in our own holes! Get her!"**

All of the meerkats there screamed in an agreeing battle-cry. They all started leaping at her. She tried to avoid them by ducking and dodging but some of them were able to land on her. When they made contact with her body, they turned into some kind of goo and got a lot heavier. "Jinora!" she called out to her guide, who still looking at the butterfly.

When she finally turned around to see what was going, she saw the problem getting worse. "Korra!" she shouted, "Stay calm! Your energy is upsetting them." But the meerkats were still attacking. She rushed over to help. "You're only making it worse!"

By the time she reached her friend, the goo on her back was big enough to be called a large hump and was forcing her to her knees. The Airbender grabbed some of the goo, thinking that it looked solid enough, but it only came apart in her hands. _"There has to be a way to get this off,"_ she thought to herself.

But then the grass started disappearing right underneath them! The meerkats were moving around them and the grass spun around in the opposite direction, moving like water going down a drain. They couldn't move because of the force of the pull and before they knew it, they had gone through a hole in the ground.

But they didn't land in a tunnel or something like that. Instead, they landed in an ocean, a dark ocean where they seemed to be the only ones actually swimming in it. The only good things that came out of this situation were that the goo pushing Korra down was gone and she could still se Jinora and vice-versa.

They swam to each other and clasped arms. For a moment, they relaxed and tried to think of something that could get their footing back under them. But then Korra looked to her right, thinking that she saw something move, and accidently let some of her air out in a gasp. Coming right at them with a giant, black monster and it was eyeing them for its next meal. They both turned away from it and tried to swim. But it was faster than they were and was on them before they could do anything, swallowing them in one gulp.

As soon as the darkness closed around them again, they thought that was it. But then they saw a faint above the surface of the water. _"Please let that be a way to safety!"_ they silently pleaded, swimming towards it. They broke the surface and breathed in musty air, which tasted great to them. But then they realized that they weren't inside the monster or even an ocean. They had ended up inside a cavern with glowing crystals on the walls and a very fast river.

Suddenly, it became a struggle to just stay above water and there was hardly anything they could to try and reach the edges. Korra managed to take a look ahead and almost wished that she hadn't. The river twisted up and then around the ceiling back down to the floor again and again as far as she could see and there she could see no end to it. _"Just hang on, Korra,"_ she told herself, fighting to stay above water. _"Just hang on and keep an eye on Jinora."_

But it turned out to be harder than she thought. There was a split in the river and they were separated. She heard Jinora's cries of panic and called out, "Jinora!" But the Airbender was gone from sight. She fought against the river, trying to bend it away so she could run back. But her Waterbending didn't work either, so she was left to fight upstream. But as hard as she fought to swim upwards, the river pushed her back three times fold. It carried her away, swift and savage. Before she knew what had happened she had fallen into the air off a waterfall and into darkness.

It felt like it was the end as she fell. But it seemed like the Spirit World lived to disappoint her. Her back hit something that felt hard and yet mushy at the same time, knocking the breath out of her. As she laid there breathing hard and groaning, the darkness cleared around her. It wasn't much of a blessing, since it revealed that she was laying the midst of a dark forest that didn't have a single live tree.

She sat up and looked around. "Jinora?" she called out but not seeing the little girl, "Jinora!"

There was still no reply. She had no idea where she was in the Spirit World. But as she looked around, she saw that she wasn't alone. There were spirits all around her and these weren't like the meerkats. For one thing, they didn't say anything. They just watched her even if they had no eyes, all dark and menacing. Panic began to rise up from her stomach in a sickening motion. Something whispered in her ear that she should run. She didn't know if it was a spirit or not but it seemed like good advice. If she ran hard and fast enough, she could get out of the forest and find Jinora.

She did just that, running past any spirit that she saw and who saw her. She saw too many dark spirits just waiting in the trees and on the ground, watching and waiting. They were all waiting for something to happen, she didn't know what. That didn't matter to her, she had to get out of the forest and find Jinora. But there was no end to the forest. All she could see was endless miles of dead trees. She had to keep running.

She didn't know how long she ran exactly, but she was starting to get tired. She came to a stop and looked around. To her horror, she found that she had only run a couple of feet. The dark spirits were all still watching her. _"That shouldn't be possible!"_ she mentally screamed, placing her back against a nearby tree.

She looked around again for her friend and saw nothing. "Jinora," she called out for a third time. But her voice only attracted the dark spirits. They gathered around her, in the trees and on the ground. Soon, their voices began to speak. They were voices that crawled over her skin like wet slime that left a bad chill.

"**Look."**

"**A human."**

"**No, the Avatar."**

"**How foolish."**

"**She must not know."**

"**She's afraid."**

"**I can taste it."**

"**Such fear. It's intoxicating."**

"**I want more. I have to have more."**

"**We should kill her."**

"**No, not yet. Not when there is so much fear coursing through her."**

"**Yes. Let's stay awhile. Let us drink in all her fear and enjoy ourselves deeply."**

"**Yes."**

"**Yes."**

They all watched her with hunger-filled eyes and sadistic grins. She wanted to do something but she couldn't. She was too afraid of them. She wanted to get away but her fear was holding her there. Looking at the creatures just made her even more afraid. They were enjoying it. She wanted to get away. She wanted to go away from the dark things. But how could she? She was alone. Her friend was gone too.

She was alone.

She didn't want to be alone.

She started crying like a child and then realized that she _was_ a child. The tears, the fear, it all came crashing down hard on her. She fell to the ground, crying and calling out, "Jinora." But no one came. She was alone and terrified in the Spirit World.

(Location: Konoha)

Tsukiko couldn't sleep. She would like to put it down to the fact that Arashi was running like a freaking maniac away from a stampede on the roof, but that wasn't it. It was also the fact that she had still seen those things in the Land of Spring. Despite her mother and father comforting her about it, it still troubled her. She had accepted that it would but it didn't help her sleep much. Her whole night had a constant sequence of waking up and falling back asleep in such rapid succession, she didn't know how long the night had been.

_Thump!_

_Thump!_

"_And here he comes again,"_ she thought in resignation. It seemed like every time she was about to get a chance to sleep, the stampeding would wake her right back up again. She had never gotten used to it. In fact, she was getting irritated by it all.

_ThumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumptTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMP!_

As the stampede passed over her ceiling, a sudden anger coursed through her. _"THAT IS IT!"_ she decided, raising out of the bed, walking over to her window, swinging her feet up onto the side, and walking up to the roof. Before she was a Genin, she would've thought this feat impossible. Now, she only thought it was a little difficult.

When she reached the top, Arashi was just coming by. She reached out and grabbed him, holding him in place. "Ow!" he yelped in surprise, turning to see who it was and relaxing when he saw it was just her. "Jeez, Iron Claw, would you relax?"

The nickname made her angry but that wasn't why she was up here for. "How can I relax when you're making that kind of racket?" she demanded.

"You know I train up every morning."

"And thanks to that, I haven't had a decent night's sleep since you came here!"

He didn't buy that and he let it show as derision on his face. "You mean you haven't had a nice snooze in the morning since I've gotten here."

"Same difference!" she declared, even though she knew that it wasn't.

"Then why don't you do something about it, hm?"

"Fine," she agreed without a second thought to it all. "What do you have in mind?"

"Simple, a race," he declared, looking over at where he was running. "We run from here to one end of the complex then to the other and come back here in one lap only. If you win, then I'll stop doing this in the morning."

She had a feeling that he was leaving something out. That he would try to wiggle out of the deal that he had just made if he lost. It was a voice she didn't pay much attention to in the view of finally getting him to stop. "And if you win?" she asked him, wanting to make sure she knew everything that was going to happen.

He just smirked at her. "Do you really need to ask that question, Iron Claw?"

This time she heard the nickname and almost growled at him for daring to say it. "Don't call me that."

"Why?"

He knew damn well why. "I hate it."

"It's appropriate."

"No, it's not."

He looked down at his arm and then back up at her with a curious expression on his face. "Then why am I losing feeling in my arm?"

She looked down and seemed to realize just then that she was holding onto his arm. It felt warm in her hand, and strong. Blood rushed to her cheeks and she whipped her hand off of him quicker than he could possibly see. "Fine," she said between clenched teeth. "You've got a deal."

He just smiled at her. "Glad to hear it. Try to keep up then." He turned and took off before she could get a word in.

She swore to herself and took off after him. At first he was easy to catch up to since between her, him, and Hiro, she had the best speed. For a few seconds, they were neck and neck. But then she passed him. "Ha-ha! See ya, backwater boy!" she called out behind her as she poured on the speed.

"_This is easy!"_ she mentally declared. _"Morning snoozes, Momma's coming home!"_ A taller part of the complex was coming up, probably one of the attics. There was wide enough that she knew if she tried going around, she would lose time. The only way to go was up and over, which meant she was going to have to use chakra. She slowed down enough to gather her chakra on her feet and went up the side. It was a process but she got up there quick enough. _"Ha!"_

She looked around to see Arashi still running to catch up, but didn't see him anywhere. She thought it weird that he wasn't anywhere in sight. _"Did he try going around or something?"_ That didn't make sense. He knew just as well as she did that it would take too long to go around. So where was he? She heard the sound of feet scribbling up the side of the wall. She looked down and saw Arashi climbing up. But he wasn't doing it the way she had done. He was actually climbing up the side, using footholds to balance himself and climb. When he couldn't find a good hold within easy reach, he leapt or _ran across the side of the building_ to reach it! And he did all in half the time it took her to get up there.

He reached the top by rolling up onto it, sprang up and kept moving, not even bothering to look at her. She watched him go in a stunned surprise. _"How could he do something like that?"_ But then she remembered that first day he had been at the Academy.

She stared at the retreating backside of the dyed redhead horrified realization. _"Oh Kami have mercy on me. Was _this _what he was talking about!?"_ She realized that he was getting away from her. She took off at a charge going after him. "Get back here!" she shouted at him just as he leaped down to the rest of the roof.

"Why would I do that?" he shouted back without even turning his head back to look at her.

She raged inwardly but kept after him, leaping down herself. She landed on her feet and raised back up to get him. His back was coming closer and closer into view as they ran and she felt like she was going to be able to catch him. But then they came across one of the boiler roofs and it was filled with tubing and wiring, even more so then the other parts of the roof. _"Ah man, this is going to take a while to get through,"_ she mentally complained.

But that complaining vanished when she saw what Arashi was doing. He was going through all that tubing like it was some kind of damn jungle gym. He was leaping, swinging, and hopping all over the place! He never stopped moving, not even to realign himself. And the worst part of it was that he was through it before she could even get a quarter through.

"_Come on, come on,"_ she mentally spurred herself on. _"You can beat him!"_ Morning snoozes were on the line here! She couldn't afford to lose! She poured on more speed and tried to catch up to him. But as her breathing got more and more hard and her legs got sorer, she had a bad feeling that it wouldn't be that easy.

She definitely knew that it would be the case when she was still trying to reach the one side of the roof and he was already running back. A normal person might've given up at that point but Tsukiko Uchiha loved her morning snoozes and wouldn't give them up for anything. The only thing she did do was scream "I'm going to kill you!" as they passed each other. He didn't say anything back or if he did, she didn't hear it. She didn't focus on it; she had to reach up to him.

But even when she reached the end and turned around, that bad feeling was still there in her head. It just kept whispering that she wasn't going to beat him. And it proved true when she reached the starting point and saw that he was already coming back. _"No no no no!"_ she chanted as she raced harder. But it was too late. He reached the point before she could even reach get halfway through the race.

She came to a stop beside him, panting like she just ran a marathon (which she certainly felt like). It was all she could do to not fall on her butt in exhaustion. "I win," Arashi declared.

She glared at him with half-hearted hatred. "You cheated."

He almost seemed amused at that, which made her hate him more. "Really?" he asked.

"Yes, really," she replied through gritted teeth.

"I cheated?"

"I just said that!"

"How did I cheat?"

"You were doing all that damn hopping and climbing around!"

He shrugged his shoulders in that uncaring way that just seemed to make her even angrier. "Hey, I just used what my Jiji taught me. It's not my fault if you can't do it."

"You cheated! I demand a rematch!" she declared, finding the strength to stand up in look him in the eye.

He didn't even bother to hide his smirk. "You look like you can barely stand and you're challenging _me_ to a rematch?"

"Yes! Same stakes as before!"

He agreed, "Alright."

* * *

By the time the sun rose up proper over the village and bathed it in its warm gentle light, Tsukiko had lost the rematch, challenged him to two more, and lost them too. By the time breakfast was ready she did not walk to the table as much as she crawled to it. If anyone had anything to say about how she got there, they didn't say anything about it. When the food was placed in front of her, she just let her face fall on the plate and started to eat that away. The twins didn't care what she was doing, Itachi watched with fasciation, and her parents were disapproving.

"Tsukiko," her mother told her in that disapproving tone of voice.

She couldn't even be bothered to raise her head, instead mumbling something that sounded like, "Mmmmmgghhhhfff."

"I beg your pardon, young lady?"

Itachi leaned in closer to his sister and heard her say it again. "I think she's saying let her eat in peace," he declared pulling his head away.

Madara looked at both of his children with a parenting look he had perfected. "She can do that, with manners. Tsukiko Uchiha, get your head up off your plate this instant."

His words washed over her like a bee sting, making her flinch. Slowly she raised her head off the plate and looked at everyone at the table, finally focusing on Arashi. She scowled but the effect was lessened by the bits of rice and meat stuck to her face. "…hate you," she grumbled barely loud enough to be heard.

He couldn't help but chuckle at that proclamation and how her face looked. "You said that already," he reminded her as he ate. "Would you like some help cleaning your face?" She continued to glare at him but reached for the napkin all the same and wiped off her face.

"Did something happen between the two of you?" Mito asked them both, looking at them with a keen eye.

Whatever it was, it hadn't been big trouble for neither of them tried to avoid the question. Arashi answered her straightly, "She challenged me to a race and lost, four times."

Itachi looked over at his sister. "Why would you try racing him four times?"

She was still wiping her face off and barely looked over at her little brother. "Morning snoozes," she said shortly. If it had been a stranger's family she had been living with, all she would've gotten were looks of confusion.

But since it was her family she lived with, they knew full well what she was talking about. Since Arashi kept running around in the morning, she couldn't sleep in. It must've been enough for her already. Itachi was a deep sleeper so he could and would just sleep right through the stampede, the twins were the same, and the parents were woken by it sometimes but were generally able to ignore it.

As Madara ate and looked over the morning newspaper, he looked at Arashi. "You got up earlier than usual today, Arashi."

The dyed redhead lost the amusement on his face. "I couldn't sleep."

When she heard those words, the anger Tsukiko felt towards him disappeared. She looked at her teammate with an expression that was both curious and concerned. Was he having the same trouble she was sleeping? He didn't seem to be the one who would get shaken by that kind of thing. As soon as she came to that conclusion, she mentally kicked herself. _"You moron, he's been through some of that!"_ What happened that day in the Academy played through her mind and she wished that it didn't.

"Are you okay?" Itachi asked Arashi.

He looked across the table at the boy. A reassuring, if somewhat little hesitant, smile came to his lips. "I'm fine. I just couldn't sleep."

She had a feeling that he was lying a little bit to her brother and became concerned. Did he have it worse than she did last night? _"We need to do something,"_ she decided. She actively began eating her breakfast instead of going on autopilot. "Come on," she told Arashi. "We should finish and go see what Rin has for us to do today."

"I don't think she will," Madara told his daughter. "You do have the week off, remember?"

"That's nice and all, but I'm going to go see what my sensei has for us, okay, Dad?" she asked him as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. And to her, it was. Rin was her and Arashi's sensei. What she commanded, they did.

Madara shrugged off the condescension that could only come from a teen or a preteen's mouth. There was time to get irritated with her later being for disrespectful. She raised a valid point, even if he knew what the outcome was going to be. "Alright then, go see her."

"Thanks for the command."

He eyed her. "Watch it." She just rolled her eyes and finished up her meal, leaving the table without even bothering to take her plate away. Arashi followed her once he was done, not taking his plate either.

(Location: the Spirit World)

"Korra!" shouted Jinora as she looked for her friend. The river that carried her away from Korra turned into a stream that began to slow down as it came out of the cave and into a brightly lit forest. When it was slow enough, she was able to swim to a bank. She soon became dry and she was able to find her way out of the forest but she couldn't see where Korra was, hence her shouting for her. "Where are you!?" Her shouting for the Avatar didn't seem to be doing anything, so she tried asking anyone who could hear her. "Hello? I'm lost. Can anyone help me?"

She heard a familiar sound over her shoulder. When she turned to see where it had come from, all she really saw was a figure flying towards her. She frowned and looked more closely at the figure. It was a dragonfly bunny spirit, a green dragonfly bunny spirit. "Furry-Foot?" she asked, growing happy and excited at the sight of her friend, "Is that you?" It was Furry-Foot and when the spirit landed close by, she ran over and gave him a big hug. "It's so good to see you again!" She was really glad to see and savored the feeling of holding him, feeling safe.

Finally, she stepped back and looked at her friend. She came to an instant conclusion. "You're so big here." In her world, he barely reached her shin but here, she hardly reached his torso. She wondered if anything was different about him so she decided to test it. She rubbed his belly and he enjoyed it immensely. She knew just how immensely because of how fast he was tapping his foot. She had to resist the urge to giggle. She had to remember what it was she was supposed to be doing. "I don't suppose you know where Korra is, do you?" she asked the spirit. "We were supposed to go find the spirit portals, but I don't know how to find anything down here."

In response, Furry-Foot began flapping his ears and floated up into the air. Then he arced around behind her. She got the hint and leapt onto his back. Once she was sitting properly, he took off, flying away from that forest and towards the mountains. Jinora closed her eyes as she rode her friend. She could feel the wind in her face, now more than ever before. This was what it had to be like actually flying. It felt awesome. She would've bet that if she opened her eyes and looked down, things would look so tiny, they might've as well been ants to her.

But when she did open her eyes, she found that they were in another forest and things did not look so small. In fact, they looked even more gigantic. She looked down at mushrooms that could've easily matched her grandfather's stature in Yue Bay and the trees all around her put the mushrooms to shame. But then she saw the building hanging from the vines and branches of the trees. It was simply massive and completely cool to look at, even more so because it was upside down. "It's like an awesome tree house!" she exclaimed at the sight of it. But she looked at it more closely and realized something. "Wait, I've read about this place. Grandpa Aang came here. It's Wan Shi Tong's Spirit Library." Her excitement came back, along with a real big sense of giddiness.

* * *

At some point during her crying, Korra had fallen down on her butt and tried hiding beneath a dead tree trunk, folding up into a ball as much as she could. She couldn't see the bad things anymore, but she knew that they were out there. She could hear them moving around, sniffing the air, chuckling like they had heard something funny. She wanted to get away but was too scared. All she could think was, _"I wanna go home. I wanna go home. I wanna go home."_ She heard a screech from above and when she looked up, something was flying right at her. "Ahhh!" she cried in a panic, "Get away!" She swatted the thing away just as it got closed to her, her eyes closed shut.

After a second, she heard a pitiful croak of a sound, like a little bird chirping that it was hurt. When she opened her eyes, she saw a baby dragon bird slumped upon the ground. There was a hole in its wing, the glow highlighting the purple color of its feathers. It tried flapping its wing but nothing happened. Once it saw that, it gave another feeble cry and curled up on itself. Korra felt ashamed at what she did. "I'm sorry I swatted you," she told the bird as she picked it up. "You just scared me."

"**Oh look. She has a friend."**

She froze and looked around quickly. The voices were coming back. They sounded more vicious and scary than before. _"Oh no. Oh no."_

"**That she does."**

"**Does it matter?"**

"**It might. It could give her hope."**

"**For what? She's trapped here by us. There's nothing she can do."**

"_Go away. Go away. Please go away."_

"**Ah, can you hear her begging?"**

"**I can. It tastes so…sweet."**

"**Yes, it has a delicious flavor."**

They were getting excited; she could hear it in their voices. She grew even more scared. She hunched down more into a ball, holding the dragon bird in her hands. _"Go away. Go away. Please go away."_

"**Oh, this tastes so good."**

"**I can't get enough."**

"**I must have more."**

"**How? How can we get more?"**

"**There is a way."**

"**What is it?"**

"**We make her more afraid."**

That suggestion made her start crying tears of fear. She wanted them to go away but they wouldn't leave. Why wouldn't they leave!?

"**There! Do you feel that?"**

"**Oh yes, it feels so good."**

"**We can get more."**

"**How? How? How?"**

"**We just make her even more afraid."**

"**Do it. Do it. Do it!"**

"**I need to have more! I have to have more!"**

"**Let's take her!"**

"**Yes!" **

"**Take her! Take her and turn her into nothing but a terrified girl!"**

"**Yes, we shall do that!"**

"**Get her! Get her! Get her! Get her!"**

"**Make her afraid! Make her afraid!"**

"**We need more! We need more!"**

She could hear them getting excited as they all scuttled around her. They wanted for something, she didn't know what. All she knew was that she was terrified to the point of existence. She couldn't breathe due to the terror. Tears streaked down her face. She wanted to hide but she couldn't move. She wanted to go away. She wanted them to go away. Why wouldn't they leave her alone?

"**More! More!"**

"**Bring her to us!"**

"**Make her scream!"**

"**Make her bleed!"**

"**Drive her to terror!"**

"**Let us feed on her!"**

"**Give he—!"**

_AAAAAAAAWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_

It was a howl that pierced through the voices like a voice of reason over the confusion of chaos. It was long, sharp, and piercing. Even when it faded away, it still lingered in the air like a silent threat. The voices all fell silent at it. Soon, Korra heard them all flee, scuttling, flapping, or running away. However they did it, they did. Soon, she was left alone with the dragon bird in her arms.

But she knew that something was watching her. She uncurled herself from the ball and looked around. "He-Hello?" she called out. She saw no one and started to get scared again. But then she remembered a memory of playing in the moon-lit snow with someone who howled like that once. A hope began to grow in her chest as she looked out at the dark forest again. "Akela?" she called out, standing up.

As if to answer her, he appeared from behind a nearby tree like a ghost. He almost looked like a ghost with his white fur glowing against the darkness. He padded calmly up to her, not with the sense of tiredness she had known him for when he had first come to her. He was young here. When he reached her, he sat down on his haunches. Even though Naga was much taller than he was, he still loomed over her like a great spirit. A small twinge of fear hit her chest. She didn't know what he would do.

Akela suddenly whipped his head to the side and growled, quite loudly. The fear died away inside her and he stopped growling. He looked back at her, lowered his head to hers, and gave her face one big lick. She giggled at the feel of the wet tongue on her face. It was just like how they first met. Her giggling turned to crying before she latched onto the wolf in a big hug. "I missed you, Akela," she whispered into his fur, her tears wetting it. "Why did you have to leave me like that?" All the wolf did was lower his head around her, resting it on her back. She was enveloped a sense of comfort and warmth.

She stayed there until her tears dried up. She stepped back, still holding the dragon bird in her hands, and looked up at the wolf. "Can you help me?" she asked him. "I don't know where to go."

Akela didn't answer her, but she did hear footsteps coming from the same direction he had come from. She looked and saw someone carrying a lantern that spread light across his green robe. As he came closer, she saw that he had a great white beard and hair to match. There was also a girth to him that made him look like he enjoyed life. When he spoke, his voice radiated kindness. **"So this was who Akela went looking for. ****I'm glad he found you."**

When Korra heard that voice, a shiver went down her spine. It was a shiver of recognition. She knew that voice. She knew that person. "I know you," she said to the man, still garbed half in shadows.

"**I was good friends with Avatar Aang,"** he replied, lifting the lantern to show his face.

Even as the light peeled away the shadows to reveal what he looked like, she already knew who he was. She said his name with a mix of surprise and relief, "Iroh!"

The Dragon of the West smiled down at her. **"****Hello, Korra."**

(Location: Konoha)

The Hatake clan complex was not really a complex. Truth be told, it didn't look anything remotely like a clan complex. It looked more like a collection of apartment buildings that were connected by several sky bridges. According to legend the reason why the Hatake clan lived was because this was where Kakashi Hatake had slept with the many of mothers of his children. (Arashi had been told it was also why he was informally known as the second coming of Jiraiya, whatever that was supposed to mean).

Both Rin and Arashi looked up at the buildings, five in total and arranged in a pentagram formation. While they weren't the tallest in the village, they were certainly high enough to make them wonder what it would be like looking at the ground from the top. There was some graffiti near the bases but not higher up. There were also some extensive playgrounds on the grounds and they could see kids playing in them. While Arashi was boggled at the sight and craftsmanship of the playground, Tsukiko just remembered her own time there. Every kid in the village wanted to play in the Hatake playgrounds. It was a known fact that they were the best.

Once she was done reminiscing, she looked over at Arashi. He was still staring at the playground with a look of utter fasciation. She couldn't help but laugh before slugging him on the shoulder. "You keep staring, backwater boy, and people are going to think you're a creep," she said to him.

He rubbed his arm while scowling at her. "Cut me some slack, Iron Claw. I've never see anything like this," he told her, looking back at the playground. While there were a lot of children there, he could see that more than enough of them had the smoke-grey hair color that marked them as Hatakes. It made sense, since they probably lived here.

"Don't call me that. In any case, let's go. We need to find what Rin-sensei wants us to do today." She started for the nearest building and he followed behind her.

They were getting stares as they walked past but they ignored them for the most part. "Hey, do even know which apartment, let alone which building she's in?" Arashi asked her as they walked.

The question actually made her stop. "…No, I don't," she admitted.

He stopped too and looked at her back expectantly. "So how are we going to find her?"

She looked around at the kids running in the playground. "Hey, you!" she shouted out to the nearest Hatake kid.

The kid, probably 6 or 7 years old, stopped and looked at her with a puzzled look. "Yeah?" he asked back.

"You know where Rin is?"

"She's with Jiji."

She knew that could be a complex question in and of itself. "Which one?" she asked him.

"The big one in his penthouse," he replied.

"Right, thanks," she said, the kid going back to running around before she even finished the second word. She started walking again, this time heading for the second nearest apartment building.

"Wait, you got what he was saying?" Arashi asked, going after her.

"Of course I did," she replied without stopping.

"Care to fill me in then."

She wanted to roll her eyes at him for not knowing anything but she also knew that he had only met two Hatakes since he came to the Elemental Nations. (The count could be three, but she wasn't counting ghosts met in dreams). "Everyone calls the head of the Hatake clan the big Jiji, since he's looks after them all like one."

He took that little piece of information and filtered it in with all the other tidbits that he knew about the Hatake clan. The conclusion wasn't that hard to come to. "So Rin's with her big brother, Kakashi's eldest son," he said, looking at her for confirmation.

She nodded and said, "Yep, Obito Hatake, the first child of Kakashi and head of the clan. He lives where his father used to: in the penthouse apartment in the oldest building." She pointed out the building in question. "Any more questions?" she asked him, hoping that he wouldn't have any.

But he did. "Just one, actually: what's the age difference between them?" If she was the youngest and he was the eldest with a lot of brothers and sisters in between, that must've been one hell of an age gap.

It was a question that she knew the answer easily enough, since she had meant the clan head herself. "It's about thirty years or soon. He was already married and a father when Rin-sensei was born."

He considered that as they climbed the stairs up to the apartment building. If he was a family man when she had been born, that also meant other children had been married and had families too. And that meant she probably would've been playing with her nieces and nephews as she grew up. As the image came to his head, he stared at it like one would stare at a pygmy puma chasing a Satomobile: it took a few seconds to realize just what he was seeing.

It was enough to make him stay silent while Tsukiko rang the penthouse, filling their ears with a static-sounding kind of buzz. She waited for a reply on the intercom but there was nothing. After a minute of silence, she rang again. Still silence. She scowled at the button she had been pressing and then looked up the side of the building. "Think we can climb up there?" she asked her teammate.

He looked up to see what she was seeing. The building was tall enough to be formidable for a climb. So much so that he had doubts. "I don't think that we've got the experience or the handling to do it."

"So you're wimping out?"

"We're only Genin, Tsukiko. We don't know everything. Plus, wouldn't it be just a little bit rude to knock on the window then the door?"

He had a point but she wasn't going to admit it. She growled out a sound of frustration and jammed her finger against the button again. She held it there, letting the buzz go on and on as she waited for someone to pick up. When someone finally did, they weren't in a good mood. "I specifically said that I was not to be disturbed right now," a man's voice said through the intercom. "This had better be good if you're choosing to disregard what I said."

Both Genins could hear the grouchiness in the man's voice. Tsukiko looked over at Arashi but he just gave her a look that said that it was her fault and not his. She frowned at him but turned her attention back to the intercom. "Lord Hatake, I'm Tsukiko Uchiha and I'm here with Arashi Uzumaki. We're Rin's students," she introduced the two of them like they were actually meeting with the man face to face.

"And?" the man asked.

"We were wondering what we were supposed to be doing today. Rin-sensei wasn't at the usual meeting spot."

"Neither was Hiro," Arashi pointed out. She just flapped a hand at him, silently commanding him to be quiet.

"Rin says that there's nothing for you to do. You've got the day off."

They both paused and stared at the intercom. _"What?"_ they thought the same thought. They never expected to hear such a thing from their sensei (even if it was by proxy). "Um, is that what Rin-sensei really said?" Tsukiko asked.

He answered shortly, "Yes. She just told me."

"Oh, are you in a meeting with Rin-sensei right now?"

"Yes. That is why I said I was not to be disturbed. Now you two go away and enjoy the day." The intercom went dead without a second's pause.

Both Arashi and Tsukiko stared at the intercom and then at each other. "Okay, that just happened," the dyed redhead said, making sure they both understood what had just happened.

"What do we do now?" Tsukiko asked. She had been expecting to do training today, had even been looking forward to it. But now she had the day off and she didn't know how to compute that.

She didn't know if her teammate was experiencing the same thing. He certainly didn't look it. "I guess that we enjoy the day," he said to her. His voice wasn't confident, but rather had a lot of doubts in it.

"How do we do that?"

He shrugged his shoulders, suggesting, "Go about your day like it was a normal day off?"

She flashed him a look of annoyance. "That's helpful."

"What do you want me to say?" he asked like it was a challenge, flashing her a look.

She didn't rise to it, mostly because she didn't have an actual answer. So she decided to go with a different question. "So what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to see if I can find Hiro, find out why he didn't show up at the meeting point."

"Maybe he got a memo from sensei about not having a meeting." It was a weak excuse and they both knew it. Once the words had left her lips, she wondered why exactly had she said it.

Arashi looked at her, not in disbelief, but in mild irritation. He didn't answer because they both knew that it would've been pointless. So instead, he just left her on the steps of the building and walked out of the complex, past the playgrounds with all the children playing on them.

She didn't move for a moment, watching him go and then watching the children play. For a moment, she felt like she wanted to join them in their playing. But then she dismissed it out of hand. She was a kunoichi now. She couldn't play with the little kids. But she also didn't know what to do for the rest of the day.

Her feet started walking but she didn't have any specific kind of destination in mind. So she just ended up wandering around in the streets. She didn't say anything to the passing people, even when they greeted her. She looked up at the buildings around her. Most were tall and made of concrete, but she knew the heights varied and the concrete was covered up by bits and pieces, like advertisement boards, signs that glared neon in the night, and wire cables that stretched overhead like a system of roads for electricity. This was her home and she loved it here.

But there was something else about the place now. She didn't know what it was. It was different somehow. Every building she looked at, even old familiar sights, didn't look exactly the same. There was always something a little off about them. And there were the people too. They were all going about their business, chattering away like the day was normal. She knew the day was normal but there was something about the people just talking about the things she didn't care about that annoyed her. It all annoyed her. The only people that seemed to be the same were the shinobi she passed in the street, giving them a nod of acknowledgement and getting one in return. But everything else just annoyed the crap of out her and she didn't know why. She kept walking, wondering if she should've gone with Arashi to find Hiro.

(Location: the Spirit World)

"**I'm glad you came to visit us in the Spirit World, Korra,"** Iroh said to Korra as they walked down a path in the forest. Well, technically speaking, he was walking. She was riding atop Akela's back with the dragon bird cradled in her arms. **"You came just in time."**

"For what?" she asked him, looking up from where she sat on Akela's back. Ahead of her, the darkness of the forest began to fade away and be replaced with light. She looked ahead, trying to see past it all. The light blinded her a little but it passed and she saw a house standing on a grassy hill. Beyond the house was a tall mountain with dark, dirty brown clouds surrounding it but that didn't seem important.

There was a table beside the house and it was filled with spirits, all sitting around the table and drinking tea. **"We're having a little tea party, to celebrate May-Jim's wedding**," Iroh explained as they walked up the hill to the table.

Korra couldn't help but stare at the married couple, who happened to be a pair of frogs. If this was a wedding, she had to believe that it was the weirdest one she had ever heard of. "How can you marry each other?" she asked the frogs, who were wearing garlands of flowers. "Aren't you…?" She really didn't know how to finish the sentence.

Thankfully, the married couple took care of it for her. **"****Complete opposites?"** asked the female toad. **"I know!"**

"**I tried to fight it, but she really grew on me!"** the male toad remarked with a laugh that spread around the table.

Before Korra could say anything else, she felt a pair of strong hands lift her off of Akela and toss her straight up in the air. The sheer sensation of flight made her laugh without thinking. As she came back down, those same pair of hands caught her. **"What? I don't get a hello from my favorite granddaughter?"** a familiar voice asked her.

She turned her head around and looked at who was holding her. Her face broke into a big grin. His hair might not be the snow white she remembered and his beard might not be as long (and really not that droopy), but she knew that smile and those bright humorous eyes belonged to only one person. "Grandpa Sokka!" she said in excitement, an excitement she hadn't felt for a long time. Twisting around, she lunged at him and he received her, hugging her just as tightly. "You're the one who sent Akela!"

He pulled her away from the hug so they could look each other in the eyes. **"I don't send Akela to do anything, Korra. He went off on his own and Iroh followed,"** he explained like he always did.

"Why didn't you come?"

He smiled. **"If I had, I wouldn't have able to toss you in the air now, could I?"**

She couldn't disagree with that sentiment. She looked around and passed his shoulders, looking for the other person. "Is Grandma Suki here too?"

He shook his head. **"No, she's not. She attended the last party here and is a little worn out from it all."**

She could understand why her grandma wasn't there but the reasoning was still a little odd to her. "Wait, so there are more weddings here?"

Both Sokka and Iroh laughed at that. **"****The Spirit World is very mysterious, but so is love,"** the Dragon of the West told her while her grandfather sat her down at the table. **"Help yourself to some tea and cakes."** He handed her a slice and she took. **"They are spirit cakes, so you won't gain any weight,"** he chuckled and then patted his round tummy, **"of course, you won't lose any either!"**

"**And you'd used to have all the ladies come after you too,"** Sokka said with a shake of his head.

Korra giggled as the two old men chuckled, their laughter was infectious. "This part of the Spirit World isn't so scary," she decided. Here, she felt safe. As a spirit moved the large cake away in order to get a slice, she saw an object that she hadn't seen before but knew it instantly. "My teapot!" she cried, pointing at the old worn teapot on the table.

"**That's right. It was yours long, long ago,"** Iroh agreed as he took the teapot in hand. "**When you were Avatar Wan, you used it to carry the light spirit, Raava, around — until the two of you became one. It is my favorite thing I found here."** He poured her a cup of tea.** "You know, when you make tea in it, you can still taste a little light in every cup."**

She looked down at the cup full of tea and then back at him? "Really?" she asked.

He nodded. So did Akela and Sokka. **"It's true,"** her grandpa said. **"You must try it, Korra."**

So she took the cup and sipped the tea. She found the tea to be tasty and yet also pure, somehow. She liked it and took another sip. As that second sip went down her throat and into her tummy, she enjoyed it more.

* * *

Jinora could only stare in awe as Furry-Foot flew through a hole in the tower and came down onto the library ground. She stepped down gingerly, thinking that gravity would be normal and since she was technically upside down, she would fall back down to the ground. But after a second of touching the floor and not falling, she relaxed. She kept forgetting that she was in the Spirit World. But her sense of relief was overridden by the wonder of all the books she was staring at right now. "Wow. I could just stay in here forever, reading," she said aloud, taking a few steps forward.

A shadow fell over her eyes. Then a giant owl landed right in front of her with a gust of wind. **"The last human who said that is still here,"** it declared, looking down at her in irritation and anger.

To anyone else, that probably wouldn't have made any kind of sense. But Jinora had listened to her family's stories and read them too. A look of horror fell over her as she realized who the spirit was talking about. "Professor Zei!" She looked around for any sign of a body but saw nothing. She didn't know if that was a good thing or not. But it did mean that the owl spirit in front of her was Wan Shi Tong himself.

The owl in question looked down intently at her. **"****I see that you have some knowledge of the past, so you should know that humans are no longer allowed in my library." **He leaned down his head to look at her closely. **"Get out."**

Whilst Furry-Foot flew backwards to hide behind a nearby column, Jinora didn't move from her spot. She looked right back at the owl. "I thought anyone could come in if they brought you some new knowledge?" she asked him.

'**Those are the old rules. Besides, what has a little girl got to teach Wan Shi Tong, he who knows ten thousand things?"** The arrogance that was practically bleeding out of that sentence was enough to make anyone not like the owl.

But she was not going to give up the chance to read in the Library. "Well, since you've been down in the Spirit World, the humans have invented radio," she declared smugly, folding her arms across her chest.

"**Yes, I am well aware of the radio."**

"But do you know how it works?"

"**Of course I do!"** the spirit snapped. **"There is a box, and inside the box, there is a tiny man who sings and plays musical instruments."**

She stared at him for a long second, almost not believing what she had just heard. That was an answer she'd expect from Ikki or Meelo, or even a kid for crying out loud. Not from an owl spirit who tried to collect everything it could. She felt it was her duty to correct him and she would do just that. "Actually, when we speak, our voices produce sound waves. Radio takes those sound waves and converts them into electromagnetic energy that is transmitted through the spectrum—"

She didn't know if the owl was irritated but he certainly sounded like it when he interrupted her. "**All right, enough. I did not know this. Apparently, I have been fed some **_**misinformation**_** about the existence of tiny men in boxes."** He turned his head to glare at a nearby fox, which bowed its head in shame and backed away whilst whimpering in that same kind of shame. **"Still, I am not interested in that human garbage. Now, go away."**

If that wasn't going to help her, she was going to have to go with a different tactic. Fortunately, since she read the stories, she had just the right one to use. "My grandfather was the Avatar, and I came to the Spirit World with the new Avatar to find the spirit portals. I would think that you'd wanna help me."

"**You came with the Avatar, hm? Well, why didn't you say so!"** he declared, his attitude taking a completely different tone. **"Fine, you may look around. But don't break anything- I'll know,"** he added, leaning in for extra emphasis. He pulled his head back and looked off to the Library. He hooted once, a sound that reverberated through her bones and traveled down the depths of the place. Once he had hooted, he opened his wings and flew away, vanishing into the shadows down above.

She might've watched him fly, but there were important things to do. "Come on, Furry-Foot, we gotta hurry!" she called out to her spirit friend.

"**Now, now, there's no need to rush about,"** a kind old voice said off to the side.

She turned to the voice and saw an old man walking towards her. His white hair and beard were neatly combed but the clothes he wore were out of date, like really out of date. But he looked like enough of a human for to think that he actually was one. That meant that he could only be one before. "Professor Zei?" she asked.

He laughed at that. **"I don't think I've been a professor for the longest time now. But I am Zei. You've heard of me?"**

She nodded. "Of course I have, from my Gran-Gran. She and the others thought you had died!" Gran-Gran had always been so sad that they were never able to rescue the professor from the Library.

But the professor just smiled at her. **"I didn't die. That young man, Naruto, saved my life when he stopped Wai Shi Tong from burying the Library in the desert. After the Avatar and his friends had left, I became Wai Shi Tong's personal assistant and, dare I say, his friend."** A look of puzzlement came over his face and he looked at her again. **"Do I happen to know your…Gran-Gran, was it?"**

"Of course you do, and my grandfather too! They were Katara and Avatar Aang!"

The puzzlement vanished and the smile came back, this time much brighter. **"How nice to know!"** he said with utter joy. Then he became a little more serious. **"Now, onto business," **he declared. **"What are you here for?"**

Jinora was a little caught off-guard by his constant changes in his mood. It almost made her forget what she was doing. "Uh, any books on the spirit portals? Do you have those?"

His smile came back. **"That we do. If you will follow me…"** He turned around and started walking into the Library. She followed him without missing a beat.

(Location: Konoha)

Hiro sat against the tree, looking at nothing in general. He had been eating dango at one point, but was now just chewing on the stick. This morning he woke determined to go and talk to his grandmother. But like usual, it fizzled out as he reached her door and he ended up walking away. He couldn't be more embarrassed of himself if he tried. _"Come on, Hiro,"_ he told himself, _"You've gotta do something about this."_

"Hey, Hiro!" he heard Arashi's voice call out for him. It was a kunai cutting across the state of feeling he was in.

He lurched up into an actual sitting position. "I'm in here, Arashi," he called out.

"Where is 'here?'"

Where else would he be? _"Wait, I should probably figure out where he is exactly,"_ he told himself. "Where are you?"

"I'm at the front gate looking the courtyard your clan has. It's pretty ostentatious in its bigness."

He couldn't help but chuckle at the blunt statement. Sometimes he thought that too. "Just walk through it and hang a left then a right. You should be able to find me." He waited for the dyed redhead to come his way. He showed up a minute later. "What can I do for you?"

"Where were you, man?"

"Huh?" he asked in confusion.

Arashi fixed him with a look. "The usual meeting time with Rin-sensei at the usual spot?" he said, making each word perfectly clear. "The same thing we do every single day here in the village?"

At first he didn't understand the words. Then he did and the realization hit him like a hammer. He stood up in a panic. "Oh Kami help me, I forgot about that?" That was not good. That was really not good. The last time one of them did that, they were forced to promise to not do it again while being held by the foot by Rin-sensei as she stood on the Hokage Monument. And that was before they were made to run ten laps around the village at full speed _and_ being banned from Rock Lee's house for the better part of two weeks (which was the worst part of all).

Arashi sighed and stopped him before he could work himself into a bigger panic. "Relax, Hiro. It's alright. Sensei wasn't at the meeting spot either."

He stopped and looked at him. "She wasn't?" That was completely unheard of. She had always been the first one there, every time.

"She wasn't," the dyed redhead confirmed. "Tsukiko and I went over the Hatake complex to find her but she was in a meeting with her brother. We were told that we've got the whole week off."

His breath escaped outwardly in relief. Then he actually heard the words Arashi spoke. "Wait, the whole week off?"

"Yep," Arashi said with a short nod.

He actually floundered a little. "Well…what are we going to do for a whole week?"

His teammate just shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever we've been doing the last time we've had a day off, I guess."

"We've never had a day off before." He remembered quite clearly how they were dragged out to train on the weekend. He and Tsukiko had complained all the way to the meeting point, only to promptly shut up when Rin-sensei gave them extra training as punishment. (Strangely enough, Arashi had been the only one who didn't complain. In fact, he went about it like it was normal.)

Arashi looked at him and then looked around the little garden they were standing in. "What were you doing?"

It was an innocent sounding question but for some reason, Hiro became a little defensive. "Nothing, just lying around," he said.

But that just made him look at his teammate with an odd look. "You're never one to just lie around, Hiro. You're the one who's always gotta be doing something." It was like his Hyūga teammate could not stand doing nothing and absolutely had to keep his hands busy whenever they were training or doing missions.

"Well, I was eating." That had to count for something, he thought.

"Are you now?"

"…No," he admitted after a moment of silence.

"Uh-huh," the dyed redhead said. He looked at his teammate again, trying to find something that would tell him what was going on. "You okay, Hiro?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Even when he asked the question, he sounded defensive enough that it warranted further questioning.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, of course."

He kept looking at Hiro, taking in everything he was seeing. His teammate couldn't hold his gaze, his eyes wandering all around the place. His hands were twitching like they wanted to be doing something instead of just standing there by his side. He also looked like he hadn't been getting much sleep. All of this told Arashi that he was not fine. That meant it could only be one thing that was getting to him. "Are you still thinking about what happened in the Land of Spring?"

His eyes shot right towards him and remained locked there. He could've denied it. In fact, he wanted to. But what came out of his mouth was, "How could you not be?" What they saw was horrible and it was a glimpse of what was there. A glimpse!

But Arashi didn't look down at him for being weak or for even thinking about what they saw. All he did was place a comforting hand on his shoulder and said, "You're not the only one who's still thinking about what happened."

While that was a little comforting, it only told Hiro that Tsukiko was having the same problem as him. Arashi looked to be as calm and steady as a rock. If it had been someone else, it could've been annoying. But with him, it actually felt comforting. He calmed down a little bit and began thinking about the time. Maybe what he needed, what the whole team needed, was bonding time over food. That always worked in his opinion.

He opened his mouth to voice that opinion when they both heard his grandmother speak from behind him, "Hiro."

They both turned to the direction of her voice. She was standing on the walkway, dressed in one of her normal kimonos. If she saw that Arashi was there, she didn't acknowledge him at all. She only had eyes for him and that made him nervous. "Yes, Grandmother?" he asked.

"Follow me." With that said and done, she turned and walked away.

He turned back to look at Arashi one last time and give an apologetic smile. The dyed redhead smiled and waved it off without saying a word. He went after his grandmother, leaving his friend behind in the small garden. He didn't walk right up to his grandmother's side but stayed within sight of her back.

She led him back to her personal rooms, opening the door and walking through without looking back to see if he would come in. She didn't have to. When the clan head commanded one of the clan to do something, they did it. "Sit," she ordered him. She did not point to any chairs in the room (there were none) and she did not point to the ground.

But he knelt down on the ground, settling into the traditional position. The room was a very formal parlor room. Everything was where it should be. There was a screen that was opened to his grandmother's private garden and he knew the other closed screen led to her private room. As far he had known, no one had ever been in that room.

She sat down in front of him, more at ease sitting on her knees then he ever would be. She stared at him with intentness in her eyes, making him nervous. His nervousness grew with each passing second, all the while she stared at him. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and blurted out, "Did you need something of me, Grandmother?"

She arched an eyebrow at him, giving her a slightly menacing look. "You are the one who has been outside my door since you've come back," she told him. "I would think that you want something of me."

Her words were sharp and made him flinch involuntarily. "O-Oh, right. I guess that's true."

If it was possible, that eyebrow became even more menacing. "You guess?" she asked.

"_Yikes!"_ he thought in a near panic. He forgot that she didn't like undecidedness from the members of the clan, even more so from him. "I-I mean," he took a deep, deep breath to steady himself because he really needed it, "I wanted to talk to someone."

"There are plenty of people in the clan for you to talk to."

"I know that, but I wanted to talk my actual family." There was always a difference between the clan and his family. The clan was everyone. The family was his parents, Tsume and her parents, and his grandmother. "And you said that my parents were going to be gone for a while."

"So you thought you might as well talk to me," she finished for him.

"Well, yeah…"

"Then why haven't you?" He didn't say anything to her. The silence began to stretch out and out into an uncomfortable sense of the word. He wouldn't even look her in the eyes, instead staring down at the ground. "Hiro, I am waiting," she said sharply and sternly.

He winced at the voice that cut into his ears. It was harsh but true. So he forced himself to look up at her. "Please don't be mad," he said right away.

"Why would I be mad?"

He gulped in air and said, "Because what I might say could make you angry."

She didn't say anything right away, which just made him even more nervous. She sat there, her eyes closed. When they opened, she looked right at him. "And why would it make me angry?" she asked him in a calm voice.

He took a deep breath. He never thought that this day would come. But it was here and there was nothing he could do to avoid it now. "Grandmother, you scare the hell out of me sometimes."

She did not react. She did not even more a single finger. She just stared at him. His nervousness came back and he was seriously considering fleeing from the room. "I scare you," she finally said, her voice not at all stern. Rather, it was soft.

That was a voice he had never ever heard his grandmother use. It was new, it was weird, and he didn't know what to make of it. So he just went with the basic answer. "Yes."

"How so?" she asked.

That, he could answer. There was just one problem: he didn't want to. He had a feeling that if he did, he would get into even more trouble. But she had asked and when the clan head asked, it was in the best interest to answer. "You always look like I did something wrong when I stutter, stumble, or mess my words. You've always have that look in your eyes that makes me think you think that you know everything about me and that you could and would end me right then and there. Plus, I've heard of what happened when you took over the clan and the elders objected to your reforms." And that was just the start of what he had to say.

It came all out in a single breath. He listed everything that she managed to do that scared and intimidated him. And while it was a relief to get that all off of his chest, he was also having a bit of a panic attack for telling this all to his grandmother. He just knew that at the end of it, his parent would come back home to find him in a grave with his head detached from his body. (That might've been the panic speaking rather than him).

When he was finally down, she simply asked one question. "Is that all?"

"_Here it comes,"_ he thought, mentally preparing for his death. "Yes."

"Good." She stood up and he closed on instinct. But the sound of her feet, soft as they may have been, didn't come anywhere close to him. He opened his eyes and saw that she was walking over to her desk, a small thing the belonged in the room and thus usable when she was kneeling in the proper sitting position.

"_Why is she going there?"_ he wondered. Wasn't she supposed to be killing him right now? Instead, she was looking for something

It didn't take her long to come back and sit down again. "Here," she said, holding out a picture to him. "Take this."

He did, but he still didn't know what was going on. "Why am I taking?" he asked as her grip left the picture. It wasn't a big picture, able to fit in the palm of his hand, and there was no frame to it.

"Look at it. Tell me what you see."

He looked down at the picture, taking in the details. He was looking at a young girl. He could tell that it was a Hyūga just by looking at the hair and the eyes, but there was also something familiar about her. She wasn't confident and could barely look at where the camera had been pointing. Instead, she seemed to be looking down at the ground and playing with her fingers. She was wearing formal clothing and they did fit her, but she only wore them to cover her body. She didn't hold herself with any kind of confidence. She was a shy, nervous looking person.

As he continued to look, he knew that there was something familiar about the girl in the picture, but he couldn't place it. He wondered if he should ask how old the picture was. He was almost tempted to but he also had that feeling he would fail whatever kind of test his grandmother was putting him through. At the thought of his grandmother, he went still. He looked at the girl's face again, at those pale lavender eyes. _"It can't be,"_ he thought to himself. Yet, the evidence was right there in front of him. He looked back up at his grandmother. "This is you?" he asked, looking at those same eyes. He couldn't believe it but it was true.

She only nodded. "Yes. That is who I was, when I was a child."

He looked back down at the picture, at that nervous shy child. "But…but this can't be you."

"Why can't it?" she asked him.

He held it up for her to see. "She's nervous, scared, and unable to look directly at the camera. She looks like she would rather be somewhere else rather than there."

She nodded. "That much is true." She reached out and took the picture from him. "I was a different person when I was younger, a much different person. I had little or no confidence in my abilities or my role in the clan. I had a stutter that would not go away. I thought myself a failure. But after I became a kunoichi, I realized that I could be better and that I had to work for it. And I did. I changed myself and got better with what I already had. I could not afford to let any weakness I had to take hold of me again when war came about. I became hard, ruthless. But I always remembered where it was I came from." She tapped the picture with a single finger. "This is how I remember. And do you know something else, Hiro?"

He didn't answer right away, too enraptured by what she was telling him. When he did finally reply, it was hesitantly. "No?"

She smiled. It was a gentle smile, which he thought was a surprise from her. "When I look at you, I see a lot of myself when I was young."

Silence filled the room when he heard that. He couldn't really comprehend it. His stern, unyielding grandmother not only admitted that she used to be completely different in attitude and emotions, but now that he reminded her of that. A dry, second area of his mind noted that must've been why she gave him the jacket he now wore. But that wasn't much concern for him. What was concerning was how she had changed. How did it happen? "What made you become so different?"

The smile faded somewhat but still remained on her lips. "The same way you did, with someone helping me along."

That was an odd thing to say. Then he thought it over and two memories came to him. The first was of how Arashi dragged him through the seedier parts of the village. The second was of Arashi meeting his grandmother for the first time. That hadn't been a pleasant meeting for anyone. If anything, it had been awkward at first and dangerous at the end. By the time Arashi had chosen to leave, Hiro's grandmother looked like she wanted to kill him. He understood why in a vague fashion back then and now, he really knew. "Naruto Uzumaki?" he asked.

She nodded her head again. "Yes." The strangest thing happened next: she actually looked a little embarrassed. "I had a crush on him when I was young. He was everything I wanted to be. He didn't really see me until we had both become Genin and when I had faltered during the Chūnin Exams, he was the one to encourage me to keep going by shouting."

"_Shouting?"_ he mentally repeated. The thought of Arashi shouting encouragingly didn't really come to mind. He was more likely to use sarcasm and when it came to encouragement, he was more inclined to use action. He had only really seen the dyed redhead scream when he wanted to get his point across. That was when it hit him. "You were expecting Arashi to be just like his grandfather."

"Yes," she admitted with no shame in her voice, although there were the beginnings of a frown forming around her eyes. But they vanished almost as soon as they had appeared. "But I am willing to look past that now. Arashi is his own man."

He had trouble believing that to be the case. He remember quite distinctly that when Arashi and Tsukiko picked him up the first day Arashi had dyed his hair red, Grandmother looked like she wanted to hamstring him on the spot. "I think we've gotten off-track here."

The frown vanished. "Indeed we have. You are what I was once, Hiro. If I am hard on you, if I scare you, or if you find yourself uncomfortable because of me, it is because I do not want you to be bogged down by what those same feelings of inadequacy and paralyzing nervousness. If you want to talk about something and your parents aren't here, I am here." A gentle look crossed her face as she looked at him. "I am your grandmother. I will always be here for you."

As those words seeped through his ears, he found a feeling in his chest. It was a sense of gladness and relief. She wasn't some scary woman who would kill at a glance. She was family and she could help him. He let out a quiet breath and said, "I would like to talk about something with you, Grandmother."

She smiled at him. "What is it you would like to talk about, Hiro?"

"What we saw in the Land of Spring."

(Location: the Spirit World)

As Korra fed the baby dragon bird, she was watching probably the most bizarre thing she had ever seen: a Pai Sho match between a human and a spirit in the shape of a lotus. She sat on one side and her grandfather sat on the other, both of them watched the game. **"****They say that the game of Pai Sho was invented by the spirits,"** Iroh explained to Korra, **"although some of them don't seem to grasp it very well." **He looked pointedly at his opponent.

"**Just hold on. I'm thinking,"** the lotus spirit replied, sounding like an old man while it scratched its head.

"**As you can see, it is game that requires great patience. But time does not mean much to us here."**

Korra's grandfather chuckled. **"I find it funny that you're the one preaching about patience, Iroh, when you're the one who plays like a dragon on the hunt."**

The Dragon of the West smiled back at him and said, **"I have played against you, Sokka. You play Pai Sho like a wolf on the prowl. And you take too long in doing so."**

"**Still faster than him,"** he said, looking over at the spirit.

"**Don't rush me,"** the spirit told them both in annoyance.

Korra could only watch this all go on with being one step from giggling. She tried to make not to when she looked at Iroh and asked, "How long have you lived here?"

"**Oh, I've been here for many years. I had always enjoyed the company of the spirits, so when my work was done in the material world, I chose to leave my body behind and come to the Spirit World! It can be a wonderful place, and I've made so many friends."** As he spoke, he turned his head and toasted the newly-weds, who raised their cups in return to him.

She could only stare at him in surprise and a small amount of fear. He had made friends here? How could he? The spirits she had met here had been rude and mean to her. They didn't even help her. Instead they made her feel all alone. _"How could he have friends here?"_ she asked. She didn't have any here.

Both Iroh and Sokka noticed the look on her face but it was Iroh who asked, **"Korra, what's wrong?"**

She looked up at him, tears hanging in the corner of her eyes. "I came here with my friend, but I lost her and now I'm all alone."

"**You're not alone Korra, it's okay."**

She stared at him for a long second. Her fears, her anger, and her uncertainty about everything that had happened here erupted in a tantrum. "No! It's not okay! Jinora's gone and I need to find her! She's lost, and we need to go home! I don't like the Spirit World, I don't want to be here anymore!" The storm darkened around the mountain and spread through the sky and the lotus spirit shriveled up. But she didn't see any of that. She was too busy screaming in frustration.

And because she was screaming, she didn't notice that the other spirits had turned dark and were beginning to turn on one another. **"****Did you say something to her?"** the bride demanded of the husband.

"**Me?"** he replied, **"You're the one with the big mouth!"**

Korra kept screaming and did. But as she continued, she felt strong and gentle hands on her shoulders. She was spun around and crushed against her grandfather's chest, which she latched onto without a second thought. **"Ssh, ssh, ssh,"** her grandfather whispered to her comfortingly. **"It's alright, Korra. You're okay. I'm right here. Grandpa is right here."** His soft and gentle words soothed her and she began to calm down.

"**Korra please, look at what you're doing to everyone!"** Iroh whispered to her ear.

"_But I didn't do anything!"_ she protested. All she wanted to do was go home. But then her grandfather turned her back around and she saw all the spirits growling and arguing with each other. She was shocked at the sight and immediately felt guilty about it. "I did that?" she asked.

"**In the Spirit World, your emotions become your reality. Especially for the Avatar, because **_**you**_** are the bridge between the two worlds,"** he explained to her. **"You must try to stay positive."** He reached out and wiped away a tear on her face she didn't know that she had.

She felt her grandpa's arms let go of her. She started to panic but realized that he hadn't left, only stepped back. This was her doing. She had to be the one to fix it. She sniffed away all the remaining tears she had and faced the spirits at the wedding table. "I'm sorry," she told them all with a bow of her head. She meant each word of it.

All the spirits paused when they heard the apology. They stayed there for a second that seemed long then it should've been. Then their coloring turned to normal and the dark clouds vanished. It was like nothing had changed. **"****There, you see?"**

"I can make the sun shine?" she asked, just staring at it all.

"**You most certainly did, you beautiful girl,"** Sokka said with a proud look on his face.

"**Even in the material world, you will find that if you look for the light, you can often find it,"** Iroh explained to her. **"But if you look for the dark," **his face turned serious, **"that is all you will ever see."**

"I'm looking for my friend. I want her here now!" She closed her eyes and clapped her hands together, praying hard for Jinora to appear. But when she opened her eyes and looked around, her friend wasn't there. "Why didn't she come out like the sun?"

The old man looked sad for her. **"****I'm afraid finding her won't be so easy."**

"But what am I supposed to do?"

"**Sometimes the best way to solve your own problems is to help someone else."** He looked down at the baby dragon bird. **"This little fellow needs to go home as well." **He held his hand and the little spirit hopped onto it. Then he held it out for her to take it again.** "Maybe if you help him find his friends, you will be able to find yours." **

"I'll take him home!" she promised instantly. Then she looked puzzled and asked, "Where do I go?"

Sokka couldn't help but chuckle at that. _**"Does she get that from me or Aang?"**_

"**The dragon bird nest is located there,"** Iroh explained, pointing to the mountain in the background, **"at the top of Hai-Riyo Peak." **Korra looked at the dark and foreboding mountain. She couldn't help but gulp.

* * *

Jinora kept going through the books in the section Professor Zei had led her to. The old man was nearby, trying to do something while in reality he was just doing nothing, touching up books to make sure they were in the right place. She didn't pay him a lot of attention, choosing to focus on the books. But they weren't very helpful. "Ugh, it's not in here either!" she declared as she put another book down.

"**Don't worry,"** the old man said, looking over to her. **"They are here."**

She looked over at him and wondered if all this time in the library had made the old man a little bit senile. He had said that he would take her to the books on the spirit portals but she had found nothing. "I have to find the portals. Korra is probably waiting for me there right now!"

The professor looked over at her with a curious look. **"Is this Korra person important?"**

"Of course she is! She's the Avatar!"

"**Oh, oh dear,"** he remarked with a surprised face. **"This is cause for concern."**

"Then help me already!"

"**But I did. You asked for books on the spirit portals."** He gestured to the aisle with a wide hand. **"These are all the books on the spirit portals."**

"_Okay, he has definitely been down here too long,"_ she decided. All the books that she had pulled out barely had, if at all, any mention to the spirit portals. She needed something more concrete to work with. Maybe if she had a map, she could go from there. She looked over at Zei, opening her mouth halfway. But then she closed it. He would probably get her deeper into the library without a single result. She saw one of the fox spirits nearby, checking out a selection of books.

"Excuse me," she called out to it, getting its attention, "I need to find a map that shows where the spirit portals are, could you help me?" It turned away from the books it had been checking and vanished down the aisle, almost vanishing into the darkness. Before she could worry about it leaving her as a joke, it came back with a book that it placed at her feet. She sat down and opened the book, reading the contents of the first page while the fox and Furry-Foot watched over her. "Thanks, this is it!" she finally declared, giving the fox a scratch beneath its jawline. It accepted the gesture with a thumping of its tail before padding away.

"**So, what have we found?"** Professor Zei asked, coming over to the little group.

"I don't know, I haven't opened the book yet," she told him in exasperation.

"**You should do that then."**

She rolled her eyes to herself and opened the book. She kept turning the pages until she came across a page that held a picture of what Korra had described to her. "The Tree of Time!" she exclaimed. "That's where Avatar Wan imprisoned Vaatu!"

"**Hmm, yes, that does look to be the place,"** the old man said with a cheerful nod.

She chose to ignore him and read what was in the book. "The elders believe that as long as the portals are closed during the Harmonic Convergence, Vaatu will remain imprisoned and the battle between good and evil will not be fought again. But, if both portals are open, spirit energy is amplified greatly. During the Harmonic Convergence, this energy will be great enough to allow Vaatu to break free from his bonds, and the material world will again risk being consumed by darkness." As she read, she could picture the dark spirit being free from the tree and engulfing the world in darkness. It was a chilling thought, one that she wouldn't want to happen. "We have to warn Korra!"

"Leaving so soon?" a voice she hadn't heard since she had been at the South Pole asked. She whipped her to the entrance and saw Unalaq and Wan Shi Tong standing there.

Professor Zei saw the two of them, he smiled widely. **"Ah, Chief Unalaq, how nice of you to come and visit us!"** he exclaimed, starting to walk over to him.

But Unalaq paid him no mind, instead focusing on Jinora. "When Wan Shi Tong told me he had a visitor, I had to see it with my own eyes. I can't believe Tenzin sent his daughter here instead of coming himself. What kind of a father is he?"

"Better than you," she retorted, not liking the face he had on. This was not the solemn and serious chief she had met in the south. He had a smirk on his face that seemed to be both smug and smarmy. It was really off-putting, but not as off-putting as seeing the owl standing beside him. "Wan Shi Tong, how can you be helping him?"

"**Unalaq has proven to be a true friend to the spirits, unlike the Avatar,"** the owl replied haughtily, like it was speaking to an idiot who couldn't grasp a simple fact.

She didn't have a reply to that and she was kicking herself for using Korra's title. So she just turned back to the chief and asked, "Why would you wanna help Vaatu escape? He'll destroy everything!"

"Don't believe everything you read," he told her, that smug smarmy grin still on his face as he started walking towards her. "Why don't you come with me, so you can do some firsthand research?"

She knew just by the way he said those words that it had ominous meaning. She backed away from him, fully intent on running and hiding in the Library. But then a pair of giant hands grabbed her shoulders. At first, they felt soft and fluffy but then they turned hard and she could feel claws digging into her skin. She looked at who the claws belonged to, only to see a dark spirit standing above her where her friend had been only a second ago. It didn't take her long to come to a horrible conclusion. "Furry-Foot…?" The spirit only growled in replied.

Before anything else happened, Professor Zei spoke out. **"Come now, everyone. This has gone too far."** He walked over to Unalaq.

"Get out of my way, old man," the chief told him, his face a mask of annoyance.

"**Unalaq, she is just a child. You—"** Unalaq bent a thin stream of water out of his pouch and sliced at Zei, cutting him deep in the chest.

Jinora could only watch in horror as the old man she had thought got lost in his own attic fall to the ground. "Professor!" she shouted. But he didn't move from where he had fallen, not even when she was dragged away.

* * *

Korra had followed Iroh and her grandfather to the base of the mountain. There, it looked much intimidating and foreboding. It loomed over them like an angry parent looking down on a child. "This looks scary," Korra declared, cradling the dragon bird in her arms. She looked up to her grandfather and Iroh. "Will you come with me?"

Iroh knelt down beside her. "**This is something that you must do on your own. The people who have been coming to the Spirit World lately have brought darkness and anger. So that is what you see now. But you have light and peace inside of you. If you let it out, you can change the world around you." **She didn't really understand but nodded either way. He must've sensed her hesitation because he smiled widely and said, **"Besides, look at this little fellow. This mountain is his home. When you first met him, you were frightened. But does he seem scary to you now?"**

"No!" she said instantly. If anything, she felt for having swatted the dragon bird.

"**Many things that seem threatening in the dark become welcoming when we shine light on them."**

She could understand what he was trying to say but she was still scared of what lay ahead. She looked up at him, at her grandfather and even at Akela. "Are you sure you can't come with me?" she asked them all.

Iroh did not answer her, but her grandfather did. **"Korra,"** he said, kneeling down so he could look her in the eye, **"I know you're scared. But it is because of that you must do this alone."**

"But why?" she asked him.

"**There comes a time in every person's life when they will have no one at their side and what lays ahead looks to be something they had never dealt with before. That is the time when you will fell so completely scared and alone that you want to step back and turn away. But that is also the time when you will find your truest courage."**

"Really?" she asked, looking up at her grandfather.

He nodded. **"That is why Akela always walks alone."**

She looked at the wolf beside her, who returned her look evenly. Then she looked back at up him. "This one or the spirit?" she asked, referring to the spirit of war that the warriors of the Water Tribes prayed to.

He just smiled. **"There's a difference?"** Her eyes went wide and started shifting between him and the wolf. But both of them kept a blank face so she couldn't tell if he was lying or not. Her grandfather kept the blank face up for another minute or two before he became serious again. **"Korra, do you consider yourself to be a wolf of Akela?"**

She nodded her head and said, "Yep." She knew that as a Bender, she should pray to Tui and La, the spirits of the moon and ocean. But she always considered herself to be more of a warrior then a Bender and so, prayed to Akela instead.

"**Then you must learn to walk alone."** He gestured up to the mountain. **"That is where you can do it."**

She looked back up at the mountain again. She swallowed a lot of air in a gulp but nodded all the same. "Okay, I can do it."

Her grandfather knelt down beside her and gave her a hug. **"Pass my love onto Katara for me when you go back. We'll see each other again, Korra."**

She accepted the hug. When it was done, she looked over at Iroh, who just smiled down at her. **"It was good to meet you. Come visit me again, in this life, or the next."**

"Bye!" she said to them all. She looked down at the dragon bird and told it, "Okay, time for you to go home." She walked a few steps up the path to the mountain. But a sudden doubt crossed her mind. She wondered if she could actually do this. What if she couldn't? She looked back at her grandfather and Iroh but received a shock instead. Somehow, those few steps she had taken had stretched out to miles. She could barely make out the three of them standing there, with her grandfather and Iroh waving faintly at her.

She was on her own. She looked back up to the mountain, seeing all of it with the storm booming and howling in the air around her. She was scared but she remembered what her grandfather had said. "Akela walks alone," she repeated to herself. Then she uttered Iroh's words, "Light and peace… light and peace…"

She kept repeating those words as she walked up the path, towards the mountain. With each step she took, the mountain seemed to get darker. But she kept walking up to it. She was afraid but she had to find her bravery in that feeling. She thought herself to be a wolf of Akela. This was her chance to prove it. But as she walked, she saw that the path didn't seem to change. She did not want to look back in fear that she hadn't moved a single step. Even if there was no change in what the path looked like, she still kept going.

She looked down at the dragon bird spirit, to see if it felt any different about where it was going now. It didn't look at her, choosing to just look straight ahead. She wished that she could take some kind of comfort in that, to be confident and know where you were going. But she didn't know where she was going. All she was doing was following the path. Fear started to clutch her insides but she kept walking. The fear of not knowing what she was doing to start creeping up even though she tried to ignore it.

But as she reached a small platform on the path, she came to a stop. Three dog-like dark spirits blocked the path in front of her. They swung their burning yellow eyes over to her when she came into sight. Their jaws started quivering at the sight of her, making their giant fangs seem all that much bigger. They stalked towards like she was prey and they were hunting. But when they were all around her, they didn't attack her. Instead they sniffed and growled, waiting for her to make the first move.

Korra eyed them all wearily, that fear still deep in her stomach. "I'm not afraid of you," she declared. It was a half-lie and they must've sensed it. Their growls got a little louder and they moved in a little closer, pressing their faces down at her. She flinched and closed her eyes. "You're not scary!" she said to them all. "You just look that way."

When she said those words, it was like a switch in her mind had been flipped. Suddenly, Iroh's words made much more sense. "I have light inside!" she declared proudly. She looked at the spirits without any fear in her eyes. "It's okay, you can be my friends." She could say the words but she knew, as any child would know, that introductions were going to be needed. "My name is Korra, and I'm taking this dragon bird home!"

And just like when she realized what Iroh meant, the world changed. Only this time, it showed it more obviously. The dark storm clouds faded away and the warm light of the sun filled the air. The spirits themselves changed from their dark selves. Their color became brighter, their fangs less pronounced, their fur fluffier, and their attitude more playful. Once they were back to their normal selves, they descended upon her with nuzzling and licking. She giggled from all the affection. "Iroh said you could be nice. Do you wanna help me?"

The spirits turned and started bounding off the path, going a different way to the mountain top. She watched them go for a moment, wondering if they were going in the right direction. The path was there for a reason, wasn't it? But then one of the spirits looked back at her as if it was wondering why she wasn't following them. She started to and when she reached the spirit, it knelt down so she could hop on.

Time seem to go much faster once she was on the spirit's back. The three of them went up the side of the mountain like it was nothing to them. The peak came closer and closer at quicker pace than anything Korra could've done on her own feet. When the spirits did come to a stop, she climbed down and stood on the peak. She felt like if she looked over the edge, she could see the entirety of the Spirit World.

The idea was a little tempting, but it was also scary. Plus, she could see the nest just on the other side of the peak. There were other dragon bird babies there, three of them. They were looking around and crying for their lost sibling. She approached the nest and placed the dragon bird she held back into it.

The other three turned to meet the lost and they came together in the middle of the nest, chirping happily now that they were all together. For a moment, everything seemed normal and alright. But then the babies transformed into streams of red energy. They flew up into the air, twisting and turning until they became one continuous stream. The air hummed with the energy of the stream as it took the vague shape of a bird.

Korra heard the bird's cry once more, only this time it was as an adult. The shape flew through the air, forming wings as it went. The shape became more and more defined as it flew until a bright flash shined in her eyes. When it vanished, she watched as a golden dragon bird spirit flew around the nest with red feathered wings. She couldn't but smile at the sight of the majestic bird. She also took note of herself. She wasn't a child anymore, but her normal age again.

When the dragon bird landed on the edge of the peak and lowered its neck to her, she didn't hesitate to climb aboard. "All right, now let's close that portal and go find Jinora," she declared. The dragon bird flapped its wings once and took off into the air. Korra had never such a feeling like this before now. It was so close to flying, she could practically taste it. When she looked back, the mountain was already gone in the distance. All she could see was a stream of blue light following her and the bird. If she had to guess, it was the spirit dogs.

An hour or ten or even possibly only a few minutes (this was the Spirit World after all) passed before Korra saw an old familiar sight. She knew the Tree of Time intimately and it wasn't just because she had seen in a past life. She had seen it with her own eyes. And to those eyes, it hadn't changed since she had been Wan. "That's where Vaatu is," she noted. But there was also something she saw of the area. The tree stood in the center of a yin-yang symbol created by the land and the portals. She realized that was what the cloaked spirit must've meant but that didn't matter now. All that mattered was the tree and the portals.

She urged the dragon bird to land at the southern portal and it did so. As she got off, the spirit dogs reformed behind her. She looked at the portal, remembering how she opened it from the other side. When she had done that, she felt like she had accomplished something great. But now, she just felt like an idiot for doing something that could bring about the end of the world. She took a step towards it when a dark voice spoke, **"****So you've returned, Raava."**

She knew whose voice it was. On the whole, she knew that she shouldn't have turned around but the sound of that voice awoken that silent instinct to fight her opposite. She turned to face the Tree of Time and then she was suddenly standing before it, like she had been pulled towards it. Even though he was imprisoned in the tree, Vaatu gave off an air of smug superiority even when he didn't speak. **"The Harmonic Convergence is coming soon, and this time, I'm going to wipe you out **_**for good**_**."**

"I think you've said that before, Vaatu," she retorted with a frown on her face. "But I'm here to close the portal. You're not getting out." She chose to ignore him in favor of turning back and walking towards the portal.

"**You might want to reconsider- that is if you want to save your friend."**

She froze at that statement as a feeling of dread reached her stomach. _"Please, no,"_ she silently begged. But when she turned around, she saw Jinora being held in a cage of dark water which was being bent by Unalaq. "Jinora!" she cried out, running towards the Air Nomad. But before she could even reach the base of the tree, a dark spirit landed in front of her. It blocked her path and loomed over her with a snarl. It looked vaguely familiar with its shape and color. But it was too big and the green color was too cold for her to fully figure it out.

She backed away from the spirit, only to hear growling behind her. She only had to take one look back to see that the dog spirits had shifted back into dark spirits and were blocking her way out. With nowhere to go, she could only look up at Unalaq. "I can't believe I trusted you!" she spat. "You made me think you wanted to restore balance with spirits, but this, this isn't balance, it's madness! Now let her go!"

Her traitor uncle didn't look like the order bothered him or the insults. "If you want your friend to make it out of the Spirit World, you'll open the other portal _now_," he commanded.

"Don't do it Korra!" Jinora shouted. The dark sick purple glow from the water was already engulfing her too, reaching her torso. It had stopped for now but there was no reason it couldn't keep going up.

Unalaq bent the water around until the glow started crawling up her body until it almost engulfed her head. Korra couldn't do anything but watch in horror. "What will it be?" her uncle asked with smug look. "Open the portal? Or lose your friend's soul forever?"

Korra wanted to do something but she couldn't not when Jinora was held like that. The glow was about to engulf her completely, the Avatar broke. "Stop!" she called out to her uncle. "I'll do it."

He stopped moving his arms but watched her carefully. "Get moving."

She did so begrudgingly. She wasn't pulled towards the northern portal like she had been to the tree. She had to walk the distance to it while the spirits and her uncle followed her. She took a quick look back as she walked and saw that Jinora was no longer in the water prison. Instead she was being held by the large dark spirit. One wrong move and she could easily be crushed. _"Damn you,"_ the tribeswoman thought at her uncle. But that was all she really could do.

She reached the sealed portal and stood before it. For a moment, she hesitated, trying to think of a way out of it all. But there was no way out. She raised her hand and placed it on the membrane of the seal. She could feel the energy humming inside chaotically, wanting and straining at the urge to be free. She slipped into the Avatar State, her eyes glowing pure white, and silently commanded, _"Be free."_

Beams of light began to break free from the seal, causing a wind to spring up from out of nowhere and lash at everyone close by. The beams quickly solidified into one, more ferocious beam and the rest of the membrane cracked open like an egg, free the portal. An explosion erupted from the tree that only seemed to make the dark spirits stronger. Above it all, Korra could hear the sound of Vaatu's excitement. But she didn't care about that. "Now let Jinora go," she ordered her uncle, turning to face him.

His back was turned to her since he was facing the tree. He whipped around suddenly and bent water right at her. It struck her in the arm and she felt pain greatly magnified. She screamed in surprise and from the pain while her arm faded away in a shower of blue sparkles. It started to reform but not fast enough. "You should've come through the portal," her uncle told her as he continued to bend streams of water at her. "Then you could do this!"

She kept getting hit by the water. She first tried blocking it but the pain came to her either way. When she started dodging the water and moving forward, the dark spirit holding Jinora leapt away, taking its unwanted passenger with it. "Korra!" screamed Jinora as she faded away into the darkness of the area.

She looked at where her friend was going and got a heavy blast of water in her stomach, falling to the ground hard. But she sprang back up and started running after the dark spirit. The chase seemed pointless right from the start since the spirit was already halfway gone into the darkness but she still kept running after it. She was so focused on Jinora she didn't see the dog spirit coming at her until it was too late. It smashed into her side and sent her flying through the air, where another dog spirit caught her in its jaws.

Korra's whole word became nothing but pain. She could only feel the jaws pressing down on her. They weren't strong enough to snap her in two but they weren't weak enough for her to escape. When the jaws released their grip and she crashed down to the ground, her first feeling was one of relief. Before she could even stand up, water encircled her and forced her off the ground. She saw how the ribbons twisted and turned around her, forming a cage, and instantly realized what was about to happen, even more so when she saw her uncle standing before her moving his arms around.

A purplish glow came into the water's ribbons and she felt a cold feeling starting to crawl up from her feet. As it went further and further up her body, that cold feeling multiplied and morphed into a sick feeling. By the time it reached her knees, she was shivering and felt nauseous. When it reached her chest, her teeth could've been chattering and she would've sworn she just wanted to throw up. As it was about to fully engulf her, she fell to a state of half-consciousness from the freezing her body felt and the illness pounding away at her stomach.

But before she was engulfed entirely, she heard the sound of the dragon bird flying down, its tail snapping, and her uncle grunted in surprised pain. The water fell away from her and she fell to the ground. She felt a claw pick her up in a warm gentle grasp. Then she suddenly felt airborne, floating in the air. She thought she was free. But then she heard Vaatu again. **"****I'll see you soon, Raava,"** her opposite declared.** "Once the Harmonic Convergence comes, I'll be free from this prison, and then I will have my **_**revenge**_**!"**

Those words were like a smack across her face that woke her from a dream, only she found herself back in the world of the living, where she had been sitting all along. A feeling of sweat was all around her face and she could only breathe rapidly, unable to calm down. "Korra!" she heard Tenzin cry out and soon saw him kneeling down beside her, a look of curiosity on his face. "What was it like? Did you manage to close the portal? Was Jinora able to help you?"

"Tenzin," she said to him, unable to get over what just happened. "I'm…I'm sorry."

His eyes widened in horrified disbelief as they turned to look at the little girl sitting across from the Avatar. "Where's Jinora? W-Why isn't she waking up?" he asked, his voice quivering. He ran over to her side, grabbing her shoulders. The action made her body slump forward and he stopped it by holding her in a hug. "Korra! What happened to my little girl?"

But she could only look at him in horror, unable to say anything because she wasn't able to look out for her guide into the Spirit World.

(Location: Konoha)

Tsukiko couldn't sleep. She had given up tossing and turning about two hours back and now just settled for staring up at the ceiling. She couldn't help but think about what had happened today to her. Her temper had been really short today. Everything she had seen in the street had irritated her and she didn't know why. It just made her angrier. Then she met up with Shikatsuno and his team. Seeing them acting like it was really cool that she had been able to go out of the village to see new things and complain about they were still stuck inside just made her snap. She yelled at them for thinking what they were doing was only fun and games. All eyes were on her when she finally stopped but she didn't give a shit, going right back to her dango.

Now, she felt like an asshole. _"I should go and apologize to them tomorrow,"_ she thought to herself. If she didn't, she knew damn well that her dad would make her do it. But in spite of feeling like an asshole, she also felt that she was right a little bit. They had no idea what really went on with the world outside the village. She had and now she couldn't believe the others didn't see it like that.

She knew that Hiro was feeling the same way too, just expressing it differently than she would. They weren't the same kids who had left the village. They were different and the rest of their age group didn't get that. In fact, the only person who was the same was Arashi. He didn't lash out or hide away. He was the same as always. She started to wonder that when she heard footsteps thundering down the hallway.

"_What the…?"_ she asked, sitting up. She went for the door, thinking that there was some kind of emergency. But when she opened it, there was no one there. She got a little annoyed at it and was about to close the door when she noticed that the light in the bathroom was on and she could hear someone in there. It sounded like Arashi and he was breathing heavily.

Her curiosity urging her on, she walked out of her room and towards the bathroom. As she got closer, she also heard the sound of water running and the breathing became more like panting. She found him leaning against the sink, staring down at the water. "It's okay," he whispered. "It was just a dream. He wasn't there. He wasn't there. You weren't with those children. It was just a dream." But even though he was saying those words to himself, he didn't sound all that convinced.

Even though she had a vague idea what he was talking about exactly, she knew that she had been about her teammate. He had come back changed too but he didn't show it to the rest of the world. He suffered nightmares but told no one. A part of her wanted to barge in there and demand to know what was going on with him but she didn't. Instead, she backed away and went back to her room. If she was going to ask him what had happened to him, she would do it when he could see it coming. He deserved that much from her.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

I know from how the last chapter was written that you might've thought that the Genins' recovery from the mission would've been said and done with, or at least Tsukiko would be. But it isn't and shouldn't be such an easy thing. I don't intend to be but I promise that I'm not keeping it going for extended periods of time.

I think that each clan having a traditional complex to live in can get a little generic even if there are differences between them. I also wanted to show how Konoha had changed over the years and the perfect answer for both was apartment complexes. I could've done just one building, sure. But I wanted to show just how big the Hatake clan had gotten.

Having Akela meet Korra in the forest first was something I came up with while writing the first story. I felt that it would've been more symbolic since he was technically her first lost as a child and here he was, comforting her like he would've when she was a child again. And having Sokka there was a no brainer too.

The last time any of saw the professor in this story's universe, he was alive in the Library. I thought it appropriate that he'd still be there when Jinora showed up with some aging. As for her looking down on his sanity, that's just youthful arrogance. Everyone has it when they're young.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	35. Lights and darkness

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 35: Lights and darkness

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Eastern Air Temple)

Pema and her children had a relaxing morning, even though they were all wondering what would be happening with the others. After a breakfast that wasn't the usual chaos, she suggested they go outside to pick flowers for their father and sister's return. Ikki wasn't really up for that, choosing to race around the place on air scooter. Meelo did try help with the flowers, but soon became bored with it and wanted to do other things. Pema didn't stop him; only watch him run off with a smile on her lips. He was always like that. She just turned her attention back to the flowers while Rohan snoozed away on her back.

When she heard the lowering of Oogi from above, she knew who it was even though her son cried out, "Dad's back." She stood up, holding some flowers in her hand as the bison landed in the grass.

She walked over to the bison, wearing a warm gentle smile on her lips. But when she saw a somber Kya, Bumi, and Tenzin in the saddle, she became worried. She became even more so when she realize that with Korra manning the reins, she could only see four people on the bison. "Where's Jinora?" she asked her husband in confusion. But when he lifted their eldest up from the saddle and she saw how she wasn't moving, her confusion turned to horror. "No!" The flowers fell out of her suddenly numb hand.

As they climbed down, she ran over to them. Both she and Tenzin fell to their knees as he passed Jinora into her arms. "Her spirit is trapped in the Spirit World," Tenzin explained, "but she's going to be all right." Even though he said the words, there wasn't enough weight behind them to make her believe in them.

She held her daughter closer, feeling how cold she felt. "How could this happen?" she demanded, wanting to know.

"It was all my fault," her husband confessed. "I should have never let Jinora enter the Spirit World without me. I couldn't protect her."

"I'm so sorry, Pema," Korra said, just as upset as Tenzin was. "I tried to save her, but Unalaq tricked me."

She looked at the two of them and found that she couldn't be angry with either. How could she? What mattered now was Jinora. "Don't worry, honey," Tenzin told her, "I'm not going to stop until our little girl is back safe with us." He stroked a finger against his daughter's skin but it felt as cold to him as it did to Pema.

(Location: Republic City)

As prison cells went, Mako figured that they could've stuck him in one of the worse one. He knew those existed since he had occasionally brought criminals to the worst ones. This cell at least had a bed, lights, a chair, a couple of books and a functional toilet. It also smelled clean, which was something. But even so, he was still sitting on the bed, looking at the walls because he had been taken in.

He had been brought in, like he was a criminal just like the others that were brought in. He probably would've been treated worse if Naruto hadn't intervened but the fact was that he could still all those looks from every single cop working the graveyard shift as the Blunder Duo all but dragged him through the lobby and to the cells. He couldn't believe that this was happening but again he would have to thank Naruto for sparing him from potentially worse outcomes.

But that still meant Varrick was still free to do what he wanted to manipulate the United Republic into joining the war happening down south. And since he was stuck here, there was nothing he could do about it. There was still Naruto and Asami, but he didn't know how to get into contact with them from here. As he pondered this, the cell opened. "You've got a visitor," the cop on duty said from outside.

Bolin walked in. "Hey, Mako," he said somberly.

"Hey," Mako said back to his brother, glad to see him. He noticed that he was wearing new suit that was tailored to him exactly. "What's with the fancy duds?"

"I'm on my way to the big finale for 'Nuktuk: Hero of the South,'" he explained, flexing his arms. "Yeah, everyone's gonna be there except for, you know, you…because you're in jail and stuff.

And now the Firebender was annoyed with his brother. "Thanks for the reminder."

Bolin started searching around in his coat pocket. "Hey, I brought you something." He pulled out a poster of his movie. It looked ridiculous with him holding that redhead girl in his arms like that. "I thought this would brighten up your new place. Read the inscription."

His brother took the poster and read it aloud. "'Dear Mako, Nuktuk says, 'Keep smiling.''" He looked up from the poster and at his brother, who was smiling widely. "Did you come by just to give me a poster?" he asked, putting the poster to the side.

The smile vanished quicker than he could blink. "No, I came by to give you my sincere, heartfelt words of encouragement. I know our lives have been moving in two different directions, but I want you to know that I will always be there for you. We are brothers, after all, even if one of us is a member of high society and the other one is a criminal."

The fact that it was his brother who said it like it was nothing at all made Mako even madder than he was about the whole situation. "I am not a criminal!" he shouted.

"Of course _I_ know that, but you do kinda look like one, cause you're in a jail and that's where criminals live." The way he said those words made it sound like he was speaking to a child that still hadn't gotten the point. It was very degrading and insulting. Not even the fact that he was doing it unintentionally could migrate that.

Mako was getting angrier with his brother. He had to mentally count down from 10 so he wouldn't leap up and slap Bolin across the face for being such a huge idiot. "I was set up! Varrick knew I had figured out he was hiring gangsters to pose as Northern soldiers to get Republic City to join the war. That's why he had me arrested."

"Ah, I see what you're doing," Bolin said knowingly. "You're going for the insanity defense. Smart."

"No!" he snapped, standing up. "I'm trying to tell you that Varrick isn't what he seems." How hard was it to see that? "Where's Asami? She'll listen to me."

His brother became somber and serious, which for Bolin, meant that the situation he was talking about was definitely bad. "I asked her to come, but she said it was too hard for her. You being in jail like this reminds her of her dad." He fell silent for a moment, looking around the cell. But then he perked up. "Okay, gotta run," he told his brother, turning for the door and walking towards it, "but I'll be back tomorrow. And I am gonna get you the best attorney fame and fortune can buy."

Mako watched his brother walk out of the cell. It was irritating as all fuck to see his brother disregard everything he had worked as him being crazy. But at the end of the day, they were still brothers and he would be close to Varrick. "Bolin, wait," he called out. "If my theory about Varrick is right, something might go down tonight at your premiere. Promise me you'll keep your eyes peeled."

"Yeah, okay, big brother," Bolin said as he banged on the cell door. "I promise." But as the door opened and he walked out, the next words out of his mouth were, "Whew! That insanity defense is definitely gonna work."

"_Do not strangle idiot little brother,"_ Mako started to chant as the cell door close and he sat back down on the bed. _"Do not strangle idiot little brother. Do not strangle idiot little brother. Do not strangle idiot little brother."_ As he repeated the words over and over again, he began to calm down and lose the urge to wrap his fingers around Bolin's neck and squeeze. Of course, he could always go with a much less painful method: banging his brother's head against a wall until he got the point.

* * *

Lin sat in her office, trying to go over paperwork. But even though she did try and do it, she found it increasingly hard to do so with Naruto Uzumaki sitting on the other side of the desk waiting patiently. His sword rest at his shoulder and his hands gripped the arms of the chair comfortingly. His gaze was on her and it did not waver.

She would never let anyone else even know about this but the old man intimidated her. Sure, she also thought of him like an uncle but that had been before she became the Chief of Police of Republic City. And even then there were moments when he unconsciously intimidated her. If she had to put a finger on the first time, it probably would've been when she saw him spar against her mother. She had been five years old and thought that no one could beat her mom in a fight. But not only that, he did it with a blindfold on and made it look easy.

But it was also how it seemed he was the only one who could make Avatar Aang feel generally nervous. When she had still been dating Tenzin, she had been invited to a family dinner on the island, along with Naruto and Azula. It was during that dinner that Kya, on one of her rare moments back home during that time, declared that she was going to go to the Elemental Countries. Naruto regarded her with one look and then turned his attention to her father. He had asked if she was the one who had been the one who got his stupidity. While the kids at the table had been offended (with the exception of Bumi), the parents stayed the same. Avatar Aang shook his head and told Kya that she would not be going. She protested, demanding why she couldn't, and Azula had bluntly told her to read a law book.

That had seemed to be the end of it, until two months later when Naruto appeared on the island, dragging Kya's unconscious body by the foot. He dropped her in front of Avatar Aang and Katara and promptly told Aang that he was wrong, she did get his stupidity. Lin hadn't heard the story of that moment, she had been there. She saw how Kya looked and she looked like she had taken one hell of a beating. To this day, she wondered if Naruto had beaten her for disobeying the rule or if she had attacked him.

"Are you going to keep trying to read those papers or are you actually going to try and talk to me now, Lin?" the man asked her from where he sat.

She might've scowled and continued to do so just to spite him, but he had a point. "Is there something you need, Naruto?" she asked, putting the paper down.

"I am here about Mako."

She settled into her chair, getting comfortable. She had a feeling that this would become a long conversation. "Are you here as his advocate?"

"No."

"Then I'm afraid you have no real business being here for him." She tried to make it sound like that was the end of the conversation but she knew it wouldn't be.

"You have no real reason to hold him, Lin."

"I have every reason to hold him. He confessed to using the Triple Threat Triad in an illegal operation." Oddly enough, when she personally went to talk to Viper about that night, he was absolutely. While there was nothing surprising, the new leader of the Triad liked to lace his words with sarcastic and insulating insults. But this time around, he only said that he wasn't going to talk about what happened and that was it.

The old man just scoffed. "You know perfectly well that using the gangs to help a case is not a novel concept. It's just a matter of making sure that you don't get caught."

"And Mako did."

"No, he was sold out. There's a difference. How else would the Blunder Duo been able to nail the crimes on him, hm?" he asked.

She frowned at him when she heard that name. "Do not call them that."

He shrugged uncaringly. "It's the truth." His hand reached into his pocket and pulled out his pipe and match. He lit the pipe and blew smoke up into the air. "So, have they told you how they knew how to go to Mako's house yet?"

"No. They're citing a confidential informant."

"I see." He blew a ring from the smoke and watched as it drifted through the air.

She didn't watch the ring, keeping her eyes on him. "It is usual for officers to use CIs." That had been one of the things she had learned during her time in the ranks and in the Vice and Gang squads.

"It's usual for officers, yes," he agreed. "Not the Blunder Duo."

"Do not call them that." It was bad enough that the other officers were calling those two that but having people outside the force using it was infinitely much worse.

"I'll stop calling them that when they stop earning the name, same as the other officers that know them." And the way things were going, it didn't look they would be losing it anytime soon.

"**You could just kill them,"** the fox suggested. **"I'm getting bored."**

"_No,"_ he said instantly. _"If I'm going to kill someone, it will be because they deserved it, not because they're annoying. If I went with that baseline, half the people in this city would be dead."_

"**And if I remember correctly, that didn't stop you that day."**

"…_Stop talking, right now."_

The fox sobered instantly, knowing full well that he had crossed a line. The day he mentioned was something should never be taken lightly, not ever. **"Sorry, that was uncalled for."**

Naruto heard the apology but his anger was still growing. While his outward face showed nothing of his anger, he had to restrain himself from lashing out even more. _"Make sure you remember that."_ He counted down from a hundred and focused on his breathing and smoking. By the time he was about a quarter ways down the number, he was calm enough to lash out against the fox.

The door to the office and a uniform stepped inside, getting attention of both him and Lin. "Chief, there's someone here to see you and Lord Naruto," he said with a salute, "Said that it was pretty urgent."

"Send them in," Lin ordered. The uniform disappeared from sight and a heartbeat later, Yue walked in.

"Hey, you two," she said with a wave of her hand, wincing as she did so. She came into the room, limping on her left foot. There were multiple bandages that they could see on her arms and legs, her clothes were torn, and she had the faded marks of a black eye. Tahno followed her in, looking just as bad as she was. There was a scar on his head that went through the buzz of his hair, ending just above his left ear.

Naruto stood up instantly. "The two of you look like you've just gotten out of a war," he said, "And not on the winning side." Even though his tone might've said that he was jibing them, his eyes looked them over intently, seeing if there were any wounds that were hurting them.

Yue knew what he meant, even if his tone implied otherwise. "Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence," she replied, using the same kind of tone he used.

But once it was all said done, they lost the jibing tones. He walked over to her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, the one that wasn't on the limping side. "How hurt are you two?" he asked.

"We're hurt," she answered seriously. "I almost lost Tahno here a week ago to a dark spirit. He got mauled pretty good." She looked back at her apprentice with a concern look.

He noticed the look and managed to give her a weak smile. "Don't worry sifu. I'm still here."

"What happened?" Naruto asked, looking at him. "Did you disobey orders and rush right into battle?" He figured that was the likely thing to do. The kid was young and wanted to prove himself in battle.

But to his surprise, the kid chuckled weakly and said, "Actually, it was the exact opposite. I got mauled by a dark spirit because I listened to the order to stay back at the base. There was a dark spirit sneak attack that we had barely fended off."

Lin was already reaching for the telephone before he had finished the first sentence. "Get a medical team in here," she ordered through the phone. "We've got two wounded people in my office that need immediate treatment." She didn't bother to wait for a reply, putting the phone back in the cradle.

It also wasn't even a minute before the medical team came running through the door and started examining Yue and Tahno. Both Paragon and apprentice were ushered out of the room and they didn't try to fight or protest. They seemed to be glad to be attended to. Lin and Naruto watched in silence as they left. "If they're here, it must mean the rebellion isn't going well," the chief of police stated.

"Yep," the Paragon of the Fire Nation agreed.

She looked over at him. "What are you going to do about it?"

"The Fire Nation is not involved in this fight, so I'm not involved in it either."

She actually snorted in derision, a sound that was remarkably like her mother's. "Don't play the nation card with me. Tell me the actual reason."

"It has nothing to do with me." That was an answer she couldn't refute. So she left it be.

(Location: Konoha)

Team 7 stood in front of the Hokage. It had been a week since they had gotten back from the Land of Spring. While they had used the week to try and relax while also grappling with the demons that the mission had left them with, the Genin knew that they were antsy and ready to get back to action. That was what they were hoping the call to meet Tsukiko's dad in his office meant.

"You summoned us, Lord Hokage?" Rin-sensei asked the man, standing beside her team.

"I did," he replied, completely serious. "I've heard back from the Daimyo of the Land of Spring." He watched the kids' stances become a little stiffer and their gaze more focused. _"Good."_

"What was the message?" Arashi asked him.

"She has agreed to hire a force out of Konoha to deal with the Tōitsu base. I have decided that since you have at least some prior knowledge, you will be a part of this force." He didn't expect them to cheer or be excited about going back there. If they had been, he would've been concerned. "Do you have any objections to this decision?"

There wasn't even a hesitation when Rin said, "We do not."

"Good, then—"

"Lord Hokage, we would like to make a request," Hiro spoke, interrupting him.

He looked at the young Hyūga who probably had never interrupted anyone before, much less his own Kage. "Why am I hearing this request from you instead of your Jōnin leader?" he asked.

"It's a request from us Genin." He gestured to the other two who nodded in agreement. "We talked about it amongst ourselves and thought that it should be given to you if we were sent back to the Land of Spring."

He eyed Rin. She gave him a brief hand gesture that signaled she had no idea what they had discussed and this was no plan of hers. "Is this a serious request?" he asked.

"We believe it to be so, sir," Arashi spoke.

"Very well, what is it?"

"We want Shikatsuno's and Tsume's team to join the mission."

He sat there, a little surprised by those words. He had not thought that he would hear them. But he did not let the surprise show on his face. He had to be the Hokage. "Why?" he asked.

His daughter looked embarrassed while still trying to look professional. "Permission to speak plainly and honestly, sir?" she asked him, speaking to a leader and not her dad.

He took note of it and gestured with his hand. "Go ahead."

"During the previous week, I had run into Shikatsuno and his teammates. It…turned bad rather quickly," she said a little hesitantly and embarrassed too. "I did go and apologize to them later for what I had shouted, which they accepted."

"Why did you shout at them in the first place?"

She looked even more embarrassed now, unable to look him in the eye. "They thought that the mission we had gone on was so cool, that being outside the village was a great thing. Inoji kept going on and on about he would kill to go on a mission outside the village. His teammates more or less agreed with what he was saying. It didn't sit well with me. I just got angry."

"And after the apology?" he prodded her.

"They accepted it but still thought that going out into the world would be a blast. They thought once they were able to get out into the world, they would be inoculated by it with low-ranking missions and once they were able to take the higher ranked ones, they would be ready for them."

It was a reasonable thought and he could applaud them for thinking of it. But in reality, it didn't hold much water. The Genin team in front of him knew that now. But why would they want the other team? "Did Tsume's team have the same reaction?"

"Tsume herself did," Hiro answered.

Arashi nodded his head in agreement. "I spoke her teammates during the week. They were the same."

He eyed the two boys. "And how did the two of you react to what they believed?"

"Not like her," the dyed redhead of the two said, looking at Tsukiko. "We were angry, but we didn't lose our tempers at them."

"Thanks, making me look the bad guy here," Tsukiko muttered from where she stood off to the right.

Both of her teammates looked over at her. Even though they were all standing in their places, they would've moved around her in comfort if they could. "We're not blaming you, Tsukiko," Arashi assured her. "You've just got a shorter temper then us."

"You are an Uchiha after all," Hiro added.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded.

He flinched away from her, looking surprised that she had snapped at him like that. "Uh…all those jutsus containing fire or variations of fire that come from your family?" he pointed out in quick explanation.

Her temper vanished and she muttered embarrassingly, "Oh, right."

"If the three of you are done…?" the Hokage asked them patiently, using the tone he used when his children were arguing with each other.

They stopped instantly and returned to their formal mood. "Sorry, Lord Hokage," Hiro apologized sincerely.

"Accepted, and I will agree to your request. Your fellow Genin will join you in this mission." They did not smile. This was not a good thing they had just gotten. He wanted to make sure that they knew that. "But be warned, if anything is to happen to them while on this mission and you are forced to bring them back with crippling wounds or in a casket, the blame will placed solely at your feet. Do you understand me?"

"We do," they answered all together.

"Good."

"Will that be all, Lord Hokage?" Rin asked for them all.

"No, not yet," he replied, watching them all. "I was not done. The Daimyo did not just reach out to Konoha. She wants this infestation in her land completely and utterly gone. So she also reached out to Suna and Konoha in the hopes of hiring a joint village task-force. I have agreed and so has Suna.

Arashi didn't know as much as about Suna as his teammates did, only what it was, where it was on the map, and that it was in an alliance with Konoha, but that was enough for him. However he was curious as to why Tsukiko suddenly went stiff. "That's good, right?" he asked.

Madara nodded. "It should be, considering she went straight to the top and hired the Kazekage himself."

If Rin wasn't wearing a face-mask, everyone in the room would've seen her jaw drop in surprise. "She hired Lord Gaara?"

"Yes. He's bringing his group to Konoha. While it will not be as big as the Konoha part, that's going to be compromised by the fact he will be leading it."

"You're not coming, sir?" Hiro asked him, a bit puzzled at the thought of it.

"She didn't hire me." It was the only thing he said about the whole situation. "In any case, the Kazekage and his group should be arriving at the train station outside the village within the next few hours. Rin, I want your team to go and pick them."

"Understood," she said with a inclination of her head.

"Uh…Dad?" said a suddenly nervous looking Tsukiko, "When you said the Kazekage was coming with his group, does that mean…?" She trailed off, staring at him and waiting for an answer. He didn't give her one outside of his steady gaze. For some reason, that just made her start shaking her head rapidly. "Oh no, please not her. Please not her. I'll do anything, I promise. I'll clean the complex with a toothbrush, just please tell me it's not her. Please don't do this to me," she begged him.

Her begging made her dyed redhead of a teammate look at her in complete surprise. _"What the…?"_ Arashi thought as he watched her go. He never thought that she would be the kind of person that would beg but here she was doing it. He looked at Hiro and Rin but saw nothing that would tell him what she was talking about.

"I'm sorry, Tsukiko," her father said to her. "But she's coming." His daughter groaned and buried her head in her hands. Mutterings of "Why me?" started to come out from behind those hands.

"Excuse me, but whose coming?" Arashi asked, looking really confused.

"The pain in the ass from Suna," his teammate answered him, her head still covered by her hands.

"…Is that supposed to mean something?"

(Location: Republic City)

Even though she didn't want to admit it (especially in front of her student), but this had been the most relaxed Yue had been since the start of the war. It was a little ironic since she could not stand to be inside hospitals. The last time she had been in one, she had gone so stir-crazy that she busted herself out. But now here she was, actually relaxing into the bed. There had to be something different about the beds now. "Have they changed the bedding since the last time I was here?" she asked Lin and Naruto, looking over to where they standing by her bed.

"No," Lin said, "they're the same." She would know, having been in them a few times herself.

"Huh, that's weird." She leaned back against the pillow and looked at the room they had put her in. It was quite nice and a bit spacious then she was used to. There was a writing desk near the bed in case she had to write something and a dresser that could hold any spare clothes that she could have had (which she didn't). There weren't any flowers or cards on either but she had expected that. "Where's Tahno?"

"He's fine," Naruto assured her.

She turned her head to give him a look. "I asked where he was, not how he was. You taught me that difference, Naruto." That had been one week of training she had never forgotten or couldn't. She could have blamed her sensei for dropping her off with Naruto for a week but that had been the same week he became a father, so she let it slide.

"**She's got you there,"** Kurama told his Jinchūriki.

"_I know."_ He wasn't bothered by it.

"He's in his own room, resting," Lin told Yue. "He's got his old Pro-bending team in the room with him, keeping him company." Once, she would've thought those three were just pathetic in how they were unable to win a championship without paying someone off. But when she admitted them into the room and Tahno greeted them warmly, all she saw were three friends reuniting with one another.

"That's good." She laid her head back again and started to close her eyes. But she noticed that they hadn't moved from where they stood. So she opened them again. "This wasn't a visit from friends, was it?"

"No, it was that."

"But we'd also like to hear how the war is going down south," Naruto added.

She sat back up, wincing a little bit at the bound wounds she had. "It's not a war. That would mean both sides are out in the open and actually fighting each other," she told them, sounding like she reporting to a superior officer. "What it's been mostly of is us doing raids on supplies and troop movements and Unalaq holding the port and daring us to come besiege it."

"Have you yet?" Lin asked her.

She shook her head very, very carefully since she had a bandage around her neck. "Not since Tahno and I left, but the feeling was going that way." She looked up at them both. "They've been waiting for reinforcements but none have come. Why?"

"The president has refused to send troops down. He's been trying to contact both Tonraq and Unalaq for a diplomatic solution. Neither of them has contacted him in return."

"Well we haven't gotten anything from the president. The rest of the rebels are still hoping that he'll come down with the full force of the United Army and kick Unalaq's ass up through his mouth. Is he coming?" she asked.

Naruto shook his head. "Not tonight, at least," he told her. "He and the rest of Republic City are off to see that new mover of Varrick's."

She frowned instantly, not so much at the thing Varrick was creating (Spirits knew there seemed to be a new one every month) but rather at his name. "He's not here, is he?"

"No, he's not. He got the point the last time he decided to visit you in the hospital," Naruto told her, the barest marks of a smirk playing on his lips.

She knew that it was for what she did to Varrick that day he was smiling for, not why she had done it. It was the only reason why she didn't say anything sharp in retort. Instead, all she asked was "What's a mover?"

Both Lin and Naruto shared a look at that question. "You want to find out?" the old man asked her, holding a ticket for her to see. "I got a spare for tonight. I could use a laughing buddy."

When he said that, she assumed that whatever it was Varrick had created it would be bad. That would've been reason enough to go see it. But she quite frankly did not want to put up with Varrick after being involved in the civil war he had started. "I'll pass. I just want to rest." She leaned back against the bed.

He nodded, putting the ticket away. "Alright," he said to her, "you have fun, kid." Both he and Lin turned around and walked out of the room.

"I'm not a kid anymore, Naruto," she fired at his back. "For the love of the Spirits, I have an apprentice now."

He didn't even pause or turn around when he asked "And?" He just kept walking out of the room. She rolled her eyes but there was a smile on her lips. It was something that the Fire Paragon did with the rest of them, calling them kids even now. Even though she protested it, she liked it. It made her feel welcomed.

* * *

When night had fallen, the Pro-bending arena lit up. But it wasn't lit because of a match that night. The season had gone on hold for what was happening. And that would've been the latest mover of Varrick's, the one that was based on the on-going civil war between the North and South Water Tribes. Anyone who was anyone was there that night, dressed in their finest or as close as they could to have. But above all else, there were kids there. The kids loved the mover, they loved everything about it. So when they had a chance to be in a picture with Roh-Tan and Juji (who were Naga and Pabu in character), they jumped at it. "Say 'Nuktuk!'" the photographer told them as he held the camera ready.

"Nuktuk!" they all said together with big grins on their faces as the camera flashed in their eyes.

When a long limo rolled up to the red carpet and the back door opened, Bolin stepped out. He stood at the door and held out his hand to Ginger, still in the limo, which she took and stepped out with grace and dignity. But even as she did, the second the two of them were spotted the crowds of people on either side of the carpet burst into applause and cheers.

Of course, it wouldn't have been an opening night if there hadn't been reporters on the carpet announcing the details to the people listening on the radio. "There they are folks," said Shiro Shinobi, who was recognizable to those who listened in on the Pro-bending matches, as he watched the two stars of the mover walk down the carpet, "The sweethearts of the big screen, and Republic City's most famous couple, Bolin and Ginger."

Both of the stars waved to the fans as they walked to the doors of the stadium, acting just like they were described. But as soon as they were through the doors, Ginger checked her makeup, her acting done. Bolin was still getting used to the fans cheering him on like that. "Wow, that was fun!" he told his co-star. "And did you hear what Shiro said? We're Republic City's most famous couple."

"Bolin, you're a doll, but you're as dumb as the rocks you bend," she said shortly. "We are _not_ a couple." She started to walk away from him.

"That's not what Shiro said!" he called out to her but she didn't bother to look back at him.

Back outside on the carpet, both Lu and Gang were enjoying themselves with treats that they had managed to snag before coming outside and supposedly doing their jobs. But they were much more interested in eating the Varri-cakes that were going to be sold. They were deliciously creamy and with a nice fruity center too. But even though they were stuffing their mouths, they were doing in right out in the open, which meant their chief could see them. "Stop stuffing your mustaches with Varri-cakes and get to your post!" Lin snapped at them both when she saw what they were doing.

Both of them came to attention. "You got it, boss," Gang told her before they ran off.

She watched them go, making sure that they were actually getting to where they were stationed. "You two are the pinnacle of refinement." It was no wonder they were called the Blunder Duo. She might've hated the name but it was apt.

From nearby, Shiro Shinobi kept up with his commentary as another limo pulled up to the red carpet. "This star-studded event just keeps getting star-studdier folks." The door to the limo opened and the occupants. "President Raiko and the First Lady Buttercup Raiko just arrived, and they're being greeted by entrepreneur extraordinaire Varrick.

The man who made all of this possible swaggered up to the waving couple in the only he could. "There they are, my two most honored guests," he declared, shaking the president's hand and kissing his wife's hand like a gentleman. They started moving forward and he started talking about what was in front of them. "What do you think? No expense has been spared, I brought in the finest entertainers from Ba Sing Se, and the best food from around this side of the world. Heck! I even had this red carpet imported from the Fire Nation! They make the _best_ red stuff over there. Fact! All right, picture time."

Together, all three of them posed for the cameras, letting them flash away. "Varrick, you didn't have to do all this for us," Raiko told him.

"I wanted to," he replied. "Mister President, I took one look at your wife and I knew that you were a man of exquisite taste." Buttercup looked partially embarrassed at the complement, which made the cameras flash even more so. "And that's why I know you're gonna love this mover!"

The president frowned a little at the silent suggestion that came with that declaration. Even since he had been keyed into what the businessman had done during the election, he had always been cautious with him. Now was no less of an occasion. "Varrick, I know what you're doing, and I doubt your propaganda is going to change my mind about going to war with the Northern Water Tribe."

"Oh, I think you'll be surprised how persuasive I can be," he replied easily enough, although Raiko felt that there was something a little…off about his grin.

When the cameras were done, he and the couple moved on. Everyone else turned their attention to who would come next in the line. The Satomobile that came to a stop before the red carpet was not a limousine like the ones before. Instead, this one was an open-aired Satomobile with one passenger in the back. The driver had hair that was long enough to be put in a bun and wore goggles over his eyes.

But it was the passenger in the back seat that had everyone's attention. "Ladies and gentlemen who were not able to attend this night in person, you have just missed out on something none of us could expect," Shiro Shinobi declared, still talking despite being surprised. "Naruto Uzumaki himself has come here tonight. The Paragon of the Fire Nation, writer of the Shiro Ryū series, and father to Sozin Uzumaki, has not been seen at a public event such as since his son's induction to the Pro-bending Hall of Fame, which occurred only three months before the night and most of his family died. It's a wonder that he would even come to this show.

"Wait a minute now," he said as Naruto stepped out of the Satomobile and the driver did the same. The driver undid the bun holding up the hair and took off the goggles. These two motions revealed that the driver was actually a woman and not just any woman. "Folks, I wouldn't believe it if I wasn't seeing it, but Naruto Uzumaki has come with Ms. Asami Sato, granddaughter of Hiroshi Sato and now head of Future Industries. Does this mean that Future Industries now has Lord Uzumaki's patronage? Perhaps this reporter will be able to get some answers from the two."

He started shouting their names to get their attention but he wasn't the only one. The other reporters there were shouting for their attention just as loud and the cameras were flashing brightly. Even the tabloids were there and there was no doubt in anyone's minds that they would be the ones to suggest that the Paragon was getting back into the world of romance and was going about the wrong way with a lady who could've been easily passed off as his granddaughter.

Unfortunately for them, both Naruto and Asami had taken measures to try and prevent that. As they strode down the carpet, they walked together but kept a respectable distance between each other. Asami wasn't wearing a dress like the other women attending. She wore a suit of dark coloring that looked black in the light of the stadium but also highlighted the redness of her dress shirt. The suit itself was cut to her size and figure so when she walked, it did not hide her. Rather, it became her.

"Should we talk to anyone of them?" she asked her sensei in a whisper that didn't reach past him. She knew that there had been no ceremony inducting her into the ranks of the Paragons' apprentices. But she didn't know how people would take what they were seeing right now.

"We will," he replied, keeping it to the same level of whisper. "But I'll pick the person."

Instead of asking if it was supposed to be the other way around, she just asked, "Who?"

His blue eyes scanned the line of reporters who were screaming at them and practically drooling for the chance for him to come over and talk to them. He found the one he was looking over and walked to him. "Good evening, Shiro," he said, holding out his hand to the reporter, "A pleasure as always."

The reporter went stiff at the sight of the man holding out his hand. Not a lot of people knew this but the man standing in front was responsible for his current position. He had been running missives for one of the newspapers during a season of Pro-bending when he had run into the Paragon and his son. Sozin noticed the way he had with words and Naruto offered him a chance to be a junior reporter. He took it and now he was here. Hell, he had his moniker from the old man!

"Good evening to you too, sir," he said politely, taking the hand and shaking it.

"You have questions, I assume?"

"I believe it is safe to say we all have questions about what we're seeing right now."

The old man acknowledged the remark with a nod of his head. "That is true." He tapped his cane twice the carpet. Asami just watched in amazement as everyone fell silent. Not even a single camera flashed. "Go ahead."

The reporter collected himself and began. "Well, to start off, what is your relationship with Ms. Sato? Are you a patron and supporter of Future Industries?"

"No, of course not," he answered.

He looked at them both. "Then why are you here together?"

The old man looked at him with an amusing yet mysterious smirk. "It's not obvious?"

"Sensei," Asami said to him in a chastising voice, already seeing that he was getting into a joking manner that would not be suitable here on the carpet. She had to put a stop to that before anyone got any ideas.

He eyed her and sighed in resignation, losing the smirk. "Alright, alright, we'll play it honestly," he told her.

She had restrained the urge to roll her eyes. She was in public, after all. But still, she couldn't help but wonder, _"How can this man be the serious and scary sensei I know him to be and yet still play jokes like this?"_ It was almost mind-boggling how easily he switched around.

Naruto turned his attention to Shiro and said simply, "She's my apprentice."

There was a surprised breath of air from the adults in the crowds, even though the kids were confused what that meant. "That is surprising news, my lord," Shiro said. "There were some of us that thought you would not take on an apprentice."

"I was looking for the right person and I found her."

"Have you come here to watch the mover in support of sending Republic troops to the south?"

That was the question everyone was waiting to hear him answer and most of them had been spurned on to hope that he would answer in support. But Asami saw the glint of amusement in his eyes and knew that they weren't going to get what they wanted. "Nope, I came for the laughs."

Shiro wasn't the only one who had a look of surprise on his face at those words. "The…the laughs?" he repeated.

"Yep, the laughs," her sensei said again. "This stuff is so bad it's funny."

"Lord Naruto, the movers show what the ongoing struggle of the Southern Water Tribe against their northern oppressors. It's not supposed to be a comedy."

The glint disappeared and he looked at Shiro with the intensity that reminded everyone of who he was. "There is no need to remind me of what's happening in the South Pole, Shiro. Unlike Varrick, my fellow Paragon, Yue, has been fighting in the south against the Northern Water Tribe." There was a moment of silence where no one knew what he would do or say next. The glint came back and he said, "Besides, I've seen third-rate plays better then what Varrick has made."

Asami figured that was a bit of a low blow. What she had seen with the movers was nothing short of fantastic. Sure, what Varrick had made with the movers was a little ridiculous but that could be forgiven because of the wonders it gave its audience. It was hard to believe that her sensei could believe otherwise.

To his credit, Shiro did not linger on the question or the response. "Lord Naruto, there have some speculation tonight that Varrick's next mover series will be based your popular books. Do you have a comment on that?"

"Yes, I do: Varrick would need permission from me before he could film a single scene from my books and I don't plan on saying yes to him."

Again, the reporter was not the only person there to have a look of disappointment. "That's sad to hear, sir. A lot of us would love to see your series on the mover screen. Are you sure that you would not let happen?"

"Not with Varrick at the helm. And besides, this industry is still too new, too fresh, to try making my books come onto the screen. I'll wait." He continued walking up the carpet. Camera flashes and people shouting for an additional comment followed.

Asami just watched him go in admiration. He had their attention for the entire interview and didn't give them anymore then they gave. When he had wanted silence, he had gotten it. She wondered if it was because he was the Fire Paragon or because he was a man who had lived long enough to know two Avatars. _"I wonder if I'll ever have that."_

She barely took a step before Shiro had pounced on her, metaphorically speaking. "Ms. Sato! Ms. Sato! A question on your ensemble: where did you come up with such an idea?"

She was glad that he had asked that kind of question because she was able to answer it. "You can thank my sensei for that. He's been training me for times that I could be taken by surprise with an attack. I asked him what if I was to be attacked when at a formal event like this," she gestured elegantly to the stadium with her right hand, "he told me not to wear a dress. I asked was I supposed to wear a suit and he agreed that it wasn't a bad idea. Next thing I know, he took me shopping and got me this." She gestured down at the suit. Everyone followed her gesture and took note that she was still wearing heels.

"I will say it is an exquisite suit and it fits you perfectly," he said in praise.

She smiled graciously. "Thank you. It was tailored to me specifically."

"And who is the tailor that made this suit?"

"Juan," she said, mentioning the name like it was nothing important. But even as she said the name, everyone who heard it and knew who the person it belonged to were surprised and showed it audibly, whether it was a simply shocked face or a gasp.

Not even Shiro was exempt. "That's the biggest name in the tailoring world," he said, directly into his microphone even as he stared at her. "Only the richest people in the Countries can afford to buy something of hers and every yuan is well spent."

She knew of Juan, having wanted to have a dress made by her hands ever since she could wear a dress and pull it off. _"Well, that wish came true,"_ she thought ruefully to herself. "Yes, Sensei helped her start her shop back when she was just beginning, so she owed him one." She decided to stop it there but she was also polite about it. "Have a good night, Shiro. I hope you enjoy the mover."

The reporter watched her go back to her sensei's side. "You've heard it here first, folks," he said into the microphone. "That was Asami Sato, head of Future Industries and now confirmed apprentice to Paragon Naruto Uzumaki, wearing a suit of dark and red made by the Lady of Needles herself, Juan. I don't know how tonight will go but I can tell you this much: suits for ladies are going to be the raging fashion in the morning!"

(Location: Team Seven)

Tsukiko watched the train pulling into the station with a growing sense of dread and panic. _"It's starting to slow down,"_ she noted.

"_You could still run away,"_ she suggested to herself.

"_I can't."_

"_She's coming and that train is about to stop. This could be your last chance."_

"_I can't run away. Sensei would catch me before I could reach the edge of the platform and the guys would never let me live it down."_

"You alright, Tsukiko?" asked Hiro, standing right next to her.

If it had been anyone else, she might've tried to leap out of her skin. But she just tried to take a steadying breath. "Yeah, I'm fine, Hiro," she told him.

He just watched her for a second. He didn't need the **Byakugan** to see that she was lying out through her teeth. "You're scared, aren't you?" he asked, choosing to skip over the lies she might try to come up with.

She didn't try to protest what he said. "I want to run away so bad."

He found to be a bit ridiculous. "She's not all that bad, Tsukiko. And it has been a while since we last saw her."

"It's been two years."

"That's still some time." Things could change in that amount of time. He only had to look at himself for an example.

"We're talking about _her_, Hiro!"

"Tsukiko, relax and breathe," Rin said from where she sat on the bench behind them both. "You're going to work yourself up into a panic if you keep going like that."

"Too late," she replied as the train came to a stop.

"Well, they're here." The adult of the four stood up. She looked over at Arashi, who was leaning against a nearby column and writing on a paper. "Hey, Mr. Cool Guy, our guests have arrived. You want to pay attention now?" she asked him.

"Sorry, just finishing up," he said back, folding the piece of paper in half and putting it in his pocket.

Tsukiko eyed him as he stepped into the line. He had been writing a lot during the past week and been making a lot of suspicious disappearances. She thought about calling him out on it but the train finally came to a stop and the terror came back to her. _"Sweet Kami above, save me,"_ she prayed, hoping that it would be enough.

Rin had been spot on when the carriage carrying the Kazekage and his group came to a stop right in front of them. The announcer came onto the station's intercom to announce that the train had arrived but none of them paid attention to his words. The carriage door opened and the shinobi from Suna stepped out.

It was a team of shinobi, all wearing Jōnin vests and grim expressions. They stepped down from the carriage and walked past the welcoming committee without bothering to give them a single look of attention. The next person who came down the steps, however, did pay attention. "Ah, good," said the old man who walked down the steps with a feeble gait, his long hair drooping over his shoulder as he went, "company. And here I thought we wouldn't get a proper reception."

Rin inclined her head with respect to the man. "Kankurō, it is good to see you again," she said to him.

He looked at her. The Genin saw that even though he was walking with feebleness, back slightly bent forward and taking careful steps, they saw that his eyes weren't the same way. They took in everything and were alert. Arashi could see that his teammates knew who the man was but he didn't. What he did know was this man was a shinobi and judging by how old he was he was a veteran one too.

"Hmm, grey hair and not old enough to have it," the old man remarked, looking over their sensei. "Remind me again, which one of the Hatake's are you?"

If Rin looked offended by his words, she didn't show it. Instead she just smiled and said, "You know full well which one I am, Kankurō. And really, that's what you would say to your son's sister-in-law?"

"Why else would I say it?" He turned his attention to the Genin, walking over to them and examining them like they were wares on market day. "So, they finally saddled you with students, hm?" He inwardly chuckled at the looks of indignation he got in return. Getting fresh Genins riled up was one of the few past times he had left to enjoy. He knew both Hiro and Tsukiko from before and could almost smile nostalgically. _"They're growing up."_ It didn't seem so long ago that they were no bigger than his knee. But he also had that feeling when it came to his own children once. He didn't know who the third Genin was, only that he looked vaguely familiar. _"Ah, it'll come to me."_

He started to walk away towards his own men when Tsukiko spoke, "Um, Kankurō, sir?"

He looked back at the young Uchiha. "Yes?"

She looked back up at the carriage. "She's…she's not here, is she?" There was a tint of hope in her voice as she looked at him and then at the carriage.

He just smiled and walked away from the Genin. Even though she didn't get an answer, Tsukiko held onto that hope. That is, until they all heard the sound of feet running, someone coming out of the carriage, and she feeling a very large weight suddenly attached to her. The suddenness of it made her stagger back and fall down to the ground. She laid there and glared up at the other girl now sitting on her chest.

"Did someone miss me?" the girl asked her with a smug grin. She had red hair like Arashi but hers was a much deeper red then his, more like fresh blood. She was also wearing a brown vest that she hadn't been wearing the last time.

"_Oh help me, they promoted her,"_ Tsukiko thought to herself. But she didn't say anything like that out loud. She just continued with her glare, her nervousness transforming into anger. "Get off of me."

"I think she did, yes, yes, yes," she continued, speaking like she was talking to a dog.

"I said get off!"

Her smug grin got even wider. "Why don't you make me get off then? Oh wait, you never could." She moved her body just for the emphasis. "Come on, get me off."

A kunai pressed itself lightly against her throat. "I believe she told you to get off," Arashi said into her ear, holding the kunai as he knelt beside her.

She smirked confidently and leaned into the kunai's edge. "Go on. Do it." She waited a second and nothing happened. "Ha, chicken."

"Karura, stop antagonizing the Konoha shinobi," Kankurō chastised her from where he stood. When the Genin looked at him, they saw the amused look on his face and were angry again.

She just laughed. "Oh relax, Kankurō," she said to the old man. Just as she spoke, a thin shield of sand coated both her neck and the kunai's edge. "He wouldn't be able to harm me if he tried."

"_What the…sand?"_ the dyed redhead thought in surprise. She could use sand? Well, there was a way around that. "If you're going to be like that…" He dropped the knife and grabbed the collar vest, throwing/pushing her away. The girl yelped in surprise as she fell off Tsukiko, hitting the ground in a roll. He ignored her in favor of Tsukiko. "You good?" he asked his teammate.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied, standing up.

The Suna kunoichi bounced back and stared at him. "You threw me off," she said in surprise. "No one has ever really done to me before." She broke a feral grin. "I like you. Can I keep him?" she asked Kankurō.

"No," he said.

At the same Tsukiko, surprised (and outraged) at what she had said, shouted, "He's not a dog you can't just adopt him!"

She just looked at the Uchiha in dismissal. "You couldn't get me off. You don't get to say anything."

The raven-haired girl took a step in anger towards "Why—!" She stopped when she saw the smug grin back on the other girl's face.

"Ah, you're learning. That's so cute. And you've become a Genin too, that's even cuter." She nonchalantly plucked at her brown vest. "I've made Chūnin, so you still have a ways away to go before you can even try to beat me."

Tsukiko looked over at Hiro and said, "You still think she changed?"

He looked at her and then the now-proclaimed Chūnin. "No, she hasn't. Sorry."

"I apologize," said a quiet voice came from the carriage, coming closer as it spoke. "Even though I have tried to train her, it seems my student has yet to behave herself."

The Suna shinobi came to attention by kneeling down on one knee. The only two who didn't do that was Kankurō and Karura, who said, "It took you long enough, Gramps. What did you do, go to the bathroom?"

A tendril of sand flew out of the carriage and thwapped her across the head. "Manners, Karura," the voice said over her yelp, the sand traveling back into the carriage, "Please remember that we are not in Suna anymore. This was why you had to leave early the last time you came to visit."

When he stepped out of the carriage and down to the platform even she bowed to him, albeit whilst rubbing her head. "Sorry, Gramps, but they know I don't mean anything by it."

The old man in the sand brown trench coat looked at her for a long moment. Even though he had old faded rings around his eyes, they shared the same eye color of sea green. There was a fedora style hat resting on top of his head, looking just as worn as he was. His hair was just as white as Kankurō's but he also had stubble on his face. The trench coat itself was closed and tied off at the moment, so the Konoha shinobi had no idea what was underneath.

He turned his eyes to the Genins standing there and back at her. "I do not think that they call it that."

"We don't, sir," Tsukiko told him.

"Come on, I'm being affectionate," Karura protested.

"I call it being a bully," Arashi spoke from where he stood next to Tsukiko, "But that's just me."

She turned her attention back to him and her eyes began to roam up and down. Tsukiko felt protective of her teammate and stood in front of him without missing a second. "Knock it off," she told the pain in the ass.

She looked at the Uchiha girl and then the boy she was protecting, standing taller than she was by about an inch or two, for now. She smirked. "Wow, you got a boyfriend. Who knew?"

Rin watched her students' reactions to the words. _"If it was her intention to make them blush like tomatoes, she hit the bullseye,"_ she thought to herself as she watched they blush heavily with red. Tsukiko started spluttering out denials but Karura just laughed at her. It just made her angry so Rin decided to intervene at that moment. "Sir, would it be possible for your student to stop tormenting my students, no matter how well-meaning it is?" she asked the Kazekage.

"_How is it well meaning!?"_ silently demanded Tsukiko. To her, it was torture, plain and simple!

"Karura," the Kazekage said shortly.

The girl sighed and said, "Alright, fine. If they can't a little bit of teasing," she muttered, only to falter when she noticed his look.

He took his gaze from her and onto the Konoha Genin. "Tsukiko, Hiro, it is good to see you again," he said kindly.

"Lord Kazekage," they said respectfully, inclining their heads towards him. Karura scoffed and rolled her eyes, which prompted Tsukiko to turn and glare at her.

She ignored the glare in favor of their teammate. "Hey," she said rudely. "Who the hell are you?"

"A Konoha shinobi," he replied without breaking a sweat.

She eyed him up and down again, ignoring the attention she was drawing to them all again. She noticed something was off and promptly asked him about it. "Where's your headband then? If you're a shinobi, you're supposed to have a headband."

He lifted the side of his coat up. "It's right here," he said, revealing the plate tied by wire to his coat. Once he knew she saw it, he dropped the coat. "So who the hell are you?"

"She's Shikatsuno's cousin," Tsukiko told him, not even giving the Suna kunoichi the chance to open her mouth.

He looked over at his teammate in surprise. "Really?" he asked, looking back at the other redhead. It did not seem like it.

"It's a bit longer than that," Hiro replied. "They're actually second cousins but we all call them cousins for simplicity's sake."

"Actually, I was wondering how a lazybones like Shikatsuno could have such an energetic cousin," he told him blandly.

It was Kankurō who replied, saying, "You would have to ask our sister, she's the one who married Shikamaru and had kids."

The dyed redhead looked at the natural and then at the two old men. "So she's your grandniece?"

Karura scoffed at him. "Of course I am. Why do you think I call him Gramps?" She pointed at the Kazekage.

He followed the finger to the man and asked him, "You train your own grandniece? Isn't that favoritism?"

"Not if I work for it," she told him.

"Wasn't asking you," he said without looking at her. She fumed at his response, anger burning bright on her cheeks. When she saw that, Tsukiko smiled smugly. It was nice to see her feel the same way sometimes.

"She is right, though," Kankurō told him. "She's got the same skill as Gaara here but she works for it. Now who the hell are you? Give us the name this time around, please."

He could've retorted with something sarcastic but there was a difference between inflicting sarcasm at a girl his own age and an old man that was a veteran. Every time he looked at him or the Kazekage, he got the same feeling he got from Rock Lee: they didn't get old by staying on the sidelines and picking daisies. "It's Arashi, Arashi Uzumaki."

Both he and the Kazekage reacted quite visibly, Kankurō more so. There was a look of surprise following by focused eyes looking him up, down, and all over. As soon as they did that, Arashi knew what it meant and thought to himself with a groan, _"Oh no."_

"An Uzumaki?" repeated Kankurō.

"Yes," he replied in resignation.

"As in—?" the old man started to ask.

"Yes."

He frowned slightly. "You have no idea what I was about to say."

"As in some kind of relation to Naruto Uzumaki, right?" the dyed redhead asked him in complete deadpan.

"Well…yes."

"There you go. I'm his grandson. You two knew him, didn't you?" he asked, looking at both old men.

"Yes," the Kazekage said. "I consider him to be a good friend."

"A lot of old people seem to do."

Kankurō scoffed a little at that. "I don't think all of them got head-butted by your grandfather," he said, looking pointedly at the Kazekage.

(Location: Republic City)

As people started going into the stadium and finding seats like they were going to watch a normal Pro-bending match, the first thing they noticed was a giant silver screen hanging from the blue side of the ring. The people who paid the higher prices got the closer seats, whereas the normal seating goes was first come first serve. Of course, those who had the box seats went about like normal. President Raiko and his wife had the prime box seat, situated right behind the red area and thus had a very good view of the screen. Bolin had the next best box, since he was the star of the mover, and he shared it with Asami, Naruto, and Ginger. Naga and Pabu, still in character, had their box too but they didn't really care about the mover. They were more interested in the food set out for them.

Varrick stepped out onto the ring and people started to applaud and cheer for him. The lights went out, save for the single spot centered on him. "Thank you all for coming for the finale of 'Nuktuk: Hero of the South!'" he said into the microphone he held in his hand. "You know, when I first started this project there were a lot of naysayers out there. 'You can't make pictures move,' they said. 'You can't take some knucklehead Earthbender and make him a star,' they said."

The crowd laughed at that one, but Bolin lost the smile he had on his face. "'You can't teach a polar bear dog to speak,' they said. Well, they're _wrong_! Thanks to the magic of the movers, our furry friends have found their voices, and you'll be _shocked_ to hear what they have to say." His voice turned softer and more serious. "They speak of the injustice that is happening in the Southern Water Tribe right now." He looked right at the prime box as he continued to speak. "My hope is that their words, and this epic mover, will inspire a real life hero to rise up, and help."

His serious tone and somber mood was ruined when Naruto yawned audibly and theatrically, echoing across the stadium. Bolin couldn't look him in the eye when he did that, but Ginger did along with a scowl. When he stopped yawning and noticed the scowl, he turned his head to look at her. "Got something to say, missy?"

"Yes, I—"

"Well, save it. I don't care."

"Sensei," Asami said with chastisement in her voice, looking at her teacher with a frown.

"Hush, you," he told her. "We both know that she's eye candy, she doesn't have her own opinion." He eyed Ginger, who went back to checking her appearance in her little makeup mirror. He looked back at his apprentice and gestured at the redhead, as if to say "See?" She didn't have an answer to that.

Varrick decided to end it there before the old man could try and embarrass him anymore. "Thank you again," he told the audience as he gestured up to the screen. "Enjoy the show!" Everyone started applauding and cheering as the light vanished and the screen started up again.

The opening shot was of Nuktuk being held in the giant talons of a bird. The narrator wasted no time in speaking. "When last we left our hero, he was captured by the Evil Unalaq's dastardly pet bird." The shot pulled back to reveal that he being held by a large construct of a bird, being dangled onto the screen by a couple of robes. "Amazingly, with the power of his whistling, Nuktuk escaped." There was a flickering in the screen before Nuktuk was released, falling down to the ground. "And decided to seek out council."

"And that council happened to be at the bottom of the ocean with a very hungry seal lion?" Naruto asked loud enough for everyone else in the box as the scene changed to Nuktuk kneeling before the seal lion that was obviously being fed by someone off-screen throwing fishes at it. No one answered him.

"Thank you, wise sage. I will travel to Republic City and seek help," Nuktuk told the seal lion, kneeling before it.

The scene changed to one of Republic City and then the interior of what was supposed to be President Raiko's office. The actor playing Raiko was fiddling around chemicals when Nuktuk walked into the room. "Have a seat, I'm just working on a cure for the common cold," he told Nuktuk with a slightly exaggerated tone. "No longer will my citizens suffer from the sniffles."

"Mister President, there's something more important than the sniffles right now," Nuktuk said back. "I need your help to stop the Evil Unalaq."

"Did you say 'help'?" He looked right at the camera, as if he was trying to talk to his real life counterpart. "If there is one thing I love doing, it's helping people."

The real life president looked unsure at that line. His wife leaned into his side and whispered, "The seal lion seemed a bit farfetched, but the portrayal of this president _is right on the money_." He smiled at her, a little unsure. But then his eyes found Naruto and the Paragon rolled his eyes exaggeratedly. His spine stiffened at that.

Asami was enraptured at what she was seeing on the screen. She had been skeptical at first but now it seemed like it got better with each time she saw it. "I think this is your best mover yet," she whispered to Bolin. She wasn't quiet to escape her sensei's ear to which he snorted in derision.

The Earthbender was glad for the praise, truly he was, but ever since the mover started, he just sorted of felt hollow inside. He knew the reason why. "I just wish Mako was here to see it," he whispered back. If his brother was here to see what he had done, he knew he could feel proud instead of just hollow. He cast a quick look at the Paragon in the box but Naruto paid no attention to him or what he was saying. He wasn't quite sure if that was a good thing or not.

* * *

While technically they were supposed to be on guard duty around the perimeter of the stadium, Lu and Gang were off in one of the corridors, enjoying themselves on their swiped snacks. They weren't seeing the movie, so they might as well get some kind of compensation out of it. "Mmm," Lu said in satisfaction as he finished licking the pastry in his hand. "I like to eat the top of the Varri-cake first." It had some nice icing on it, smooth and creamy that was able to get off just by his licking.

"I just try to shove the whole thing in my mouth at once," Gang replied, taking the Varri-cake in his hand and cram it into his mouth, like he said. He was able to do it but it left a mess on his beard. He didn't care. The beard got messy all the time. He'd be able to clean it off any time.

But it did make an amusing sight for his partner to laugh at and Lu did just that. "I love our job," the man declared and his partner agreed with an incline of his head. Since they were cops, they could take a moment to relax, enjoy themselves, and eat something. And besides, who would be able to stop them? Sure, their boss might but she wasn't there.

Then they noticed something on the windowsill behind them. They turned to look and saw a group of Northern Water Tribe soldiers standing there. The last thing either of the cops remembered before knocked was a tidal wave of water flooding through the water and hitting them square in the face.

(Location: Konoha)

"Hello, Madara," Gaara said to his fellow Kage once they were properly in his office. His men were placed behind him and standing at ease. The Konoha Genin stood by him and Kankurō. His grandniece was by his side and was trying to feign boredom. But he knew her well enough to know that it was a lie.

"Hello Gaara," Madara said respectfully. They might've been of the same rank but there was also the matter of respect for experience. And since Gaara had lived to be an old man, that could say something about his experience. "I trust everything went well."

"As well as it could be," he replied easily enough.

But the Hokage frowned and then pinched the bridge of his nose. In that moment, he wasn't the Hokage, but a father. "What happened this time?"

"Nothing," Karura muttered.

"Something," Tsukiko said right after, fixing the natural redhead with a death glare.

She ignored it like a champ. "It's not my fault if you're a weakling."

"You're right. It's not my fault if you're heavy."

"Girls," said both Kages before a response could be snapped back at her. They fell silent but still shot each other looks.

Arashi watched the two of them with a look of somewhat surprised astonishment while Hiro was indifferent. Madara sighed but then went back to being the Hokage. "The Daimyo would like your team to be there as soon as possible," he said to the Kazekage. "I figure that you'd be given a day to rest up before heading out."

"A day?" repeated Karura, trying to sound indignant but failing to make it sound perfect.

He looked her in the eyes and she couldn't hold it, blushing faintly as she looked away. Tsukiko felt like she both had to gag and throw up at the sight of it. It was no secret that the pain in the ass had a small crush on her dad. It was really disturbing and she didn't want it to go any further than that.

"Yes, a day," Madara told the Suna Chūnin. "The other Genin teams have to be informed of what is happening so they can ready themselves for the mission."

"Other Genin teams?" repeated Kankurō, looking a little surprised. The Suna Jōnin all looked at each with surprise on their faces.

Even Gaara was surprised, but it was only shown by the slight widening of his eyes. "Why are there more Genin on this mission?" he asked. "I was the under assumption that this team would be the only Genin team on this mission."

"They were, initially," Madara said, "but they had a request and I found it reasonable enough to permit it."

"They requested it?" Karura said incredulously, swinging her head to look at the Genin in question. "They can do that?" She swung her head to look at her uncles. "I have to give an argument done in essay format if I want to even _suggest_ an idea to something!"

It was probably due to how many times they've heard that complaint or some variation of it that neither Gaara nor Kankurō batted an eyelash at her. "We do have to keep you busy, dear," Kankurō told her absently.

Tsukiko sniggered quietly enough to not be heard, except by her father and the Kazekage. The former gave her a stern look that stopped the sniggering and the latter chose to ignore what he had heard. "Have they been outside of the village yet?" he asked the Hokage, staying on the topic at hand.

He shook his head briefly. "No, this would be their first time."

"Oh great," Karura groaned, "We're going to have groups of fucking cherries joining us on this mission." She looked over at the Genin team. "It's like you guys are sadists or something."

"Karura!" her granduncle and Kazekage barked out at once, his voice rising to dangerous tones for a second that filled the room. She went straight to attention, standing stiff as she could be, at that tone. Clearly, she had heard it before. "You will apologize, right now."

She looked like she wanted to protest the command but the defiance died away before she opened her mouth. Instead she looked at the three of them and said, "Sorry about the comment."

"Accepted," Hiro told her, not trusting Tsukiko to reply. He saw the look she gave him but returned it impassively. They continued the stare-off for another couple of seconds before finally breaking it off and turning their attention back to what was going on.

"She does have a point, though," Kankurō said, nodding to his niece in acknowledgement. "You'd be sending out Genins who have never been out of the village before. Are you sure that's a good idea? It's seems like a good way to get them killed, if you ask me."

"I wasn't," Madara replied shortly. A younger man might've been insulted at being so casually dismissed. Truth be told, Kankurō did feel a bit of a sting at dismissed as such but he did not let it grow any more than that.

"Why did you agree to such a thing?" Gaara asked the younger Kage.

"This mission was Team Seven's first outside mission," Madara explained, leaning back in his chair slightly. "It was supposed to be a simple escort along with a fetch and carry aspect but it snowballed into something much worse. The team believed that it was best to bring the other Genin teams along so they could understand what they had been through. I have placed their responsibility on Team Seven's shoulders. You will not have to worry about them under your charge."

"That is not why I am concerned." His eyes found the Genin. To them, those eyes suddenly looked old, really old.

"I understand," Madara said with a nod.

He looked back at his fellow Kage. "Will there be anything else I should learn from you?"

"At this moment, no," he answered. "If you have to find lodgings, I would be happy to host you at the Uchiha complex." His daughter looked like she wanted to say something about the idea but he gave her another look that told her to remain quiet. She did but the indignation was still burning brightly in her eyes.

Gaara shook his head. "While that is polite of you, I'm afraid that will not be necessary. My men have already booked rooms at a hotel near the village entrance, whilst I and my family will impose on Shikamaru."

Kankurō chuckled at that, an amused smirk appearing on his lips. "It'll be nice to see that old lazy bastard again. I don't think we ever finished that round of shogi."

"_Thank you, Kami,"_ Tsukiko prayed silently in gratitude. _"That was a close one."_

"If you wish to reside at the Nara compound," Madara said.

Kankurō interrupted him, "Not there, just at Shikamaru's."

He didn't look annoyed that he was interrupted. He just continued to talk. "I will not stop you, but I must insist that you come over to my house for dinner tonight."

"What?" Tsukiko accidently let out in a terrified squeak that echoed the room. All the eyes, save for the Kages, fell on her and she went red in the cheeks. She saw Karura with an amused look on her face and she felt even more embarrassed.

Gaara inclined his head to him. "If you insist, then I would be a fool to refuse. My brother, grandniece, and I would be glad to come over to your house for dinner."

The Hokage smiled and stood up from his chair. "That's good to hear. We'll see you at 6, then?"

"6 it is. Now, if you'll excuse us, we should probably go to our lodgings."

"Of course," he agreed before holding out his hand. "I'll see you at my home at 6, Gaara."

The Kazekage took his hand and shook it. "I look forward to your wife's cooking, Madara." He turned around and walked for the door, pausing only for a moment to look at Arashi once more. Then he and the rest of the Suna group went out the room.

The Hokage turned to look at the Genin team. "I will be notifying the other Genin teams about what is to happen. Be ready to leave tomorrow. You're dismissed. Rin, stay a moment," he told his former teammate before she left the room.

She nodded and stayed behind. Her Genins looked like they wanted to stay back as well but she shooed them away. As the door closed she looked at Madara. "What is it?"

He sat back down in his chair with a silent sigh. "The Yamanaka clan got back to me with their report on Arashi."

The words brought a sense of relief and unease to the Jōnin. During the week off, they had Arashi sent to the hospital not only for his usual healing but also for mental health checkups due to that phrase people keep seeming to think would work on him. That entire week had given Rin a sense of unease about what would be found out. Now she was going to learn. "What did they find?"

"An implanted code, buried deep in his psyche," he told her. "From what I've been told, it's been implanted for so long his psyche and memories have grown over it, hiding it from initial sight."

"What does the code do when activated?" That was what she wanted to know more than anything else.

"It's supposed to shut Arashi down completely, making him go almost into a vegetable state of existence. That phrase you've been is the activation phrase. The person who utters it is supposed to be able to give him orders that he will obey without question."

"_Then why didn't it work?"_ she had to wonder. She asked the question because she had seen her student refuse the command. But as she wondered about it, another part of what she heard came back to her. "Wait, how long has that code been implanted in him?"

"As far as the Yamanaka clan has been able to figure out, roughly five years," he told her.

She quickly did the mental calculations and came to a horrifying realization. "The same year his parents died in a fire and his sister was kidnapped," she said into the room, getting her Hokage's attention. "It could've happened that same night."

"Are you sure?" Madara asked her.

"Almost," she replied, "After he woke from that coma in the hospital and called his grandfather, I took him aside. He trusted me enough to tell me what he had remembered. The last thing he remembered about that night was hearing a voice telling someone else to take the girl and prep the boy and seeing a hand descend down onto his face. The next thing he knew, he had been dumped in a pile garbage with barely any memory of what happened the previous night."

"Shit," he cursed. "It was implanted there but people on this side of the world have been trying to use it? What the fucking hell is going on here? I feel like we've just walked into a conspiracy that just gets darker every time we look at it."

She agreed with the sentiment, probably more so then he would've thought since she was more involved than he was. She still had nightmares about that cage and the man coming for her, of having blood on her hands even after she had been rescued. She didn't want anything like that to happen to Arashi. "Is there anything that can be done for Arashi?" she asked. "Can the code be drawn out of his psyche and be destroyed?"

Madara shook his head silently. "No, it can't."

"Why?" she demanded instantly.

"I talked it over with the Yamanaka clan. They told me that the code could be extracted in a careful operation that would be both delicate and time-consuming, if the code had remained in the same condition when it was implanted."

"So what, they can't do the operation because it's been too long since that night?" It made some sense to her but she didn't like the fact that it did. She didn't want her student to suffer as she had suffered. If there was a chance that code could be taken out of him, she would gladly take it.

"No, it's not that. Apparently time doesn't matter to a code like this," he said. "They can't extract the code because it's corrupted."

The way he said it didn't make any sense to Rin and it showed on her puzzled face. If she was a kid, she might've started scratching her head in the confusion she had. "What do you mean, corrupted?" she asked.

"Just what I said, the code has been corrupted."

This was an old game of theirs, one that went back to their days in the Academy. But she wasn't going to get drawn into it now, things had to be explained. So she took the designated safe shortcut and said, "Back up, explain please."

"Somehow, the code inside Arashi has become corrupted to the point that the original purpose of it can no longer be recognized or carried out. That's why the activation phrase didn't work on him, it can't. That's why the Yamanaka clan isn't able to extract it. If they try, they're afraid that his psyche will be irreparably damaged."

Silence fell between the two of them for a moment. "Should we tell Arashi about this?" Rin finally asked.

To her surprise, Madara shook his head. "No, not yet," he told her. "The Yamanaka clan wants to do more tests on him, to figure out how to migrate any potential damage. Telling him prematurely may add to that potentiality."

It was irritating but Rin knew it could be true. "How the hell did something like this code get corrupted in the first place?"

"That's also something the Yamanaka clan wants to figure out."

(Location: Republic City)

Everyone in the audience (with the exception of two) held their breaths as they watched Nuktuk struggle against the chains that held him to the wall. His face turned into a scared one as machines rolled into shot. "Northern Water Tribe automatons!" he shouted, "No!"

"Bee bow bop, Nuktuk cannot stop Unalaq, must destroy Nuktuk," replied one of the machines.

"Okay, really?" asked Naruto as he looked at Bolin. "Who wrote this stuff, a pulp magazine?"

"Um, I don't know?" the Earthbender offered, half embarrassed and half distracted. But he wasn't distracted because of the show.

The old Paragon just snorted in derision. "Whoever it was, it's just sad and pathetic. They do not need to actually speak the sound effects. That just detracts from the whole thing."

"Sensei," Asami said to him.

"Hush you," he replied before she could even start. "You don't even know what it is I'm talking about here."

Before the machines could destroy or even harm Nuktuk, Roh-Tan and pushed them back with a loud snarl and threatening teeth. Juji, atop Roh-Tan's back, turned towards Nuktuk and focus his eyes on the chains. They became alit as he fired lasers at the chains, beginning to burn through them.

"Oh come on, he didn't have those before!" Naruto protested beneath the sound of children cheering. "Why don't they just make him be able to fly and skin of steel too!?"

"Sensei, you're ruining the mover," Asami told him.

"No, I'm pointing out what's wrong with it."

Once the chains were broken, Nuktuk freed himself and rubbed his wrists, getting feeling back into them. "Ha ha!" he declared to Roh-Tan and Juji that he was free. But his confidence turned into surprise and he yelped before leaping out of the way of a machine claw, alongside his friends. He only ran a few feet before turning back and bending water right at the machines. "Looks like you forgot that water, and automatons, don't mix," he declared triumphantly.

"Okay, 1: you don't stop to brag," Naruto started to lecture Bolin, "2: I could see the pail being moved at the edge of the screen."

"That's not my fault," he protested. But it felt weak in his mouth and outside it too.

"Bee bow bop, oh no, circuits no working," the machines said predictably before finally breaking down.

Nuktuk cheered in victorious celebration, high-fiving Roh-Tan. ("That doesn't even look remotely smiliar to Naga's paw. It just looks like a balloon blow up into that shape!" Naruto protested). "We did it! But wait, where's Juji?" he declared dramatically, looking around.

The screen changed to Juji lying on his back, coughing like he had been severely hurt (even though there was no blood). "Nuk-no!" cried Roh-Tan.

Nuktuk raced over to his friend's side. "You can't die Juji!" he argued, holding the animal in his arms. "Not on my watch!"

"It's okay, Nuktu," Juji said as he coughed. "At least…I got to be your friend." He licked Nuktuk's fingers one more time before dying dramatically (and with a quick screen shot).

Roh-Tan began to cry while dramatic music played, covering his eyes with his hands. "Juji!" cried Nuktuk just as dramatically as the music.

It was at this scene that Bolin stood up and left the box. Asami watched in slight surprise as he left and then turned her attention to Naruto. "What did you say this time?" she accused him. It had to have been in a whisper because she didn't hear it.

"Nothing," Naruto said somberly.

She didn't believe him. He had been criticizing a good mover even before it had started, lecturing them all on what was wrong with it. Quite frankly, she assumed that he had kept going, just at a different volume. "I doubt that, sensei."

"It's the truth. My own sensei died in similar fashion, right in front of me. That," he gestured to the giant screen, "just brings up a memory I wish would stay dead."

All of sudden, her irritation and exasperation with her sensei vanished. It was rare to see him this somber and it usually meant that whatever it was that he was thinking or talking about had really hurt him. "I'm sorry," she apologized.

He shrugged his shoulder slightly. "Go comfort your friend," he told her. "It looks like he needs it."

"I wouldn't be surprised with all of your lecturing," she remarked even as she was getting out of her chair.

He just scoffed. "I'm not what he's so worried about. Go talk to him already."

She left the box and walked down the hall. She didn't see Bolin but she had known him long enough that whenever he felt troubled, he would go outside for some fresh air. She didn't really think of it as odd until her sensei had pointed out that an Earthbender was getting fresh air. Now she couldn't help but think it every time Bolin did this.

True to form, she found him outside at the rail, looking out at the water that flowed beneath the stadium and at Air Temple Island in the distance. "Are you okay?" she asked, walking up beside him. "It seems like this mover is really getting to you. You do know Juji's not really dead?"

"Of course I know," he replied. "Juji's fine. He comes back to life in the end when the doomsday device shifts the polarity of the Earth. Oops. Spoiler. Sorry." Even though he said those words, there wasn't really anything behind them to make them heartfelt. He had put more oomph into his lines when doing scenes.

"Then what's wrong?"

"I guess I just miss my friends. Everything is going so well for me, but it feels empty without everyone around. Korra's gone, Mako's in jail, you're doing…business-lady stuff and Paragon learning stuff. Team Avatar's fallen apart." Once he had realized that, he just felt…empty inside. It felt like everything he had done since coming back to the city had been completely pointless. Funny, he hadn't realized that before.

"I know," she agreed somberly as him. "Things have changed so much since we first met." Back then, she had been an heiress working hard to make sure that she fit into her dad's company and thought her dad was a man who worked his way up from the bottom and earned every cent that he got. But now, her dad was in jail, her company was supported by Varrick, and she was learning how to potentially take down one of her own friends if she ever went nuts. And it had only been half a year.

Well, there was nothing she or he could do about it now. "Why don't you come back in and finish watching the mover with me?" she offered him.

"You go ahead. I need another minute." She didn't say anything else, choosing to do as he suggested. As he stared out at Air Temple Island, trying to think of nothing at all, he heard the sound of wood bumping up against wood from below. He looked down and saw a boat tied to one of the moorings of the stadium. "That's weird," he said, his face slipping into a look of puzzled suspicion. While he knew that a boat being tied to the moorings wasn't a new thing especially on match nights, he remembered that no one would be allowed to do it tonight.

He walked back into the stadium, close to where the boat had been moored but saw no one there. He went down the corridor's length, looking as he went for anyone that might be there. He saw no one but he kept walking. Suddenly, his foot landed on something squishy and wet, sliding it forward without no warning. He yelped but he was able to stop himself from doing the splits.

"_That's just nasty,"_ he thought to himself, getting back into a normal standing position and wiggling the stuff off his shoe. _"What was that anyway?"_ He looked down and saw a Varri-cake on the floor, its juices staining the floor. _"I thought those were being sold at the concessions stands. Why is one out here?"_

A loud banging noise started in one of the nearby lockers. It almost sounded like someone was banging on it from the inside. He went to the locker and opened it. Two cops, rope bound and gagged too, had been stuffed inside. Bolin was surprised to see them but he also wondered why they were in there in the first place. He reached out and took the gag off the shorter one and the cop instantly said, "They're after the president!"

* * *

No one in the audience (with the exception of one) could tear their eyes off the screen and the man playing Unalaq. "You're too late Nuktuk," the man declared dramatically as Nuktuk arrived on scene. "Soon, my doomsday device will this block of ice into the Earth's core, freezing the entire planet, and _I_ will be ruler of Ice Earth!"

"They always have a laugh," Naruto muttered loudly. "Could people be more original?"

"Sensei, I've read your books," Asami told him, "You've done the same thing."

"In mine, they're tasteful. This is not tasteful. In fact, it is the farthest thing from tasteful."

"I don't think so," Nuktuk declared defiantly.

As the president and his wife watched the mover, hands suddenly grabbed them from behind and yanked them out of their chairs. It looked like Northern Water Tribe soldiers had grabbed hold of them. A quick look beyond showed that they had knocked their security detail too. Before they could put up any kind of a fight, they were tied up with rope. It was clear that they would be taken away and held by Unalaq by ransom. Both Raiko and Buttercup started to panicked when they realized what was going to happen to them.

But then the door to the box was in kicked in, getting everyone's attention, and Bolin stood before them. "I don't think so," he declared in the same voice as Nuktuk.

Buttercup screamed in worry (at the same time Ginger on the screen did) when one of the Northerners bent water at him. He flipped out of the way and bent a chunk of the wall out when he landed. He sent chunk right at the attacker, striking him right in the middle of his gut and sending him flying out into the open. He landed in the water. The audience saw the man fall and gasped in surprise. They didn't see that coming.

Lin noticed the splash and how it came from the prime box. _"What was that?"_ she thought to herself.

Bolin continued his attack by bending the floor around the remaining attackers, sending them up to the ceiling which freed the president and his wife. When they fell back down, he sent them flying out too. But they didn't land in the water like their compatriot. They landed in the ring. While the Earthbender could deal with them, he had to make sure the president was safe. He did that by getting them untied and saying, "Mister President, get back, I'm here to help."

Once he was sure they were out of their bonds, he took a running leap out of the box and landed on the metal bridge extending to the ring, landing in a crouch. The force of the landing tore at the seams of his jacket, even more so when he stood up. _"I can't let these distract me,"_ he thought. If they broke in the middle of fighting, he'd have to deal with flopping sleeves and that was a distraction. So he took care of it by reaching up and tearing them off with ease that came from strength. He threw them away as he tore, exposing his muscular arms for all to see (causing more than a few women in the audience to think _"Oh my,"_ with less than pure intentions).

He loosened up the muscles in his neck by giving it a few cracks and strode forward into the ring where the three kidnappers were standing with looks of surprise. "Looks like there's nowhere to go," he told them, a confident smile appearing on his lips. A fire was beginning to burn in his belly as he approached familiar turf with a confident swagger. His brain instinctively began playing scenarios in his head about what would happen next.

One of the kidnappers attacked him with a stream of water from the grates. It was a straight shot that he was able to avoid easily but it also prompted the other two to start bending water too. Everyone in the audience started to ooh, aah, and everything in between as the fight went one. Lin, on the other hand, realized what was going and instantly turned to her men. "Secure the president and call for backup immediately!" she barked out. She and her officers ran out the box they were in instantly.

The constant dodging Bolin had to endure forced him to go from one side to another, but he did it with practiced ease. It was natural to him as it was breathing, walking, and Earthbending. It was also clear to him just by the way they fought that they had not fought in any Pro-bending rings before. In the ring, the goal of attacking the Earthbender was not only to beat him but to keep him away from the disc slots. Once he landed between two of the slots, he spun around on his back with legs high and landing on his feet, a method that both bent the discs up and sent them flying at his opponents when he finished with high spinning kick.

The discs got one of the kidnappers, knocking him to the ground, but the other two kept attacking. One of them leapt into an overhead kick, arcing water behind the heel to add more hurt to the kick. Bolin leapt to the side and lined up a shot with another disc but the second kidnapper nailed him in the front with a hard stream of water. "Bolin, look out!" Ginger shouted from her seat, just in time for her screen self to shout the same line (with the only difference being a name swap).

The hit from the water made Bolin land on unsteady feet and he tried to get back onto more stable ground but the Waterbenders kept attacking, making him keep moving back and forth to avoid them. While that would've made anyone else angry, irritated, and more than nervous, the Earthbender felt exhilarated. He knew that he shouldn't be enjoying this but damn was he in his element now! _"Wait, this isn't even a match!"_ he thought in realization.

As soon as he had realized it, he came to a stop between two slots and bent all of the discs up out of them. The two pillars of discs stood on either side of him like two towers. The kidnappers bent twin streams at him but he bent the towers in front of him to form a shield. He could feel the power of the discs withstanding the force of the water by just enough. He kept the strength going, stopping it from crumbling on top of him. He needed to wait…

Wait…

There! As soon as he felt the force ebb slightly, he struck back with some of the discs. They flew the air and got one of the kidnappers. He managed to withstand the hit and the other dodged away in time but the stream had stopped. Now it was time to repay in kind.

As everyone in the stands watched him attack (while also unconsciously mimicking what Nuktuk was doing on the screen with water), Shiro Shinobi quickly lapsed into old habits. "This is unbelievable!" he shouted into the stands, even if no one was actually listening to him. "Bolin is bending two full stacks of earth disks at once, which would normally be illegal, but then again, he's fighting three Waterbenders, so all rules are out the window!" In his excitement at the quasi-match happening down below, he grabbed the guy next to him around the neck and held him there.

In the ring, a dust cloud had formed from all the discs breaking apart by the water. Bolin paused for a moment in his attack, leading the kidnappers into a lull. They faltered, wondering why he had stopped and that's when he started up again, bending two discs through the cloud and getting on the kidnappers right hard in the chest. The kidnapper fell to the ground and it didn't look like he would be getting up again anytime soon.

With only one kidnapper left, it had gotten down to crunch time. Bolin was absolutely focused on his opponent. With the freeness of being able to move from either side of the ring, they circled one another whilst trading shots. It didn't take long for the kidnapper to show his inexperience in a Pro-bending ring. He left himself wide open and Bolin shut him down with a high punching disk, slamming him down to the ground.

He landed against a nearby speaker and Bolin followed him to it, holding a disc at the ready. "Tell me who sent you!" the Earthbender demanded.

The kidnapper cracked easily, the truth spilling out of his mouth faster than the water he had been bending. "It was Varrick. Please don't hurt me, Nuktuk!"

At first, the words didn't sound like they were supposed to. But then they did and Bolin suddenly couldn't attack anymore. He was too stunned by those words. He dropped the disc and turned to look at the box where he knew Varrick would be in. It was far away but he could still see the surprised and concern look upon the businessman's face. That's when he knew that it was true and that Mako, his brother who was in the slammer and who he had thought was trying for an insanity plea, had been right all the time.

As soon as Bolin had stopped attacking, Varrick became concerned. As soon as he had turned to face him, the businessman knew that the jig was up. "I think this is our cue to exit," he told Zhu Li, who he shared the box with.

But when they turned for the door, it was blocked off by cops and their chief. "Where do you think you're going?" Lin asked them challengingly.

"How…?" he started to ask, only to stop. He already knew the answer but he still had to ask, "Naruto?"

"Naruto," she replied. "He told me to go for you if anything was to happen to the president. I guess he was right. Arrest the both of them," she told her men. "I want them booked before the night is done with."

"_What's going on up there?"_ Bolin wondered as he watched the confusion happening in Varrick's box. _"Is Varrick being taken in?"_ He heard a boot scrape against the metal of the ring and he turned his head to see the kidnapper leaping out to grab him. He stomped down and bent a disc up into the man's stomach, carrying him up and over into the drink (just in time for the Evil Unalaq on screen to be defeated too).

"It's a knockout!" Shiro Shinobi declared with abundant enthusiasm. It was an enthusiasm that spread across the entirety of the audience and it showed in how they roared for Bolin. Hearing their cries, he turned to face them and with a smile and a wave, he drank it all in. This was where he knew belong, right here in the ring.

* * *

By the time the show was over, everyone had known that Varrick had been arrested for orchestrating an attempted kidnapping. "Varrick's plan was to kidnap you and blame it on the North," Lin explained to the president as the two of them, along with Naruto, watched Varrick, Zhu Li, and the would-be kidnappers loaded into the back of the wagon outside the stadium. "Then Republic City would have no choice, but to join the war on the side of the South."

"I can't believe Varrick would do something like this, and no one saw it coming," Raiko said, still a little surprised at everything that had happened.

Naruto turned his gaze slightly towards the man. "I beg your pardon?" he asked.

The president matched his gaze with his own. "My lord, with all due respect, you told Chief Beifong where to point the finger, not why he did it," he said, keeping it short and to the point.

"…Eh, good enough of a point," the older man said with a shrug of his shoulders. He wasn't going to fight that.

"Actually, Mr. President, someone did," Lin said. "Remember Mako?"

He did, in fact. The boy was still a rookie cop but he had done some impressive work in going after the triads. He also did his duty when he told Raiko what the Avatar had been planning on doing with the military even though they were dating each other, something that could not have been easy to do. If he had been the one who had figured out what Varrick was planning when no one else had that meant he had a keen sense for the job. "You got a great officer on your hands," he finally said to the Chief of Police.

"He's one of the best," she agreed.

"Yeah, it's almost a pity that he's in the slammer right now, wouldn't you say?" Naruto asked casually.

If she had been a younger more inexperienced person, that would've been the moment when Lin would've flinched, paled, went stiff or any variation of the three quite visibly. But since she wasn't that inexperienced anymore, she went with a tight frown and silently asking, _"Why did he have to say that?"_

She knew the reason why, of course. He said it because he felt it needed to be said and he wanted to see if he could land her in a tight spot. He did that with everyone who tried doing something stupid in front of him. While would've thought that his wife might've tried to stop him when she was alive, Lin knew for a fact that Princess Azula actually joined him in doing it.

"What's this all about?" Raiko asked her, his eyes turning towards her with accusation.

She met the gaze easily and without fear, knowing full well how to answer. "There had been a tip off about him using the Triple Threat to steal product from Future Industries. When we arrived at his apartment, we also found explosive and cash. But now, in hindsight, it was a setup." She looked over at Naruto, who said nothing back. "Rest assured, sir, Mako will be released as soon as we get back to the station."

He nodded. "Good."

Meanwhile, Bolin was standing in front of the cameras having his picture taken. He was quite surprised when Ginger ran up to him and gave him a big kiss right smack on the lips. Surprised as he was, he quickly got lost in the haze that came with the kiss and didn't even care when she stopped to proclaim, "I can't believe my boyfriend is a real life hero!

"Boyfriend?" he said, losing the haze to confusion. "Wait, stop. I thought you said we _weren't_ a couple."

"You really are as dumb as those rocks. Of course we're a couple." She kissed him again and he found that he didn't care about the confusion that their status.

That was when Asami walked up to his side. "Bolin, you saved the president!" she said to him as the cameras flashed. "And you proved Mako was right all along. We have to go tell him what happened."

"Yeah!" he agreed before quickly returning to the kissing. It took her clearing her throat audibly for him to get the hint. "Oh, you meant right now."

Before she could reply, sarcastically or not, they all heard the sound of an air bison lowing and flying through the air. Everyone looked up to see such a creature flying down to them. Holding the reins of the bison was Korra herself and Tenzin's family sat in the saddle. "Huh, they're back," Naruto remarked like he had just something interesting.

Korra could barely wait for Oogi to land on the ground but she waited. As soon as the bison down, she leapt down from his head and raced to the president. "President Raiko!" she called out to him while Tenzin and his family came down behind her.

"Avatar Korra?" said Raiko in surprise. "What's wrong?"

She came to a stop before him, Lin and Naruto. "So, where have you been all this time?" the Paragon of the Fire Nation asked her. She didn't answer him so he looked up over her at Bumi, who was walking up behind with his sister and brother. One look at the man's face told him that things weren't going to be good.

But Korra didn't pay attention to any of that. She was more focused on the president. "Sir, I know I've asked for your help before, but things have changed. Unalaq doesn't just wanna take over the South anymore. He wants to destroy the whole world."

Those words washed over the crowd forming and people there to mutter, even more so when they saw the look of fear on their president's face. Lin noticed what was happening and signaled her cops to move the crowd out of the area. They all waited while the cops maneuvered the crowd away from them onto the bridge that led back to the mainland, despite a number of protests from the reporters there. Once they were all gone, she looked at them and said, "Now you can talk."

Bolin was the first one to open his mouth and ask, "Unalaq is going to destroy the world? He really does have a doomsday device?"

Korra might've given her friend a confused look if things weren't so serious. "He's trying to release a powerful dark spirit during Harmonic Convergence, which is only a few days away. If he succeeds, the world as we know it is over. Sir, we desperately need your help," she pleaded with Raiko.

The man folded his arms behind his back and looked away from them all. A thinking look appeared on his face and Korra began to hope that he would finally say yes. "I'm sorry, Korra, but my answer is still no," he finally answered her.

She looked at him in shock. After everything he had just heard, he still wouldn't help? She wasn't the only one who thought that either. "There are lives on the line! And my daughter is one of them!" Tenzin snapped, his almost legendary patience gone and replaced with the anger that could come from a parent worrying about his child. "Raiko, you must reconsider!"

"I'm aware that lives are on the line," the president answered calmly. "And that's precisely why my troops are staying here. If the world is going to be thrown into chaos as you claim, I need to protect my citizens. I'm sorry."

Bolin stepped forward looking to say something, only to get whacked on the shoulder by something hard and heavy. "Ow!" he yelped, turning to see who it was that hit him and saw Naruto with his sword off the ground. "What was that for?!"

"You were going to say something stupid," the old man said, keeping the sword raised. "I was stopping you from doing it."

"But—"

"No, do not say anything. Do not do anything. Just stand there."

Korra looked from her friend to Raiko. "Mr. President—"

"My decision is final," he declared, cutting her off. Once his words were said he turned and walked away, leaving behind a mostly stunned looking group.

Bolin looked like he was about to say something again, but one look at Naruto and he chose to forget the idea. Asami chose to ignore the president in favor of her friend. "If you guys need help, I'm here for you," she told Korra.

"Yeah, me too," Bolin agreed instantly.

Korra looked at the both of them, glad to see that they were there. "Thank you. It's so good to see you guys again," she told them both. But she noticed something was off and a quick look around confirmed her suspicion. "Wait. Where's Mako?" Both Asami and Bolin shared guilty looks at her question, which couldn't be a good thing, and Naruto started chuckling, which was probably even worse.

* * *

When the cell door opened and Mako saw his brother walk in, his first thought was _"Here we go again."_ But aloud he asked, "So, how was the big premiere?"

"I saved the president, in real life!" his brother almost shouted at him.

That was something he did not expect to hear and it showed in his response. "Wait, wh-what?"

"You were right about Varrick. He tried to kidnap Raiko!"

"I knew it!" he declared in relief as he stood up from the bench.

"But it didn't work, because of you, and because of me. Let's just say we both did good." He gestured to the open door. "Beifong says you're free to go." Together they walked out of the cell and into the hall. Bolin paused there for a moment, taking the time to say, "Sorry for ever doubting you, Mako."

There were a lot of things Mako could've said to his brother about that. He could've rubbed it in his face that he had been right all along. He could've laughed and wondered aloud how much it hurt to make him say those words. Or he could've asked out loud just how thick he was to not have recognized what had happened. But despite wanting to say all of those things, they had been through too much together for him to be that petty. So instead, he just placed his hand on Bolin's shoulder and said, "Don't worry about it bro." After that, and sharing a quick hug, they walked over to the Item Return desk to get Mako's things.

Once he was fully clothed and had his badge back (something he made a quiet promise to never lose again), the two brothers walked back into the main hall of Police HQ. As soon as they came into sight, Mako got a standing applause from the cops who had been at the stadium and were a part of the arrest, including their chief. Yue and Tahno were there too, along with Naruto and Asami. Even Tenzin and his siblings were there, all clapping for him.

"Nice job, Mako," Lin told him as he walked up to her. "You're going to make a great detective."

"But chief," Gang said in slight protest from where he stood behind her, "there aren't any detective openings right now."

"Actually we have two openings," she said without missing a beat. The Blunder Duo's eyes went wide in surprise and shock. Then they looked at each other. They didn't know what that would mean for them personally. It also didn't help that when they looked over at Naruto, he was watching them with what looked like an evil grin. The rest of the cops didn't have the same kind of evilness in their grins, but the looks they were shooting at Lu and Gang were definitely not pleasant.

Mako smiled at them all, but the smile brightened a little when he looked at Asami. She smiled back for a brief moment but didn't say anything. Then Korra ran out of seemingly nowhere and engulfed into a tight hug. _"Wait, what just happened?"_ he asked himself, looking shocked that she would do such a thing after all they had shouted at each other. He wasn't the only one who looked shocked.

When the Avatar pulled away from the hug, she also gave him a kiss full on the lips. "Mako, I've missed you so much," she told him a little breathlessly.

The only thing he could focus on was Asami's brief look of betrayal. But then she closed her eyes and breathed deep. When she opened them again, her face was neutral. "Oh yeah, did I forget to tell you? Korra's back," Bolin chose to say at that moment, right beside the two of them. As always, he found a bad moment and somehow managed to make it worse.

"_Lead with that next time!"_ his brother mentally shouted at him. But instead of saying aloud, he chose to focus on his ex-girlfriend (at least to his mind). "Korra…hey, I missed you, too. So you're not still mad at me?" he asked, trying to be sure.

"Why would I be mad?" she asked back.

He looked at her with a spark of realization. She had lost her memory. Now he had to tread very carefully. "We had that fight before you left, remember?"

"No, not really," she replied somberly, losing her cheer. "I got attacked by a dark spirit and I lost my memory for a little while. Maybe it hasn't all come back yet." She looked up at him with worried eyes. "Was it a bad fight?"

In the back of his mind, there was a small voice shouting _"Danger! Danger! Danger!"_ But he couldn't just stay silent. "Uh…" he started uneasily, looking at everyone standing there before him. "No. No, it wasn't that bad." He looked over at Asami, who kept her neutral mask still on. Not even her sifu was showing anything on his face.

"Korra, we don't have much time," Tenzin told her as he walked up to them both. "We need to figure out how to deal with Unalaq."

"I think I know just the man to talk to," Bolin said with a serious expression, although it took on a tinge of worry when he looked over at Yue. She saw the look and her face hardened into a scowl.

* * *

As they all stared at the prison cell, some of them didn't know what pissed them off the most. Either it was how lavish the cell was (complete with full size bed that actual sheets on them, a kitchen that seemed fully stocked, and a bathroom), how jazz was playing loudly through a good radio, or how Varrick seemed completely relaxed in his expensive and mobile chair. "Guys, hey," the man arrested earlier that night said in greeting, "what do you think? Varrick Industries built this prison, and I had this cell made special. I had a feeling I'd end up here one day." He grinned at their scowling faces like what was happening was a private joke. He turned his head and shouted, "Zhu Li, c'mon, we got guests! Whip up a pot of that green tea I love!"

"Yes, sir," the ever faithful Zhu Li said with a bow, turning to the kitchen to make the tea.

As soon as she saw the woman inside the cell, Korra was surprised. "Zhu Li's in prison with you?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Of course!" said Varrick while Zhu Li poured the tea at his side. "I don't go anywhere without my assistant. Do you?" As soon as he asked that question, the scowl back onto her face.

Naruto looked over at Lin. "Why isn't she in her own cell?" he asked.

"We tried putting her in one," she replied, "but as soon as the cop let go of her to reach for the key, she was out of sight and right back at his side. No one really noticed that she was there until Varrick was locked in. And please don't ask me about this cell."

"Wasn't going to," he told her.

As soon as the tea was poured, Varrick took the cup and the plate it stood on in hand. He took one sip and went, "Ahh that is good tea. You really should try some. It'll help you relax after a busy day." He was so relaxed and casual about it one could've thought that he wasn't in prison at all.

"We're not interested in your tea," Mako snapped at him in annoyance. "And this isn't a friendly visit."

"Don't tell me you guys are still mad about everything that happened," he replied, sounding a little bit surprised that they still were. "I did some good, too. Korra, who warned you about Unalaq? I did. Bolin, who got you into the movers? I did. Asami, who saved your company? I did. Mako, who got you thrown in jail? I did," he listed off to each person. With each thing he said, the scowls they had on their faces eased a little into looks of consideration. Except for Mako, he just scowled harder and Varrick realized that he had messed up there. "Oh yeah, guess that was a bad thing."

Asami lost her look of consideration and went back to scowling. "You stole everything from me and you tried to kidnap the president," she told him. "Those are pretty bad, too."

"I wasn't going to hurt him," he protested nonchalantly as he continued to drink his tea. "I just needed to start a war. Well, a bigger war." Naruto scowled even harder at those words, moving his hands to the pommel of his swords hilt and making sure that Varrick saw the move.

"Well we're gonna end it," Bolin declared. "Where's all the stuff you stole from Asami?"

"The Future Industries' stuff?" he asked, making it sound like such a trivial thing. "It's on my battleship."

Once again, Korra was surprised by him. "You have a battleship?"

Of course I do! I bought the first one they made! Named her the _Zhu Li_," he declared, sitting back down in his chair. Zhu Li walked up behind his chair with a fresh pot of tea.

Bolin had heard and seen Varrick do a lot of things since he had gotten in with the man. But this one just took the cake. "You named your battleship after your assistant?"

"Yup," he answered without any shame. "They're both cold, heartless war machines."

If she was offended by what he had just said right beside her, she didn't show it. Instead she just poured him another cup and said, "Your tea, sir."

He took the tea and drank it. "Look, I'm truly sorry for the mess I caused. Let me make it up to you. Take Zhu Li." Everyone stared at him, unsure if he was talking about the ship or the person standing beside him. All Zhu Li the person did was look at her boss once as he continued to drink the tea. He caught the look and quickly amended what he said with, "My battleship, it's yours, and everything on it."

Korra thought about it for a long second before looking at her friends. "It's not the fleet we were looking for, but it's the next best thing." If it got her back home, she would take it.

"All right!" cheered Bolin. "Team Avatar is back in business." Before anyone could stop him, he grabbed his friends in a big hug and lifted them off the ground. His laugh was infectious and soon everyone he had grabbed was laughing too.

Naruto allowed a small smile to grace his lips at the sight of the kids rejoicing. "Takes you back, doesn't it?" Yue asked from beside him, watching the same spectacle that he was.

"You could say that," he acknowledged, thinking about his own past and time with the previous Team Avatar. "I'm just glad this team is much more serious than the last one."

She knew what her fellow Paragon thought of the last Team Avatar, despite the fact that he had been in on it. "I thought you said that as a team, you were able to keep things going in the Countries?" she asked with a hint of puzzlement.

"That was after Aang hit puberty, got taller and more serious about his duties, and finally married Katara. Before that, he treated whatever situation we were in like we were going on a long vacation trip. Irritated the hell out of me every time," he groused. Even though he had still acted like an idiot from time to time when he had grown up, Naruto had much preferred Aang as an adult then a kid. His reasoning for that was he actually had excuses for his moments of stupidity.

"But isn't that the point of the Air Nomads?" she asked. "To wander around freely, just see where the wind will take you?"

"He could've done that on his own time, not with us."

"If the two of you are done wandering Naruto's memory lane?" asked Lin pointedly. "Shouldn't you be getting a move on?" The kids finished celebrating and were looking at them now.

"Yeah, we should," the Fire Paragon agreed. "But Yue and I aren't done here. Lin, you take them back to Tenzin and make sure everyone is ready to board the ship."

"Tahno, you go with them," Yue said when her apprentice was about to open his mouth and say something. Instead of protesting, he closed the mouth and just nodded in agreement.

But he was the only one. "What are you going to do?" Asami asked his sensei.

"Have a talk with Varrick that does not require an audience," he told her. "Go on now. We won't be long." He gestured towards the exit with his free hand.

Both Paragons waited in silence for the kids and Lin to leave the cellblock before they turned their attention back to Varrick. But when they did, the looks on their faces were a mixture of cold fury and utter disgust. Varrick just continued to drink his tea like nothing was wrong, ignoring the people that were still outside his cell. When he did finish the tea and looked up, there was an actual look of surprise on his face. "Oh, you're still here," he said.

"Yes," Naruto said back, "We are."

"Well, why are you still here?"

"Why do you think we're still here?"

Yue knew that tone of voice well enough from past experiences. That was the tone of voice Naruto would use when he wanted to play around with someone, letting them think that all was well and good before utterly destroying them and leaving them a wreck without bothering to pick up the pieces. Some people might've called that cruel but she had seen him use it before and it was only used on those who truly deserved it, and with everything that had come to light that night, her former friend certainly deserved it.

But Varrick still hadn't clue into what was about to happen. "I don't know, really. The Avatar and company just got their ship to the south, so you guys just standing around here doesn't make sense."

"I just wanted to congratulate you, Varrick," Naruto told him.

"For what?" he asked, unconsciously becoming interested at what could be said next. He always did enjoy praise being heaped on him. He put down the cup and Zhu Li took it away along the pot, most likely to refill it.

"For pulling a stunt that was completely and utterly stupid, it almost boggles the mind!" He lost the tone in his voice and went straight to furious shouting. Varrick flinched away from his voice, almost falling over in his chair. "It was so completely stupid it almost measured up to what Aang could've done!"

"_Oh that is bad,"_ Yue thought to herself. To those who knew the old man, he had a scale of stupidity that managed to irk him. From the bottom up, it went "Dumb," "Really Dumb," "Completely Dumb," "Absolutely Moronic," "Utterly Imbecilic," before finally capping at "What the hell has Aang done now?" And as far as she knew, no one had managed to reach Aang. But now, Varrick was close to reaching that level.

Speaking of her would-be friend, he was trying to recover from the shout and reply. "I already said that it wasn't that bad and that I was sorry," he tried to say.

"You almost started _a war_!" Naruto roared, "For profit! If there is one thing that could and would be detestable, it is a war caused so someone could put a little more money in his pocket!" He stopped, like he was remembering how to breathe. Varrick looked like he was plastered against his chair, looking like he wanted to scramble off of it and run for his life. When the old man spoke again, the roaring fury in his voice had been replaced by a cold one. "But do you want to know the thing that is even worse than that, Varrick?"

"Um, do I get a choice in the matter?" he asked, only to flinch away and yelp when a knife flew through the bars, past his head, and bury itself in the chair.

"Did I say you could speak?" he asked, his free hand going back to his side.

The man in the cell looked at the knife and then at him. "But how—?" he started to ask, only to clamp down on his mouth when he saw the next knife.

Naruto put the knife away and continued to speak on like nothing had happened. "What was worse is that you decided to screw over my apprentice after she went into a legitimate business deal with you to protect her company, just so you could get more money. You screwed over my apprentice," he repeated before placing his hand around one of the cell bars. "Do you remember what happened to the last person who screwed over someone I held dear and thought that he could get away with it?"

Varrick gulped audibly and for once, Yue couldn't blame him. They had all heard or known about the last time that had happened. It had been the day after Sozin and his family had been murdered, the day Jian tried to become a part of the United Council, and the day Naruto had interrupted the meeting of the Council to kill Jian and preceded to wreck practically half of the city chasing him down. But despite the damage he had done and the fact that he committed murder in broad daylight, no one blame the Fire Paragon for his actions. Rather, they blamed Jian, not only for having Sozin murdered, but because he was stupid enough to run and for having a very fast Satomobile.

And now, Varrick was being compared to the same man, that man whose mutilated body hung in front of Sozin's burned house until Arashi had been found. There was no defense Varrick could think of that would be able to get him out of that potentially deep, dark, but most definitely dangerous hole. "Sorry?" he offered weakly.

"Sorry isn't going to cut it, Varrick," the old man said shortly, still glaring at him. But then, strangely enough, the glare morphed into a satisfied look. "But I took care of that already."

Varrick wasn't the only one who looked at him in confusion. Yue did the same thing. "What do you mean by that?" Varrick asked before she could.

"I mean that you no longer your company," he replied.

"Uh, not to be a dampener on your mood, Naruto," the imprisoned man said, getting some of his courage back. "But I do have my company. It'll come back to me once they finally release me." He had made sure of that a long time ago.

But the old man was now smirking. "No, you won't. You see, I had a little chat with the Triad after the whole shipping debacle Mako and Asami got themselves into and they revealed what had happened after the two of them left the restaurant. So I told her to let me handle any paperwork that would come to pass." He took pleasure as he watched the man's eyes widened in horrified realization. "You never did look through it when it came back to you a day later, did you? No, you were too self-assured and confident to do so."

Yue saw the look on Varrick's face and knew her fellow Paragon had done something. She kept quiet and chose to watch what would happen next. "You didn't…you couldn't have," Varrick tried to protest.

"Would you like me to tell you what the exact wording was?" Naruto asked as the satisfied smirked became much wider.

He shook his head in disbelief. "No, no," he said, although she didn't know if it was in refusal or denial.

But the old man kept on talking. "Article 19, Section 1: in the event that it should come to light that one signatory has attempted to or managed to successfully screw over the other at any time during the negotiations of the deal made between Future Industries and Varrick Global Enterprises, the deal shall be null and void and the aforementioned screwed party shall take the offending party's company as recompense," he said in such a way that it sounded permanent. He fixed Varrick with a hard look. "That means that you no longer own your company and you don't have a controlling interest in Future Industries, Varrick. Asami has both of those. Don't worry. I'm sure that she'll be putting your company to good use. After all, she'll be using it to make sure Future Industries becomes nice and stable, probably even better."

He waited and watched as his words sunk into Varrick. It was quite the visual thing to watch: Varrick all but deflated into his chair, the confidence and the easy-goingness that surrounded him like a coat vanishing by the second. His face was becoming slack with realization that he was no longer a man with more money than he could think to spend. Now he was a man with only his brains, this cell, and Zhu Li. He cradled his head in his hands and grabbed his hair, trying to think of a way out of this situation. But no matter how many times he turned it over in his head, he was well and truly stuck. Naruto had gotten him and he hadn't even realized it.

Seeing that his deal was done with, the Paragon of the Fire Nation turned to Yue and said, "Alright, your turn." He walked off without saying anything else.

She just stood there looking into the cell at the person she had called friend and lover. When he brought his head back up, he saw her. His face morphed into a scowl as he stood up. "What are you still doing here?" he demanded. "Did you decide to gloat? How does it feel? I bet you feel real good about yourself right now. So come on, tell me that you were the best choice all along."

She didn't say any of that. She didn't look down her nose at him. She didn't gloat at his predicament. She just looked at him with quiet disgust and said only one thing. "Sifu would be ashamed of you."

Varrick fell back like those words had actually hit him, crashing into his chair. The look of self-righteous anger he had on washed away and was replaced by one of realization and despair. She left him there, letting him realize that she was right about what their sifu would've thought of his actions.

(Location: the _Zhu Li_)

They had managed to make onto the battleship and leave Republic City an hour after talking to Varrick. By midnight, the _Zhu Li_ was well out of United Republic waters and into the international ones. Korra stood at the higher level of the ship, looking out at where they were sailing. Mako stood behind her and didn't need to see her face to know that she was worried. "It's okay," he told her, walking up to her side. "We're going to stop Unalaq, and get Jinora back."

That was all well and good to hear, but that wasn't the only thing she was concerned about. "I hope my dad's all right," she told him. All her attempts to bring support on the side of the southerners had done nothing. She was coming back the way she came, with only her friends. She felt his hand on her shoulder, blessedly warm against her skin. Seeking comfort and more of the warmth, she turned around and hugged him.

He was a little surprised by the move, having not expected it at all. His first thought was _"What would Asami think?"_ But then he remembered that Asami was asleep in the decks below and Korra still thought they were dating. "I'm sure he's fine," he said, returning the hug.

(Location: South Pole)

Tonraq had realized that finally caving into his brother's silent dare and attacking the port was probably not a good idea. Of course, he had realized that when the rebels were about five hours into the attack and were surrounded on all sides by northern soldiers and dark spirits. Unalaq had shown himself a few times during the battle but always from afar. He made no attempt to join the battle, only watch it.

As he finally dispelled a dark spirit with his Bending, he turned to face the battle proper and got hit in the chest that sent him backward to the ground. He looked up and saw that it was his niece and nephew who were attacking. Their coordinated and relentless attacks were forcing the rebels to take cover, Tonraq too. He didn't need to look at it long to see where the fight was going. "Get the men and fall back," he told the nearest rebel.

The rebel looked at him in surprise. He had said that everyone else was to fall back but didn't say anything about himself. "What about you?"

They braced against the wall as another blast of water hit it. Tonraq was about to tell the rebel that he would stay behind and deal with his niece and nephew. But then, he saw his brother walking down another street with a contingent of guards, walking like the battle wasn't happening at all. The idea changed almost instantly. "I'm going to end this, right now. Go," he ordered.

He leapt out of cover and bent the snow on the ground into ice. Then he bent it upwards and forwards with a shout, dividing the twins from each other. He threw one warning shot at Eska before running for the alley that divided the two streets. He leapt out of there with a kick of water that nailed two of the soldiers and engulfed the rest in ice and when he landed.

"Hello, Tonraq," he heard his brother speak from his left. He turned that way and saw him standing atop a flight of stairs. "Looking for me?"

His elder brother bent a large stream from the ice and threw it at him. He just bent a shield of ice out of the ground, blocking the stream. Mist rose from the collision and he used that mist to break the shield into a missile that flew right for Tonraq. It caught him right in the chest and sent him to the ground once more. Unalaq chose to wait for him to stand back up before doing anything. He had the time. "Brother, I'm too strong for you," he declared.

"You're no brother of mine," Tonraq shouted back. "You betrayed me, you had me banished!"

"Yes! I did."

It was the callus way he spoke about what had happened all those years ago, like it was nothing important to him, that enraged his brother. He took off into a running charge, bending water into a tendril to strike. He leapt into the air but was knocked back down by another chunk of ice. He looked at where it had come from and saw the twins standing across from him, water at their command.

"Stop!" their father commanded before they attacked again, walking down the steps. "He's mine."

They backed off and Tonraq stood back up. "You are _not_ the true chief," he told his little brother.

He was quick to reply, "I am. And you will bow to me." He bent the snow on the ground to rise up and engulf his brother in a tidal wave. It carried Tonraq to the ice wall he had created, slamming his back into it. He quickly got back to his feet and bent another stream at Unalaq. The chief caught it and while his brother started to charge him again, he hardened the water into ice and threw multiple spikes of that ice at him.

But while both men were strong Waterbenders (with Tonraq being a little rusty due to his years of inaction), Unalaq was a Waterbender only. He only knew how to fight with his Bending. Tonraq was both a Waterbender and a warrior. He knew how to fight with and without his Bending. He also knew how to dodge and avoid the ice, sometimes even breaking it with his hands, knees, and feet to get through.

Unalaq changed tactics and changed the ice back into water. At the same time, Tonraq changed tactics too, bending up a wall of ice from the ground. While his brother tried smashing the wall apart, he bent the snow beneath his feet into ice and had it carry him upwards into an arc. Once the arc had reached its peak, it went downward and he leapt for Unalaq, one hand reaching out to grab him and the other pulling back for a punch.

It was a moment that happened too fast and yet seemed an eternity at the same time. He managed to grab hold of his brother's coat, holding him in place even when he was trying to step back. He saw the look of surprised fear on Unalaq's face. _"I've got him!"_ he thought in triumph, beginning to swing the other hand into the punch it was meant for.

But then Unalaq knocked his brother's grip off and bent the snow into a hard, thick pole of ice that struck him square in the chest for the third time that fight. Tonraq flew through the air and landed on the ground. Pain racked his body and he found that he could barely move. But he still had to fight his brother. He had to get back up. Faintly he heard the sound of ice falling down but that wasn't concern.

The snow underneath him twisted and morphed into water, shooting upwards into the air and carrying him with it. Then it froze into ice, trapping him in it. The cold started biting into him everywhere and in his weakened state he felt it even more so. But he could only see his brother standing before him, beads of sweat on his brow and an exhaustive angry look on his face. But when it turned into a smug and victorious smirk, he knew what would come next. So he accepted it, closing his eyes and bracing for the pain that would come.

Unalaq bent up another tendril of water and threw it at the block of ice, shattering it completely. His brother fell towards the ground once more, a few feet away from him. But this time, he did not get up. He couldn't. His brother walked up to his borne body and declared, "Now that I've defeated you, your daughter is next."

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

It's a world-changing experience when you've been through awful and others haven't. If it's done right, talking to others who haven't been through the same and yet expect you to be the same can lead to bad endings.

We've all read stories about how people disobeying orders because they thought they could do better or just help out by doing so. It's almost expected in a main protagonist at least once and they always manage to end up in the deepest of shits. But then I thought it would be a little funny if the opposite had happened, if someone had gotten attacked because they had obeyed their orders. That's what happened with Tahno.

I know that later on, Varrick turns around and becomes a better person, but when I first watched the second season, I was a little miffed that with all he had done, he just got thrown into a cell designed for him and then quickly got out. As far as I could figure, he didn't even lose his company. There was no real damage there and I really wanted to make him. Hence why Naruto did what he did.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	36. Starts and entries

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 36: Starts and entries

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: the _Zhu Li_)

Kya bent the spiritual water in the tub back and forth, using to keep Jinora's body intact. She dared not stop doing this, not since the ship had left Republic City. She barely ate or drank. If she had to sleep, it was only done in short intervals, twenty minutes max. "Kya," said Yue from the other side of the cabin as she watched her do the action again and again.

"Don't tell me to stop," she told the Paragon.

"You have to. You can't keep this up. You look like you're about to collapse."

She could hear the concern in her friend's voice and she was glad for it. But she couldn't stop. Her niece needed her. "I slept a while ago."

"That was two hours ago and it was for fifteen minutes."

"I'm aware that I slept for too long, alright?" she snapped at the Paragon, her irritation at the conversation getting to her. "Let it go already."

"Too long?" repeated an incredulous Yue. "If anything, it was too short! You need to relax, Kya! You need to sleep!"

"Don't tell me what to do, Yue!"

She walked around the tub and put a restraining hand on the Waterbender's shoulder. "Kya, I'm telling you this as your friend. Stop what you're doing, find a bed, and sleep. You're no good to Jinora if you're all but dead on your feet!"

"Get that hand off."

"I can take over."

She shrugged off the arm. "What can you do? You can't even hold life, what would you know about supporting it?" She was so focused on keeping her niece's body intact that her words did not register in her brain until it had been too late to take them back. But still, she took on a look of horror when she realized what she had said. "Yue, I'm sorry. I didn't—"

"That's it," the Paragon of the Water Tribes declared, grabbing her by the shoulder again and all but dragging her away from the tub. She pulled her to the nearby chair where food laid on a plate, completely cold. "Sit down and eat. You're tired and exhausted. Rest until you get your strength back," she ordered Kya, who looked to protest. "Don't make me keep you in that chair, Kya. You know damn well that I'll be able to do it."

She closed her mouth, knowing full well that despite having no Bending powers, Yue could easily manhandle any Bender into doing what she wanted them to do. That was why in the Water Tribes the story of her beating Chief Unalaq when he had declared himself a Waterbending master took on such significant. Of course, for the people who actually knew her, there was another story that could be the reason for it.

She looked down at the food and began to pick at it. When the first bit of food went down her throat, it was as she had expected. It was cold when it should've warm. She didn't need to look up at Yue to know whose fault that was. She kept on eating each piece of the cold food she put in her mouth. "Yue, I am sorry for my words," she said as she ate. "They were uncalled for and cruel, especially since how it—"

"I have told you and I have told everyone a thousand times to leave that subject alone, Kya," she said in a dark mood. But then she breathed deep and continued, "I know that you didn't mean it. You're tired and hungry, that's a nasty combination. Trust me, I've been there."

Kya did know, since she had seen the Paragon come out of a wilds survival training exercise that had lasted a month with her sifu. "Yeah, you would."

The younger woman flashed a smile at her but sobered quickly. "So tell me, why are you so insistent on keeping Jinora stable?"

She looked at her with an incredulous expression. How could she say something like that? "She's my niece!"

"I know, but that's not just trying to save a family member. There's more desperation in your attempts. What's going on?"

For a moment, she considered not telling her what was going through her head. But she knew very well that Yue would not stop until she had pulled the story out of her. It was best just to tell her now instead of fighting her for it. "I was the one who noticed Jinora had an affinity for the spirits. She went into the Spirit World because of me. What happened to her is on me."

Yue's gaze softened as she looked at the girl in the tub. "No, it's not your fault, Kya. It's Unalaq's fault. He's responsible for what happened to Korra," she told the Waterbender.

"She's just a little girl, Yue. She's a girl who's bright and curious about the world. She wants to see all that it has to offer."

She looked back at the Waterbender and saw the grief in her eyes. "She reminds you of yourself when you were younger," she finally declared.

"…Yes," Kya admitted.

She could see the similarities between the two of them. When Kya had been younger, she had been very curious about what went on in the world and wanted to see it, all of it. Jinora had the same curiosity and earnest want to see the world. "I can see it," she told the Waterbender. "But between you and me, I just hope she doesn't get your arrogance."

She snapped her head up to look at the Paragon. "Excuse me?"

"Don't give me that, Kya. You were the only one of us who had been arrogant enough to try and deceive Naruto in order to go to his homeland. And if I remember correctly when he dragged you back to us, you got zero sympathy."

While she would've loved to argue that point, she also knew it would've been pointless because it was true. She had been arrogant and dumb enough to think that she would've been able to get away with it. Back then, she had thought that the adults were being ridiculous with their rules and all she needed to do was show them how it was ridiculous. Nowadays, since she was more mature and calmer, she could see where she had gone wrong. "Don't worry," she told Yue, looking at Jinora. "She doesn't have that."

* * *

Up on the deck, Mako watched his would-be-but-not-quite-sure girlfriend bend blast after blast of air at a training dummy. Tenzin watched from behind her, his determined eyes spurring her on silently. Bumi seemed to be the only one who was relaxed out on the deck, leaning against Oogi's side and playing a flute. But then he saw Bolin walk up to his side, wearing a purple raincoat and eating a piece of pie. "What's up with the coat?" he had to ask. "And where did you get that pie?"

"It's a Varrick ship," his brother said like it was the most obvious thing, "you never know what you're gonna find. There's a whole level filled with fun-house mirrors. Of course, there's also the catgator deck." He turned around to show that a piece of the coat and his pants were missing, showing his pink with red paw prints to show. He turned back around and had a slightly sad expression on his face and let out a long sigh. "I miss that guy. He really knew how to make a long trip interesting."

"_Are you kidding?"_ Mako asked silently. They were talking about the man who had tried to spur the war on and who got him thrown in jail. But Bolin was never really one to hold a grudge against anyone.

The brother in question turned to him and asked, "So, have you told Korra yet about how you guys broke up, and you kinda started dating Asami while she was off getting attacked by dark spirits?"

"Will you keep it down?" he snapped instantly before folding his arms and looking down at the deck. "I'm waiting for the right moment."

"Oh Mako," the Earthbender said, clapping a brotherly hand on his shoulder that quickly went around his neck. "You know, a wise man once told me that delivering bad news to a girlfriend was like ripping off a blood-sucking leech: you just have to do it fast and get it over with." It might've sounded supportive, if he didn't have a very smug look on his face.

Mako sighed, knowing full well that he had the right of it "I hate it when you listen to me," he said, his tone declaring that he had given up the brief fight, "Fine!"

He looked back up at the Avatar, still training with Tenzin standing behind her. "Unalaq will be waiting for you," The Airbender all but barked out. "You'll need all of your Avatar power to stop him."

She didn't see anything wrong with what he was saying. In fact, it just spurred her on. "I'm going to close the spirit portals, lock Vaatu in for another ten thousand years, and make Unalaq wish he'd never been born," she declared vehemently, throwing a burst of fire at the dummy. It was so strong that it knocked the dummy's head and sent it flying to the deck, rolling until it stopped at Mako's feet.

He couldn't help but look down at the dummy head in surprised worry. _"And Bolin wants me to talk to her now?"_ he asked himself. That seemed grounds for a death wish!

He noticed that Korra was coming his way and grabbed the head, holding it out for her. "Thanks Mako," she said to him as she took the head and turned back to train more.

He tried to say something, anything, but all that came out of his mouth was "Uh…Um…"

She looked back at him and saw that he had taken a thinking pose that seemed a little forced. "Did you want something?"

"Uh no, no, nothing," he told her with a smile that also seemed a little forced. She walked away and he lost the smile, groaning at his missed chance. Then Bolin slid into his view with that smug smile still on his lips. He groaned silently this time, restraining the urge to punch him.

Korra put the head back on the training dummy. She was so focused on paying attention to Tenzin and getting back to his side that she put the head on backwards. She went back to his side as Kya joined them outside. "What are you doing here?" the Avatar asked her as she closed the door behind her.

"Yue finally made me take an actual break," she said shortly.

"Oh, okay." There was really nothing else she could say to that. She knew quite well that once her Aunty Yue got onto something, she wasn't going to stop unless she had a very good reason.

Tenzin gave his sister a nod of acknowledgement before going straight to the planning. "As soon as we reach the Southern Water Tribe, we'll blast through the blockade at the main portal," he said. "Then we can rendezvous with Tonraq and his troops, crash through the defenses around the portal, and enter the Spirit World."

"Woah!" said a very surprised Kya. "Since when does my little brother wanna crash or blast through anything?" He had always been the pacifist amongst the three of them. Seeing him wanting to take action, she wasn't sure if that was a good thing to see or not.

He faced his sister with a stern look. "I'll do whatever it takes to save my daughter."

Bumi put down the flute he had been playing and stood up. "We all want to save Jinora," he told his brother as he walked up, "but I think your plan might be a tad over-aggressive, seeing as there are only seven of us and one ship." Considering that he was the so-called "wild child" of Aang, that had to have said something about the situation they were about to put themselves in.

"Really?" his little brother asked him. "And what do you suggest?"

He could see that Tenzin was getting on edge about everything happening to them. He decided to take the slightly lighthearted approached, along with a story to further lighten the mood. "An attack like this calls for strategy. I remember when I was surrounded by pirates at the Hurricane Straits. We managed to capture them all, with just a feather, two eggs and a barrel of molasses," he started to say.

Unfortunately for him, his brother was working on a temper that had been drastically shortened. And while he had, in his own words, suffered through his brother's tall tales when he had a longer fuse, he wasn't having it now. "I don't want to hear any of your crazy stories now!" he snapped. "This is serious!"

The door to below decks opened again and Tahno poked his head out. "What's with the yelling?" he asked them all.

Korra looked at him. Every time she saw him, she couldn't help but look at the new scar on his head. It just showed how much things were going badly for the rebels. He didn't get that scar from attacking the northern troops on the front lines but rather from a sneak attack on the camp by dark spirits. But it wasn't just the scar or the buzz of hair that was now growing on his head that made her see him differently. It was his whole attitude. Gone was the flippant, arrogant, cheating Pro-bender and in his place was somebody else, someone she would've liked to meet first. "Tempers running hot, that's all," she told him.

He stepped out and closed the door. "Yeah, saw enough of that to know."

She was almost tempted to ask him just how much he had seen while fighting in the south. But then she heard boots walking around the corner and she turned to see Asami coming towards them all. "Are we almost there?" Bolin asked her as he and Mako joined the rest.

"Almost," she replied, "but…I just picked up a distress signal from the southern troops. There's a problem."

They could see the worried look on her face and promptly became worried themselves. Tahno was the one to ask the question that was on everyone's mind, albeit in a roundabout fashion. "How bad is it?"

"Very bad," she replied.

"Details, woman, we need the details."

That kind of attitude might've gotten the old Tahno punched in the face. But she knew that he wanted to know what had happened. "The rebels have all but collapsed. The entire front line has been wiped out. The only base they have left is Korra's old training compound." And even though she said those words, she knew that it could only be worse to see it than hear it.

(Location: Land of Spring)

Inoji would've loved to say that going on this mission was probably the best thing that could happen to him and his teammates right now, if it wasn't for the fact that a group of Suna Jōnin and the freaking _Kazekage_ were coming along with grim expressions. He had shared looks with his teammates and the other teams about the Suna shinobi throughout the entire train ride. He would've shared the same looks with their senseis and Team Seven but the senseis looked just as grim as the Suna shinobi and Team Seven looked didn't quite as grim but they did look serious.

In fact, the only one who wasn't grim was Karura. She chatted and talked like nothing was wrong. It was something that he had always admired about Shikatsuno's cousin. She was able to make things feel like there was nothing wrong with what was about to happen. Of course, there was also the fact that she had skills they all wished they could have. By the time they were in their second year at the Academy, she had already become a Genin. And now she was a Chūnin. It was kinda hard to see what's Tsukiko's problem with her was.

By the time they got to the Land of Spring, the sun was shining afternoon and started to fall downwards to the horizon. Inoji had thought they would be staying at the palace like the last time Team Seven had been here but instead they were sharing rooms in a hotel that supposedly had two stars (which he felt was rather generous). The rooms themselves were a little cramped and it felt like they had to fight for space. Some of them would share the beds and the beds were small.

When he looked at Team Seven and saw their looks of surprise, he felt relieved that they hadn't expected this either. Feeling encouraged, he almost went up to his sensei to ask him if they couldn't upgrade or something. But as soon as he approached, his sensei turned to look and gave him an eyeful. Whatever protests and suggestions that were coming up out of his throat died and went back down again. "Yes, Inoji?" asked Gin-sensei.

"Um, nothing," he finally said, trying to come up with something that would give him a reason to have come over. "Just wondering if we were going to head out soon," he told his sensei.

"No."

"Oh, okay." He walked back over to his team sat on the farthest bed.

"Wondering if we were going to head out soon?" Chōichi asked him in disbelief, his hand in a bag of chips. "I thought you were going to ask if we were going to get better rooms."

"I was, but when he gave me that look the question kinda felt stupid." He looked around the room. It was painted in a dull boring brown that he was fairly certain was already peeling in places. There was enough room in there for a team and their sensei, maybe two if some of them were forced to sleep on the floor. Considering that the senseis were at the door talking, he assumed that was the topic of conversation. "Man, this wasn't what I thought it would be."

"You're telling me," Shikatsuno agreed.

"Yeah," Chōichi said, looking around. "This place is smaller than my room."

"Same here," Inoji agreed. The only thing that was smaller than this room was his closet for the love of Kami!

They fell silent. The silence dragged on and on as they just sat there on the bed. Finally, Chōichi broke it by asking, "So, what do we do now?"

His teammates looked at each other, wondering the same thing. "I, I don't know," Inoji told him. "I guess we just sit here and relax for now."

"That's it?"

"As far as I know," he replied.

"That's boring."

"Boring is good," Shikatsuno said, falling onto the mattress. At least, he tried. He ended up slouching against the wall. "I can do boring."

"You would. You're a Nara."

He might've been offended, if it wasn't too much of a pain to be offended. So he just shrugged his shoulders and said, "Yep, I am."

Chōichi just rolled his eyes and dipped his hand into the bag again. But he felt nothing inside except for the bag. Frowning, he lifted it up to eye level and looked inside. "Dang it, it's empty."

"Wasn't that your last one?" Inoji asked him.

"Yeah, it was." He crumpled it up and tossed it at the nearby trashcan. It fell short and so he got up from his place on the mattress to put it in properly. When he turned back, Inoji was sitting in his spot. "Hey," he protested.

"You moved," his Yamanaka teammate said. "And besides, you can wait until dinner for more food."

He frowned. "I didn't say anything about wanting more food."

"You were going to," Shikatsuno told him. "He was just stopping you before you could actually say anything."

He grumped and sat down against the foot of the bed, his head leaning against the mattress. "I'm going to be hungry anyway."

Inoji looked across Shikatsuno at him. "You know, you could stand to lose a couple of pounds."

"A couple?" the Nara heir asked with an amused look. If their teammate got any fatter, he could pass as a human bowling ball. Although, considering his clan's jutsus, might not be far off the mark.

But he looked rather insulted at the prospect. "You mean dieting?" he asked Inoji.

"Yeah, you need it."

"I don't need it. I'm an Akimichi for the love of Kami!"

"What's going on over there?" Gin-sensei demanded, turning his head to look back at them.

They looked at him immediately. "Nothing," Inoji said. "Just talking about life, the universe, and Chōichi's eating habits."

"I see." He went back to talking to the other senior shinobi.

The three Genin sat there, trying to figure out what to do with the awkward air about them. They had no real idea on what to do next. "You think we should go talk to the others, at least to pass the time?" the Yamanaka amongst them suggested.

"It's a pain in the ass to do so," Shikatsuno grumbled.

"Everything's a pain in the ass for you."

The Nara clan heir glared at him but acknowledged the truth of it with a shrug of his shoulders. "If you want to do it, I'm not going to stop you."

"Gee thanks," Inoji said with mock sarcasm, knowing full well that his friend was like this pretty much all the time.

Chōichi looked at the door and the senseis standing in the way of it. "I don't think they would let us go and do that," he remarked, turning his head away from them.

"So what are we going to do?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know."

"Helpful," Shikatsuno remarked drily.

He glared at the lazy boy. "You got a better idea?"

"Not really, no."

"Then you probably shouldn't talk."

"Eh, fair enough," he replied without a care in the world, looking up at the ceiling. "Maybe we should double-check our stuff. We've got nothing else to do."

Inoji agreed with the idea. "It's something to do."

"Fine," Chōichi agreed too, already reaching for his holster. They fell into silence as they checked their stuff. They tried to maintain a serious air but they still had that excited air about them that practically screamed they were on their first mission outside the village. The Jōnin at the door took note of them and shook their heads slightly. They would learn soon enough. It was why they were here.

(Location: South Pole)

Since they couldn't dock at the port (that was essentially suicide), Korra and the rest of her team were forced to dock the _Zhu Li_ along the coastline. It was a rough thing to pull off and it had involved Korra actually leaping off the side of the ship, going into the Avatar State, and bending the ice and snow of the coastline into a rough shape of a dock. It hadn't been pretty but it was able to get the ship in safely, so they took it.

Once they were docked and all, they set out for Korra's old training compound. The Avatar herself took Naga and urged her to run hard while everyone else took Oogi and flew there. When Korra saw the gates of the compound before her, they started to open without any signaling from her. She took it and urged Naga to go faster, crossing the gates in record time.

Naga started slowing down as Oogi landed nearby. Korra's eyes were on the main house and the person coming down the stairs towards them. "Mom!" she shouted in relief, hopping down off Naga and running towards her mother.

Senna received the incoming hug gratefully. Despite all that had happened recently, she was glad to see her baby girl again. "I'm so happy you're here."

Korra was glad to be back but she had to be on point. "Where's Dad?" she asked.

Grief and sorrow appeared on her mother's face. "Unalaq wiped out the entire southern resistance, and captured your father."

"I'll get him back," she promised without hesitation.

"Where is my mother?" Tenzin asked Senna, walking up to her with Jinora in his arms. The rest of his family stood behind him.

"She's in the healing hut," she told him, a sick look passing through her face at the thought of what lay inside. She had been helping but there still too many that needed help and couldn't get quick enough. "So many injured," she said.

Yue came up to the forefront, Tahno a few steps behind her. "How bad is it?" she asked.

"Bad. Very, very bad," she answered.

"Okay." She looked back at her apprentice. "Nurse time, Tahno," she told him.

"Understood," he replied, already reaching for the buttons on his coat. Once it was off, he could roll up his sleeves and help out.

"Nurse time?" Bolin repeated. An image came to his mind at those words: several lovely ladies dressed in fetching nurse outfits. It was such a nice little image that it left him with wondering if he was going to be the patient or the doctor.

Unfortunately for him, everyone could see the look on his face as he daydreamed about it. Mako was especially embarrassed by it, particularly when his brother started drooling. "Bro, snap out of it," he said, shaking the Earthbender roughly by the shoulder.

It got his brother's attention as he came out of it. "Huh? Wait? What?"

"I think what he was trying to ask is that you're a nurse, Tahno?" Asami asked him, clearly just as surprised as Bolin had been. It seemed like every time she talked to her fellow apprentice, there was something about him.

"I've got training," he replied, opening his coat, "And experience since I've been down here fighting."

"Tahno, less talking, more moving," his sifu ordered him.

"You got it, boss. Lead the way." She did just that, walking up the steps at a quick pace. He was about two steps behind her and everyone else brought up the rear. They didn't waste any time getting the door to the hut open and going.

Korra and Tenzin were ready to follow them in but the scene they looked at was such a shock, they had to take a moment to fully realize what it was they were looking at. The normal spacious room with beds at the walls was now awash with cots and each of those cots had a rebel on them. There were bandages wrapped around every limb imaginable and even then they could see the bandages leaking dark red blood. Both Yue and Tahno were already walking amongst the wounded, seeing what could be done to help.

As she watched them tend to the wounded, Korra saw the rebels look relieved at the two of them. It was only then that she realized just how long the two of them had been fighting here in the South Pole. She had been doing nothing while in Republic City, just a lot of running around, and her aunt and someone she had initially considered an arrogant ass of a guy had been fighting. They were comrades to the rebels, what was she? She was just an Avatar who failed to bring reinforcements like they had been hoping.

She heard footsteps walking gently towards them and saw Katara coming to the door. "What happened?" the old Waterbender asked, looking at Jinora being held in Tenzin's arms.

"Her soul is trapped in the Spirit World," her son told her. The rest of the family crowded around him, looking down at Jinora with worried eyes.

"Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed worriedly. "How long has she been away?"

"Almost a week," Kya answered. "I've tried to keep her energy flowing, but I can feel her slipping away. You're the only one who can help her now, Mom."

She looked down at her granddaughter and then at the group. Her eyes found Asami but she noticed that there was someone supposed to be beside her that wasn't. "Where's Naruto?" she asked.

"He's not here," his apprentice said, looking down at the ground with eyes that spoke of her embarrassment.

Katara could see that. She would've thought that with the situation happening here, he would've come. "Why?"

She kept looking down at the ground, not wanting to make eye contact with her. She was someone who had known Naruto far longer than she had been alive. Trying to tell her why he didn't come just seemed to be a bad idea. She felt a sharp nudge in her back and she looked at Bumi. He just leaned his head towards his mother and she forced herself to look at the old healer. "He said, and I quote, 'this is not a matter for the Paragons. When it does, I will gladly help. Until then, I'm not going down to that frozen wasteland.'"

Katara closed her eyes for a moment. _"Spirits take you, Naruto,"_ she thought to herself. _"We could really use your help down here."_ But there was nothing she could do about it now. She opened her eyes and looked at her family. "Bring her to the back," she told Tenzin.

Her children and student followed into the back of the hut. There was a pool of water that was Katara's own healing spot. She sat down before it and Tenzin knelt down beside her, laying his daughter into the pool. As soon as she was in, Katara began to bend the water back and forth, healing her and keeping her stable. It responded to her will and pushed and pulled against her, glowing as it went.

Tenzin watched her do this like he had done many times before. But this time calmness did not fill him at the sight. He was still worried about his daughter and not even his mother's healing reassured him. "How much longer can she survive like this?" he asked her.

"I don't know, but she is very strong to have lasted this long."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Korra asked, feeling that she had to do something.

"Not here," her old teacher replied. "But the men out front could use your aid. The rest of you, please step outside."

They all began to do just that when Korra stopped at the door. As the others left, she stayed there. She turned to look at Katara but her old master spoke first. "Korra, there are people who require your aid."

"I know."

"Then why are you still here?"

It was a good question and honestly, she didn't know if now was the right time to tell her. But she also didn't know if they were going to have another time alone for a bit. So she might as well tell her. "When I was in the Spirit World, I met Grandfather. He asked to pass on his love to you," she said.

Katara didn't reply right away since she was more focused on her granddaughter. But eventually she said, "Thank you." Her former student took it with a nod and walked out of the room, going to the aid of the people who needed it.

* * *

After a long three hours of tending to the wounded and making sure that they survived, Korra was able to talk to the others outside on the grounds. "I talked to the rebels," she started off as the others looked at her. Yue and Tahno had been finishing up inside and were now coming down the steps. "They said Unalaq's got the southern portal surrounded. Harmonic Convergence is only a few hours away."

"Then we have to break through the enemy lines ourselves and get to the portal now," Tenzin promptly declared.

"There's no use in talking any more. We know what our mission is."

Even though they were going on a roll, which was good and all, Bolin still felt the need to point what was obvious to him. "A suicide mission…" he said loud enough to be heard.

Everyone turned their gaze onto him and Mako restrained the urge to cover his eyes and groaned. "Bolin, the next time you have something dumb to say," Tahno told him bluntly, "don't say it."

Bumi could see that the mood was turning grim and decided to lighten it up a little bit. So he started spinning a tale that was about half-true (not that they would know). "You know, I was in a similar situation once. My platoon had crawled through the desert with no water for a week! But when we finally located the only oasis for a hundred miles, it was surrounded by angry Sandbenders. I realized our only chance to get to the water was to drop in from above. So I fashioned together a catapult, and with the help of a few well-trained hog monkeys…"

As he continued to talk, his little brother got angry, which made his face start to twitch. By the time he got to the hog monkeys part, Tenzin finally cracked, shouting "Enough of your ridiculous lies! Can't you see that the fate of the world and Jinora's life depends on what we do here today?!"

Bumi looked upset at the shouting but didn't protest or argue. Both Kya and Yue saw that and despite the situation, felt a little bad for Bumi. They had long since come to the realization that his tall-telling was his way of trying to reassure people that everything would be fine. Since the last time the two brothers had shared actual quality time with one another was during their childhood, Tenzin didn't know what he had been trying to do.

And while Asami certainly didn't know what he was saying either, she did latch onto something else. "Hold on, maybe Bumi's right. We don't have a catapult and hog monkeys, but we have a flying bison and there's a plane on Varrick's ship," she explained, "Maybe we can attack from above."

"What are you thinking?" Korra asked her.

"Mako, Bolin and I can use the plane to create a distraction, and scatter some of the defenses. You, Yue, Tahno, Tenzin, Bumi and Kya can fly into the spirit portal on Oogi when you see an opening."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Tahno said in protest. "When did I agree to go on this?"

"You're saying you're not?" she asked back. There was obvious surprise to her voice but there was also an undercurrent of a challenge.

He heard it and immediately responded. "No, I didn't say that—"

"Then why are you arguing?"

"He's not," Yue said, giving her apprentice a look. "He's just doing it for the sake of it."

"Yeah, what she said," he agreed, knowing full well that was his only safe way out of it.

"Well, stop," Asami told him. She looked over at Korra. "What do you think?"

The Avatar thought that it was a decent plan and frankly the only one they really had to work with. So she gave her agreement with a nod of her head. "Let's get moving."

Together they all gathered aboard Oogi's saddle and the bison took off again for the _Zhu Li_. But because they were in such a hurry to get this mission going, they had to leave behind Naga and Pabu. The two animals just sat in the compound grounds, watching sadly as the sky bison flew away.

(Location: Southern Portal)

What had once been a forest around the portal leading into the Spirit World had now been severely trimmed down in order to make room for the base. It had formed in a circle with two layers of protection. The first was the outer wall that surrounded the base itself and the second was the wall that surrounded the forest itself. Between the two walls lay the base and it was run like a base.

But even though it was a military base, both Desna and Eska walked through it with absolute no regard. They weren't military people, why should they care about how a base was run or not? Besides, they had something else to worry about, something far more important. They approached their father's tent and entered it without preamble. Chief Unalaq sat at the back of tent, seemingly meditating but they knew that he was watching them. "What are we still doing here, Father?" Eska asked him

"The invasion was completely successful and the southern tribe is under our control," Desna told him, "The spirit portals are open."

"You've restored balance. Now we would like to go home."

Unalaq stood up from where he had been sitting and looked at them with a smile. But it was not a fatherly smile or even a kind smile. It was the kind of smile they knew he had on whenever he thought that victory was all but assured. "You don't understand. Everything I've achieved so far will pale in comparison with what I'm about to accomplish."

His children were confused. "What else is there?" his son asked. "The Water Tribe is united."

"After today there will be no more Water Tribe. No more _nations_ of any kind. The world is about to be transformed into something magnificent, and new. And I will lead this glorious revolution." The twins looked at each other with both concern and slight confusion. This wasn't something he would normally say. It sounded more like preaching than anything else and their father had never been one for preaching. "Now go outside and get the troops ready to defend the spirit portal," he commanded, turning his back on them.

"From whom?" asked Eska. "We've already beaten everyone."

"The Avatar will be here soon. She has no choice…"

The twins shared a look again but this time there was no confusion. That had been something else they had noticed about their father. When he talked about their cousin, it was as if he was talking about two separate people. He only spoke of the Avatar when he was talking about how she was needed to fulfill his goals and plans. That, they could ignore. The Avatar was just a title that was worn by certain people through the ages. It could be an identity in and of itself, something that could provoke fear and awe for the gullible masses.

But it was the other part they couldn't ignore. Whenever their father talked about Korra herself, it was usually when he looked upon what they had done and thought that she could've done it quicker, better, or both. If they had messed up, he would look at them in disappointment and tell them that if Korra had been his child, she wouldn't have made the mess in the first place. It was galling to be compared to someone that they had never really known and no matter how much they did or how hard they did it, they were always compared to her.

"Father," Desna said.

Unalaq didn't even look back at them when he spoke. "I gave you a command. Why aren't you obeying it?"

"We both have a question, something that we wish to hear the answer to." Eska gave him a look that asked him if he was sure about going through with this. He gave a small nod in reply, which she returned. If he was going through with it, she was going with him.

Unalaq gave an annoyed and tired sigh. "What is it then?"

"Would you have preferred having Korra as your child instead of us?" Eska asked, both shortly and bluntly.

To their disappointment, he didn't even hesitate when he answered, "Yes."

"…I see." They left without saying another word. What else was there to say?

(Location: Land of Spring)

They ate in a seedy bar and they knew it was seedy because it actually had the word "seedy" in the name of the bar. They sat a long table that would've been fine on its own four legs, if there wasn't a clear crack down the middle and a thick block of different colored wood shoved underneath the crack to keep it up. The food served was simple and basic but somehow the Genin got the feeling that was all the bar could afford to give out to customers. The Jōnins were drinking sake but their students only had water.

"Remind me again, why we're not eating at the Daimyo's palace alongside the Kazekage?" Tsume asked her sensei while also eyeing the rest of them. Aoimaru was nestled in her laps, more content to snooze than anything else.

"We are trying to maintain a low profile here, Tsume," Hiruzen reminded her. "Going to the Daimyo's palace from the slums of the city would've gotten attention."

"Then why did the Kazekage go?"

"He's the Kazekage," he said, making it sound like the most obvious thing. "If he didn't pay a social visit to the Daimyo while in town, things would have looked very odd."

She couldn't argue that fact. Ever since the last war, the shinobi business itself had become media-worthy with the Kages being at the forefront of it all. The Kazekage was a little infamous in that he didn't buy into it and yet paid attention to it. He was known (some affectionately, a few derogatorily) as the Old Man of the Kages, being the oldest one of the five. Each of the Kage had such an epitaph, earned mostly because of their fighting in the war. Their own Hokage had the title **Taka** (Hawk).

"You're not missing much, Tsume," Karura told her from where she lounged in her own seat, completely relaxed despite the setting that they were in. "It's just a lot of sitting straight and making sure that you eat right."

"So, manners?" asked Jiro.

She nodded, "Yeah, pretty much."

"Well, that rules out Tsume."

"Hey!" she barked out at him.

"Volume!" their sensei snapped out instantly, eyes watching the rest of the bar. There were a few curious glances but no one really paid attention.

Tsume obeyed the command but still glared at her teammate. "Hey!" she said again in a lower voice. "That was uncalled for!"

"I've seen you eat," he retorted. "Your dog has better manners then you do."

Aoimaru didn't join the conversation but Tsume shifted her legs so he would be more comfortable. "I'm the heir to the Inuzuka clan. I know manners. I have manners."

"Not from what I've seen."

"Yeah, same here," Tsukiko agreed.

Tsume turned her annoyed gaze upon her friend. "Hush, you."

"You're not my mom."

"No, but I can kick your ass."

"Not anymore, you can't."

"Children," Rin said in a voice that fell over the entire table. "Don't even think about starting to fight."

Tsukiko instinctively shivered. She knew that voice well. The last time she had heard it was when they had been following the dogs to the mountains. It was a voice that demanded that they pay attention to what she was saying otherwise it would end badly and hurt even worse. "We weren't going to fight," she said to her sensei while her eyes found Tsume's.

"Really?" she asked, clearly not believing her. She caught the eye motion but kept her focus on her own student for the moment.

"Of course not," she answered. "Right, Tsume?"

"Yeah," the Inuzuka agreed.

Rin looked at both girls and then at her other two students. "And what do you think?"

Both Hiro and Arashi sat next to their teammate but looked at each other first. It was a brief glance and then they looked back at her. "If Iron Claw says she isn't going to fight, she's not going to fight," Arashi finally declared.

Hiro nodded in agreement. "Yeah, her father would've made sure of that."

Their teammate gave the Hyūga a look that would've preceded a demand of what the hell he was talking about, but under the circumstances, she chose to continue with keeping her mouth shut. "I can attest to that," her other teammate agreed.

"What makes you say that?" Karura asked him, turning her attention onto him. They sat on different ends of the table and she looked at him with a very keen eye. The Jōnins took note of her attention but said nothing about it. The last marriage between Konoha and Suna was fruitful for both villages. But that had been a consensual marriage, not a political one. There would be no forcing anyone to marry for the sake of the village (at least not obviously).

"I live there," he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Do you know?"

"Yeah, I do."

Tsukiko barely managed to stop herself from groaning out loud. _"Don't go down that road, Arashi,"_ she silently begged him. _"She'll never let it go if you do."_

"Interesting," the pain in the ass from Suna remarked, mostly to herself, "How very interesting."

Arashi gave her a puzzled look. Tsukiko saw it and started to panic a little. _"Don't say it! Don't say it!"_

"What do you mean by that?"

"_And he said it,"_ the Uchiha said to herself, shrugging her shoulders in defeat. She shouldn't be surprised.

Karura kept her gaze on him. "It's interesting that you live in her house and know her well enough to know what kind of manners she has."

He lost the puzzlement as he realized what exactly she was trying to say. "It's called paying attention at the dinner table. Haven't you ever done it?"

She shrugged without caring. "Not really, I'm an only child. It's only me and my parents at the table." She said those words without really thinking about them. They were a part of her life and they weren't going anywhere, why should she have to care about them?

But he heard the way she said those words and his face frowned instantly. Hiro and Tsukiko saw the look and started paying more attention. "You shouldn't talk about your family like they're always going to be there," he told the Kazekage's grandniece. "They're not."

She looked at him, confusion evident on her face. "We're not talking about my family here. We're talking about you living with Tsukiko." The confusion faded away as she got back onto the topic she wanted to talk about.

"What about it?"

"I didn't think that the Hokage would let just anyone into his home." An intrigued look came onto her face. As soon as she saw, Tsukiko didn't like it. She just knew that it would lead to a question that would be bad. "Tell me, are you two sleeping in the same bed?"

While in the back of her mind, she knew that was going to be the kind of question she should've been expecting, Tsukiko still stared at her like she suggested she go on a homicidal killing spree in Konoha before having sex with the Daimyo in front of everyone who could see it. It was a horrifying thing to even think about, let alone consider. She stared at the Suna Chūnin with her jaws agape. She didn't know what Arashi looked like but she assumed that it was along the same line as her expression.

Karura looked at her and then Arashi's slightly horrified look. "What?" she asked.

"How could you even say something like that?" Tsukiko demanded, doing her best to keep her voice down even though it was begging to shout loudly/

"Oh relax, it's not like I'm saying you two are having sex," she said, dismissing it with a wave of her hand. Really, how prudish could a person get?

"We're not sharing a room," Arashi told her.

"Of course you're not."

"They're not," Hiro weighed in, wanting to stop this before it actually erupted into a fight.

The rest of the Genin weighed in too, defending their teammates. "Hiro's right," Tsubasa declared.

"Yeah," Tsume agreed.

"They do have separate rooms," said Jiro.

"Believe us," Chōichi told her.

Inoji nodded. "We've seen his room. We've been in his room."

"So just leave it alone, hm?" Shikatsuno asked her.

She looked at them all with a faint amused look. "Very impressive," she finally said. "Did you guys practice that?"

"No, we didn't."

"Sure seems like it."

He sighed and looked over at Tsukiko. "I can see why you keep calling her that peculiar nickname."

It was meant as a realization and a somewhat apology. But she didn't take it as one. Instead, she said back, "It took you that long to figure it out?"

"What nickname?" Karura asked, looking a little interested and confused too.

"I didn't think that it was that big of a problem and that you were just over-exaggerating," he said in reply.

"And my frequent pleading with my dad to let me stay home every time he announced that a trip to Suna was coming up didn't tip you off?"

"Again, I thought you were over-exaggerating."

"What nickname?" Karura asked, trying to look at them both.

"She calls you the pain in the ass from Suna," Tsume told her.

She looked at Tsukiko with complete surprise on her face. She couldn't believe that she would be called that. "Why would you name me that?" she asked in clear disbelief.

Tsukiko looked at the Suna Chūnin like she had just realized how oblivious she was. "Because you _are_ the pain in the ass from Suna!" she told her, barely able to keep her voice down. Some people at the bar started to look over but she didn't pay them much attention. "You've always been the pain in the ass from Suna! You were the pain in the ass from Suna from the day you first came to the village!"

"I—"

"No, I don't want to hear it. You're just going to give me some lame ass excuse about how you're not a pain in the ass. You are a pain in the ass. That's a fact!"

"Tsukiko, you're done," Rin said to her, looking her right in the eye. Her student stopped before she could say anything else. "Go back to the room and get some sleep. We'll be leaving in three hours."

"The rest of you do the same," Gin told the others, looking at them all to make sure that the point was made and got across. No one argued with the order. They all left the table after taking one last sip of water or bite of food.

As they left the bar, the set of Jōnin looked at the remaining Chūnin. "That means you too, Karura," Rin told her.

She normally would've argued that either A: she wasn't a Genin; she was a Chūnin or B: she wasn't a Konoha shinobi and they couldn't command her to do anything. Instead, she just watched as Tsukiko left the bar with her teammates. "Why would she call me that?" she asked.

The Hatake gave her an even look. "Do you not remember what happened at the train station?"

Of course she knew what happened. She was there. "What was wrong with what happened?

She gave the Chūnin a look again. "See it from her perspective."

"Huh?"

"See it from her perspective," she repeated.

She looked annoyed and gestured with her fingers impatiently. "I'm going to need a little more than that."

She sighed in defeat. "And they made you a Chūnin."

"Hey, I earned that promotion," Karura all but shouted looking very offended at those words. She gripped the edges of the table and looked like she wanted to leap over it to attack Rin.

But the Jōnin kept her in her seat with the continuing look. "Then you would've gained some nuances and know how to see things from different angles."

"Ah, leave her alone, Rin," Hiruzen said from where he leaned against the wall. "She's a teenager. We've all been there."

"We were less thicker than her."

"Would someone just give me a straight answer here?" the Chūnin demanded, getting angrier by the second, banging her fist against the table.

Gin looked at her evenly. "How would you see your relationship with Tsukiko?" he asked.

"We're friends, of course."

"Really?" he asked. "You're friends?"

"Yes." They might not see each other often but she liked to think that she and Tsukiko were friends.

"I don't think that Tsukiko would see it that way?"

"What? She can't take a little ribbing?"

He looked at her and then rolled his eyes. "That's ribbing? We call it harassment in Konoha."

"What? I'm not doing anything that bad to her!" she protested.

"Again, see it from her perspective," Rin told her. "Now go and get some sleep." She looked to protest but the Jōnin stared her down. "Don't make me turn it into an order. You know that I will."

"Fine," she said with an annoyed grumble, all but stomping out of the bar.

(Location: South Pole)

Both sky bison and plane hurtled through the air, going straight for the spirit portal. Since she was the only one really qualified to fly it, Asami was the one manning the plane. She flew it in closer to Oogi and held a thumbs up to Tenzin, signaling that she was ready to go. He nodded and urged his bison upwards, readying his part of the plan.

She turned her attention back to where she was flying. But even though she was trying to keep her mind on the mission, she couldn't help but wish that her sensei was here to help. But he had refused. Not even Yue was able to convince him (although she had a suspicion that the Water Paragon didn't really try). She could feel the whistle he had given her before the _Zhu Li_ had left pressing around her neck.

"_When things go south, and trust me it will in this kind of situation, and you find yourself standing in the deep end of shit, blow this and help will come running."_

Those had been his last words to her before walking away. She often wondered what he meant by that. Who would come to help, him? She doubted that but a small part of her held onto that kind of hope. Whatever or whoever was supposed to help her, now wasn't the time to worry about it. She checked Mako, who was standing on the wing, and then Bolin, who was standing on the other side. "Are you ready?!" she called out to him since he was the more nervous of the two.

"I'm an Earthbender, strapped to the wing of a plane, hundreds of feet in the air," he called back as he held onto one of the wires like it was his lifeline, "so, no?"

"Don't worry," his brother called out. "There's no way they'll be expecting this."

The light of the portal was the first thing that came out of the clouds, breaking them apart as it were. The second thing that they noticed was the number of dark spirits hovering and orbiting the beam of the portal. The third thing they noticed was the huge military base surrounding the forest holding the portal and the fact that it seemed every soldier and mecha tank there was waiting for the command to attack. "I think they were expecting it!" Bolin shouted out the obvious.

"_Okay, this is going to be a little harder than I first thought,"_ Asami thought to herself as the plane flew closer and closer to the base. _"But Sensei taught me how to adapt and overcome. So that's what I'm going to have to do."_

But when the plane finally passed an unknown line, the soldiers down below attacked by bending icicles up into the air at the plane at a speed that could've sprained someone's neck. And there were a lot of them coming at her. _"Shit!"_ she cursed, throwing the plane off to the side in order to dodge.

Bolin could see the incoming icicles, which were as thick as his own arm but also very pointy, and he could understand why she had to dodge. But that didn't meant he wasn't going to scream in a panic as she dodged. So he did that while also screaming, "Asami!" at the top of his lungs too.

She could feel the entire plane shake and rattle in protest as she fought to fly it sideways out of the way of the missiles. Eventually, the plane's protest began to lessen and she knew that the time to aim was getting close. "Get ready!" she shouted to the boys, dodging more volleys of icicles as she got closer to the base. Once she was there and ready to make the pass, she shouted out, "Fire!"

At that command, Mako began bending fireballs at every tent or structure he could find and aim at. He wouldn't be able to destroy it outright, so he settled for making sure that it went up in flames. He was able to do that easily and carved out a good path of destruction as Asami pulled out of the pass.

She flew high and arched it as more icicles came flying at her. She dodged them but it was close. She would've sworn that the last icicle came an inch away from hitting her tail. She turned in for another pass and noticed the mecha tanks were pointing her way and firing their bolas. They were too far low to actually hit her at the moment but once she got in close, it'd be a different story. Fortunately, they had planned for the tanks. "Bolin!" she called out.

The Earthbender got back some of his confidence, enough to undo a flap on his pack, reach in, pull out a few of the clay-coated mines stuffed in there, and bend them right at the tanks. The clay was coated on and not a fundamental part of the mine, so it was harder to control them. For a novice, it would've been outright impossible. But Bolin was not a novice and he could handle a little difficulty with ease. How else would he have managed to get a career in Pro-bending?

The mines landed on the tanks in places they wouldn't be able to reach with their claws in time. As Asami pulled out of the pass, Bolin whipped out the trigger, primed it, and pressed down the button. He could hear and feel the explosions erupting from the tanks at his back. "Ha-ha!" he cheered.

"You guys ready for round 2?" Asami called out as she pulled into another pass. The brothers didn't reply. They didn't have to. They just got ready for the attack coming up.

While they laid waste to the base below them, Oogi was flying at a higher altitude. Korra was watching the portal's light and the dark spirits being illuminated by it. "There are spirits everywhere," she said. "I don't see an opening."

"Let's circle around and see if we can find a way in from the other side," Tenzin replied, already urging his bison to turn.

Arcs of dark energy suddenly appeared from the portal, smashing into each other. From that collision emerged enormous dark spirits, easily the size of Oogi or bigger. "We've got incoming!" Tahno shouted as he watched the spirits come closer.

"We can see that!" Yue told him.

"How were they able to see us? We were far away!"

"They probably heard him!"

"From that distance?!" he demanded.

Before she could reply to him, Tenzin shouted, "Hold on!" and yanked the reins hard enough for Oogi to turn sharply and dive down. Most of the spirits missed him but the smaller, quicker ones were able to match his turn and follow him down. One of them was able to attach a small part of itself to Oogi's tail and it started spreading across the bison like dark angry veins.

It also made the bison started to slow down, which was seen by the other spirits as an invitation to latch on and bring it down even harder. Korra saw one dark spirit grab hold of the bison's side and immediately bent a hard blast of air at it. It was knocked off and she felt a moment of victory. But then she saw another spirit coming towards the bison and blasted it with more air. Kya joined her with water from her pouch, bending it in a slashing motion at them. Both Yue and Tahno dealt with the spirts close enough to grab Oogi, punching them off.

They weren't as successful as the Benders and it was started to show as the bison couldn't maintain its flight path. "The spirits are weighting Oogi down!" Tenzin shouted at them. "We're losing altitude!"

Bumi turned to the spirit that had landed on the tail and went right for it. "Get off of him you sticky, nasty little blob of goo!" he shouted, slamming his foot down on what could be called its head. It took the blows and then swiped at him, knocking him off balance. He floated in the air for a moment and then fell with a shout. He landed onto the spirit and latched onto it hard. "If I go, you're coming with me!"

He got his feet under him and pushed off from the tail, falling through the air along with the spirit. "Bumi!" shouted Kya in horror as she watched her brother disappear into the snow beneath them.

Asami pulled the plane up into another pass pattern, flying past the icicles bent towards her. One got lucky and struck the tail, causing a small explosion and smoking starting to trail. _"Agni take it!"_ she swore, already started to feel the loss of resistance against the joystick. Still, she brought the plane down low, close to the first set of barricades. He wasn't aiming for the men, as tempting as that was, but instead for the front of the barricade. He bent a wall of fire into being, right in front of the soldiers.

"_That should keep them off me for a little bit,"_ Asami thought in relief, pulling up out of the pass. When she came back down for the next pass, she was aiming right for the ice wall surrounding the forest. If a hole could be blown through it, it would make getting to the portal much easier.

Bolin took his cue as the plane got close. He bent the remaining amount of his mines out of the pack and right at a section of the wall. Once they were attached, he pulled out the trigger and pulled it, causing the wall to go up in explosive flames. "I wish Varrick was filming this!" he shouted as Asami flew away. "We could call it 'Nuktuk: Sky Warrior'!"

Asami didn't bother to wonder why he was thinking about Varrick right now. She was too busy diving down for another bombing run. Mako was able to set off the first building into flames but the next one was a little ways off. She leveled out the plane and flew straight for it. But the next thing she knew, there was a brief blinding light along with a loud explosion and the plane was going down. _"What hit us?"_ she thought as she struggled to keep the plane going. She aimed it for crashing down outside of the base. "Brace yourselves!" she shouted to Mako and Bolin as the plane gained speed without her help.

When the plane did finally crash, it hit the snow with an impact that threw all three of them out and into the snow. While they were relatively safe from the plane burning up, they landed hard enough to be knocked out by it. Asami's last conscious thought was _"I hope that Korra was able to reach the portal."_

But her thought was futile. Oogi finally crashed into the ground close to them and his riders were sent flying, crashing into the snow too and getting knocked out in the process as well. Korra was the last one to go under and the last thing she saw were norther soldiers coming their way.

* * *

As Korra came to, feeling hurt all over her body, her eyes were able to make out someone tied to a post right in front of her. Her vision cleared and she could make details, seeing that it was her father, very beaten up, before her. "Dad…" she said, struggling to get up. She felt cold iron around her wrists and heard chains rattling, so she didn't need to look down to see that her hands were bound. The right side of her face was particularly throbbing, like she had been cut bad there.

Tonraq saw his daughter come to. While he was relieved that she was still alive, he also wished that she wasn't here. Then again, he wished that he had been able to take down his own brother. "Korra…I'm so sorry," he said in a saddened voice. "I failed you."

"Don't give up. Harmonic Convergence isn't here yet. We still have a chance." She looked around and saw that Tenzin, Yue, Kya, and Tahno were bound beside her too. That gave her hope. The others hadn't been taken yet. Perhaps they could get to the portal or even free them.

But then the tent flap opened and Mako, Bolin, and Asami were tossed in, chains on their hands and feet. Eska and Desna stood behind, clearly their captors. _"No,"_ she thought in despair.

Mako lifted his head to meet her gaze. "We tried." Those two words had the sting of defeat attached to them.

Unalaq walked into the tent. "Congratulations, everyone," he said to them all. "You've all got front row seats for the beginning of a new world order."

Beaten and hurt as she was, she was still able to look him in the eyes. "You don't know what you're doing, Unalaq. Freeing Vaatu won't make you powerful, it will only make you a traitor to everything good that's happened over the last ten thousand years."

He looked down his nose at her. "You think what Avatar Wan did was good?" he asked in disdain. "Driving almost all the spirits from this world? The Avatar hasn't brought balance, only chaos. You call yourself the bridge between the two worlds, but there shouldn't _be_ a bridge. We should live together as one."

She supposed his words were meant to be convincing but she knew the price of it would be too steep. "Even if Vaatu escapes, I'll put him right back in his prison, just like Wan did," she declared.

"It's true that when Wan fused with Raava he tipped the scales in her favor, but this time I'll be here to level the playing field. When Harmonic Convergence comes, I will fuse with Vaatu," he declared, ignoring his own children who looked at him in surprise, "and together we will become the new Avatar: a Dark Avatar. Your era is over."

His words were horrifying to even think about. But Tonraq saw more than that. He also saw what he would be giving up in the process. "Think about what you're doing," he pleaded to his little brother. "I know that you've always had a deep connection with the spirits, but you're still a man. You're still my brother. You're Eska and Desna's father. Are you willing to throw your humanity away to become a monster?"

"I'll be no more of a monster than your own daughter," he retorted, curling his lip ever so slightly. "The only difference is that while she can barely recognize her own spiritual power, I will be in complete alignment with mine. Vaatu and I will be as one. No one will be able to stand against us." He looked over at Yue with a look of absolute loathing and disdain. "And once we are one, we will end the Paragons, for good."

Yue didn't look afraid. She smirked. "Brave words, Unalaq," she told him. "But I know the truth about why you're doing this. You're not doing this to unify humans and spirits. You're doing this because you still have to prove that you're better than your brother at everything." She sighed in disappointment. "Such a child you are."

"_Aunty Yue, what are you doing?"_ Korra thought, almost in a panic. It was like she was trying to get Unalaq to kill them.

He looked at her angrily. His fists shook slightly, like he was trying to restrain the urge to strike her. He was successful as he just looked at his daughter. "Keep them locked up," he ordered. "After the Harmonic Convergence, I will come for Korra."

"Yes father," she replied.

He turned around to leave the tent. But before he stepped outside, Yue spoke again. "You know, since we're declaring our intent, opening up our hearts, telling our plans and secrets to everyone here, why don't I reveal a secret to you, Unalaq?"

"What are you on about?" he asked back.

"Well, since I figured this is probably the last time we're going to be seeing each other, you might as well hear the truth."

He turned back around to look at her. "What truth?"

She looked him right in the eye and said with a blinding smile, "You were right all this time."

Her words made no sense but he felt a wave of satisfaction he often got when he knew or was told that he was right. "Oh? And how I was right?" he asked, looking down his nose at her. "Tell me."

Her smile was still there. It began to unnerve him. "Korra was supposed to be your daughter all along."

The silence that followed was so unnervingly quiet that if someone had dropped a coin on the ground, the sound it would've made would have sounded like a complete and utter racket to everyone there, except for one. Korra stared at her aunt figure in abject horror, remembering the day she rebelled against Unalaq and what had been revealed.

_He wasn't troubled by her threats or her commands. It showed in how he rebuked her, like he was still her master and still teaching her. "__Remember who you are. As the Avatar, you cannot threaten war. You must remain neutral, or our tribes will never find unity."_

"_You don't want unity. You want power. You've always been jealous of my father, haven't you?"_

"_He most certainly was," Yue said from where she leaned. "When he was a kid, they called him the spare and anything he did, Tonraq did first and better."_

_His face tightened in anger at her remark but Korra barreled on before he could even say anything. "You got him banished so you could become chief, and I bet it just killed you to learn he was the Avatar's father. No wonder you kept trying to take me away from him."_

"_It was more than that."_

"_Be silent," Unalaq told the Paragon, his anger whispering out of his controlled voice. "This doesn't concern you."_

"_Oh, what's the matter?" she asked mockingly. "Still upset that your little prophecy never came true? Sokka told me you were always so confident about it until it was proved otherwise."_

"_I said be silent."_

"_What are you talking about, Aunty Yue?" Korra asked her, her confusion mixing into her anger._

"_I've been told that Unalaq here seems to believe that you, as the Avatar, should've been _his_ daughter rather than _Tonraq_."_

_She looked at the Paragon in shock. Was she kidding? It didn't seem like it. The shock quickly disappeared and was replaced by her anger again. She turned her head back to her uncle. "Is this true?" she demanded._

"_All I've ever wanted is to help you realize your destiny," he told her. It seemed that as she got angrier, he got calmer. _

"_Well, I don't want your help anymore." She didn't even want to be anywhere near him!_

Now her Aunty Yue was saying that she _was_ supposed to be Unalaq's daughter this time! It couldn't be! It had to be a lie, it had to be! "You're lying," she found herself whispering. "Please tell me you're lying, Aunty Yue."

Yue looked back at her with a sad expression and apologetic smile. "Really wish that I was, Short-stack. Sorry."

"How…?" Tenzin tried asking, unable to finish the question due to the shock he was growing through at the mere thought of her words.

She turned her attention to him and said, "Sokka didn't give me all the details about how Raava moves from Avatar to Avatar, only what I needed to know if the situation ever arises again."

"Situation?" repeated Unalaq, unable to help himself. "What situation?"

She continued on explaining, ignoring the shocked looks she was getting in the tent. "As far as I can tell, as an Avatar dies, Raava imprints on the last person next in the cycle the dying Avatar thinks of or sees and reincarnates through them. Since Unalaq was by Aang's side as he was dying, Raava imprinted on him and tried to travel to through him and create Korra. The whole process takes about ten seconds, or so I've been told."

This was news to both Desna and Eska, who were still trying to get over the fact that Korra was _supposed_ to be their big sister. They were also wondering if it had meant whether they would've existed or not. "Then why didn't it happen?" Desna asked, unable to help himself.

She smiled at him. "As my sifu always said, a lot can happen in ten seconds." She turned her eyes onto Unalaq. "Did you never wonder why Sokka, Naruto, or Suki, some of Aang's closest friends and confidantes, weren't there to say goodbye to him as he died?"

He had wondered that briefly at the time but didn't think too hard on it because he was so close to getting what he had wanted. He had known about the imprinting process from an old scroll he had found in an ancient library. It was why he had gotten so close to Avatar Aang in the first place. But now, it was coming back to him and he realized too many years too late what that implied. "You don't mean—?"

"I sure do," she said cheerfully, that smile still on her face, "Two in the Spirit World to carry out the deed, and two in this world to protect their bodies."

Asami was confused by that wording and asked the Water Paragon, "What does that mean?"

"It means…well, let's just say that as Aang died, the previous Paragons staged an abortion/kidnapping." That had been the exact same words she had heard Sokka use when he told her what they had done and she found it apt.

Korra couldn't believe what she was hearing. It just seemed all too surreal. _"That meant that Grandfather and Lord Naruto knew that I was the Avatar before they had even met me,"_ she realized. _"That meeting was just a formality!"_

Unalaq looked quite shaken about the fact. "That's impossible," he protested. "It can't be done. It shouldn't have been able to have been done."

Yue just laughed at that. "Goodness, you make it sound like this would be the first time the Paragons have done something like this."

She sounded so surprised and innocent when saying those words. But he knew that it was a farce. "Why?" he asked her. "Why would they do this?" They couldn't have known what he had been planning that long, he had been too careful in what he had done. There was no way they could have known.

Her smile turned vicious and predatory. "You really didn't think they would let you get away with banishing your brother and murdering your father to take the chiefdom, did you?"

Again, silence filled the room as that piece of information filled their ears. Tonraq looked at his little brother with horrified eyes, just like his niece and nephew. He had always thought his father had died of natural causes. But now…now he heard this? "You didn't," he said to Unalaq, his voice showing his shock. "Tell me you didn't. Tell me you didn't murder our father." His brother turned his gaze to him and once he saw those eyes, surprised at being revealed, he knew. "How could you? He was our father, damn you! He loved us both! How could you kill him!?" he demanded, wanting an answer but getting none.

Korra knew the answer, having been told it back when her own father had been imprisoned. Only now she could understand the whole truth of it.

"_Aunty Yue, you got my message," Korra said with relief, walking up to her. _

"_What's going on here, Korra?" she asked her, being completely serious._

"_Listen to me, Unalaq lied to us all. He got Dad banished from the North Pole." She waited for the reaction, but it never came. "Well?"_

"_Well what?"_

"_Why aren't you surprised by that?" she demanded._

"_Oh Spirits help me. The _Paragons_ could've told you that, Korra!" she finally said, rolling her eyes in exasperation._

_The shock of surprise wasn't just limited to the Avatar. It stretched out to the others in the room like a wave of water crashing down on them. Even Varrick was surprised by it. "You guys knew all this time?" Mako asked her._

"_Of course we did. Tonraq's banishment had been a constant fight between Sokka and the previous chief," she replied. "It was bad before he married Senna and simply got more intense after. But after a visit to the South Pole to see his son and his new wife, the chief seemed ready to reconsider his order. Of course, he died before he could and Unalaq ascended the throne, thus making sure that his brother stayed in the south. It was all too coincidental for us and we had our suspicions ever since."_

"_Sifu, if you had your suspicions, why didn't you act on them and kill him?" Tahno asked her. "I thought we could do that."_

"_We can only do that to the Avatar and get away with it, Tahno," she told him with a voice that was half reprimanding, half lecturing. "Anyone else and we would be faced with imprisonment or death. And besides," she added with a half-smirk, "we got back at him in a different way."_

She just stared at her aunt figure in a whole new light, a light that she didn't really like. She was looking at a Paragon who had no qualms about mocking her opponents by revealing deadly truths that could rattle everyone that heard them. "You…You…" Unalaq tried to say, but the words just wouldn't come out of his mouth.

"What's the matter?" she asked innocently. "Artic hen got your tongue?" He stopped trying to speak and just settled for glaring at her. And she just laughed. "Like that would work now. It hadn't the first time."

"Uh, Yue?" said Asami from where she laid. "I don't think it's a good idea to piss him off."

"Ah, don't worry about it, Asami," she replied flippantly. "Even on his best day, Unalaq couldn't even beat the weakest or the youngest of the Paragons. I should know. I've been there every time he's tried." She kept smiling right at the chief.

"Is that why he wants to get rid of us?"

"No, that's his way of trying to make sure that no one will actually oppose him, in his mind. Of course, he particularly hates me."

"Well, you've made him angry."

"Oh no, it goes further than that."

Tonraq realized where she was going with this. It had been such an inconsequential memory to him at the time that he never gave it much thought. But now that he did think about it, he could only groan to himself _"Akela give me mercy,"_ he prayed. _"It's because of that?"_

It was Mako who asked her, "How much further?"

Unalaq looked like he wanted to drown both him and Yue at the same time and with extreme vengeance. But Yue kept on talking. "You never really forget your first crush, do you?" she asked rhetorically. She just kept dropping bombshell after bombshell on them. "Of course, it's a bit of a turn-off when one manages to be both arrogant and stupid in what he does to charm a girl."

"Shut up!" Unalaq finally snapped, yelling at her.

"Or what?" she asked him, still smiling. "You're going to try and hurt me? We both know that you can't. So what are you going to do?" She waited for his reply. Even though the others didn't know what he would do, she did.

True to form, he didn't disappoint. He turned around with a huff and stomped out of the tent. She couldn't resist one last parting shot. "If you ever want to get your ass kicked, you know where to find us!"

"Would you stop already!?" demanded Korra, looking at her like she had lost her mind.

Once the shock of the revelations passed, Tenzin started to fill with despair. "I failed in every way," he said in defeat. "We've lost Jinora forever." They were never going to get her free now.

"There's still a chance," Kya reminded him, "They didn't get Bumi."

(Location: Land of Spring)

They were climbing through the mountains in the dark of the night, making their way through to the mountains. Karura was at the front, following Rin as she led the way, and walking alongside Tsukiko. The redhead from Suna had thought long and hard about what the Konoha Jōnin had told her but it just didn't make any sense. So she resolved to talk Tsukiko personally to figure out just what was going on. But everyone was just so intent on going up the path that she couldn't find the moment to speak.

After two hours of walking, she finally mustered up her courage and leaned over. "Hey, Tsukiko," she whispered.

The girl flicked her eyes at her but didn't turn to look fully. "What?" she asked as she kept walking.

"Can we talk?"

"We're on a mission right now and you want to talk?"

She huffed a little at that. "It's not like we're going to be stopping any time soon." She didn't hear any kind of mention for a break. Not that she needed one of course. She was just concerned about the other Genin. They looked like they were about to drop dead on the ground but still kept going.

"Fine, whatever," the Uchiha said with a resigned huff. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Well, the Jōnin have told me to look at our friendship from your eyes. I've tried that but I can't since I'm not you. So tell me, what do you think of our friendship?"

That was what she wanted to talk about?! Tsukiko almost boiled over in rage at the question. Her instinct was to shout and yell at her for asking that damn question. But the rational part of her reminded her that she was on a mission that required silence or something close to it. So she went a voice that could've been colder than Hell. "Our friendship?" she started. "Is that what you want to call it?"

"Well, yeah," the redheaded girl replied, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I've got news for you. We don't have a friendship. You're just a bully that seems content to pick on me every time that we're near each other."

"What?" Her voice almost raises but she managed to keep it down. "I am not a bully."

"Yes, you are."

"I…I never thought myself of one. I didn't think you thought of me as one"

"_Well, guess what? You were wrong,"_ she mentally snarked as she followed the path around the curve. But aloud she just asked, "What the hell did you think you were?"

Karura looked a little embarrassed. "Gramps always said that I reminded him of Naruto Uzumaki, so when I met you I thought you were like Sasuke and treated you so."

"…Did it ever occur to you that I don't want to be my grandfather?"

"But you acted like him so perfectly!" she protested, barely able to keep her voice low. "You would always scowl, make a snarky comment, and walk away!"

"That was me trying to keep away from you. You never got the point. You were never my friend. You were just the bully that was more horrible then the ones at the Academy. While others thought you were so cool, I just wanted to keep away from you. So if this doesn't get your attention, I don't know what will: after this mission is over, stay the fuck away from me, Karura."

To add the emphasis to her words, she walked a little quicker to put distance between the two of them. The Chūnin from Suna let her, slowing her pace but never taking her eyes off her. The other Konoha teams walked past her and soon she found herself walking by her great-uncle. "Something on your mind, kiddo?" asked Kankurō, moving the strap on his shoulder so the large scroll on his back was in a better position.

"I…I was just told that the friendship I thought that I had wasn't there," she replied, a little shocked by it all.

He shrugged his free shoulder and said, "Finally found out, huh?"

She looked at him in surprise. "You knew?"

"Karura, anyone who had a pair of eyes in their head along with a brain could see what the relationship was."

"Why didn't anyone say anything?" She never considered herself to be a mean or cruel person. She hated people like that with a passion.

"We were going to let you figure it out or wait for Tsukiko finally tell you. We're not going to fix everything for you, you know," he told her a little reprimanding. For all of her brilliance, his grandniece could quite thick sometimes.

She looked a little hurt at his words but she didn't protest them. Instead, she said, "I just that we were Naruto and Sasuke come again."

He winced at the mention of the two. He couldn't help it. It was a reflex for all the old people now, even more so since they had met Naruto's grandson. "Kid, if anything she's Naruto and Arashi is Sasuke." Gaara had remarked that it was almost like the past had come back to haunt them just in different forms and he couldn't disagree with the idea.

"So where does that leave me?"

"You're Karura, she's Tsukiko, and he's Arashi. That's all there is to it."

She was confused. "But you just said—"

He knew what he said, he had said it. "I used the words 'if anything' remember? They are not the other's grandfather. They are their own person and so are you. Instead of bringing up a past friendship, why don't you try making one of your own?"

She thought it over. It was a good idea and it also gave her the chance to apologize to Tsukiko for the unwanted abuse she had heaped onto her. "Yeah, yeah, you're right."

"Thank you, I do have my moments. But let's save until after the mission's done with, hm?" She agreed with his suggestion with a silent nod. They kept on walking up the path to the slave camp deep in the mountains.

(Location: South Pole)

"_Oh, what was the name of that air bison that hit me again?"_ Bumi asked as he kicked his way out of the snow. For a moment, he wondered where the hell he was since all he could see was ice, snow, and even more ice. But then he heard the growling sound and his eyes refocused on the dark spirit hovering in the air in front of him.

He got back up to his feet quickly. The dark spirit hovered closer to him. "Oh, you wanna play some more?" he asked the rhetorical question. "Well, bring it on." He slipped into a strong Earthbender stance and moved his arms around theatrically. It was just a little something that he did to trick people into thinking that he was fooling around. Once the spirit was close enough, he stepped forward and delivered a punch that would've broken a human's jaw.

But the dark spirit just looked down at him. _"Oops,"_ he thought to himself, a weak chuckle escaping involuntarily from his mouth. The spirit didn't share in his humor. It preferred to just swat him away like he was some kind of bug. He landed in the snow again, this time face first. _"Spirits, why does this seem really familiar?"_ he asked himself as he pulled his head out of the snow. Even before he finished asking the question, the memories came flooding in hard.

_The sun burning bright in the sky._

_His mouth tasting like sand, desperately wanting water._

_An iron shackle around his wrist, burning his arm from the heat._

_Hunger gnawing at his stomach, lost in the pain coating his body._

_The shadow of a man covering him as he laid on the ground._

_Laughter echoing cruelly in his ears as he struggled to get up again. _

"_No! No! You're not going down there again, Bumi,"_ he told himself. _"Bring yourself back to the present, right now!"_ He let the coldness of the snow shock him out of the unnecessary trip down memory lane and focus back on the spirit. "Oh, we're playing dirty, huh?" he asked, reaching into his coat. He spun around and threw the emergency knife he carried (another lesson that had been pounded into him by June).

It flew towards the dark spirit and struck, entering through the chest. But then it stopped, turned around, and was fired right back at him. He yelped again in surprise but instinct kicked as he leaned away from the incoming knife. Then he scrambled out of the way when the spirit leapt for him. He got back to his feet and kept his eyes on the spirit as he backed away.

His hands fell to his coat but he remembered that he had only packed the one knife. _"Crap, crap, crap! I need a weapon!"_ he thought in a near panic, hands flying all over but finding nothing that would be useful. But then he felt something solid. He pulled it out and held it threateningly at the spirit, only to realize a half second later that it was his flute. He could just imagine his sifu's voice right then and there mocking him, _"Great choice of weapon, Bumi."_

But the spirit did the strangest thing he could've though possible: it stopped and looked at him. The markings on what passed for its face lessened somewhat. He was uncertain about what was going on, but he went with it. He started to play a jaunty little tune that he had heard many a time back his early navy years.

The spirit transformed even more as it listened, becoming less darker and edgy and more rounded. "Hmm… looks like we've got a music lover here," Bumi noted. He kept on playing the tune. His feet followed the song and began to march in place as he played. The spirit swayed from side to side too. He wasn't sure if it would turn back once he was done but he wasn't going to stop and see if it would happen. He heard the howling of a large animal that was getting closer as he played. He looked at where the sounds were coming from and saw that Naga was running full force towards him with Pabu on top her head. He stopped playing and laughed in relief. "Reinforcements!" he proclaimed as the polar bear dog came to a stop in front of him while the spirit hovered behind him. He gave her a hug but got down to business quickly. "All right soldiers, looks like it's on us to save the day, luckily I've got a plan."

* * *

Korra could see through the tent flap that the spirits circling the portal's light were getting more agitated. They must feel that Harmonic Convergence was getting closer. She and the others had to get out of the tent. Her cousins stared at the portal too, watching from the tent flap. "Eska, Desna, listen to me," she said to them both, getting their attention. "You've got to help us stop Unalaq. I know he's your father, but Vaatu has made him completely crazy."

They looked at her with their patented looks of dispassion. "We will never turn on our father," Eska told her.

"Please," she begged. "If you let me out now, I can still stop him from destroying everything. Once he fuses with Vaatu, no one will be safe." While Eska looked firm in her decision, she could see the look of doubt on her brother's face. "Desna, he won't be your father anymore."

The doubt disappeared and was quickly replaced by anger. He stepped towards her, almost like he was about to strike her. "You don't know what you're talking about!" he shouted at her. "Our father is the wisest man in the world. If he says what he is doing is right, I believe him."

"Kid, calling your father the wisest man in the world would be a bit of a stretch," Yue remarked lightly from where she sat. "I mean, besides now, have the two of you ever been out of the North Pole? Have you been to the other countries?" They didn't reply so she kept going. "I thought not. Do that first, and then try thinking of your father as the wisest man in the world. And let's be honest here too. You're not mad at her because of what's she is saying. You're mad because of what she was supposed to be."

Tahno could see that both of the twins were getting angrier as she kept going. "Sifu, I think it's best if you stop talking."

She was still flippant. "Ah, what are they going to do? Hit me with water?"

"The idea is fast becoming appealing," Eska told her.

"You say that but you know that it won't work. It's why you haven't done it yet." She smiled brightly at them. "But if you're willing to try, I'm game. Just don't cry when I kick your butts." They scowled hard at her but said and did nothing. "That's what I thought."

"Why are you doing this?" Tenzin asked her.

She shrugged her shoulders as best she could. "What else am I going to do? Just sit here and be silent? You know me better than that, Tenzin."

* * *

When he got to the base, Bumi waited outside for one of the guards to do a solitary patrol. He didn't have to wait long and when the guard walked past him, he ambushed the man and knocked him unconscious before he could do anything, stripping him out of his uniform. Once he was properly, he waited the right amount of time before walking back into the base. The soldier on guard duty at the gate gave him a wave of acknowledgement as he past and he returned it briefly. _"Alright I'm in,"_ he thought to himself.

The soldiers in the base were either trying to put out the fires caused by Mako and Bolin or standing around giving the dark spirits glances of various levels of anxiety. He heard one man say, "You know, if I wanted some ball of evil lurking over my shoulder all the time, I'd have stayed home with my mother-in-law."

He kept walking until he was sure that he was close enough to the portal and out of sight before he put his plan into action. "All right, spirit army. Your general is here," he proclaimed, pulling out the flute. "Follow me!" He decided to go with a tune that was a little faster-paced, thinking that it would draw them in faster. As he played, the dark spirits started to circling around, clearly interested in what he was playing.

He started to feel elated. "It's working!" He kept on playing and the spirits kept circling him. It was beginning to look like he had the army he needed. But then the spirits lunged at him, jaws agape and their intentions obvious. He hit the ground and stayed there as they tried to fight their way one another to get to him. "It's not working!" he realized, crawling out from underneath them.

Once he was out and back on his feet, the spirits noticed and started going after him. Fearing for his life, he started running through the base. _"Why did I think that this was a good plan again?"_ he asked himself as he ran for his life around the corner. _"Oh, right, because one of them liked my music!"_

He didn't stop running as he zigged and zagged through the base, earning odd looks from the other soldiers. They were probably wondering why the spirits were chasing him but he too had a question: why weren't they doing anything to help him? He could really use the support!

As he made another turn, he saw spirits in front of him. _"How did they get in front of me?"_ He turned around and started to run back the way he came, only to see spirits coming that way too. They didn't just get in front of him. They split to catch him in the middle of a pincer maneuver. _"Crap!"_

With nowhere to go, he felt like he was trapped. He saw that he was standing in front of a couple of mecha tanks. Thinking of nowhere else to go, he leapt up to the arms and then into the cockpit. Once again, he was glad for his sifu's teaching methods. He had lost count of how many times that they had saved his ass. The cockpit closed around him and on reflex, he put the harness on.

The spirits looked at him through the glass windows, glaring at him with hate. He thought that he was safe in there but then the spirit leaned their bodies back and went _into_ the tank! The electricity that ran the entire thing began to crackle and hiss and not in a good way. In fact, it was crackling and hissing in a way that made him really concerned.

The next thing he knew, the machine had started up and rushed forward, almost running over a couple of soldiers and knocking down a tent in the process. It wasn't the only one the tank ran over either. One run over tent flapped up around the glass, making his sight a little hindered. _"Not good, not good!"_ he thought in a panic.

As he felt the tank run down tent after tent, he started just grabbing at anything and everything that looked like a control. "Get me out of here!" he shouted into the closeness of the cockpit. He grabbed a lever and pulled it down. Gears outside began to whirl and move and for a moment, he thought that he was getting out. But it turned out just to be the arm rising up and firing off the grappling hook.

The hook flew through the icy air and latched onto the nearby communication tower. While it didn't decapitate any soldiers, the downside of it was that it now gave the tank a counterbalance. So instead of just rampaging through the camp wildly, it rampaged through the camp in a circular method. As it turned out, that was much more effective in terms of destruction to the camp. If the tank didn't knock down the tents, the taut cable would certainly do the trick.

Within second the majority of the base was in wrecks. But Bumi couldn't see that. He couldn't even control the tank. All he could do was just hold on to the controls and pray that it would stop soon. _"This wasn't what I had in mind when I came up with this plan!"_ he mentally bemoaned as he felt the tank swerve. A faint smell began to fill the cockpit and when he sniffed it, he froze instantly. Something was on fire and he was certain that it was the tank itself.

But that wasn't the worst of it. The spirits were finally started to crawl into the cockpit and finally come after him. _"Not good, not good!"_ he thought in a panic. His hands started inching up the back of the cockpit, trying to find something that would fend them off. He grabbed something that felt loose and he pulled, thinking that it would do something.

It did do something, just not what he had been hoping for. He found himself flying through the air as the seat got ejected from the cockpit. He initially screamed for dear life but as the seat landed in the snow and kept going, turning around and around in the process, his screaming turned into shouts of joy. His chair slid across the snow and into one of the tents still standing, knocking down two people standing in the way.

When he finally came to a stop, he saw that everyone was in chains before him. So he said the only thing he could say. "All right guys, rescue time." He heard the people behind get back up but the tent flapped open and he heard two heavy thuds. He tilted his head around so he could see and saw Naga there.

"Right on time, Bumi," Yue told him.

If they had been surprised by his entrance, the others were even more surprised by the level of destruction the base had gotten into. "Bumi, how did you manage to take out this entire encampment on your own?" Tenzin asked his brother in clear and surprised disbelief. The communication tower finally fell to the ground, with the tank attached to its base.

"I did it all with my trusty flute and…" he started to say, holding out the flute, but then stopped and slumped his shoulders. "Ah, never mind, you wouldn't believe it anyway."

"I'd believe you," Yue assured him. "Trust me I've seen the level of destruction you've wrought on a battlefield. There is a reason your men used to call you the Walking Typhoon."

Tenzin looked at Bumi with a new eye but didn't say anything. Bumi didn't say anything about in return. Instead he started walking towards the portal. "Let's get moving."

They marched toward the portal, going through the hole in the inner wall. No one tried stopping them. When they did finally reach the clearing for the portal, Tonraq shrugged his arm off Mako's shoulder. "You run into the portal," he told everyone, "I'll try to hold off anyone who comes after you."

"No, you're too hurt," Korra said instantly. "You need a healer." She walked over to him, seeing that it was all he could do to stand.

"Tahno, take him and Oogi back to Senna," Yue ordered her apprentice before anyone could say anything.

"You got it," Tahno replied, going to the man's side.

Korra gave him a nod of appreciation. She turned her attention back to her father and said to him, "This is my fight now."

He knew that she was right, on both accounts. There was nothing else he could do now, except have faith in her. "Korra, I love you," he told her, pulling her into a hug.

She returned it, now more than ever grateful that he had been the one who was her father. "I love you too, Dad."

Once they were done hugging, Tahno wasted no time in getting him up onto Oogi and flying the bison away from the battlefield. She watched them go until they were completely out of sight. Then she turned her attention to the rest of them. "Once we're inside, you go find Jinora," she said to Tenzin. She tilted her head to look over at her friends. "Mako, Bolin, and Asami will take care of Unalaq, while I close the portal so Vaatu can't escape."

"Wait a second," Bolin said instantly, already looking like he was the verge of a panic attack. "Worst-case scenario: so we're fighting Unalaq, you close the portals and let's just say _something_ happens to you. Are we going to be trapped in there for eternity?"

Everyone stared at him. "Not the time, bro," Mako told him.

"If everything goes as planned, we'll all walk out together after Harmonic Convergence," Korra told the Earthbender. "If not…" She left the words hanging, since they all knew what would happen. What came next was making her feel nervous. She took a deep breath to ready herself and looked at everyone else. "Let's go."

She started running for the portal and everyone else followed. Her steps slowed down as she went through it and stepped out into the Spirit World. As soon as she was there, something in her body started to stir. The air around her skin turned heavy. Her heart started to kick like a Satomobile engine rearing to go. Even her senses seem to become hyper alert. She could see Vaatu's prison off in the distance, surrounded by dark spirits and Vaatu. She could even hear them flying around, snarling and growling at each other.

She could see that Unalaq was facing them. The dark spirits reacted in the next second, flying towards them with him riding one of them. "Tenzin, go find Jinora!" she ordered.

"C'mon!" he said to the other adults. As they raced off, Korra went into the Avatar State for a power surge. She leapt forward at the incoming dark spirit and bent a large wave blast of air at them all. They didn't try to evade or dodge what was coming and so they got struck. The blast sent them far off, even going so far as to dissipate them.

But it didn't get Unalaq. He leapt up into the air and bent water from a river to cushion his landing, freezing it into ice and sliding down it back to solid ground. As soon as he was there, he threw water right at her.

Mako and Bolin came to her defense, stopping the water with fire and earth. They returned salvos of their own, turning it into a pitched battle. Korra turned and ran for the portal, Asami covering her as she ran. As soon as she reached it, she activated the Avatar State and placed her hands on the portal, intent on closing it.

She soon discovered that closing a portal was little harder than opening one. She could feel the portal straining against her, not wanting to be sealed away. But she didn't stop. She had to close it. Even when she faintly heard the sound of the fight turning in Unalaq's favor, she kept her attention on the portal.

The sounds of the fight, as well as Asami's voice, were faint and almost muted. But she could hear Vaatu's voice clearly. **"****You're running out of time, Raava,"** it spoke into her ear, almost like a lover. **"I know you feel it coming."** Her body reacted to his voice in a way she might've felt embarrassed about if it was any other time. But she ignored it as she ignored him. She was almost there. The portal was losing the struggle. If she could keep it going for a couple of more seconds, she could—

Just as the portal was about to close, it burst back open with a shockwave that knocked her out of the Avatar State and onto the ground. From there, she watched in horror while Unalaq watched in satisfied glee as the red and blue portals curved towards one another and met. The fusion of the two sparked off a storm and emitted a blast wave of purple energy as they changed to a golden hue.

But the worst part was when the fused portals began to emit lightening and it was drawn to the tree like a rod in a storm. The tree took in all that wild power, glowing brighter and brighter red with each second. Then, for one terrible second, everything went dark. And the light came back with harsh brightness as the seal on the tree broke and Vaatu was freed from his prison, his joyous laughter erupting and echoing all round him.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

I don't Karura would be an intentional bully, just someone who takes it a little too far and can't see it until it's too late. You get those kinds of people all the time, people who say or think that they're your friend but pretty just run roughshod over you.

As for the bombshells that were dropped in the tent, two of them had planned for a while now and the third kinda cropped up as I was writing the scene. I'll let you figure out which one was the spur of the moment. Also, the creators never exactly explain how the reincarnation worked between Avatars. I went with the idea that Raava leaves the body of the predecessor and flies through the Spirit World to the successor in the time between the former's death and the latter's birth.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	37. Loss and depth

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 37: Loss and depth

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Spirit World)

With all that had happened in the past minute or so, Asami felt justified by thinking that if her sensei was here, the first words out of his mouth would've been "Well, shit." She stared at the looming Spirit of Darkness and felt like a little elephant-rat, scurrying across the floor while giants stomped around above her. Her hand started reaching for the whistle hanging from her neck. But she stopped herself before her fingers could touch the metal. _"Have faith in Korra,"_ she told herself as her friend got back up to her feet. _"She can beat this spirit. You know she can."_

As Vaatu continued to loom in the air above, he gave Unalaq a partial glance before settling his sight upon Korra. But he didn't see the human standing there. She was just a vessel for his opposite. He could look past the human flesh and see her there, glaring up at him. She never changes. **"Raava, nothing could stop this moment,"** he told her. **"Harmonic Convergence is upon us again."**

It wasn't Raava who spoke back to him, but rather the vessel. "I'm not going to let you fuse with Unalaq," she proclaimed in hopeless defiance. "You're going right back in that prison."

It was the vessel speaking but he could hear Raava echoing through her words. It would've been amusing, if he cared for such a thought. But he didn't. He had been freed after ten thousand years of imprisonment. He was not going back there. It was his time now. Raava's era was over and it was time to make that a reality. So without bothering to retort, he arced up into the air and flew downward towards his willing host, already standing with arms out to welcome him.

But Korra wasn't just going to wait for the fight to start. She was going to start it herself. She went into the Avatar State and bent a gigantic blast of fire at Vaatu, sending him reeling back away from Unalaq. Then she bent the air around her uncle to trap him in a twisting cyclone of a prison. It wouldn't hold for long but she didn't need it to. She bent him off the ground, into the air, and threw him into the portal, sending him away from the Spirit World. She came out of the Avatar State and looked at her friends. "Don't let Unalaq back in the Spirit World," she told the three of them.

"We're on it," Bolin assured her. He, Mako, and Asami turned and ran into the portal, leaving her alone.

She faced Vaatu, who had recovered from his reeling and was flying right towards her. She went into the Avatar State, ready to fight. _"Let's dance,"_ she said in silent challenge, bending fire in her hands to propel her forward.

* * *

Tenzin had only led his group in a run for ten minutes before they had slowed down. By then the landscape had changed completely. Instead of being in a rocky wasteland with two portals and a dead-looking tree, they were now in a forest that had trees with blue leaves. "Jinora," Bumi called out as they walked down a rough path. "Jinora's spirit do you hear me? It's your Uncle Bumi."

Tenzin watched his brother go on like that. He had been doing it for the last three minutes but it wasn't doing anything. "Ah, this isn't working," the Airbender declared as he came to a stop. "We can't just randomly wander the Spirit World, call out for Jinora, and expect to find her."

In hindsight, Bumi could see where his little brother was coming from. But he wasn't going to say that out loud. "We just need to employ the simply rules of tracking," he retorted before kneeling down to the ground. "First we locate her footprints…then we follow them."

Kya looked down at her brother like he had suggested something that was obviously stupid. "Do you even know what spirit footprints look like? Do spirits even leave footprints?" she asked him. "Face it, your tracking skills won't work in the Spirit World." She sat down as he stood back up, folding her legs into a meditative position and closing her eyes. "Let me try something." She let her breathing fall into a loud and repetitive pattern as she reached out with her inner energy to find her niece. "Jinora is over there," she said, pointing off to her left while her eyes were still closed. "I feel a lot of spiritual energy coming from that direction."

This time it was Bumi who ruined the progress. "We're in the Spirit World. There's spiritual energy in every direction."

"He's got a point," Yue agreed.

"Hush, you," Kya told her with a frown.

"Enough!" Tenzin snapped at them all. "We can't do this by ourselves. We need a spirit guide."

That made sense to the Paragon in the group. "Do you have a particular spirit in mind?"

"No," he admitted.

"Then what are you going to do?"

He looked around the forest and saw a hole in a nearby tree, red vines either going in or out of it in multiple strands all over. Inside the cave, he could see a little star dancing in the air. "There," he said, walking to the hole with the others behind him. They stopped at the base and he looked at the star. "Spirit, hello," he began. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but I am in need of your assistance."

Red eyes began to pop open, sleepy yet angry too. **"****You dare wake me, human? Humans in the Spirit World belong in one place only."**

"Ah, where would that be, exactly?" Yue asked, suddenly getting a very bad feeling about where the conversation was going.

The spirit emerged from out of its hole. It was an enormous spider with a scorpion's tail, where the star was hanging from. As soon as it appeared in their sight, it charged right at them, which prompted them to start running for their lives. They didn't know where they going but that didn't matter as much as making sure they got out alive did.

The spirit made some kind of spitting sound behind them. Nothing struck them so they kept running. "What was that?" Bumi asked.

"I don't know!" Kya shouted back. "Anybody else catch it?"

"No! And I'm not stopping to find out what it was!" Yue replied.

The forest broke clear and Yue thought they were safe. But she ran into Bumi's back full on. She wondered why they had stopped. She got the answer when she looked over his shoulder and saw that they were standing on a cliff. _"Not good, not good!" _she thought to herself. Then she heard the spirit coming behind them. _"Really not good!"_ she added.

The others jumped off as the spirit appeared behind them, ready to spit whatever it was that it was spitting, and she followed them off the cliff. Her screams left her mouth and went up the side of the cliff as she fell. They turned into grunts of pains as she crashed through tree branches and landed on the ground again, right on top of Bumi, who on top of his siblings.

As she lay there, dazed and a little disoriented from the fall, she could only think of one thing to ask. "Was it stupid of me to ask that question?"

All she got for an answer was a groan from Kya and a slurred "That is the last time I spar with Sifu while she's drunk and in a mood," from Bumi. She didn't know what the groan from Kya meant and she knew enough about June to not ask Bumi for an explanation.

Tenzin, who was at the bottom of the pile, got everyone back onto their feet and to their senses with a quick blast of Airbender. They stood there for a second to wipe off the excess foliage. "Well, that didn't work," Bumi declared. "Now where are we?"

"We're completely lost," his brother told him. He didn't recognize anything he saw around them. Finding Jinora now seemed more impossible than ever.

(Location: Land of Spring)

Tsukiko stood exactly where she had stood the last time she looked at that door in the side of the mountain, with her back against a tree. It hadn't changed since the last time she had seen it, standing at a height she could only reach if there were five of standing on shoulders. The doors were spread wide open but it didn't seem inviting to her. It actually felt arrogant, like the people were so untouchable, they couldn't care less if the entrance to their secret lair was left open or not.

"What a bunch of assholes," she muttered.

Hiro was in the bushes beside her. He looked up at her, his eyes showing his confusion. "What was that?" he asked her.

"I said what a bunch of assholes," she repeated. "They're leaving their door wide open like they don't care who comes in."

He looked back at the door. "I wouldn't say that," he replied. "There are guards standing outside." He could see clearly and he knew that she could see them too.

"There are only two of them and they don't look like they want to be there."

"Does it really matter if the people in charge are assholes because the door is open and there are guards outside?" Arashi asked, kneeling down beside Hiro. "We didn't come here for that."

"You're right," Rin said from above them, hiding in the foliage of the tree itself. "And it doesn't matter. So hush up."

"Sorry."

Hiro glanced over at where the Suna group hiding. It was only the group of Jōnin and Kankurō who were there. They didn't say or do anything. They just maintained their hiding positions and kept quiet. _"I don't know if I should be impressed or intimidated by that."_ While he didn't really get to know the Jōnin themselves, he did know Kankurō. The old man got along on well enough with them and although he kept warning them that he had a short temper, he said with a smile that made them always think he was kidding.

He didn't have that smile on now. He looked grim and serious, even more so with the war paint across his eyes and mouth. There might've been a moment before this that they could've joked with Karura about he wore make up but it seemed to make him even more terrifying before. The bandaged package was still on his back and it looked ready to come off his shoulder at a moment's notice. He didn't know this Kankurō. It was like he was looking at a completely different person and it scared him a little bit.

"They're coming up," Arashi whispered, getting his attention.

All eyes focused on the path leading to the entrance. Gin-sensei led the Genin and Karura, all bound in chains and looking miserable. Their clothes were torn and ragged now, dirt coating them just enough to make people think they had been walking without stopping. The other Konoha Jōnin walked alongside them, holding a thick club and making sure the Genin saw them. The Kazekage brought up the rear, not as part as the guard but rather as a prisoner.

They watched as the group walked to the entrance, the Genin unconsciously holding their breaths. The plan was for the group to get into the base and then let the rest of them in. But they didn't know if it would work or not. And as much as they wanted to be a part of the group, it was decided that it couldn't be risked since they might've been spotted the last time they were here. As the group got closer and closer to the entrance, they started praying, hoping that it would work.

The guards stopped them when they got close. They were too far away to hear what the words were. Things seemed to be going fine, the Jōnin were explaining that they were bringing in a new patch of prisoners. If previous observations were to go by, the guards would just let them without having them demonstrate that the prisoners could Bend. The guards looked bored as they looked over the Genin. But then they saw the Kazekage and their eyes narrowed.

"_Uh-oh,"_ Tsukiko and her teammates thought as the guards started talking to Gin-sensei aggressively. He tried talking back but they didn't look even as he spoke. Finally they stepped back and lowered their weapons at them.

"Shit!" Rin-sensei snapped. "They've been found out!" She looked ready to jump down from her branch.

"Wait," Kankurō told her before she could jump down, looking up at her. "Gaara's got this." She must've thought the same thing because she stayed up in the tree.

One of the guards reached for an object at his waist. But before his fingers could even touch it, both he and his partner went stiff momentarily then fell to the ground dead. Gin-sensei turned to where they were hiding and signaled them to come out. "Come on," Rin told her students, dropping down from the tree and coming out of cover.

Everyone followed her out and they quickly went to the group at the entrance. "What happened?" Hiro asked.

"They saw through it," Hiruzen-sensei explained. "Lord Kazekage was the one who tipped them off, no offense sir," he said to Gaara.

"There is no need to apologize," the Kazekage told him, using his sand to break open his cuffs, freeing his hands. The cuff would've fallen to the ground and caused a racket, if a small spread of sand hadn't formed underneath them and caught them. "It was my own insistence that I join the group."

"Well, it won't work now," his brother said.

"Yes. I will have to stay behind with the first squad." The cuffs landed gently on the ground and the sand holding them dissipated away, flowing back to him, vanishing into his coat with barely a flutter.

"Hopefully, we'll be able to get further in without any more hassle," Gin-sensei said, looking at the door, still open.

"We'll be right behind you if things go bad," Rin assured him. She too stared at the door, only she was glaring at it with the full force of her hate.

Tsukiko walked over to the dead guards to look at them better. They were face down on the ground and if she hadn't seen it happen, she might've thought that they were asleep. "What did you do to them?" she asked the Kazekage, turning back to look at him.

He looked at her and then at the bodies. "I shot a single grain of superheated sand through their throats. They were dead before the grain was finished going through."

She looked down at the bodies again. She couldn't see any holes or blood anywhere. "You really did that?" she asked him.

"Yes."

Karura smirked. "You don't get to be Kazekage by collecting kunai," she proclaimed.

(Location: Spirit World)

As Korra fought against Vaatu, she hopped from spot to spot, bending the earth beneath her feet at the Spirit of Darkness. He dodged it with an ease that could've been seen as contemptable. _"Oh, is that how you want to play?"_ she asked challengingly, _"Fine!"_ She bent water, then fire, and then air at him. He dodged all of them and flew towards her.

She went into the Avatar State for a brief moment, using the air to throw her at him. She flew beneath him, bending water and fire as she went. They were glancing blows and they didn't even look like they hurt him. Gravity took hold of her and she fell to the ground. She bent flames beneath her feet, acting like jet propulsions that kept her steady and floating. _"Come on, I'm right here!"_

Vaatu turned and swung a tentacle at her. A brief fire shield blocked and deflected it. She lunged at him with twin lances of flame at her fingertips. She threw them at him, twisting them together to form a greater, stronger, lance. It struck him so hard that it carved out a piece of his body, leaving a hole big enough her to fly through with her Airbending.

She switched back to fire as she neared the ground, banking around to fight him again. But he had turned with her. One of his tentacles slapped the ground, shattering the rocks and sending them upwards. It created a brief shield between them. Korra could've used the rocks against him, throwing them in a barrage.

But he was faster. His hole disappeared instantly as he glowed purple. _"Shit!"_ Korra thought, knowing full well what would come next. But before she could do anything to protect herself, Vaatu fired the purple beam of energy right at her.

She tried to stop it, to bend it against itself, but it was too hard and too fast to do anything. It slammed into her, knocking her right out of the Avatar State, and sent her flying against a nearby tall rock. Her back came alive with pain and when she fell to the ground, she couldn't move for a second. But a moment was all Vaatu needed as he slammed his tentacles down into the ground, almost burrowing through.

Suddenly, vines burst out the crowd and enclosed Korra, pulling tight so she wouldn't be able to move. She was lifted up off the ground, keeping her away from the earth and a source for her Bending. "No!" she shouted in protest, trying to wriggle free. But the vines were too tight against her skin. What was worse was that they began to tighten up on her. _"Guys, please don't let Unalaq get in here!"_ she prayed.

(Location: South Pole)

As soon as they had stepped outside the portal, Bolin, Asami, and Mako couldn't see Unalaq. Either Korra had thrown him harder than she had thought and sent him flying into the woods or he had retreated there and laid in wait. He was probably daring them to come into the woods after him.

But the brothers had seen enough street fights and Pro-bending matches to know that would've been a dumb move that could get them killed. The name of the game was now keep away. That was all they had to do to win. Mako and Bolin instinctively put space between each other, keeping their guards up as they watched the woods in front of them. Asami stood as the floater between them, able to aid one or the other in a moment's notice.

"_Where are you?"_ Mako thought as he watched the trees, trying to see where Unalaq would come from. It was too quiet for his taste and it was beginning to put him on edge. But he couldn't it take control or he would make a mistake.

He heard the sound of ice rising and shattering behind him. But he turned too late. All he saw were large spikes of ice flying right him. "Get down!" Asami shouted, grabbing him by the shoulder and forcing him down. Bolin moved up beside him and bent a small wall out in front of them.

The wall caught the spikes and didn't break. Mako got back up and threw a couple of punches, bending fire with each strike, at the woods. Bolin followed up by breaking the wall into two large boulders and throwing them at the woods too. They didn't get as far as the fire and only really succeeded in knocking down a tree.

The three of them stood there, waiting and listening for the next move to be made. They heard spikes flying through the air again, this time from behind them. By the time they turned to see, the spikes were already upon them. "Evade!" Asami shouted, jumping out of the way of them.

The brothers followed her example but came up swinging. Mako again threw fire and Bolin hurled earth. But it seemed like they were hitting nothing. _"Are they moving around or something?"_ the Earthbender asked himself as he watched the woods. He saw something in the corner of his eye. It was another hail of spikes flying right at him. He leapt away from them, creating a wall in the process. But he only had one foot connected to the earth and it was a weak balance too. The end result that the wall could not hold the hail and shattered upon impact, knocking him down to the ground with a groan.

Asami looked over at him briefly. "Bolin, you good?" she asked.

"Yeah," he answered as he got back up. "But I don't know if we can win this fight."

"We don't need to win," Mako told his brother. "We just need to stop Unalaq from getting back in the Spirit World."

"Stay frosty, guys," Asami said to them. No one made a quip about how they were in the South Pole. They kept their gaze searching for the next surprise attack, each having a feeling that there would be more to come.

(Location: Spirit World)

The forest had turned dark on them as they walked through it but it had only felt like fifteen minutes. Tenzin could only hope that they would find their way. But as they kept walking, that hope was slowly being diminished. When they passed a mushroom that glowed orange with heat, he came to a stop. "We're walking in circles," he declared. "I've seen that same spirit mushroom five times."

"That's not the same mushroom," Bumi protested.

"**Yes I am,"** the mushroom replied. No one looked surprised at the fact that the mushroom had spoken out. They were in the Spirit World, after all. It probably would've been weird if the mushroom hadn't talked.

"See?" said Tenzin, walking over to his brother's side. "Even it knows we're lost." He palmed his face with his hand. How could they get into this kind of a situation?

"Oh sure, listen to a fungus over your own brother," the Air Paragon retorted. They were in the same boat. They had to stick together, not to argue about what was going.

A soft wailing sound floated past them, making Kya reach for her brothers' shoulders to get their attention. "What's that?" she asked them both, looking around to see if there was anything there.

But she didn't see anything and neither did her brothers or Yue. "Mushroom?" asked Bumi. "Is that you?"

"**No, wasn't me,"** the mushroom replied.

"Well, that's helpful," Yue remarked, eyes searching every possible spot for a threat.

"**Thank you, I try."**

"You—" She stopped herself before she started. "I'm not going there."

"**Going where?"** She ignored it and kept looking around. **"Was it something I said?"** The spirit mushroom actually sounded hurt and embarrassed as it asked that question.

She was almost tempted to apologize to the spirit but stopped herself. It would just draw out the conversation and she didn't want to talk to a mushroom. _"Just focus, Yue,"_ she told herself.

She wasn't the only one who saw someone stepping out of shadows in front of them. Everyone else did too. But even though someone was able to sneak up on them, they only reacted with a gasp of surprise. "Iroh?!" said Bumi as he stared at the Dragon of the West. The old man simply smiled welcomingly at them as he stood next to a spirit fox with glowing blue eyes.

"How…? Where…?" Tenzin tried to ask, only to stop. It would've been pointless to ask the questions since he already knew the answers. There was only one actual reason why he tried asking was because he was glad to see the man. "It's been so long."

"**Almost forty years,"** he acknowledged. They had only been children when he had passed away. Now, they were fully grown. **"It's nice to see you again."**

"How did you know we were here?"

He reached out and stroked the head of the spirit. **"****My friendly spirit fox told me you were lost, I came to show you the way out."**

"_That'd be nice,"_ Yue thought in relief. She would've taken it if they didn't have to do something important to do here.

She wasn't the only one who thought that. "Iroh, we are grateful," said Tenzin, "but we're not looking for the way out. We're looking for my daughter."

Iroh's kindly visage was replaced by a frown. It was the kind of frown that told them that things were bad even before he spoke.** "****I'm sorry to hear that. But you shouldn't be here, Vaatu has escaped and darkness threatens to take over."**

Tenzin worried about Korra and what she could do against the Spirit of Darkness. But he couldn't let it distract him from what he came to do. "I'm not leaving until I find Jinora."

"**I understand. But I beg you to be careful, if you travel too deep into the Spirit World, you could end up in a place where only the lost will ever find you."**

The four of them looked at each other, clearly confused by his words. But when Tenzin looked back at where Iroh stood, both man and fox were gone. Yue looked at the same spot. "That would probably be more annoying than Naruto's letters, if it happened more often," she declared.

The Airbender wasn't listening to her. He was too busy going over what he heard. "A place where only the lost can find you…?" he repeated aloud. Then realization struck him like a thunderbolt. "That's it! I know where to find Jinora!"

* * *

The vines kept growing tighter and tighter. She struggled against them but she could only wiggle. **"Why do you fight, Raava?"** Vaatu asked her. **"You know that what is to come is inevitable."**

"No, it's not!" she shouted at him. "I will stop you."

"**Be silent when you do not know what you speak of, vessel,"** he ordered. **"You know nothing of how the universe turns. You could only glimpse a small fraction of a fraction of it and your mind would burn at the sight of it. What has happened must be turn around in equal measure."**

She didn't understand what he was saying. It just sounded like complete and utter babble. But even as she thought that, it was suddenly explained to her. He believed that because Raava had been one with the Avatar for over ten thousand years, it was his time to take charge. He shared that belief with Unalaq. But she wasn't going to let that happen. "I will stop you just like Wan did!" she proclaimed in defiance.

If Vaatu had eyes and a nose, she would be certain that he'd be looking down it at her. **"Foolish simple creatures should not speak."**

"Then you should've covered my mouth!" She went instantly into the Avatar State and breathed fire at him, catching him by surprise. His grip on the plants grew slack and she used that to breathe more fire onto them, burning them away into absolute nothingness.

She landed on the ground and launched a barrage of the four elements at the Spirit of Darkness. He fell back against and tried to recover. But she wouldn't let him. She threw element after element at him before finally sending him reeling back with twin rock columns aimed right at the midsection (if he had something that could be called a midsection).

But she wasn't there. As she rose up into the air on a column of that same air, she bent the air to her command. She caged Vaatu within a sphere of air and sealed it tighter with rings of water, fire, and earth. **"I'm locking you away for another ten thousand years, Vaatu,"** she declared, her voice legion as she bent the orb back to the tree.

(Location: South Pole)

They had been warding off attacks for the past ten minutes but things had suddenly gone silent. All three of them were hiding behind a set of rock walls, waiting for the next attack to come. But all they got was silence. It was beginning to be a little unsettling. "Unalaq?" called out Bolin as he peeked over the top of the wall, trying to find the guy. "Are you out there?" He didn't see anyone and brought his head back down. He looked over at the other two. "He must've gone home?"

Asami rolled her eyes at him despite the situation. She was on the farthest wall away from him and his brother. "He's from the North Pole, Bolin. Going through the portal would be far easier getting back to his home than taking a ship."

"Oh yeah, good point."

"Just keep an eye out of him," Mako said, peering around the corner of the wall, trying to see without being seen.

That looked like a good thing to do, so his brother copied his motion and peered around the wall. The first thing he saw was Eska's face looking right back at him. "Hello, my feeble turtle duck," she said in her usual manner.

He did the first thing that came to mind: screamed in absolute horror and fear to the extent that his hair stood on edge. That lasted for about two seconds before she bent a globe of water at his head, knocking him away. Both Mako and Asami heard his scream and went on the alert. Mako turned to see the danger but missed the danger appearing at his back. "Mako, look out!" Asami shouted in warning.

He turned back around but Desna blasted him back away with a surge of water. He stumbled backwards into his brother and then both of them were knocked unconscious with a strong blast of water. Another strong blast was sent Asami's direction but she saw it coming and rolled out of the way. As she came out of the roll, she saw that Desna was coming towards her with water already beginning to coat his fingers.

"_Oh no, you don't!"_ she silently declared. She kept her body low to the ground and leapt for his legs. Desna didn't expect the move and had his legs knocked out from under him, sending him backwards to the ground. He landed on the snow with a surprise woof of breath that turned painful when she slammed an elbow into his chest.

She heard feet moving in front of her and knew that it would be Eska coming for her. She rolled away from Desna and kept rolling as she heard water hitting snow. Her eyes found the Tribe girl and never left her as she kept rolling and rolling. She might've started feeling dizzy if her sensei hadn't made her do all those exercises that left her dizzy.

"Would you stop that now?" Eska asked her, a faint hint of annoyance entering her voice. "It is getting rather annoying."

"_That's what I'm going for,"_ she thought to herself, continuing to roll out of the way of the water. She kept on rolling, right up until she found her back against one of the walls. Eska came towards her, water coating her hands.

Asami tucked her feet underneath her and sprang at Eska, going for her legs like she had with Desna. She backed off, letting her fall short. She brought her legs underneath her again and sprang again, this time upwards at the girl's face. Her head connected with Eska's chin and the girl flew up into the air.

She flipped through the air and landed on her feet as her brother caught back up. Together they started to circle her. She kept her guard up and tried to watch them both. _"Of all the times to have left my glove back in Republic City!"_ she bemoaned. She could've turned their Waterbending against them with that!

She saw Desna move and she moved against him. She felt a heavy, wet, weight slam right into her. She fell to the ground and laid there, too much in pain to move. She wondered what had hit her. When she heard the sound of moving water, she managed to turn her gaze to see Unalaq being carried by water to the clearing. He didn't move an inch while the water spread out like a carpet.

As it fell to the ground and lost its form, Unalaq stepped off and headed for the portal. "Don't let them escape this time," he ordered his children as he walked past them. "To have been taken down by a mere Non-bender is disgraceful." They didn't say anything back. He stopped to look down at Asami with disgust and loathing in his eyes. All she could do was stare back up at him.

She didn't know why he did it, especially when it seemed childish to her eyes, but without warning he kicked her hard in the chest, once, twice, three times. She felt some of her ribs crack and pain started to radiate even more than before. Yet despite that, she could only think of one thing that could answer why he hated the Paragons to such an extent. _"How badly did he screw it up with Yue?"_

(Location: Spirit World)

The four of them managed to make their way back up to the forest above the cliff and now stood before that hole in the tree. "I would like to say that I don't like this idea," Yue whispered to them all as they watched that deceptively cheerful star dancing around in air.

"You've said that already," Kya told her.

"Well, it bore repeating."

Bumi could agree with what his fellow Paragon was. What Tenzin had sounded pretty insane, which was something coming from him. "Are you this is the best way to find Jinora?" he asked his brother.

"Trust me," Tenzin replied. He ignored the doubtful look from Bumi and kept his attention on the tree. He bent the air into a blast and sent it into the hole while shouting, "Hey you! Spirit! Wake up!"

"_Oh great, he's trying to antagonize the damn thing,"_ Yue thought to herself as she watched those red eyes open up again.

"**You again?!"** said the dark spirit. That was all it said before it lunged out of the hole and spat out silk.

Yue's first reaction came from years of training, the same as Bumi's. They tried to put some distance between them and the silk but Tenzin had grabbed them both by the arms. He held them there, his hands feeling like clamps, as they were completely engulfed in the stuff.

They fell down and the silk quickly wrapped itself around them, binding them in tight. "Well this is just great," Bumi declared. "We were about to be food for a spirit."

"**Do you think that I would lower myself to eat humans?"** the spirit asked him, coming out of the tree fully and giving him a look of such disgust.

"You're a spider and we're trapped in your webbing," he retorted. "I'd say that's a good telling of what's going to happen."

The spider actually managed to snort at that (which sounded quite human) and look even more disgusted. **"I couldn't eat you if I tried. You taste all wrong and I would have a hard time trying to even swallow you."**

Kya was relieved that she wasn't going to be eaten but she was still worried about what the spirit could do to them. "If you're not going to eat us, what are you going to do?" she asked.

"**What I do with all humans that intrude on me. I send them to prison."**

"Prison?" she repeated, confused by the notion. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Tenzin looked relieved. Whatever he thought was supposed to happen did. If that was true, then it would not be a good idea to try and fight their way free. So she did nothing as the spirit walked away from them and dragged the silk webbing behind it.

The only thing anyone said as they were dragged across the ground was Yue telling Tenzin "I'm going to hold this against you the next time you tell me to trust you." He didn't say anything in return.

They weren't sure just how long they were being dragged along. But when the spider spirit finally stopped, it swung the webbing around in front so they were able to see where they were. They looked down at a valley that was completely covered in fog so thick they wouldn't have been able to see the bottom if they tried. They didn't know how far down it was to the actual ground.

In spite of this, what they were looking didn't appear to be all that bad. That, of course, made Kya all the more nervous. "I thought we were gonna be taken to a prison?" she asked, still looking down at the fog.

"This is a prison," Tenzin said grimly. This was where they needed to go. But it was going to be dangerous, very dangerous.

"**Welcome to the Fog of Lost Souls,"** the dark spirit proclaimed. **"You will never escape."** It swung its tail in a snapping motion, sending them over the fog. The silk broke open and they fell screaming into the fog, vanishing from sight. As soon as they were gone, the spirit turned and left.

(Location: South Portal)

Eska and Desna dragged the Bending brothers away from the portal. In their minds, even though Asami had handled them, she was down for the count and the brothers still needed to be taken care of. Their suspicions would've been proven correct, if they had taken the time to actually look at the people they were dragging and not be so focused on the dragging itself.

Bolin and Mako came to at roughly the same time. Years of living on the street kicked in and they stayed completely still. Bolin looked over at his brother. In situations like these, it was Mako who took the lead and got them out of the jams. He was certain that this time around would be no exception.

His faith was rewarded when his brother looked at him and gave him a nod. The Firebender swung his legs up, bending fire right at Desna's face. The Waterbender was caught off guard and he released him. Mako jumped to his feet and threw a fireball at Eska, making her let go of Bolin. His brother came to his feet, stomping earth columns out at the twins, stopping them from coming at them. They turned to the portal but stopped when they saw Asami lying there.

She saw them and knew what they were thinking. There wasn't time for them to pick her up. The twins would catch them if they did. "Go!" she told them. "Go now!" They nodded and ran into the portal.

What they saw on the other side was nothing good. Vaatu was rising up from the tree and Unalaq standing nearby with a victorious look on his face. What was worse was that Korra was lying on the ground. She didn't seem to be moving. _"No!"_ Mako cried out in his mind at the sight of her on the ground like that. It only took one look from his brother to know that they were thinking the same thing. They piled on the speed and raced towards her.

The portal whispered behind them and they both heard Eska shout out, "Stop!" But they kept going, more intent on saving their friend than fighting. They probably should've fought instead of run because the next they knew, they were literally covered in ice from the neck down. They were unable to move and could only watch.

While they watched, Korra tried to get back on her feet. She had been so close, so close! Vaatu had been all but sealed inside the tree again when she had gotten a hard water blast in the back. It was a surprise move and completely knocked her focus off, sending her to the ground. When she looked up, the bright light that told her Vaatu was being sealed shattered and the Spirit of Darkness flew free once more. She tried getting back up but her uncle threw another blast of water at her. This one was so heavy that she lay on the ground stunned for a few seconds on the ground.

But a few seconds was all that was needed. As she got back up to her feet, Vaatu neared Unalaq. Fear of what would happen next spurred her into action, throwing a wild fireball at her uncle. He swept it aside with his Waterbending. Then he stood still and let Vaatu take him. The spirit dove down and into him in a flash of purple light, appearing and vanishing within the same second. Unalaq slumped forward with a groan and sagging shoulders.

But then he stood back up and his eyes burned red. The symbol of Vaatu glowed on his chest for a brief second before disappearing. Korra knew what had happened to him. She had seen it before with Wan. Both human and spirit were sharing a body but it wouldn't last. The human body would have to eject the spirit before it was killed. That is, unless the human part was able to touch one of the portals during Harmonic Convergence.

She watched as her uncle turned to the northern portal. One second he was standing only a few yards away from her and the next, he was standing at the portal with his arm already reaching out to touch it. As soon as he did, thunder boomed and lightning cracked from the connected portals, almost causing a storm in the Spirit World. The energy rushed up from both portals and met at the peak, causing the storm.

It went on and on as he continued to touch the portal. Purple energy leaked out from it and latched onto his arm like a parasite trying to find a host. And like a parasite, it quickly spread its way up his body. This wasn't like what had happened with Wan. It wasn't a merging of the two. It was more like a hostile takeover of one over the other. As soon as the energy completely covered him, it turned dark red and he yelled in pain, red light pouring from his mouth into the air.

Korra could only in horror as the process happened. To her, it looked like the energy was trying to morph his body into something else, something more sinister, while his body fought against it. She didn't know what that meant exactly but she did know what was coming next. "No!" she said to herself, hopeless as the energy built up inside Unalaq until it was released in a big explosive wave, spreading across the Spirit World in a blinding light.

She withstood the pressure from the wave and covered her eyes from the light but that was all she could do. As the light faded along with the pressure, she opened her eyes again and looked at Unalaq. Purple smoke leeched off of him as he stood upright and when he opened his eyes, they were still red. But this time, they were steady. **"We are now one!"** he declared in a voice that echoed with another. **"Now a new era for spirits and humans will begin! And I will lead them all as the new Avatar!"**

Korra found her strength and courage at those words. She stood up fully and marched towards himm. "Well, I'm the old Avatar and my era's not over yet!" she declared in defiance. They both bent water around their feet and leapt at each other, clashing hard and ready to fight.

(Location: Land of Spring)

The tunnel in the mountain was a short one but the Genin didn't know if that was a good thing or not. The light from the moon outside faded away from their backs until they could only see by the torches imbedded in the walls. The Jōnin blocked their view of what laid ahead of them. They had been told to look like they were miserable, scared, and nervous about what was going to happen next. Those emotions were perfect on their faces because it was exactly how they were feeling.

Inoji felt sweat on the back of his neck that was going down his backside in an achingly slow fashion. He also felt sweat on his brow. He could've waved it off as it just being from the heat of the torches but he wouldn't have fooled anyone. He was nervous, just like everyone else stuck in the chain line. The only one who didn't seem to be actually concerned was Karura. She led the chain and she seemed confident about what was happening.

The narrow tunnel began to widen and he got nervous. He had a feeling that they were getting closer to the actual base itself. His feeling was proven right when he heard someone shout out, "Halt!"

Gin-sensei came to a stop and the group stopped in behind him. Inoji took that moment to peek around the line to see what was ahead. He saw two guards standing in front of another door. They looked serious and eyed Gin-sensei with suspicion. "Hey," he said to them.

"Who are you?" they demanded.

"What does it look like I am?" He gestured back with his thumb. "I'm bringing in a new batch."

The guard on the left kept eyeing him with utter suspicion. "I don't know you, or your partner." He turned his gaze onto Hiruzen-sensei and looked at him hard.

He just scoffed. "You know every guy who brings in the batches? I don't think so." He held himself in a stance that declared he was bored with the questions and wanted to keep moving.

Both guards shared a look and then looked back at them. "What are you bringing in?"

"A couple of Firebenders, Earthbenders, and even a Waterbender," Gin-sensei answered him.

"No Airbenders?" he asked with a condescending smirk.

Inoji's felt like they were caught, his heart started skipping beats. But Gin-sensei returned the smirk to say, "You're funny. If we had any Airbenders, there'd be an army coming after us."

"And there's no army," Hiruzen-sensei added, still looking bored.

"Eh, fine." The guard looked over the Genin in chains and Inoji would swear that the look in his eyes turned lecherous when he looked at them. "You got a pretty nice batch here. I wouldn't mind paying some of them a little visit once they're settled in."

Bile started to form in Inoji's stomach at the implication of those words. "You sick fuck!" Tsume shouted, straining against the chains.

He just laughed. "Oh look, she's desperate already. I won't have to do anything to get her really wet then."

"I'm going to kill you!"

Gin-sensei walked over to her and slapped her hard against the face. She fell to the ground with a look of absolute shock. "Shut the fuck up," he ordered. She opened her mouth to say something and he slapped her again. "You didn't hear me the first time? I said to shut the fuck up?" Tears were beginning to pour out of her eyes but she opened her mouth again. He raised his hand and she slammed it shut. "Smart girl," he told her. She just kept looking at him with shocked eyes.

Inoji was shocked too. He didn't think that their sensei would ever do something like that. It added to the bile and he felt like he was going to sick. "Hey, hey," the guard on the right said. "Don't damage the merchandise. We let the customers do that kind of shit."

"Oh relax," he said back, turning away from Tsume. "It was just a couple of slaps. She's not going to do die from them."

"Even so, don't damage the merchandise. It brings down the price and the boss hates it when that happens."

"Fine," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Can we go in already? I want to get in some sleep before the night's over."

"Sure, just make sure these runts go where they need to go." He reached out and slammed his fist against the door three times. It was a hollow sound that echoed throughout the tunnel, fading away into a whisper. The door opened with an old groan and all he could see beyond was semi-darkness.

What was beyond the door was a spiral staircase that went upwards and it didn't look like it ended where they could see it. The door closed behind them and there were only torches light their way again. "Alright, let's get a move on," Gin-sensei declared. He yanked the chain and made them follow him up the stairs.

It didn't take long for Inoji's legs to start feeling worn out. Behind him he could hear Tsume trying to stifle tears with some success. "He didn't have to hit me so hard," she whispered in a choked voice. "It really hurt."

"_This is a real mission,"_ he thought to himself. It was a real mission with real implications. That meant they were going to be treated like slaves. And he and the rest of the Genin from Konoha had wanted so bad to get out of the village. He was beginning to think that it was a bad idea to want that. He cast a quick glance behind him and saw that the others were thinking the same thing that he was. The only one who wasn't was Karura.

When the staircase finally ended at a door, Gin-sensei pushed it opened and urged them forward. They went through and saw a large cavern below them. If he had tried to throw a kunai to the other side, he was fairly certain the length was long enough that it would fall to gravity before it hit the intended target. The path they were on rounded itself downwards against the wall. There were doors along the path but that wasn't what they were focused on.

They were focused on what was going on at the bottom and near the bottom. Children were being led around in chains, thrown into small cells, or fighting each with such an intensity that Inoji was surprised some of them weren't dead yet. Then he looked and saw some people were dragging away corpses and he felt sick. The kids all did this with a slack expression on their faces, like they weren't aware of where they were.

But the thing that got his attention the most was how they were using elements in their fighting. He knew that elemental jutsu required handseals in order to work but these kids were throwing punches and kicks and the elements responded to their motions. He saw fire, earth, and water but no lightning or water. He found that a little strange but didn't know what to say about it. He just settled for a realization that they were there to save all of those kids and it probably wasn't going to be easy.

"Alright, come on," Gin-sensei said, pulling on the chain and leading them downwards.

(Location: Spirit World)

Despite how the fog had looked outside, they had landed rather safely in it. But even if they had landed safely, they were still in a valley that was covered in fog. They looked around and saw but fog. Bumi walked ahead a little bit and didn't see anything that even resembled an actual prison. "What kind of prison doesn't have any bars or walls?" he asked the others behind him. "We can walk right out of here."

Yue looked around. Like him, all she saw was fog. But there was something else out there too. She would swear that she could see vague shapes moving around in the fog. "I don't think it's going to be that easy, Bumi," she said to him, still watching the fog. There was a particular shape out there. It almost looked like…no that was impossible. She wasn't here. She was back in the human world. But even as she tried to deny it and know the truth, that old anger and rage began to bubble up inside her. She clenched her hands into fists, trying desperately not to go charging off after what could be a phantom.

"Kya's right," Tenzin said in agreement. "The Fog of Lost Souls is a spirit prison for humans. I read about that in ancient text. The fog is actually a spirit that infects your mind and slowly drives you mad, imprisoning you in your own darkest memories."

His sister gasped slightly in surprise at his words. This was not a place that she wanted to be in. None of them should be in a place like this. There were some bad moments in her life, yet they paled in comparison to what Bumi and Yue had both been through. "How long can we be trapped in here?" she asked her brother.

As if to answer her question, they heard footsteps behind them. They turned to see a man in an old Fire Nation uniform that was dirty and a little messy. There was a crazed look in his eyes while his hair was stringy and unkempt. But what got their attention the most was the broken jian blade in the back of his head. He walked past them, unaware of them or the sword that should've been piercing his brain. He just kept on ranting, "I am Zhao, the Conqueror. I am the Moon Slayer. I will capture the Avatar. I am Zhao the Conqueror. I am the Moon Slayer. I will capture the Avatar."

"Hopefully we're not trapped in here as long as that guy," she remarked. She looked to the side and saw Yue looking at the man with a wide look of surprise that turned into rage. "Yue, what's wrong?"

"It's him," she snarled as she glared death at the man.

"Him who?" she asked.

"Him!" the Paragon repeated. "The Fire Nation admiral that attacked the North Pole killed Tui, the first Moon Spirit. He's the one who caused my namesake to surrender her life to take that position!"

Zhao must've heard her because he turned to them. His eyes were initially confused but when they latched onto Tenzin, they widened in recognition. "You, you're _him_. The last Airbender!" he shouted, reaching out and grabbing hold of the Airbender.

"Ah, no!" cried out Tenzin as he tried to break the grip off. "Get off me!" He was a little afraid of the man, having heard all the stories about when he was a child. But there was a difference between hearing the story and meeting the man himself.

Zhao pulled him in closer so they were almost face to face. "You've grown. But I will still defeat you." He didn't expect Bumi to drag him away or for Kya to knock him down. When he stood back up, they were already vanishing into the fog. "Come back Avatar," he called out. "Face me! I am Zhao the Conqueror. I will capture you! Victory will be mine!"

"Just disappear already, you son of a bitch!" Yue shouted at him, pulling out a small knife and throwing it in his general direction. She didn't know if it struck him or not but she didn't waste time on it.

They kept running for a good five minutes before finally stopping. "I think it's safe to say that was unpleasant," Bumi declared.

"I think it's safe to say that's an understatement," Yue retorted.

Kya looked back at where they had come from but all she saw was fog. It was just as thick as everywhere else. "We could get lost in here too easily."

Tenzin nodded in agreement with his sister. He took the traditional Air Nomad belt wrapped around his waist and undid until it was long enough to give them some room. "If we stay together, we'll find Jinora and make it out of this fog," he explained to them all as he tied the rope ends to their belts. Once they were secured, the four of them ventured further into the fog.

(Location: South Pole)

Asami was able to work her way up onto her knees and crawl over to a tree. As her back rested against the trunk, she breathed deeply and focused on lessening the pain in her chest. It was hard. Every breath taken in made her chest feel like it was on fire. Even when she wanted the pain to stop, she knew if it did she'd be dead. She had to keep breathing.

Gradually the pain began to lessen and she stood up on shaky legs. She held her hand on the tree for support and once she took it off, she turned to face the portal. She had to get in there and help. She took a step towards it and she saw Korra come flying out of it atop an air column. Unalaq was right behind her atop a water column and they were both baring down in her direction.

"_Crap!"_ she thought in a near panic. She leapt to the side as they barreled past, covering her ears as the wind howled against the roar of water. What came next to her mind would confuse and amuse her in the weeks afterwards. _"If they were in Satomobiles, shouting at them would be so much easy!"_

Korra wasn't exactly sure when they had started moving around on columns or when they had gone through the portal, only that they had gone through it. She tried to keep her focus on the fight. It seemed that her uncle's Waterbender abilities grew more powerful as he had merged with Vaatu. She was bending all four of the elements at him but she would've been lucky if one managed to even graze him.

Unalaq bent a strong stream of water at her. She blocked it with a large shield of ice, losing her column in the process. She had thought that the water would just pound against the shield before losing its consistency but she had been wrong. Instead of pounding against the shield, her uncle's water wrapped itself around the thing and grabbed her too. She was thrown to the ice and bounced against the snow before sliding to a stop.

"_Ow, that hurt_," she told herself as she lifting her head back up. She saw Unalaq land on the ice and it cracked beneath his feet, spreading into a fissure that was going straight for her. It reached her before she could do anything and she fell right in.

For a second, she thought that she was going to fall to the core of the world. It certainly felt like it as the ice around darkened into utter blackness. But then it closed in around her, becoming so tight that she stopped falling. She was safe but the ice pinched her like she was between the jaws of an angry polar bear dog.

"_I've got to get up there."_ She reached out a hand onto the ice to start climbing back up, keeping her eyes focused on the sky above.

Unalaq appeared above her and spread his arms wide. He brought them slowly together, like he was trying to crush thick between them. She felt the ice start squeezing her, trying to force her to be still. The pain she had felt from the landing was beginning to grow, almost to a point where it was blinding her. She tried pushing the ice back with her own Bending but she was being overridden.

"Give in," she heard her uncle order her, still standing above her. "Your time is over!"

She tried to fight but the ice was all around her, pressing in everywhere. She felt cold. She felt weak. Her eyes were going dark. This was it. She had lost the fight. There was nothing she could do.

As her sight went black and she started to fade into unconsciousness, she heard a voice speak in her ear. **"****Korra, this fight is not over."**

She had only heard that voice in memories not her own. But even so, she knew who it was. And she was glad. **"****Raava,"** she whispered with her last conscious breath.

"**Vaatu cannot win. Do not give in to ten thousand years of darkness."**

Her voice was comforting yet also firm. But Korra did not know what to do. _"How am I supposed to beat him?"_ she asked, unable to say the words aloud. It seemed impossible.

What she said next was gentle but also unyielding. It was a truth that had been strong for the past ten thousand years. **"You are the Avatar."**

But it was easier than done. She was alone in the dark and the ice. She could barely even see in front of her. It took all of her strength just to stretch out her hand to the open space. _"Please, someone,"_ she asked. _"I can't do this alone. I need help. Please…"_

She felt a hand take hers and warmth spread through her body at the touch of it. She couldn't see who it was. But she didn't have to see them. She knew who they were.

Aang.

Roku.

Kyoshi.

Kuruk.

Yangchen.

Fong.

Xu.

Long.

Tonar.

Koz.

Jian.

Leke.

Sokka.

O'lina.

Atl.

Teiluc.

Baichu.

Koa.

Atiya.

Lee.

Yuriko.

Del.

Shiya.

Nubia.

Wan.

Those were just some of the names that crossed her mind as she held onto that hand. They were all holding onto her. The good, the bad, and those who did what they could. They were all there, holding her hand and keeping her from falling into the darkness that hung all around her. **"We are here,"** they told her as they pulled on her hand. **"We are yours."**

She understood what they were trying to say. Unalaq might be more powerful than her. He might even have Vaatu inside of him. But he stood alone while she stood with her lives at her back with their complete support. She let them flow through her hand and into her, taking them all in. Her eyes burned bright with the Avatar State as her sight came back to her. Their warmth surrounded her in a golden aura.

She called upon every Fire Nationer she had ever been and bent their fire up towards the crack. It exploded against the ice and the pressure against her sides vanished, letting her breathe with ease once more. She called upon the Air Nomads to help her ascend from the crack. They responded by giving her a column of air to rise upon. As she came out of the crack, she tasted the cold air of the South Pole and found it soothing.

She looked down and saw Unalaq on the ground, mostly forced there by the fire she had called. He looked at her with worry and a slight fear. That was good. He should know what it was exactly that he was trying to fight. **"****You cannot win,"** she told him with the voices of past Avatars coating over hers.

She bent streams of air at him, intending to slice him down where he laid. But he leapt off the ground and formed his own column, this one made of water. Very well, if he wanted to keep fighting, she would gladly give him a fight. So when he flew away, she went after him.

(Location: Spirit World)

The fog was all around them as they walked through the valley. It was all they could see, nothing else. No matter how much they walked, they were the only people that they saw. Tenzin was beginning to think that they would never find his daughter. No, he couldn't think like that. If he started to do that, the legacy that he carried would come crashing down around him. His daughter had to be here. "Jinora! Jinora!" he called out for her as he kept walking.

Bumi was looking around too. But his eyes were wide, too wide, and there was sweat beginning to glisten on his forehead. "Wait a second," he said suddenly, stopping his brother with a hand on his shoulder.

"What, do you hear something?"

The eyes started flickering around rapidly, naked fear shining through them. "Yes. They're all around us. The cannibals, they're everywhere."

Tenzin instantly became concern for his brother. Despite his brother being a tall-teller with most of his stories being exaggerated to no end, there were some stories that they knew and he did not talk about. One of those stories happened when he was still a petty officer in the navy. He and his crew had ended up being captured by a tribe of cannibals in the north-western end of the Earth Kingdom. He was the only one who managed to survive until the rescue mounted by the navy, their father, and the Paragons, but not before watching the cannibals play hunting games with his crew and then eating them.

That month had been a recurring nightmare for Tenzin's brother. It was still was. And now the fog was beginning to play on that fear. "Bumi, you must focus your mind. Right now!" he told his brother while he kept swinging his head around, trying to see the cannibals. "There are no cannibals."

"Yes, there are!" he shouted at his brother. "Can't you hear them? The bows? The horn? They're here! They're gonna eat every last one of us!"

Suddenly Kya screamed in frighten, surprising Tenzin. "Who are you three?" she demanded, pointing at all three of them. She tried untying the rope around her waist, wanting to get free.

He stopped her before she was able to get the knot undone. "Kya, we're your brothers. Yue's our friend," he reminded her. "You must remember, before the fog infects you."

"No, you're just a vision. I have no family. You can't tie me down."

"_Oh spirits help me,"_ he thought in realization, knowing full well she was thinking of. There had been a time back during their teenaged years that she got seduced into joining a cult by a charismatic woman, being tricked into thinking that she had no family and even leaving them behind because of it. She had been rescued by their uncle when he came and dealt with the cult. She had felt guilty about abandoning her family like that but it also made her question herself. It was probably why she had gone wandering around the Bending Countries as soon as she could.

"No! Not her!" Yue suddenly growled with a look of such intense anger. "She can't be here! How is she here!?"

Tenzin whipped around to look at her. There was only one person he knew of that Yue could ever associate that much anger with. "Yue, it's not her. Your sister isn't here!"

"Yes she is! I can see her right there!" She pointed out to the fog. She took a couple of steps in that direction, stopping only because he grabbed her shoulders. She struggled against his grip. "What are you doing here, you bitch!? You can't be here!"

"Yue, she's not here!" he told her again. "It's the fog. It's playing with your senses. You have to focus your mind and remember why we're here!"

"I can see her!"

"She's not here!"

"Yes she is! I can see her taunting me!" She struggled against his grip, trying to get free. "Let me go! She needs to die!"

When he heard that declaration, Tenzin looked at her with surprise. _"You can't mean that."_ He knew that she had a bad history with her sister but never did he think that would be enough to incite homicide. But he kept those thought to himself. If he spoke them aloud, it was just fuel her delusions. "It's not her, Yue!"

But while his attention was on her, Bumi was able to untie himself. "They're closing in! They're sounding the horn!" he shouted in a near panic. "I gotta get out of here!" He ran into the fog, vanishing within a half-second.

As Tenzin tried to grab his brother, Kya got herself loose and ran screaming into the fog too. Then Yue did the same, charging straight into the fog screaming, "Come back here, you bitch!"

"No! Bumi! Kya! Yue! Come back!" Tenzin called for all three of them. He tried going after Kya, but she faded too quickly into the fog. He was left alone. He couldn't see them. He tried to clear his sight by blasting the fog away. But it only recoiled and then came back, settling in more thicker than before.

* * *

Mako could feel his body going numb inside the ice and he knew that his brother was in the same boat. If they didn't get free, the odds were that they were going to die because of the ice. He could try and bend his fire to free them but with the twins watching he was sure that they would quash any attempt on his part by heaping on more ice. So there was only one thing he could do. "Please, let us out," he begged the twins as they walked past him.

"His groveling is pathetic," Desna remarked.

Eska replied, "But I do enjoy the sweet scent of desperation." She said with no actual look of enjoyment on her face, so it was in question.

"Come on," he said to them both, "your dad has become an evil monster. He's gonna bring on eternal darkness. Why would you protect someone who doesn't care about you at all?"

Desna looked at his sister. "Father was going to let me expire when trying to open the northern portal. Perhaps we should rethink our position."

"Yes!" That was what he was looking for!

"No," Eska said curtly. "Don't listen to him. His words are poisoning your mind."

"_Agni take it!"_ he cursed. This was going to be harder than he thought. If he tried to get to one twin, the other would reinforce him/her. They'd never get out this way.

When Bolin started crying quite audibly, everyone was surprised by (even if the twins showed no emotion). "What's with this outburst of emotion?" Eska asked.

Even as he wept, he was able to say, "I'm sorry, I can't help it. It's just so sad that I'll never be with you again."

"What?" She took a few steps closer to him. "Explain yourself further."

"Eska, I've always loved you. And I always wanted to be with you. But now that the world is ending, I'm never gonna get that chance."

She got angry and marched up to him so she could look him in the eyes. "We could have been together. But you left me at the altar," she reminded him pointedly. She had felt like a complete and utter fool that day, which was way she had chased after them when she learned that Varrick had gotten away with them.

"No, I was scared," he protested, still weeping. "I was scared of my true feelings for you. Gah, I should have never left you. I'm sorry. And I'm sorry that we'll never have the chance to rekindle the dying ember that was our love into a _big_ fire of love flames."

While he kept weeping, Mako and Desna exchanged uncertain looks. Of course, Mako was singing a different tune inwardly. _"I don't know what the hell you're doing exactly, bro, but keep at it!"_

Eska kept looking at Bolin in complete and utter confusion. Something must've changed with her, for in the next moment she swooped down upon Bolin and kissed him hard on the lips. He didn't even struggle against the kiss, but returned it wholeheartedly. Then the ice around both of them melted, letting them free. "You'll never defeat my father," she declared. "But, should you survive, perhaps—"

Whatever she was going to say next, the brothers wouldn't know. For that was a moment when a shadow flew overhead and Asami landed right on top of her. They fell to the ground and she wrapped her arms around Eska's neck, holding it there until she ran out of oxygen. Desna whipped his arms out, ready to attack, but Mako got to him first, putting him in a hold the police taught him during training. It was designed specifically for Benders so they wouldn't be able to fight and lose consciousness soon after. He saw that Asami was applying the same kind of hold and wondered for a brief moment if the Paragons had taught the cops the move or vice-versa.

When the twins stopped struggling and went still, they both released their grip. "Finally," Asami said as she stood back up, wincing as she did. "I was beginning to think that I would have to knock them out and chip you guys out of the ice.

Mako looked at her with complete gratitude. She must've snuck up behind them, keeping quiet so she wouldn't alert the twins, and let Bolin know that she was there. He must've done that whole thing to get them out of the ice. He looked over at his brother, completely impressed. "Wow! That was the best acting I've ever seen. You completely fooled her," he told him.

"Yeah right, huh. That was acting," Bolin agreed, not able to look him straight in the eye.

"You okay, bro?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Even though he said those words with an assured grin, he looked down at Eska with some sadness in his eyes.

"Guys, we need get back through the portal," Asami said to them both. "Korra needs our help." The brothers nodded and together, they ran back through the portal. On the other side, they could see both Unalaq and Korra easily, since they towered over the tree line in columns of water and air respectively. They didn't stop running, going right through the forest to reach the battle.

Meanwhile, Korra was certain that she was leading the fight now. She could feel the past Avatars guiding her actions. With every move she made, she could feel their hands moving her through them. She didn't mind it. In fact, she welcomed the action. She wasn't alone. She had them to relay on while Unalaq had no one. That was her advantage.

When he bent another hard stream of water at her, she bent fire into a shield, twisting it so it would be more ferocious in its defense, just like the Fire Nation Avatars told her. As she blocked the water, the Air Nomads whispered to her to drop the column and fall to the ground, making it a battle of angles. The Earth Kingdoms Avatars agreed with the idea and showed her to make the move flow.

As she fell back down to the ground, she swung her leg up into an arcing kick, bending the earth to shoot out a trio of boulders at him. When they struck, Unalaq was engulfed in dust and he escaped from it by ascending higher in his column. From there, he bent more water at her. She landed on an outcropping of rocks and flipped away from the water, doing again twice more.

As she landed on her feet, she bent the earth beneath her to jut up into a column, sending her flying again into the air. Once airborne, she bent a trio of fireballs at him. Unfortunately, they all missed. _"Damn it,"_ she thought to herself as she fell back down to the ground. But she did not fall so easily.

Unalaq bent a stream of water at her, catching her in the arm. She tried to fight it free of it but the Water Tribe Avatars cautioned her not to do that. They whispered to bring him down to her level, keep the fight there. She understood it and froze the ice. Then she pulled the man that was her opposite down off his column.

He fell with a shout and his landing caused huge snowdrifts to leap up into the air. But she could still see him standing across from her, ready to keep fighting. She wasn't going to let him have that. His hands were the key to his Bending. If she took care of them, she would win. She bent another stream at his free hand, caught it, and froze it.

For a moment, she thought she had it. Then his eyes glowed red and he shattered the ice. With his hands free again he bent the water to pull her towards him. She struggled against it but was pulled all the same. The two of them met in the middle, able to stare into each other's eyes. _"If that's the way you want to play it, fine,"_ she declared, confident. She wasn't alone. He was.

As they struggled against each other through the water, the pressure cracked the ground. But she wasn't worried. She knew that she had the edge. Then Unalaq smiled an ugly smile. His head jerked from side to side, almost spasm-like, and his mouth opened. Something purple, red, black, and all but radiating malevolence emerged from his mouth. It coiled up into the air like something trying to get free.

It directed its attention to her and she knew that nothing good would come from. She tried to ward it off, breathing fire at it. It didn't do any good. It didn't do anything. It shot down at her, smothering her flame before it had a chance to really live, and latched onto her face. It forced itself down her throat.

She could feel its cold and slimly self slithering down her throat. But it wasn't going into her body. She would've felt it. Instead, it was slithering down into her being. She tried to withdraw into herself to fight it, but Unalaq forced her to remain out in the real world, keeping her attention away from it.

The thing kept slithering down and down into her being. She begged the previous Avatars to stop it. They did try, she knew that much. She could feel their attempt to halt it. But it kept getting past or around them and continued to go deeper and deeper. She felt it reach the core of her being and it latched onto the light that was Raava. When that happened, her body went cold and she went weak in the knees. She could do nothing as the thing pulled Raava out of her, knocking her out of the Avatar State.

"_No! No!"_ she screamed inwardly as she tried to hold Raava inside. But it was too little, too late. Raava was pulled out of her. She fell to the snow and could only watch as Unalaq engulfed her in a sphere of water.

(Location: Land of Spring)

As soon as she stepped into the hollowed-out base, the first thing that Rin saw was the symbol of Tōitsu etched into the wall. It was carved in such a way that the person could not help but see it. And it was everywhere the eyes turned. No matter how many times you looked away, it was there for them to see. For her, it meant nothing but bad memories.

_Screams, mostly her own._

_The heat and pain of the branding iron when they pressed it against her back, laughing in delight at her pain._

_Cold bars all around her._

_Days without food or water until she begged out of hunger and getting only scraps._

_The pain of the man forcing himself into her every time he was aroused._

_Wanting to go home. _

_Wanting to see her friends again._

_Wanting to be with her family once more._

"Sensei, sensei, sensei!" whispered Hiro by her side. He was concerned about how she wasn't answering and how she was clenching the railing.

She blinked rapidly, coming back to the now. "Yes?" she said to her student.

"You still with us?" he asked.

"Of course I am, Hiro." She gave him a look that said that while she did appreciate his questioning, it was not needed and he should not push it any further.

Having lived with his grandmother, he was able to pick up on the silent order and clamped down on the next question. Gaara, despite having read the same order, had no qualms about asking it. "Are you sure you are here, Rin?" he asked her. "This is where you are needed."

"I'm here, Lord Gaara," she said. She wasn't going to be stopped by her memories. She was here to put an end to them.

"Good. Now the others are already down and are most likely making their way through the people. We need to catch up and make sure things go as planned."

No one asked the question of if things ever did go to plan. The plan they were going on was shaky at best and had more chances than anyone would like of going sideways. They started down the ramp, the Genin boxed in by the Jōnin as best they could. Hiro didn't complain about the setup, neither did Tsukiko or Arashi. They tried to make sure that they weren't seen at first glance and followed their sensei down to the bottom.

As they got closer, Arashi could hear the sounds coming from the bottom. They were so familiar that he felt like he was back in Republic City, looking at the kidnappers taking away children. _"Hopefully, this place doesn't collapse on me,"_ he thought to himself.

They came down the ramp and some of the Suna Jōnin detached from the group and leapt to the walls. They were the insurance and surprise if things went south on them all. Hiro couldn't help but keep looking up at them as they went down, making sure that they were still up there. "Relax," Kankurō told him.

"I don't think now is a good time to relax," he replied.

The old man nodded in approval. "Smart."

They could see Gin-sensei and the rest of the Genin down below. They were wading their way through the multiple groups of downtrodden and chained slaves, either being led away or practicing against each other. At least it looked like they were practicing. They were certainly hitting each other hard enough. It was only when one kid fell to the ground and blood splattered against the ground that he realized they weren't practicing. The kid wasn't moving either.

He felt sick in his stomach and he heard Tsukiko making a gagging sound. Arashi didn't make a sound but Hiro knew he wasn't affected by that. "There's going to be a mess if they start fighting us," Gaara noted quietly.

Arashi disagreed. "With the way those kids are fighting, we'll be fine."

Kankurō gave him a stern look. "Now's not the time for bragging, gaki."

"I'm not bragging. Those kids down there," he pointed at them with a finger that was either indignant or angry, "They're Bending in ways that would make a novice feel embarrassed and ashamed. So long as we can prevent them from getting their element going, we'll be fine."

A door behind them opened, making them almost pause in mid-step. "Do not stop," Gaara ordered them. "Keep moving."

"Hey, you!" a man's voice shouted at their backs.

"Keep moving."

"You, stop, now!"

"Should we signal?" Kankurō asked his brother in a whisper.

"No, not yet," he replied.

"Then how do you want to do this?"

"Humor him and see if we can't get some information from him in the process."

"You!" the man shouted again, "The old guy in the front!"

"I think he's calling for you," the Kazekage's brother remarked.

The Kazekage didn't say anything back to his brother. He turned to face the man, making them all do the same. "Yes?"

"Who the hell are you?"

"I'm a recruiter. These men," he gestured aimlessly at the others, "are the new initiates. I was told to bring them here so they can get in touch with their duties."

The man looked at them all, his black eyes taking in each one of them. His arms were folded across his chest, making them look even more big and bulging. His lips curled back into a sneer and he said, "Bullshit."

Rin watched him intently her fingers keeping close to her pockets without making it look obvious. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean what I say. I said bullshit."

"If that's what you'd like to think," Gaara replied with a dismissive sniff. "Now, if you'll excuse us."

"I did not say you could go."

"Young man, I have been brought in in the middle of the night because the boss wanted to get the new initiates in ASAP. I am tired and I am hungry. I would like to get the people through so I can get a hot meal and some sleep," he declared with an edge to his voice that was very warning. "Now please, if you would be so kind to do so, go away."

The man's lips curled even more into a sneer. "I don't think, Lord Kazekage," he said. They all went still at that declaration. The Jōnin took on looks of neutrality but the Genin looked at each other in surprise. "We know who you are. It would foolish of us if we didn't keep track of the hidden villages." His gaze turned to Rin and he licked his lips. "And I remember you, little cunt. I couldn't have you last time but I'm sure the lord wouldn't mind if I ask to have you for myself. Soon, you'll be begging for my cock inside you." She glared death at him, clenching her fists so hard she could've broken the skin. He took notice and just laughed. "What are you going to do, hm? Are you going to kill me?"

"I'm seriously considering it," she growled.

"Touch me, I press a button and the entire base will be ringing with alarms. You won't be able to make it out of here alive."

"I think you're underestimating us," Kankurō told him, his hand moving slowly to the strap on his shoulder.

The man saw the motion and snapped his head towards him. "I see that puppet even twitch off your shoulder, old man, and the alarm goes off. You'll be caught before you can make a move. I'd have to say, if we throw the two of you to the brats, I wonder how long it'll take before they managed to clobber you to the ground."

Arashi scoffed loudly at that. "Judging by the way they're fighting, I'd say a few good months."

"Arashi!" hissed Rin.

The man's eyes brighten at that name. "Arashi?" he repeated, questioning. Then he grinned and the look was insidious. "Arashi, that's a name I haven't heard for some time now." He peered around the adults until he could see the Genin, more specifically the dyed redhead. "Ah, you've changed your hair color, but I remember those eyes. The lord was almost tempted to tear them out when he first took notice of you."

Arashi stiffened slightly. That voice was beginning to sound familiar but he had never seen the man before. That could only mean one thing. But he had to be sure. "Who are you?"

"You don't recognize me? How disappointing. And after we took care to kill your family."

There! He remembered that voice now. "You," he said in a strangled voice. "You were in that alley. You're the one who took Natsumi away from me." The Suna shinobi gave him curious looks but he didn't pay them any attention.

"Ah! You do remember me. I'm glad."

He became angry, angry at the memory and of the man. "Where is she? Where is my sister?" he demanded.

The man waved away like it was nothing. "It's nothing you need to concern yourself with. I'm sure that by the end of the night, the two of you shall be reunited again."

"Where is she?"

"That will be all, Arashi. Now come here."

The dyed redhead went completely still, like a puppet resting on a stand. His face became slack and dulled as he walked through the group, brushing past the Kazekage and his sensei, and went straight to the man. "Arashi, what the hell are you doing?" Tsukiko asked him with a worried note in her voice.

But it was the man who answered. "He can't hear you, little girl. Not unless I want him to." He reached and placed a hand on Arashi's shoulder. "Now, here's what's—" That was as far as he got before Arashi suddenly stepped in close and shoved his knee hard into the man's crotch. His eyes bulged out of their sockets and a groan tried to come out of his mouth. It would've, if Gaara smothered said mouth in sand along with binding his hands together the second he saw the eyes bug.

The man fell to his knees. Arashi gave him a quick hug. "Thank you for telling me where she is," he whispered into his ear before stepping away. "He's all yours, Rin-sensei."

She walked past her student and to him, pulling out a kunai. "This is all you'll get form me," she declared before slitting his throat, letting the blood run rivulets down his body. He tried to struggle free of his bonds but it only made him fall to the ground and die faster.

Arashi didn't pay him a second glance. "We need to keep moving," he told everyone, walking back into their midst. "This mission just got even more important."

"Why's that?" Hiro asked him.

"That man just told me my sister's here."

Both he and Tsukiko shared surprised looks. "Your sister?" he repeated.

"Yes, my sister!" Arashi replied, almost snapping it at his teammate. "She's here in this base and if we don't move quickly enough, they're going to get her out of here before I can find her. I am not going to lose her again, got it?" He didn't get a verbal answer from anyone, but he did get nods of acknowledgement and approval.

(Location: Spirit World)

All Tenzin could see was fog, nothing but fog. He kept walking but all he could see was fog. He had lost track of the others what seemed hours ago. Was it hours? Could it have been only minutes? He didn't know. He wasn't sure anymore. He figured that the fog was beginning to get to him. He couldn't let it do that. "You must stay focused," he told himself aloud. "Remember who you are, Tenzin. You are the son of Avatar Aang. You are the hope for future generations of Airbenders. The fate of the world rests on your shoulders."

"But what if I fail?"

The question came so fast that he stopped and looked around to see if there was anyone else there. There wasn't and he realized that he had been the one who spoke. "Then your father's hope of the future dies with you. I can't fail," he declared.

"You will."

He knew that it was his voice speaking but it wasn't him who was speaking. He couldn't be filled with doubt. But he was. "Ah, stop it!" he cried, sagging down to the ground whilst holding his head. "I am the son of Avatar Aang. I am the hope for future generations of Airbenders. I am the son of Avatar Aang." He repeated those words again and again like they were a mantra of guidance. But even as he said them, they felt false and bitter in his mouth.

But even so, he kept repeating the words, hoping that they would become true. As he said it over and over again, he felt the fog whisper with wind and a voice he hadn't heard in a long time say **"****Hello, my son."**

He brought his head up and his eyes widened in surprise as he looked upon his father. Avatar Aang looked the same way the days leading up to his death. His skin was wrinkled with age and his slightly shaggy beard showed hints of grey. But there was kindness in his eyes and welcoming smile on his face. Tenzin was glad to see him but was also sadden by what he couldn't do to honor him. "Dad, I've failed you," he lamented, letting his head fall down again. "I am no spiritual leader, and I've let the world down. I'll never be the man you were."

He had hoped that the image of his father would give him words of encouragement. He did not expect him to say, **"****You are right."** He looked up at him in shock but he kept talking. **"You are trying to hold on to a false perception of yourself. You are not me and you should not be me. You are Tenzin."**

The fog puffed up over him and when it vanished, Tenzin was looking at a mirror image of himself. To some, that might have sounded confusing. But to Tenzin, they were as clear as day. He stood back up on his feet. "I am not a reflection of my father," he declared, "I am Tenzin." With his image, he said it once more, so clearly that the fog could hear him. "I am Tenzin!"

Like his words were magical, the fog peeled away from and dissipated into thin air. He could see all the people that were trapped in the valley but his eyes were focused on a little girl that was kneeling. "Jinora!" he shouted as he ran over to his daughter, collapsing into a hug atop of her. He was glad, so glad that she was found. He picked her up and held her in his arm like he used to when she was a toddler. He found his siblings and Yue, all standing around like they had lost all hope. He linked them together into a chain, each one holding another's hand, and led them out of the valley.

As soon as they were out of the valley proper, the fog rolled right back in and engulfed everything in sight. And the others started to come to. "Huh? What happened?" Bumi asked, looking around in a small daze. The last thing that he remembered was that he was about to have his worst nightmare again.

Kya felt the same but then she looked at the hand holding hers and the person leading them to safety. "I think our brother saved us," she declared.

Yue didn't say anything. She followed them but her eyes were downcast, looking at her stomach. She reached out with her free hand to touch it but even when she did, she knew what wasn't there. _"She wasn't there,"_ she told herself. _"She wasn't real."_ But the pain still felt real.

Jinora came to and the first person she saw was her father. "Dad," she said quietly, hugging him around the neck.

He returned the hug without hesitating, like a father should/ "You'll be okay sweetie. I'm here."

"What happened?" She cracked her eyes open to see a small spirit butterfly landing on her arm. "The last thing I remembered was dark spirits taking me away."

"You were trapped in the Fog of Lost Souls. And I wasn't going to let you stay there."

Yue smiled a little at the sight. "You've got one heck of a father there, kid," she told Jinora. In that moment, she had wished that her family had been like that.

The little Airbender nodded in agreement before snuggling deeper into the hug. "I'm so happy to see you, Dad." He returned the hug just as tightly. Bumi and Kya circled around and joined the hug as well. Yue didn't. She stood aside a little, letting the family have that moment.

(Location: South Pole)

Ever since she had been sent back into Wan's memories, Korra had always had this small desire to meet Raava herself. But she didn't want to be like this, where she could barely sit up, much less stand, in the snow while Raava was encased in an orb of dark water. Unalaq bent a tendril of water onto his arm, morphing it into a whip. For a half second, she wondered what he was planning on doing. Then she realized it and her heart was filled with horror.

As Unalaq was about to rise the killing blow, Mako, Bolin, and Asami came running into view. "Korra!" shouted Mako at the sight of her on the ground.

"_Oh no!"_ thought Asami in horror.

But Bolin took notice of something else that was just as important. "He's got the Light Spirit!" he shouted at the other two. He and his brother put on some speed and started throwing their elements at Unalaq.

The attacks distracted Unalaq, making him drop Raava so he could defend himself. As soon as she saw the spirit fall, Asami ran even faster than the brothers. _"If I can reach it and Korra, take them back to the portal, they'll be fine,"_ she thought to herself. The tricky part was going to be getting away from Unalaq.

But the Dark Avatar had recovered from the surprise attack even faster than she had hoped for. With a smug grin of victory on his lips, he bent the snow before him into a large blasting wave, going right for the three of them. It hit them before they could even try to get out of the way. The last conscious that Bolin had was _"Oh, that's big."_

Korra heard the blast die away but she could only see Raava in front of her. _"Have to reach her,"_ she told herself, trying to reach out and touch her. But dark water reached down and picked the spirit up before she could. Unalaq lifted Raava up into the air and threw her against a nearby rock. Then he blasted her with that same tendril. It struck her and she fluttered weakly against it.

But Korra had a different reaction. As she struggled to get back up, her heart clenched and she thought that she was going to die. But she didn't, something worse happened. It felt like a part of her soul disappeared. In her mind's eye, she saw Aang vanish.

Aang was gone.

He was _gone_!

She couldn't remember any of his memories, any of his experiences! It was like she had never been him!

Fear gripped her and she tried to get back to her feet. But Unalaq struck Raava again and her heart clenched once more as Roku and his life disappeared. He struck a third time and Kyoshi faded too quickly to be seen, along with her experience. _"No! No!"_ Korra screamed inside her head as she tried to get up and stop what was happening. But with each strike Unalaq delivered, she lost another life.

Kuruk.

Yangchen.

Fong.

Xu.

Long.

Tonar.

Koz.

Jian.

Leke.

Sokka.

O'lina.

Atl.

Teiluc.

Baichu.

Koa.

Atiya.

Lee.

Yuriko.

Del.

Shiya.

Nubia.

She could feel them vanishing with each blast of water, tearing her soul open and leaving large gaps in it. She felt like she was going to die every time he struck Raava but the outcome was much worse to her. Soon, all that was left to her was Wan. As Unalaq bent water up into a final lance, she panicked. _"Don't leave me,"_ she begged Wan, _"please!"_

She could see him smiling reassuringly. **"Don't worry. I am here. I am—"** Unalaq slammed his water onto Raava one last time and she was cloven into two. And Wan vanished from Korra's soul, leaving her completely alone. It scared her to no end but she couldn't do anything, except fade away into unconsciousness. She missed Unalaq standing victorious over Raava's fading light, Vaatu's symbol glowing bright on his chest. His body quickly turned purple and his eyes burned brighter.

(Location: Spirit World)

As Jinora followed her family through the Spirit World, through the butterflies on her shoulders she could an innate wrongness in the air. Something had changed and it wasn't good. "The world is in trouble," she declared, looking back at where they had come from.

Tenzin looked back at her. "What are you talking about?" he asked. "How do you know?"

"I can feel it."

"What happened?" her uncle asked her.

"It's Korra." As soon as she said that name, she knew what had happened. It horrified her but it also allowed her to know what she had to do. She turned to the adults and offered them one of the butterflies. "This light spirit will guide you out of the Spirit World." She was engulfed in a blue aura that hummed with energy. "I have to go help."

She faded away in front of them, vanishing like they had lost her again. "Jinora, wait!" Tenzin cried out to his daughter, trying to stop her. But she was already gone.

(Location: South Pole)

Mako, Asami, and Bolin came to just as Korra fell for the last time. They ran over to her and the brothers picked her up. But even when they did, their eyes could not be taken off Unalaq as he continued to grow larger. There was an inhuman scream as pieces of him were blown off, leaving him to become elongated and harsher. When Desna and Eska stepped out of the portal and saw what was happening to their father, the purple glow transforming into a harsh and menacing red, they couldn't look away either.

Once the transformation had stopped, Unalaq towered over them all. But it wasn't Unalaq anymore. It was some sort fusion between him and Vaatu, like the spirit had taken his body and molded it to its own use. The symbol of Vaatu blazed brightly against his chest and the tentacles hanging from his shoulder swung freely. When he spoke, it was a mixture of both their voices, but with Vaatu's being the more dominant. **"****Now, ten thousand years of darkness begins!"**

He stretched out his hand to the auroras in the air and the sky suddenly thundered with a storm. A hole a couple of inches above his hand opened and engulfed him in a sickly green light. He didn't fight against the light, letting it envelope him completely. His form turned hazy and dissimilar. He shot up through the hole and then flew across the horizon, vanishing from sight. But his exit left behind an immense shockwave that spread out where he stood. Anyone who was caught in the blast wave was knocked off their feet and flew backwards by a good distance.

Korra barely felt the blast strike her or felt the air rushing past her body as she flew. When she did land in the snow, she welcomed the cold numbness of it. She couldn't fight it anymore. She had lost. She was alone.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

Not a lot on Arashi's end, I know. This is more build up now. At this point, it's more focused on Korra's side of the planet.

I'm assuming that there's a reason Bumi and Kya had those specific kinds of freaking out. Bumi can be easily explained since it could be a part of his past. Kya was a little trickier since she wasn't in the military but she could have a run in with a bad crowd. Also, the leader of the group was a woman because the creators have confirmed that Kya is LGBTQIA+.

Again, I would like to thank the Devaintart Avield for his names, lists, and pictures of previous Avatars. If I had just gone with the Avatars we already know and the few I've come up with, it wouldn't have worked as much as I had hoped.

I'll see you all next time!


	38. Final bouts and recovery

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 38: Final bouts and recovery

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Republic City)

Naruto sat at the desk, looking at the fresh piece of paper resting in the typewriter. The page was completely blank, something that did not sit well with him. But try as he might, he could not figure out a way to start it. He scowled at the paper, trying to come up with something, but ending up with zip. "Argh, this is annoying," he finally declared, pushing away from the desk. His chair rolled back easily enough and he leaned against it, looking up at the ceiling.

"**Having a case of the writer's block, are we?"** his tenant asked him, barely rising his head from where it rested on his paws.

"What tipped you off?" he asked in rhetorical sarcasm. "Was it when I pushed from the desk or when I was trying to burn the paper with my almighty gaze?"

"'**Almighty gaze'?"** the fox repeated with just as much sarcasm. **"When did you get delusions of grandeur?"**

"Around the same time you did."

"**Funny, kit, really funny,"** he said drily.

He sighed in exhaustion. "Sheesh, I've forgotten how annoying this damn writer's block can be." Any idea that came through his head just seemed stupid or redundant. "When was the last time I had this block?"

The fox narrowed his face into a thoughtful look. **"Well, I think it would've been about five books back. But then you just couldn't get through a scene. Now, you can't even start a book."**

He looked at the typewriter again before throwing his head back and looking up at the ceiling again. He started to move the chair around slowly in a circle, something that he was prone to do when he was trying to come with a good brainstorming session. But after coming up with nothing, he stopped. "Crap, I've got nothing."

"**Maybe you need to take a break from all of it. Have you considered that idea?"**

"Have you forgotten how many books I'm in already? There's no way I can stop now. The end's not near yet." He figured that he was good for another five books, maybe four.

Kurama rolled his eyes and gave his Jinchūriki a long stare. **"How about we skip over the bullshit, Naruto? We both know that you're writer's block isn't coming from a lack of creativity. It's coming from stress."**

He paused in his chair, staring up at the ceiling. "You're right," he admitted. "What's going on in the South Pole does have me stressed somewhat." However, he was confident that the situation would be handled. Yue had been trained by Sokka and he knew that she was good. She had told him herself that she had a plan if things went south. Still, there was a chance that she would get separated from the others, which was why he gave that whistle to Asami.

"**That's not the only thing you're stressed about."**

His eyes fell on the desk. There was a small stack of letters resting in a semi-neat pile on the side. He had been getting them for a while now from Arashi. They started being delivered to him after that phone call they had. At first, he had been a bit surprised that his grandson had actually decided to write to him after having running off like that. He had thought that the phone call would be the only contact they would have. But then the letters had started coming and even though he didn't reply, he looked forward to each one.

Except the last one had not been good. He stood up from the chair and walked over to the desk, picking up the last letter. The words on the paper had been read before, but they still concerned him.

Jiji

My team and I just got back from the Land of Spring. It didn't turn out like I thought it would. It became much worse.

I told you that we had gone there to help the production of your movie along. We even got a princess to help us out. But things turned bad when we went to Market Day and got attacked. It was an Earthbender, a kid only a few years older than me. I went after him and fought him. His Earthbending was pathetic, I mean really pathetic. Both Bolin Chief Beifong would've cringed if they had seen what he was doing.

Once they brought him back to the palace to be interrogated, he was broken out that same night by a Firebender. My team and I went after them. We found their base in the mountains. Looking back on it now, I wished to Agni that we didn't. Even more than that, I wished that the mission had been about the production.

We didn't even go inside. We stayed and observed as slavers brought in children in chains, talking like they had just found a good price. Each one of the children looked confused and scared. More than one of them looked like they had been beaten. All four of us wanted to do something about it, Rin-sensei. But we knew that we would be out of our league. So we watched. Once the door was closed, we left.

When the mission was done, we went back to the village and told the Hokage about what we had seen. We have the rest of the week off now. I don't know what to do with myself, Jiji. Life seems to go on like nothing had changed but I know that it has. I only saw a hint of the ugliness in life and it scared the crap out of me. Did you feel the same way when you experienced it? What about living with people you know after it? When they acted the same as before, did you ever feel like screaming what complete blind morons that they were? I know I do. I get that urge whenever I run into the others and they keep thinking that it was cool I got a mission outside the village.

I know you're not likely to reply. After all, you've got better things to do than write back to a grandson who chose to run away then listen to you.

But if you could, I think I need the advice. I'm not going to stop being a shinobi. I just want to know how to deal with what comes next.

Arashi.

He put the letter down and walked out to the patio. The sky was a purple color, but not the kind of purple one would see at dusk or dawn. This was a darker purple that almost seemed hostile. There were also the many aurora ribbons moving through the purple sky, giving it an eerie beauty to it. When it had first happened, the entire city had gone up into a tizzy. The police radio in the apartment went with multiple reports from the cops, all adding into a confusion of sounds and voices. President Raiko had restored order to the mess by ordering General Iroh to move the fleet into the bay.

But while everyone else had gotten out of sorts at the sudden change in sky, all Naruto said was "Huh," and went back to trying to write a story. Now he looked at it again but his thoughts were on his grandson. He was tempted to write back but those last few lines seemed to have a tone that was equal parts bitter and self-mocking. It was like his grandson didn't expect him to write back. In fairness, he hadn't. But he knew why he didn't. It would take too long for a reply to get back. By the time it would've gotten to him, whatever had happened would've passed.

"**You know,"** Kurama chimed in. **"You could actually, oh I don't know, go over there and talk to him yourself?"**

He didn't reply. It was an argument that they had had ever since the phone call. As much as the fox and his own consciousness egged him on, he remained stubborn. "He left on his own choice," he replied. "And I made myself a promise a long time ago."

"**I know. I was there for that, remember? It was stupid then and it was stupid now. It's more than 50 years, Naruto. I think it's safe to say that Konoha probably doesn't give a flying fuck about."**

A bright light suddenly streaked across the sky and then fell out of it, slamming into the bay. A huge wave erupted from the crash, upsetting a few nearby battleships. When the water came back down, Naruto was looking at a giant man colored in black and red with a weirdly shaped head and tentacles from his shoulders. It stood to its full height and proclaimed in a voice that echoed across the entire city, **"It's time to take back the Physical World."**

It started striding towards the nearest bridge, where the majority of the battleships were waiting. They didn't wait to start unleashing barrage after barrage of fireballs at it. But it didn't break stride as the fireballs struck. When it did come to a stop, it was only to bend up a large wall of water, as tall as it, and bending right back at the ships. Those that didn't go under were wedged into themselves and the bridge's supports.

"Kurama," Naruto said as he watched the giant thing turned its attention towards the statue of Aang, "am I looking at what looks like a fusion of a spirit and a man that's really big?"

"**Yep,"** the fox replied.

"Did it just bend a large wave of water at the ships?"

"**That's what I saw."**

"Do I also see the symbol of Vaatu on its chest?"

"**That you do."**

That just meant one thing and one thing only. "Fuck, they failed. Unalaq freed Vaatu and fused with him."

"**That's seems to be the case. But what's he doing here?"**

The old Paragon did wonder about that. It didn't make sense to have Unalaq marching around in Yue Bay, trying to lay waste to the city. He would've thought that he'd stay in the South Pole, making sure that Korra was finally gone. But as he mulled it over, he remembered that Yue had a plan. Then the dots connected and he realized what her plan exactly was. "Well, shit," he finally said.

"**You figure it out?"** the fox asked him.

"Yep," he replied, turning away from the patio and walking back inside. "Remind me to thump Yue on the head when she gets back."

"**Okay, but why would you need to thump her on the head?"** asked Kurama. **"I thought she was a good planner."**

"It's one thing to be a good planner. It's another to get one of your elders involved without asking him first." He picked up his Zanpakutō from where it rested against the desk.

The fox thought about his words and then about the situation at hand. His eyes lit up in realization once he had figured it out too.** "Oh I see. Well, you have to admit, it's not a bad plan. Maybe the reason she didn't tell you was because it was the worst-case scenario."**

He could understand that but he was still irritated by it. "It's the principal of the matter, furball. She could've at least warned me that she was planning this."

"**Maybe she thought you wouldn't do anything if you were told."**

"Or maybe she just wanted to keep me on my toes." He walked over to the stand by the door and took down his favorite coat. It was a nice burnished brown color and it fell to his waist comfortably. "Either way, she's going to get a thumping when I see her again."

"**Well, look at the bright side."**

He reached for the door handle and opened it. "What's the bright side?"

"**You'll be able to get rid of some of that stress."**

"Hmm, good point," he admitted, walking through the door and closing it behind him. "Maybe I'll get some inspiration in the process too."

(Location: South Pole)

Tenzin, Kya, Bumi, and Yue had gone through the portal to see if they could help the fight. But when they came back out to the South Pole and saw the twins nearby and unconscious, they knew that they had been too late. They started looking for Korra and the others, working their way through the forest around the portal and out onto the snowy fields. It was Tenzin who found them first, all lying half-buried in the snow. "They're over here," he called out to the others. He started to dig Korra out. "Please, wake up," he said to her unconscious body.

The others started digging out the rest of them. Once they were out of the snow, Yue checked Mako. "They're gonna be all right," she declared. "But I need to get them into some spirit water right away."

"It'll take too long to get back to the compound," Yue pointed out as she hefted Asami up onto her shoulder. "We're going to have to take them back through the portal."

No one could argue that fact. Tenzin carried Korra in his arms while Bumi picked both Mako and Bolin, throwing them over his shoulders. They walked back through the portal and to the closest stream of water. They put the kids down in the water and stepped out so Kya could do her thing. She started bending the water back and forth, like her mother had taught her. The water illumined as it went back and forth over the four of them, cleansing them and urging them to wake from their pain induced slumber.

Korra was the first to wake up, lurching up with a gasp. Mako, Bolin, and Asami did the same and so the four of them sat in the water, trying to get their breath back. "Thank goodness you're all okay," Tenzin said in relief once they found the strength to get up.

Korra tried walking out of the water, but her legs felt stiff. He came over to her and offered a helping hand. "Did you find Jinora?" she asked, taking the hand and getting out of the water.

"I was able to rescue her soul, but she wasn't ready to return to her body yet. She sensed that the world was in grave danger."

She couldn't look him in the eye. "She was right." She walked away from him to sit down on a nearby rock.

He watched her go with concern. "Were you able to stop Unalaq and Vaatu?"

"No. They fused, then Vaatu ripped Raava right out of me and destroyed her." Speaking of it made the memories come back, memories she tried desperately to shut out. "Vaatu won."

When he heard those words, Bolin instantly became nervous and scared. "No. I am too young to live through ten thousand years of darkness. Korra, can't you talk to one of your past lives or something?" he all but begged her.

She knew that he didn't mean anything harmful by those words but it still hurt all the same. She couldn't feel any of them inside of her. "When Vaatu destroyed Raava, he destroyed my connection to the past Avatars too."

Tenzin was horrified by what she said. "If that's true, then—"

"The cycle is over. I'm the last Avatar." Tears began to well up in her eyes and she could barely manage to say, I'm so sorry, Tenzin," before succumbing to crying.

As everyone stood around her as she cried, Kya looked over at her brother. "She needs you now, more than ever," she told him.

Asami felt hopeless. She looked down at the whistle, which was somehow still attached around her neck. _"Why didn't I blow this stupid thing earlier?"_ she asked herself. If she had, they wouldn't be in this kind of situation! "There must be something that we can do," she said aloud.

Then Yue did the strangest thing: she laughed. It wasn't a full blown maniacal laugh that could've sent shivers down their spines. Rather it was an amused chuckle that evolved into the laughter that someone would use when they heard a good joke. Everyone looked at her like she had lost it. "What's so funny?" Mako demanded.

"Just what she's said," she replied, looking at Asami, "Do, kid? We don't need to do anything. We've won."

"Uhh…what?" he asked, his angry expression turning into a confused one.

She smiled at him. "You heard me. We won. The game is as good as done. We might as well kick back and relax."

"Yue, how could you say something like that?" Kya demanded. "Vaatu is loose and fused with Unalaq! We have no idea where he is!"

"Actually, I do know where he went. He's gone to Republic City."

"Where would he go there?" asked a very confused Bolin. As far as he knew, the new Dark Avatar wouldn't have any kind of business going to Republic City. He didn't know if the guy had even been there before.

"To do what Unalaq does best: to throw a temper tantrum until he gets what he wants or until someone makes him shut up. Only this time," she said, her smile turning vicious, "it's going to be the latter and much further than that."

A gasp of surprise left Bumi's lips as he stared at his fellow Paragon. He figured out what she was talking about and what she had done to talk like that. "You didn't," he said to her.

She looked right back at him. "I did."

"He's going to kill you."

"No, not kill. Probably severely wound or maim me, but not kill me."

"But why?" he asked her, still surprised. "Why would you do this?"

"I couldn't think of anything else. Come on, Bumi, you knew that there was a chance Korra would fail and Unalaq and Vaatu would become the Dark Avatar."

"Of course I knew that. That's why the both of us were here."

"And if we had failed? Unalaq would've just rampaged around the South Pole before anyone did anything about it. It would've been best to make him go to the one person out of the four of us that had the best chance of killing him."

"And you didn't tell him?"

"No," she said with a shake of her head. "That old man needs to be kept on his toes, it's good for him."

He groaned and scratched the back of his head. "You are a dead, dead woman."

"What are you guys talking about?" Asami asked them both, completely lost at what they were talking about. One quick look at the rest of them told her that they were just as lost.

Bumi looked back at them, looking a little ashamed for some reason. "We're talking about how we've somehow won. She's a dead woman, by the way," he declared, pointing his thumb at Yue.

"I told you already, Bumi," she said with her hands on her hips. "I'm only maimed, not dead."

"Could you please explain what it is you're talking about?" Tenzin asked.

"Sure. You guys remember what happened in the tent?"

"_How could we not?"_ Korra asked herself with a defeated air. That had been where many bombshells had been dropped, some of which she was beginning to wish that she had never learned about. "What about it?"

"Well, there was a reason why I said those all things."

"You mean it wasn't just to piss off Unalaq?" Kya asked her.

"That was just a side bonus. I realized the fact that there was a good possibility that we would all fail in stopping Unalaq from becoming the Dark Avatar. So I came up with a plan that dealt with the aftermath. What I did in the tent was manipulate Unalaq into doing exactly what I wanted him to do."

Bolin was still confused. "Which was what?"

"Have him go to Republic City and get his ass kicked and killed by Naruto."

"But how?" asked Asami. "You never once mentioned Republic City or sensei directly."

"If I had, Unalaq would've taken notice and thought something suspicious was happening. I didn't need suspicious. I needed anger and outrage. Everything I said had an intended effect. By revealing the fact that Korra was supposed to be his daughter instead of Tonraq's, I heightened his dislike of the four Paragons. When I told him it was because in retaliation for his father's murder and his brother's banishment, the dislike ignited into raging hatred. You see, he always blamed the Paragons for what he thought was his loss of destiny, thinking that they somehow had a hand in it. By admitting to the deed, he would want to kill us in order to prove that he's above us."

"Then why aren't you dead right now?" Mako asked. If what she said was true, since she and Bumi had been (relatively) closer, Unalaq should've reached out and killed them first.

"Because I also said that Unalaq could never beat the weakest of the Paragons or the youngest. Since he now is supposedly more powerful than us, his first instinct will be to find the strongest of the Paragon and eliminate him. In his mind, if he does that, then the rest of us will be easy. Adding in the youngest bit will reinforce him to go after the eldest of us, which is Naruto. If he has doubts that he might lose, he would also be reinforced by the fact that Naruto is the last remaining Paragon who 'stole' his 'rightful' destiny from him."

"And the part about the first crush?" asked Tenzin.

"One last reinforcement, just in case he tried something else," she replied. "Good plan, don't you think?"

"Like I said, you're a dead woman," Bumi told her again.

"Bumi, I'm not having that conversation with you again. The fact has already been established, leave it alone."

"Wait, you sent Unalaq, who was fused with Vaatu, after sensei?" Asami asked them in realization. Her face drew back in horror. "Why would you do that to him?"

They both looked and laughed at the look on her face. "Asami, you've been training under him. Do you not have any faith in your sifu?" Yue asked her.

"Of course, I do," she shot back. "But he's an old man and Unalaq just beat Korra."

Again they laughed and while Tenzin and Kya didn't laugh, it was clear what they thought of her words. "Don't let him hear you say old man, kid," Bumi told her. "I made that mistake once and I couldn't sit down easily for six weeks or look at a bar counter without wincing. Naruto might be getting up there in the years, but he is by no means weak. And he knows how to handle the Avatar. He's been doing it since my dad was a kid."

"But this isn't Avatar Aang or Korra we're talking about here," she protested. "You heard him yourself, Unalaq declared himself to be the Dark Avatar."

"Now you're just giving him an incentive to cut loose and actually fight seriously." He paused, thought over what he had just said, shivered, and looked at Yue. "Now that I think about it, it's probably a good thing we're down here and not in Republic City."

She nodded. "The thought had come to me."

"Why do you say that?" Mako asked, still a little confused about the whole thing.

The adults all shared a look of unease. But there was something else mixed into it as well: sadness and remorse. "Let's just say the last time Naruto cut loose in his fighting, Republic City ended up doing a massive remodeling job."

"But still, he's going to fight a spirit that is on the level as Raava," Asami said, still worried about what they had done.

"Don't worry," Yue told her, getting her confidence back. "He'll be perfectly fine. He's got that special weapon to back him up."

"Special weapon?" she repeated, confused. "What special weapon?"

"Have you never wondered about his sword?"

She thought back to one of the times she and Arashi had been alone in the apartment talking. It had been after Rin had been arrested and they were waiting for Naruto to come back. "He told that it wasn't a normal weapon but left it at that. He also mentioned that I might get one myself someday but I didn't think anything about it."

"Dang, Naruto promised you one?" Bumi said, clearly impressed. "That's something."

"What about it is so impressive?"

"Kid, that weapon is a spirit killer," Yue explained to her. "If he kills a spirit with that thing, there's no coming back from that. The spirit stays dead."

"And since Unalaq is now the Dark Avatar, he's under the same laws that the Avatar has to obey," the Air Paragon finished. "Would it be safe to say that he's in some kind of Avatar State?"

She nodded. "Yes, if you consider something that is part human, part spirit, dark red with tentacles hanging from the shoulders, and stands just as tall as the memorial statue of Avatar Aang."

"Sounds like it to me," Yue declared. "We'll be fine."

"How can we be fine?" Mako asked.

It was Korra who gave the answer, having stopped crying and now just looked at the ground in defeat. "If the Avatar is killed while in the Avatar State, they shall be cease to be and the cycle of reincarnation will be broken forever," she told them, remembering the lesson the White Lotus taught her. It was a lesson that gave her nightmares for a week afterwards but she never told anyone that.

"That's it exactly," her aunt-figure declared.

Kya and Tenzin's eyes started to widen as they realized what it was the Paragons were saying. "So if Unalaq was in the Dark Avatar State and attacking Republic City,"' the Airbender started to say.

His brother finished for him. "He would provoke Naruto to come out and attack him. They'll fight but Naruto will most likely kill him with his sword, shattering the Dark Avatar cycle before it can even start."

"Like I said, we won," Yue declared. "And we didn't have to lift a finger."

"You're still a dead woman."

(Location: Republic City)

As Unalaq stared down at the statue of Avatar Aang, half submerged in the water, he felt some satisfaction in it. When he saw the statue, he felt enraged that he had let the Paragons do what they did and steal his destiny from him. So he tore it off its pedestal and threw it into the water.

Planes flew over his head, getting his attention. He looked up and saw them flying past. _**"Perhaps they are going to try and rain down fire upon me," **_he thought to himself. It was an amusing thought. But still, they would dare try to attack their savior. This must be corrected. And there was only one way to correct such a thing.

He reached out with is tentacles and grabbed hold of the last plane in the formation, slamming it down into the water. He looked up and saw an airship floating above his head. He only needed to focus on it to see Lin Beifong and President Raiko. _**"How would the city react when they saw the broken bodies of their leader and protector in the bay's water?"**_ It was an interesting thought and he knew just how to do it.

He bent the natural spirit energy that now coursed through his body into a single focal point, the symbol on his chest. It glowed bright purple and he released the energy into overwhelming beam of power. His aim was off so he had to bring it upwards to strike the airship but he took a great of satisfaction in watching it burn to pieces.

It fell towards the city and he followed. He did not run, he walked. He was in no hurry. There was no one there to stop him. _**"Perhaps they should know that I am here and to be fear?"**_ That was a good idea. He bent his tentacles into the bay and into the earth itself. The water around the ports shivered and shook as he bent it to his will. There were strong spiritual vines dormant underneath the city. He brought them up to the surface, parting the water for their arrival. When they tasted the air, they quivered in joy.

Then he directed their attention towards the city, bending to enwrap and destroy. They reacted willing, lunging for any building they could feel or get themselves on. Once they were stuck on, they wrapped themselves around it, enfolding and snaking their way through anything they could. If they met resistance, they crushed it and moved on. He could hear the people screaming in surprise and fear at the sight of his vines. And he found that he enjoyed the sound.

"HEY!" shouted a single voice, echoing across the bay.

He paused in his actions at that sound. It was a familiar sound, a voice that he hated and loathed. He looked down at the port, where one person stood in defiance while others ran in fear. It was an old man, clutching a sword like it was a cane, who stared up at him in annoyed fashion. **"Naruto Uzumaki,"** he said, spitting out the name.

"Unalaq, you've gotten bigger," the old man noted drily.

"**That is not my name anymore. I am—"**

"I could hardly give an elephant rat's ass what your new name is," he said sharply, cutting him off.

He got angry at the lack of respect and fear given to him.** "How—"**

"Shut up, Unalaq. I'm talking," he said. He took out his pipe and started smoking. "Now, would you knock what you're doing off? The city was having a nice evening enjoying the sky and you've come along and ruined it."

He calmed his anger and regarded the man with a look of contempt. Perhaps a new name at this point would be pointless. Yes, that was right. **"It does not matter to me what they think. I've come to take back the Physical World from humans and ensure that spirits will live here."**

"Nice thought but wrong." He sounded bored with his declaration.

"**How do you think you know the thoughts of someone more powerful than you?"**

"Shall we start with the fact that you've never had an original thought in your life or do you want to skip that and get right to wondering what I meant?" The old man kept talking, not bothering to wait for his answer. "You weren't sent here to destroy Republic City."

He was offended by the implication that someone had given him orders. **"I was not sent here, as you so pathetically claim. I came of my own choice."**

"No, you were sent. You were sent by Yue so I would take care of you in a permanent fashion." He blew smoke out and watched it drift in the air. "I imagine that she said a couple of things that got you riled up. She was always tricky when she wanted to be, especially with her words."

Unalaq thought him a fool. There was no possible he could've been tricked into coming here. She had simply said those things to make him mad. It had been pointless in the end. He was strong now, more powerful than any other… He stopped and thought back to her words. The more he thought over it, the more he connected the dots. The more he connected the dots, the madder he got. When he realized it fully, he was ready to sink the entire city in his anger. _**"That conniving little bitch of a whore!"**_ he raged inside his mind.

"Finally figured it out, have you?" Naruto called out from the docks. He gave his pipe one last puff before emptying out the ashes and putting it away in his coat. "So, you want to get to it?"

He looked back down at the old man. **"Do you really think that you would be able to defeat me?"**

"It's in my job description," he replied in complete deadpan.

The Dark Avatar laughed loudly at that, his laughter echoing throughout the city. People would claim afterwards that it sounded like nails scratching over rocks slowly. But Naruto didn't flinch or try to cover his ears at the sound of it. **"You really think you can beat me? Perhaps another old man or little children would be suitable for you. But you are only one person and I am the Dark Avatar. I will crush you with my power alone!"**

He spread his arms wide. "Then do it. Command fire to burn me to utter ashes. Tell the earth to bury me alive. Order the air to suffocate my lungs. Go on, Dark Avatar, kill me."

Unalaq raised his hand, glad for the opportunity. He bent the air to his will and drew it out of the insufferable man's lungs. _**"And now, you die!"**_

All he got was a flutter of air.

"_**What?"**_He bent the air again. All he got was the wind moving sluggishly. _**"How…?"**_ He forced his will upon the earth, to have it swallow the old man and entomb him.

The earth barely rumbled.

"I'm waiting," Naruto called out, his arms still stretched wide.

"_**That pompous, stupid, arrogant—!"**_ he thought in a murderous rage. He swung his arm up, commanding fire to burn alive in his hand so that he could burn the old man who stood in defiance beneath.

He didn't even get a spark.

"_**How!?"**_ he raged inside his head. _**"How is this possible? I am the Dark Avatar! I am Korra's equal! No, I am her superior! How is it possible that I cannot command the elements!?"**_ How could that be when he was able to bend nature itself to his command!?

"Still waiting," said Naruto. There was a paused silence as he waited. "Nothing?" he called out as he dropped arms. "That's what I thought."

He glared down at the man. **"Don't be presumptuous, Naruto. You are still only one Paragon and an old one at that."**

"You're right, of course. I am an old man and I am only one of four Paragons. But see, here's the kicker, Unalaq: only a fully realized Avatar, one who has mastered the elements to the extent they stand above all Benders and who has mastered their spiritual side to the degree that they are able to withstand an onslaught of spirits, is a threat that requires all of the Paragons. You are not that, so I think I'll just be fine."

His anger flared at those insulting words. **"You overestimate yourself, old man."**

"No, that would be you, idiot. I would think that your failure to bend the other elements would be enough of an example to prove that. Or did it just slip by your mind completely unaware?"

"**I am the Dark Avatar!"** Unalaq roared. **"The elements are mine to command!"**

"I'd say otherwise." He kept talking, not letting him get a chance to speak. "The reason you can't bendthe other elements is quite simple. You haven't been trained to do so. You might be a Waterbender, but that's it. Never once have you trained to bend the elements that weren't Waterbending." He took note of the realization appearing on the giant's face that was quickly followed by anger. He knew what that anger was about. "What? Did you think that once you became the Dark Avatar you'd be able to command the other elements? Sorry. It doesn't come that easy."

"**I bent nature to my will! Look upon my work!"** He threw his hands wide and gestured at the city.

The Fire Paragon barely looked at it. "That? You bent the water in the vines, Unalaq. Katara was able to do that long before you were born and without having to fuse with Vaatu too. So, not impressed," he declared.

"**I still have my spiritual mastery!"**

"That would account for something, if you were in the Spirit World. But you're not. Here, bending the elements accounts for more than spiritual mastery." He looked disdainfully at the Dark Avatar. "You didn't really plan this out, did you?"

His anger bubbled over and he bent the energy inside him at the old man. As the beam hurtled through the air at him, Unalaq felt victorious. _**"There is no way you can dodge that, Naruto! You won't survive this."**_

When the beam was an inch from Naruto, he acted. He swung his Zanpakutō at the beam and it flew upwards into the sky, screaming all the way. The sky turned even purpler as the beam illuminated it. Everyone in the city watched in stunned wonder as the beam was deflected. Unalaq was one of them, although his was more filled surprise and fear. He didn't think anyone could deflect a beam of pure spirit energy!

As the beam finally dissipated, Naruto looked to the bay at him. "Was that it?" he asked. "Was that all you had to offer me?"

"**How…? How…?"**

"How…? How…?" he repeated mockingly. "You have words, use them."

"**You're enjoying this way too much,"** Kurama told his Jinchūriki.

"_Can you blame me? This is the best fun I've had in years!"_

The fox only shook its head at his enthusiasm. **"You've been waiting for a long time to use the old man card against someone, haven't you?"**

"_Of course,"_ he replied shamelessly. _"I really can't do it with Asami. She would know that I'd be faking it."_

"**How were you able to do such a thing?"** Unalaq finally asked him.

He turned his attention back to the red giant that was staring at him in absolute shock. "Did you think that you were the only one who had mastered their spiritual side, hmm?" The silence he got was all the reply he needed. "See, that's the difference between you and me, Unalaq. You thought that since I wasn't a Bender and an old man, I couldn't do anything you could. Granted, I can't be a Waterbender, but I can be quite spiritual when I feel like it. And I've been at it longer then you've been."

While that was shocking to Unalaq, he tried his best not to let it faze him. _**"It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter,"**_ he told himself. He was still confident that he would be able to best someone he could quite literally step on to end.

"Alright, I'm pretty much through with the chitchat," Naruto declared. "But I do have an offer for you. You tell me all about that secret group you left behind and the man who founded it and I'll make sure you don't get humiliated before I kill you."

If he had been a regular human, that would've been the moment when Unalaq's eyes widened in surprise. How could he have possibly known about that group? He was sure that they went to ground after that fiasco. **"What are you talking about?"** he asked.

"Unalaq, I'm not an idiot. I've done my work. I know about the group you were a part of. I know about what the plan was supposed to be and why you backed out. But I will admit that I am missing a few of the details. You give me them and I'll make this quick."

"_**He's lying. He has to be."**_ There was no way that he could know about them. He admitted that he didn't have all the facts so he had to be bluffing. But how did he know about the group in the first place? In the back of his head, he remembered hearing about how the Fire Paragon would disappear for weeks, if not months on end. The last time that had happened, he had been found living in the slums of the North Pole capital, under Unalaq's very nose.

Perhaps he did find out? No, that couldn't be possible. That group had existed since the end of the Hundred Year War, living under the gaze of everyone, even the White Lotus. There was no possible way that they could've been founded out. But here he was, saying that he knew. He had to be lying. He had to. But the possibility remained. He had to ask. **"How do—?"**

"How do I know?" the old man asked, finishing his question for him. "Like I said, I did my work. I don't know all the facts about that group, but I know that you were a part of it, I know what you had planned, and I know how long they've existed. I also know enough to recognize what all this is." He gestured with a negligent hand around them.

"**What do you mean by that?"** He had already been told that he had been sent here by that whore to supposedly be killed by that old man who stood below him. What else could he have been talking about?

"This? This is all a fucking sham. It's a test, one where you're the guinea pig without you even realizing it."

Those didn't make sense to him. This wasn't a sham. There was no test. This was all his doing, his and his alone.** "What?" **

Naruto just laughed like the whole thing amused him. "Do you really think you're the king of your own destiny, Unalaq? That you are a leader on the board game being played here? You couldn't be farther from the truth. You're not a leader. You're not a king. You're a pawn."

For a moment, those meant nothing to him. They were trivial, inconsequential. But they stayed in his mind. They repeated themselves over and over until he could think of nothing else._** "No. No. No!"**_ he raged inside his own. That was a lie. It was a lie! **"You lie!"** he roared. **"You are a liar, Naruto Uzumaki!"**

"Am I?" he asked, never losing his tone. "Remember what I said, Unalaq. You've never had an original thought in your life. Everything that you've done or plan came from someone else. Did you really think that becoming the Dark Avatar was your idea in the first place?"

It was! He was the one who had stayed away, to plan to retake his destiny! No one else had told him to do it! **"This is my doing!"** he shouted for all to hear. **"Mine! No one else! I had done this. It is my right! And no one will stop me! Not even the Paragons!"**

The old man just regarded him coolly. "So I take it you're not going to tell me what I want to hear then?"

How dare he ask that? How dare when he was only barely able to withstand against him? Unalaq regained his anger and forged it into confidence. He would able to stand against this pathetic and weak man. **"You will have no answers from me, not even from your dying breath!"**

"Is that so?"

Of course it was! Was he so blind that he couldn't see it? **"I am the equal of Raava!"**

"If you were, I'd be actually concerned right about now." He sighed in resignation. "I guess that since you're not going to answer my questions, you're going to be humiliated here." He stepped off the pier and proceeded to _walk across the water like it was earth!_

Unalaq stared in horrified fasciation. He had never anything like this. Only a Waterbending master could do something like what the old man was doing and with hesitation too. It was extremely difficult across water. It was why Waterbenders preferred to bend up a column to stand upon, it was easier to handle. Yet here that old man was, not a Bender and yet walking across the water towards him like he was going on a stroll. **"How is this possible?"** he demanded of Naruto.

"Why should you care? It's not going to matter soon."

"**You're not a Bender! How can you walk across water!?"** he all but screamed.

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me, Unalaq."

"_**Do not panic, do not panic. You are still stronger than him. He will be no match for him."**_ He hid his panic and surprised fasciation, choosing to sneer down at him. **"Do you think that you will be able to frighten me by walking on water?"**

"No, this is just me getting closer to you." He brought his sword up from the water's surface and held the scabbard in one hand and the hilt in the other. As he drew the sword free, Unalaq saw his lips moving, forming words but could not hear them. When the blade cleared the sheath, it transformed somehow, changing into a kind of spear.

"_**How—?"**_ he tried to ask himself, only to feel something in the air change. It was a subtle _thrum_ that washed over his body. It also made him feel nervous. He didn't know why. He was the Dark Avatar, the pinnacle that could not be toppled easily. Nothing should've made him nervous but he was feeling that emotion now. He quickly realized that the change in the energy was coming from the spear that used to be a sword. That thing was dangerous. That thing could harm him.

"I will be perfectly honest with you, Unalaq," Naruto said, holding the thing in both hands. "I never particularly liked you. I would've compared you to someone I once knew but he had an actual brain in his head and actually got off his high horse later on."

"_**What's a hor—?"**_ The question died in his head as he felt the energy change once more. But it was more than before. If before was a breeze of air, lightly felt but noticeable all the same, this felt like a strong gust wind, pushing against his body noticeably. He knew where it was coming from, the old man. But he couldn't do anything. It was like the energy held him in place. He could only watch the old Paragon took on a gold hue and shined brightly, almost like a second sun.

Naruto never stopped talking as he walked, taking Kurama's chakra and shaping it into what he wanted. "I've never liked you, Unalaq. I found you to be arrogant and over-confident in your abilities as well your supposed intelligence. I found the way you lied to everyone to get what you wanted, even going so far as to have your own brother banished, distasteful. I found how you always seemed to be smug about what you thought you knew and how no one could change to be irritable. I found your tantrums when you didn't get your way to be annoying. I found the way you treated the people you thought beneath you, even your own children, to be wrong. I found the way you could never take a lesson that was hidden in a loss and your attempts to win again to be vastly irksome.

"I found you to be many things that I didn't like. In fact, I found that I wanted to take your life from you because the things that you did were disgusting and unredeemable. All of the Paragons felt that, both the ones before and the ones now. But we did not touch you. You knew that, there's no need to deny that. You knew that and thought because of it, we were probably afraid of you. That made you confident. It made you think that because of it, we were weak or you were untouchable. It made you think that you could continue with what you wanted to do without fear of reprisals. That is where you are wrong.

"You see, it is not because we were afraid of you or that we were weak that we did not touch you. We knew what you had done but we did not do anything because you fell out of our sphere of responsibility. If we had touched you, there would have been reprisals and you would have twisted to such an extent that we could not have possibly recovered from. But now, you have fallen into our sphere, so we can touch you without fear of what comes next. In fact, I am certain that we will be lauded for fulfilling our duty against a monster such as you. You probably should've thought of that before you did this. But that would imply that you have a brain."

Unalaq could not say anything in response. It felt like he was standing against a gale of energy and he was barely able to hold his own. He was looking at what looked like a knowledge seeker from Wan Shi Tong's library, only this creature was gold with black markings, stood as tall as he did, and with nine tails lashing from its back. He could barely wonder how this was possibly. Did that old man have a spirit inside of him too?

As he stood against the pressure of the energy, he found his standing becoming easier. The energy seemed familiar for some reason. _**"Why does it feel familiar?"**_ he asked himself. It wasn't something he recognized. But it was still familiar, like something in the back of his mind. What was it? He reached inward, to where he knew Vaatu was. Perhaps it was something that the spirit would know.

As soon as he touched the Spirit of Darkness and let it feel the energy. He was overcome with a tidal wave of emotions. These were not happy emotions that would say Vaatu knew what the energy was in a good way. They were dark emotions, emotions of shock. Anger. Pain. Rage. Hatred. Just utter hatred.

These emotions overwhelmed him, engulfing him to the brink. He didn't fight them. He welcomed them. He let them in and he understood them. How could that energy be here? He had felt it shatter long ago, the same as Raava. It had been gone. But now, he knew that wasn't the case. It was still here but weakened. Their opposite. Their destined one. Their rival. Their enemy.

It was here, before him. It was weakened. Now was the time to strike!

Unalaq pulled himself out of the murk that were the emotion, his hatred for the Paragon and the hatred Vaatu felt for the energy merging into one. He bent the bay to his command, to rise up and drown the beast before him. He would win. He would prove himself to be the stronger one!

But the beast raised a hand at him and he was slammed backwards by a lance of pure power. He stumbled backwards against the water, falling down into it and still being pushed back. His back slammed into the island that held Avatar Aang's statue. The lance disappeared and so did the anger. Instead what was felt was fear, fear of what stood before him. Now he saw what the old man was: a veteran of so many years, he couldn't even compare.

Naruto lowered his Zanpakutō and so did Kurama's paw. "Now," he said to the prone figure staring up at him, "shall we commence the thrashing of your ass?"

(Location: Land of Spring)

"_Natsumi is here. Natsumi is here."_ That single thought pounded away inside Arashi's head. It made him want to say screw the mission and rush through the entire place to find her. His heart pounded with the urge to do just that and every step he took screamed at him that he was taking too long and going too slow.

He felt sand sneak around his wrist and tighten up, securing a good hold on him. _"What the…?"_ he silently wondered. Why was there sand around his wrist? He followed the trail of sand back to the Kazekage and gave him a questioning eye.

"You're about to blow our cover," Gaara whispered to him, his lips barely even moving. "That can't happen."

"I'm not going to do that," he protested just as quietly.

"You looked like it." He regarded the boy with a silent look. He knew that expression. He had seen it before on other shinobi and in the mirror. "Relax, Arashi. Take a breath and calm down. We will find your sister."

Arashi gave him the same look in return. The old man didn't look like much but neither did his own grandfather. He was smart to recognize the fact that they both had wisdom and age on their side. "I'm not going to blow this," he promised. He kept walking, forcing himself to ignore what his mind and body were screeching at him to do.

Gaara watched him, still keeping the sand around his wrist. Arashi was a shinobi that had potential. It was safe to call him a genius even if he told people not to call him that (which was rather strange). He had a keen talent and yet was not arrogant about it, almost going out of his way to downplay it. He wasn't like his grandfather in that aspect but also was like him in another, working hard on what he had to make them better.

But there was something else about the young redhead. His focus on his sister and willingness to get her back reminded Gaara of Sasuke when he was a self-sworn avenger. Even more than that, he was like Sasuke in the days before he had tried to run off to Orochimaru. Gaara's old friend had admitted to him that he had no idea what would've happened if Naruto had failed to bring him back to the village. It was a turning point for the Uchiha.

What was happening right now, to all of them in this mountain, was Arashi's turning point. If they failed to rescue his sister, if she died here, he would go down that dark path Sasuke almost went down. And there was a good chance that he wouldn't be able to come back. _"We can't let that happen,"_ Gaara thought to himself. Call him an old man with sentiments but he would not let a young shinobi fall into that darkness. And he did not want to contact for the first time since he left only to tell him that he could not save his grandson and had to kill him. He only had to look over at his brother once and Kankurō nodded in agreement, understanding the same thing.

Rin wasn't sure what the Kazekage and his brother were silently saying to one another. But she did know that it had something to do with Arashi. She leaned close to him as they continued down the steps, getting closer and closer to the bottom, and asked, "Are you good?" He only nodded and said nothing.

Tsukiko wondered what they were on about. She could hear them talking but did not say anything, no matter how much she wanted to. She had to remain focus on the mission. Her eyes followed what was going on down below, keeping track of what was happening to the other team. The Jōnin led the Genin towards a hallway leading out on a chain, like they were supposed to be.

Someone stopped Gin-sensei just as they reached the door and her stomach filled with dread. "Oh no," she whispered in horror.

"What is it?" Hiro asked, having heard her.

She pointed down at them. "They've been stopped." She could see Gin-sensei talking with the man who stopped them. It seemed casual enough but that didn't stop her from worrying. "Rin-sensei—"

"I see it. I see it," the Jōnin assured her student.

"What do we do?" She didn't stop walking but her pace did hesitate for a moment.

Rin's did not and she ushered Tsukiko forward. "We can't stay up here. We'll be found out," she explained.

"Yeah," Arashi agreed with a nod of his head. "We need to keep moving." His pace didn't stop either. It went forward at the same speed of everyone else but there was still that urgency in it.

She swallowed the next words that would've come out of her mouth since she knew it would've been pointless to ask. She only nodded in acknowledgement and continued walking down the steps. But her eyes never left the group below. It all seemed very casual and a little inquisitive on the other guy's part. _"Don't get caught, don't get caught,"_ she repeated in her own mind. They wanted to get into the place, find what they needed and get out. That was the plan.

The guy that had stopped Gin-sensei finally nodded and waved him on, making her breathe in relief. They were about to walk forward when another guy stopped them. Her breath hitched again as he asked Gin-sensei a question, pointing at the line. Gin-sensei looked back at the line with a confused look and at him. He said something, she didn't know what. But the guy looked insisted and jabbed his finger at the Genin again.

Then no one down below moved. Everyone up above kept walking down but watched everything. Then several things happened at the same time. The two guys became suspicious. Gin-sensei and Hiruzen-sensei became alert. The Genin down below looked nervous. The other chained children stopped and looked at them like predators watching prey. A door bashed open and someone shouting, "We've got a man down! Man down! There's someone in here!" Several doors started smashing open too.

In the next second the only thing that happened was Kankurō looking at his brother and saying, "That is the last time we just shove a body into a toilet stand."

After that, all hell practically broke loose. Gin-sensei and Hiruzen-sensei shattered the chain in their hands, freeing the Genin, and circling around them in protection. Karura joined them, making the protection a triangle shape. All the adults that were a part of the base converged to the base. They poured out of all the open doors and ran down the stairs like a tidal wave. The kids looked vaguely interested but only just.

"They're coming from the top!" Hiro shouted as he watched them coming down the stairs towards them.

"Forget about them," Arashi told him, looking down the stairs and the doors opened there. "We have to worry about the ones already getting down there!"

"How about the ones around us?" asked Rin to both her students as she looked at the men surrounding them, pressing them to the rail. Gaara blew three sharp notes and the Suna Jōnin that had been on the walls descended onto the stairs again, halting the flow. The brothers went to work as well.

Kankurō shrugged the strap off his shoulder, letting the puppet fall to the ground. As soon as it touched the stone something burst out of the bindings, becoming a blurring whirl of blades, claws and ropes. The Kazekage drew out sand from inside his coat. A gourd was strapped to his side and sand flew out of it, striking several heads at a single time.

Rin shielded her students from the people trying to attack but it gave them a clear of what was going on down below. The team down there was on the verge of getting swarmed over. "We need to help them out!" Hiro told the others.

"What can we do?" Tsukiko asked him. "We're stuck up here, remember?"

Arashi looked down at the kids just watching what was going on with a vague interest. An idea came to his mind, one that was supported by how close they were to the bottom. "We can start a riot" he declared.

"Say what?" said both of them, looking at him. But he already had his hand on the rail and throwing himself over it.

"Arashi!" shouted Rin as she looked back to see him falling to the ground floor.

He landed on a Waterbender, sending him down to the ground, and stood back up. He looked at all the Benders there and declared, "You are all pathetic!" That got their attention, interest turning angry.

Tsukiko watch him with incredulity. "What the hell is he doing?" she demanded.

"Creating a distraction?" Hiro replied, just as incredulous as she was.

Their teammate didn't stop there. "I could beat you all with my hands tied behind my back, my legs together, and blindfolded! That is how pathetic you are! Your mothers would be ashamed of you for being this pathetic! They'd ask for a repeat and from a Nonbender too!" That got their attention and it turned downright murderous. They charged right at him, howling bloody death.

(Location: Spirit World)

"Uh, not to be a raining on your parade and everything," Bolin said, looking at Yue. "But shouldn't we still…do something?" It was pretty pointless to just stand around in the Spirit World doing nothing. He wasn't that type of guy.

Before she replied, Korra did. "Yeah, we should," the once Avatar said. "But what can we do?"

Tenzin looked at his one-time student, sitting dejectedly there on that rock. Even when Yue proclaimed that they had won, she had just sat there. She wanted to help, to defeat Unalaq, he knew that much. But she felt like she was stuck, lost without Raava. She needed guidance. He went to her side. "The other Avatars may not be able to help you anymore, but, perhaps I can," he told her.

"No one can help me now," she replied.

He felt a little hurt by those words but carried on. "I know I haven't been the best mentor to you. But I realized it was because I had a lot of spiritual growth to do myself. There may still be a way for you to stop Vaatu."

She finally looked up at him. There wasn't hope in her eyes, but he had her attention. "How?" she asked.

He knelt down beside her and offered the very thing he had learned in the Fog of Lost Souls. "Let go of your attachment to who you think you are, and connect with your inner spirit."

"Haven't you heard anything I said?" she asked him. "Raava is gone. I'm not connected to her spirit anymore."

"I'm not talking about Raava. Raava is not who you are," he told her as he stood back up. "Come with me, I need to show you something." He walked past her to the old tree.

She didn't know what he was going on about. But if there was one thing she knew, it was that Tenzin never really led her wrong. She stood up and followed him. As they came closer to the tree, she finally asked, "Why are you showing me Vaatu's prison?"

"Because this tree had a history long before it held Vaatu," he told her. "This is the Tree of Time. And the legends say its roots bind the spirit and physical worlds together."

"And, you think this tree can help me somehow?"

"Yes. I have read that long ago, the ancients would meditate beneath this tree and connect with the great cosmic energy of the universe." He used his Airbending to guide him up to the hole in the tree.

Korra joined him the same way. As soon as she touched the bark and looked in to the hole, energy started to form. She was curious so she walked in deeper. As she did, the energy took shapes and those began moving, becoming clearer with each step she took. If Mako, Asami, or Bolin had seen what was happening, the first thing they would've compared it to were Varrick's movers, only better.

Korra had no comparisons. But she did realize what she was seeing. "These are my memories." She could see that first time she had ever seen a Pro-bending match, the first time she had been _in_ a Pro-bending match, Amon attacking the stadium, her and Mako finally kissing each other, meaning it, and admitting that they did love each other. All of them and more played out in front of her eyes. It was weird to watch them play all around her. It wasn't even from her perspective of the events, more like a third person watching it.

"The Tree of Time remembers all," Tenzin told her. "Korra, the most powerful thing about you is not the spirit of Raava, but your own inner spirit. You have always been strong, unyielding, and fearless."

She certainly didn't think she was that. It felt like she had been banking on Raava her entire life. It seemed like all the Avatars had done that, now that she thought about it. The only she didn't think actually did that was the first one. As soon as she thought that, the visions all faded away until one was left. It showed his face. "Avatar Wan," she said as she looked upon it.

Tenzin nodded in acknowledgement of who it was. "Before he fused with Raava, Wan was just a regular person."

She knew that. She had seen his memories. And while she knew that he was a regular person, he seemed so much more. "But, he was brave, and… smart, and always wanted to defend the helpless."

"That's right," he agreed, watching the life of the first Avatar play out in front of them. "He became a legend because of who he was, not what he was. He wasn't defined by Raava anymore than you are."

A different memory started playing behind them. They turned to look at it and saw Unalaq's giant spirit form tearing down the statue of Avatar Aang. In that instant, Korra was shocked by the level of intensity there was in the action. And she also knew that she had to do something. "Everyone in Republic City is in danger." Naruto might've been there already, but she had to do something to help him and the city.

"You have to help them, Korra," Tenzin said to her, reinforcing what she was already thinking.

She was glad for those words. They were encouraging. But that was all she thought they were. "How?" she asked, looking at him. "We're half-way around the world."

He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Do as the ancients once did. Connect to the cosmic energy of the universe. Don't bend the elements, but the energy within yourself."

She knew what he was saying. He wanted her to become an Energybender once more. But he was also asking her to take it further than just healing or taking away someone's Bending. She didn't know if she could do it. But the look on his face was confident. "You really think I can do this?"

He nodded and said, "I have no doubt."

She felt so overwhelmed by everything that was going on around her but here he was, a confident rock she could hold to. In all the things that she had been through, he had been there to help her. She couldn't help but remember what had happened during the Spirit Festival. There was only one thing she could draw from that night._ "I was a complete idiot."_ He had been there and she had kicked him out like it was nothing to be thought of. But he had come back and he never held her in contempt for it. She reached out to hug him and he didn't resist. "Thank you for not giving up on me," she said, muffled against his shirt.

"I'm proud of you," he told her. He broke the hug and began to walk away. As he reached the hole, he looked back and saw Korra already sitting down in a meditative position, just like she had been taught.

She closed her eyes and began to breathe in deeply and rhythmically, focusing on herself and what lie inside. She didn't go looking for Raava but delve deeper and deeper inside herself. It was slow, like she was being covered dark, slimly, sticky goo. But she didn't stop, she kept going deeper. As she delved, she wondered how. How would she be able to defeat Vaatu? Raava was gone, vanished. It seemed like Vaatu stood supreme.

As she asked herself that question, a memory of Wan and Raava came to her mind. It was a memory that she had known. "If you and Vaatu had the same fight every ten thousand years, why hasn't one of you destroyed the other?" Wan had asked the Spirit of Light.

"**He cannot destroy light, any more than I can destroy darkness,"** she told him.** "One cannot exist wit out the other."**

She could understand that. But she didn't know how she could be able to use it to her advantage. _"How would I be able to beat them?"_ she asked herself.

"_Find the light in the dark."_

It was if her traitor uncle's words were the key. Suddenly, she knew what she had to do. She had to look past all the doubts and fears that she had gotten only just recently. She had to look past the fact that she was a vessel for Raava, letting it go. The goo released her and she went deeper so much faster, it was almost like she was falling.

She stopped upon a bridge of aurora lights, fragile but sturdy and beautiful. The lights illuminated the cosmos around her, but it also attracted her attention to the end of the bridge. It was a giant person, glowing dark against the light of the bridge, and holding an orb between the hands. It wasn't Aang she was looking at. Nor was it Roku.

It wasn't any of the Avatars that had come before. It was her, only her. There was none one else. She looked at the projection of herself and then at the orb. She didn't know how, but she knew that the orb held the answers. It was the light in the darkness, the darkness in her own soul. She walked across the bridge towards the orb, never stopping and never hesitating.

As soon as she passed through the orb, she was engulfed in light. She welcomed it, reveling in its warmth. She felt safe in it. But she also understood. She understood what she had to do. The energy was there. All she had to was take it. She did just that but she did not bend it to her will and command it. No, that would not have worked. Instead, she bent it as it flowed through her, redirecting it with gentle hands. The energy hummed and pulse in contentment, agreeing with what she was doing. It flowed through her body and fueled her.

The whiteness that surrounded her split apart and brought her back to the Spirit World. She was still sitting inside the tree, but she felt like she wasn't in her body. It more like the body was a membrane that had to be broken. She tested the membrane. It wasn't that thick or tough. She pushed against it and it broke. She stepped out of her body in her astral form, glowing a bright blue, just like the markings on Raava.

She walked towards the hole, growing with each step. When she reached the hole, she had to duck in order to step out of it. When she stepped down off the roots, she was as tall as the tree. She looked down at everyone. They looked surprised to see her. She wasn't. She knew this would be expected. But she couldn't focus on that. She had to get out of the Spirit World and back to Republic City.

The answer came to her and she looked up at the connected beam. She reached out with her hand, pointing her finger towards it. She could hear the beam humming with energy of its own, the energy of the cosmos. _**"Please,"**_ she told it, _**"I have to go back. I have to stop him."**_

It didn't ask who she was talking about or where. Instead, it drew her into itself, taking her energy and channeling it to where she wanted it to go. She didn't resist, gladly letting it take her. As soon as she disappeared into the beam, she found herself back in the cosmos and above the world itself. She then found herself hurtling towards her destination.

Everyone just watched as the portal's light had sucked Korra into it like she was water in a channel, disappearing in a flash of light. For a moment, none of them said anything. Until Yue said, "Well, that just happened."

Bumi looked over at his brother. "What did you say to her exactly?"

(Location: Land of Spring)

As Arashi slammed an Earthbender into the ground, he heard people landing down behind him. He looked up and saw both of his teammate standing there. "Nice of you to join me," he told them, "Hiro, behind you."

The Hyūga turned around and was met by a fist of water. He took the blow on his shoulder and struck the girl in her stomach. She fell to the ground, paralyzed, while he massaged his shoulder and got feeling back into it again. "Why did you do this?" he asked.

"What else was I supposed to do? Just stand there?" Arashi asked back, getting back up. A Firebender came charging at him with a globe of fire in his hand. He grabbed the wrist, twisted the arm around the guy's back, and kicked him down to the ground.

"You started up a riot!" Tsukiko told him. All she had to do was look around and see absolute chaos. If the kids weren't trying to fight them, they were fighting each other. Water, rocks, and fire were being thrown all over the place like a storm was taking hold. Any of the adults that tried to control or got to close were swarmed over. She heard them scream as blood flew and it chilled her. The kids obviously didn't like them and now, they were able to take out their anger and fury.

"Look out behind you, Tsukiko."

"What?" She felt a hard pain in her back, enough to make her fall to the ground. She got back up and turned to see who it was, seeing a girl a year younger than her looking smug. When she had seen these kids last, her heart went out to them. Now all she could think was, _"That little piece of crap!"_ She socked the kid right in the nose and was glad to hear bone break.

The kid fell backwards and before she could take that moment to enjoy the feeling of victory, she got blindsided by another kid. Her right side came alive with pain when she fell and her left soon followed when the kid started pounding on her. He had hands like hammers and each time he hit, it hurt. She tried to curl into a ball but his weight on her prevented her from moving around.

The weight of him disappeared suddenly and when she looked up, she saw Arashi standing over him. "Don't get distracted," he told her, grabbing her arm and yanking her back onto her feet. "We're trying to survive, remember?"

"I know that," she snapped.

"Guys, what do we do?" Hiro asked as he stumbled away from a boy swinging fire at his face. His eyes were seeing so many bright colors every time the flame got close, he had to blink to make sure that he was seeing clearly.

"We need to get to Gin-sensei and the others." If they did that, they had a better chance to survive this.

He nodded. "Good idea."

"Less talking," Arashi told them both as he grabbed a Waterbender by the elbow and threw her back.

They started moving their way towards the bigger group, fighting everyone that came near them. They keep their backs to each one as they moved. It was a rough formation and one or two of them would fall out of it fending off Benders. Soon Tsukiko and Hiro were starting to feel tired. Arashi wasn't that far behind but he was still going, fending off a Firebender with a kick to a face. Some people might call that unfair but that point, he didn't care.

A Waterbender tried to blindside him and he did take one in the side. But he didn't let him give any more than that. Instead, he grabbed the Waterbender and threw him back into the swarm of Benders, knocking clear a path to the big group. Tsukiko and Hiro saw it. They followed him through the path but it quickly got clogged again by the Benders.

"Oh come on," Tsukiko complained when she saw it. A blocky girl came at her but she kicked in the stomach and she crumpled like she was paper.

"I think we're losing ground here!" Hiro told them both. To his eyes, it didn't look like they had moved much.

Arashi didn't stop. "We'll be fine," he assured them as he grabbed two Benders and slammed their heads together. They went down and it didn't look like they were going to get up. "They can't hold against us."

"Not the time to antagonize them, backwater boy!" his Uchiha teammate snapped at him. She could see the Benders getting angrier.

"I can't stop the truth! These guys are so pathetic they can't even get a victory from each other!"

Hiro leaned back to avoid a rock thrown at his head. He came back up straight and sent the boy down to the ground with a five strike combo. He glanced up at the staircase and he felt relived at what he saw. "Rin-sensei and the others are making their way down!" he told the other two.

"It's about time!"

"Not all of us chose to jump down from the rail, Arashi!" Tsukiko told him.

"They could do it. They're Jōnin!"

She understood what he was trying to say but he was still missing something obvious. "Who'd stop the people on the stairs?"

"…Okay, good point!" he admitted.

"Thank you!"

"Guys!" shouted Hiro while pushing back another kid, "Focus!"

Both the Uzumaki and the Uchiha would've winced with embarrassment at the chastisement, if it was a different kind of situation. But given the situation that they were in, they chose not to wince and kept on fighting. "How they doing coming down?" asked Arashi while he slammed his elbow into an Earthbender's throat. The kid tried rising up a wall to stop the elbow but he was too slow and got it full force. He fell to the ground, unable to breathe properly.

"They're doing fine. The Kazekage's got a sand shield stopping the upper staircase and a wave pushing downwards."

"What about Rin-sensei?" Tsukiko asked him. She leaned out of the way of a small fireball. She would've loved to return the favor but the close quarters would've jostled her hands too much. So she settled for reaching out, grabbing the fireball-thrower and punching him good in the face.

"She's still there, she's fine!" he replied. Their sensei was practically leading the move down the stair with Kankurō behind her with his puppet. The damn thing was moving too fast across its enemies for him to see.

When they finally reached the group, Karura fended off three Benders coming at their backs with her own sand. It wasn't as big as her grandfather's and she actually had to move her hands around to get it to do something, but it still worked. "Nice of you to join us," she told them sarcastically.

Tsukiko still refused to talk to her, instead going to Tsume's side and help her fend off a Waterbender. Hiro instantly went to the Ino-Shika-Chō team. So that left Arashi with the natural redhead. "Sorry, traffic was just a bitch," he told her.

"I can see that. Tell me, why did you decide that it was a good idea to incite them to riot?"

"Because we needed the riot," he answered. He looked back over his shoulder and saw an Earthbender coming his way. He raised his foot up, ready to kick it back at the guy when Karura waved her sand at the guy, knocking him upside the head. "Hey, I had him!"

"Sure, you did," she said in reply. "Don't worry about me, I've got this end. You go make sure the others don't get hurt."

He would've loved to argue that point, but now wasn't the time or the place. Besides, she wasn't a Genin, she was a Chūnin. She didn't get that just by collecting kunai. "Fine," he said to her. "By the way, there's a Waterbender coming in on your left."

"Yes, I see him." She swung her sand and got the guy in the leg.

He went over to Gin-sensei, stopping an Earthbender throwing a large rock at him. "How we doing?" he asked.

The Jōnin easily handled any of the Benders that were coming at him. The two guards that had stopped them before were now dead on the ground. "We're doing fine. Once the other group gets down here, we should be able to proceed."

"So we just hold out?"

"Yes."

A Firebender came at him with both palms ablaze. He caught both wrists by the hands and slammed his feet into the chest, knocking the Bender down with ease. _"Geez, this is getting sadder by the minute,"_ he thought to himself. He knew any self-respecting Bender would be ashamed of what was happening here.

Tsukiko was feeling a bit tired but kept fighting too. She wasn't having as easy a time as Arashi was fighting the kids, taking hit after hit, but she didn't stop. She had to make sure that everyone else was safe and stayed that way. Tsume looked at her as she fended off a little boy. "Hey, you doing okay?" she asked.

"I'm doing fine. How about you?" she asked back, ducking under a wild swing from stocky girl and giving her a punch in the stomach in return.

"A little swarmed, but I think I can manage."

She looked quickly at her friend and noticed that she was alone. "Where is Aoimaru?"

"Look down below."

She looked at her legs and saw the dog baring her teeth and snapping at any leg that came too close to her partner. "What the hell is she doing down there?" she demanded.

"I'd be a poor Inuzuka if I didn't have my partner out fighting with me!"

She didn't see anything wrong with that. It was a part of being the Inuzuka clan. But the techniques that the clan used were much more destructive and path-blazing. Then she noticed something off to Tsume's side. It was a teenaged boy with a large rock floating in his hand. He saw her and there was a cruel little smirk on his face. She knew what he was planning and panic gripped her heart. "Tsume!" she shouted as the boy threw the rock. "Look out!"

Tsume turned to look at her with a slight confused look. But then she went stiff and her back arched. Blood leaked out from the side of her mouth. "Tsuki…" she tried to say. A rock struck her head and it slumped forward as she fell to the ground.

Everything, the entire word, seemed to have stopped to Tsukiko. She stared at Tsume's prone body, waiting for to get back up. Aoimaru looked at her in confusion, whining and nudging her partner's form. But she wasn't getting up. She just laid there. The implication struck Tsukiko hard.

Tsume was just lying there.

She wasn't moving.

Was she dead?

Was…Was Tsukiko dead?

No, she couldn't be!

She couldn't be dead!

But she wasn't breathing!

The world turned red to her as she felt tears on her cheeks. She could see the kid that had thrown the rocks. He stood there completely smug and victorious, like nothing could touch him. He blazed in her world of red and she felt a sudden anger and hatred towards him. That was the boy who killed her friend.

She was dead because of him.

He couldn't get away with it.

He had to pay!

With a vengeful scream she leapt for him, going right over her friend's body. The boy looked surprised at her actions. He tried to move away but it was like he was moving in slow motion. She grabbed him before he could flee and tackled him to the ground. She straddled his chest and started pounding away at his face, swinging again and again as she watched him try to spit out blood. She felt satisfaction at the sight of the blood but it wasn't enough. He had to pay.

She swung her fist up again and felt a hand grab it. _"Who dares!?"_ she silently demanded, turning her gaze around to see. It was Hiruzen-sensei. "Let me go!"

Hiruzen kept his gaze locked on the newly formed **Sharingan**. Now was a pivotal moment in her life. If she fell here, there would be a fight to bring her back. But if it was stopped and she recovered, she wouldn't fall. However, they couldn't take the time to use gentle words. He was going to have to be blunt. "Get a hold of yourself, Tsukiko!" he barked at her. "We're in the middle of battle here! We can't afford you to get mad for blood. Get back to the others!"

She turned back around to look at the boy, trying to break her wrist free. "Not until he's dead! He killed Tsume!"

"Tsume's not dead, Tsukiko!"

She froze and looked at him again. "What?"

"She's still alive, she's just unconscious. But if you don't get back to the others with me, they'll get overrun and she will die!"

"She's alive?"

"Yes! Now move it!" He pulled her towards the group again.

She didn't resist this time, letting the hand take her back to the others. When they were near, she heard Inoji say, "Tsukiko, what the hell?" But she didn't care about anything that he had to say, she had to make sure that her friend was still alive. She knelt down by Tsume, now in the middle and protected by everyone else. Aoimaru was by her side, watching everything closely. It was only after she saw Tsukiko that she let her pass.

She tried to remember what it was they had been taught in the Academy. _"The pulse, I have to find the pulse."_ She put her fingers to her throat and felt around for the pulse. For a half second she couldn't find anything and panic gripped her heart. But she found the pulse. It was thready but it was there. _"Oh thank Kami,"_ she thought in relief. She had thought that she had lost a friend.

"Hey, Tsukiko!" shouted Arashi out to her. She looked up at him and saw him holding a boy in a headlock. "Would you mind rejoining the rest of us and putting that fury to use?"

She still saw red but nodded. She got back up and joined his side. She grabbed the boy by the legs and together they threw him back into the children around them, knocking more than a few of them down to the ground. There were many already on the ground and not moving but it seemed like those who could would still get back up and attack. It also looked like the adults were starting to form some semblance of order amongst them, when they weren't being brought down brutally murdered. They had to hold out. She looked quickly at the stairs and saw Rin-sensei and the Suna group was almost down them. She gained hope at the sight of them.

Another boy came at her, water circling hands clasped in a seal. She heard Arashi scoff in disdain but focused on the boy. He was coming too slowly at her. When he was near, she leaned in, avoided the water, and got him in the stomach. He fell to the ground and she didn't pay any more attention to him. There were more to fend off.

(Location: Republic City)

As Korra landed in Yue Bay with a splash that set off large waves all around her, she was ready to fight it out with Unalaq and Vaatu. However, what she came upon was something else entirely. "Nice to see that you made it," Naruto's voice told her from within a giant golden fox with nine tails. Said fox was currently pummeling Unalaq to such an extent he would've been black and blue if he was still a human.

She could've said a number of things, like what was he doing, what he was at that moment, how did he get like that, things like that. Instead, what she asked was, **"How did you know that I was coming?"**

He chuckled and the fox spirit thing chuckled with him, causing the bay to reverberate with him. It was a feeling that traveled across the water and up her body, making her shiver slightly in fear. "I know who you are, Korra. You're not one to back down from a fight you started."

"**Thanks?"** She wasn't sure if it was supposed to be compliment or not.

"You're welcome. Now," he said, dropping Unalaq into the bay like he was a sack of food, "you have fun."

He started to leave the bay like nothing happened. She watched him go with a surprised look. **"What are you doing?"** she finally asked him.

"Leaving, what else does it look like?"

"**Why?"**

He stopped and looked back at her. There was something in the expression on the fox's face that said it couldn't believe that she had asked that question. "You're here, aren't you? Clearly you've come to take care of him. If you're here to do that, why should I interfere?"

She just stared at him, completely surprised at his lack of caring. **"Why did you fight him in the first place then?"**

"Ah, I was a little stressed out about some things, he was there, and I've long wanted to give him a good punch to the face. Done that now and since you're here, I'll let you take over. Bye now." He started walking again towards the docks.

She watched him go. She wanted to stop but had the feeling that it wouldn't end well if she did. She could feel the sense of energy rolling off of him. It was huge, much bigger than anything that she could've mustered. There was also something familiar about it too, but she didn't know what it was. **"Why?"** she asked him again.

He looked back once and only once. "If you want to blame someone, blame Yue. I don't like being conned into this kind of stuff. Next time, have her talk to me. Oh, and tell her that she's got a thumping coming her way." As he reached the docks, the fox grew smaller and smaller until it vanished completely, leaving him on the docks itself. He kept on walking, never once looking back the battlefield.

As Unalaq emerged back up from the water, he could feel pain all over his body and what was probably blood leaking from many wounds. They hurt and it made him angry to think he would be so beaten that would become humiliating. He willed the pain to go away and the wounds to close. While it did not happen instantly, it did happen.

His tentacles helped him stand back up. His eyes looked for the old man, wanting to beat him into the ground and to death for what he was did. But he did not see the fox. Instead he saw an astral projection of his niece across from him. She couldn't just die, could she? She had to make it difficult. Well, if that was what she wanted, he would make so that she would never be able to stand against him.

He started to gather his energy inside of him, bending it to his will. As he lifted the concentrated energy to his sigil and let it loose, he saw that she was doing the same. They fired their energies at the same time and they clashed. It became a battle of wills and he pushed his hard against hers. His energy moved steadily forward, going towards her with a crushing power.

But then she reinforced her own will and pushed back harder than he would've thought possible for someone like her. Her energy pushed against his and pushed it down to nothing. It slammed against him with such ferocity that he was sent tumbling backwards into the waters of the bay again.

He looked up and saw her running towards him. He bent his tentacles at her but she brushed them aside. Then she grabbed them to hold him in place. She surged forward and slammed her knee into his face. As he fell back, surprised by the pain on his face, she pulled him back and hoisted him up onto her shoulders. She spun in a quick circle and threw him against a nearby mountain.

His body was filled with pain and it galled him. That she would use physical attacks while in her astral projection? It just went to show how unskilled she was with spirits. She should not have to do such things. It was uncouth! He tried to get up but Korra came flying down through the air and struck him hard in the chest with both of her hands acting as a single hammer.

As her uncle laid prone before her, she slammed her palm against his chest and sigil, sending her energy down into him. She focused on that energy, looking deep inside him. She followed it through his body, trying to find that light she knew was Raava inside of him. But as the energy rippled out, she didn't find anything.

Raava wasn't there.

She wasn't inside Unalaq.

She wasn't inside Vaatu.

She wasn't there!"

"_**No!"**_ she protested in her mind. _**"That can't be right. This has to be the right thing to do! There isn't another way! She has to be there!"**_

Unalaq watched the fear and uncertainty play across her face. He found it to be amusing and started laughing to himself. Confidence began to pour through him again. Now that the old man had foolishly left the fight, she had no choice. **"You're looking for something that is gone,"** he told her as he grabbed her with his tentacles and lifted her up out of the water. **"Raava has been destroyed. And soon you will be too!"**

She tried to struggle free, like he knew she would. She had never been one to just lie down and accept the fate given to her. He would have to enforce it upon her. So he bent his energy once more and blasted her at point-blank range with it. The beam struck with his full fury and travelled up into the air past her. She had a look of surprised pain on her face as the beam continually hit her. If he closed his eyes, he could almost hear her screaming in pain. It was a rush that he had never felt before. It was quite…intoxicating.

As the beam finally died away, Korra slumped down while still in the air. It was clear that she was unconscious. She didn't even move when he dropped her to the ground. She just sat there, on her knees. **"Is that it?"** he asked her, contempt dripping from his mouth.

She found her way back to consciousness quickly enough. When she tried to stand back up, he kicked her hard in the chest. She fell backwards into the water, falling flat on her back. She got back up but he was there again, pummeling away at her with his tentacles and the water. She lifted up her arms, trying to fend them off but it was hard. It wasn't before long her arms felt like lead and she couldn't keep them up.

Unalaq must've sensed that weakness. He pounced on it, throwing a tentacle at it with a stinging ferocity that it broke her already weak defense wide open. He bent his energy out at her, pouring all of his anger, shame, and humiliation that he felt against her and everyone that had done wrong to him.

It struck her in full force and she was knocked down to the water again. This time, she couldn't get up. She didn't feel like she had the strength for it. She tried to get up, but she couldn't find the strength. Then she felt the water grab hold of her legs and forced her up out of the bay, holding her there in the air like she was a trophy. Water also began circling around her in twisting ribbons. She knew what was coming next but even when the dark purple energy started to crawl up her legs, clinging to her a cold slimy and greasy feeling, she still started to panic.

(Location: Spirit World)

"Uh…does anyone know what to do now?" Bolin asked looking around at everyone else. They were all sitting or standing around the Tree of Time. It had felt like an hour to the Earthbender since Korra had gone all big and blue, but it was only five minutes.

"We wait," Tenzin told him.

"That's it?"

"Yes."

"Is there nothing we can do?"

"This is all up to Korra now, Bolin. All we can do is wait and hope that she will come through."

Yue barked out a brief laugh. "Of course she'll come through," she declared. "She's fighting alongside Naruto. Quite frankly, I'm surprised that it's taking this long for them to finish it."

"You're still a dead woman," Bumi told her.

"Bumi—"

"Guys, don't start that up again," Kya warned them. They both fell silent. They were getting a little tired of it too.

"So we can't play a game, read a book, do something to pass the time?" Bolin asked them all.

Mako looked at his brother in slight exasperation. "Bo, did you bring a book to read or a game to play?"

"No."

"And why's that?"

"Because…" He trailed off and looked sheepish. "Because I didn't think that I was going to need it."

His Firebending brother nodded. "That's why."

He started pacing around, losing the sheepish look. "I can't just stand around here doing nothing. I've got to do something, anything!"

Bumi could understand where he was coming from. So he got up from his rocky perch and pulled out a deck of cards. "Well, it's a thing good there's the Naval Regulation 38."

They all looked at him. "Which one is that?" Kya asked him.

He started cutting the deck in his hands. "Always bring cards because you never know when you're going to need them." He looked at them all as he finished up cutting and folding. "So, anyone wanna play?"

"I'm in," Bolin declared, instantly coming towards him and sitting down, getting his game face on.

Bumi sat down too, ready to deal out the cards. "Anyone else?" he asked the rest of them.

Asami thought that it was a good idea since there was nothing really else to do. She started making her way over to Bumi when something appeared out of the corner of her eye. She turned to look at it fully and came to a complete halt. "Uh, guys?" she said aloud to everyone.

They all turned their gaze onto her. "What is it?" Tenzin asked her, concerned since he could see the look of surprised worry on her face.

"I think we're about to have some company. And it's not the fun kind either." She paused when she realized that she had just quoted Varrick. It was an unsettling feeling that it left her shivering in somewhat disgust.

They all turned to look at she was looking at. It was a massive horde of dark spirits coming their way at full speed. "Whoa, that's a lot," Yue said. She blinked to make sure that her brain wasn't playing tricks on her but they were still there when she opened them.

Bolin stood up and looked at them. "What are they doing coming this way?"

Mako was the one to figure it out and when he did, his eyes widened in realized horror. "They're coming for Korra!" he shouted to the rest of them. He rushed forward and threw lightning at them. Tenzin, Kya, and Bolin quickly joined him, bending their own elements at the dark spirits. It was a good opening salvo but it didn't do much to deter the horde.

The Nonbenders soon got involved in the fight. Asami stayed close to Bumi and Yue, watching how they fended off the dark spirits and quickly followed their example. It wasn't a straight on attacking like the others were doing. It was more along the lines of getting in close, throwing a good couple of punches, and getting out before anything could latch onto them.

She followed what they were doing and it was pretty effective. It would've been better if she had more experience in dealing with spirits. The best way she could adapt was to use Waterbending's redirection to avoid the blows and Earthbending's strength to strike hard. She could not get fancy with her moves.

Twice a dark spirit grabbed her and started to drag her away. But each time it happened, either Bumi or Yue were there to pull her free. "You okay?" Yue asked her the second time around.

"Yeah, I'm good," she replied, getting back to her feet. "I just wish that I brought my glove."

"Something to consider for the next time," the older woman said as she stepped back away from a dark spirit that vaguely resembled a panda and then dropkicking it. The spirit fell down, hitting the ground and dissipating away.

"What do you mean, next time?" she asked, a little worried now. "You mean this stuff is normal for you guys?"

"You're one of the guys too, Asami. And I'll admit this is not par for the course. But you'll be involved in similar situations across the time of your life."

She ducked under a dark spirit grab and kicked both legs at it. It flipped over onto its back and wobbled there for a moment. Another hard stomp and it dissipated. "Is it too late to not be a Paragon's apprentice?" She knew that it was probably a stupid question, but she still had to ask.

"Oh yeah, definitely too late," she acknowledged.

Bumi rolled over close to them to avoid a spirit's claws. "What was she asking?" he asked Yue.

"If it was too late to not be a Paragon's apprentice," she answered.

"Too late, definitely too late," he stated.

"Yep, already told her," she said. A spirit landed between them and they were forced to jump away from each other. Asami followed Bumi as he fought his way to his sibling's side.

As much as a good fight they were giving, they were also losing ground to the spirits, going back up the slope to the tree. Bolin tried to fend them off, bending rocks at the dark spirits, taking a step forward each time he made a move. Before he knew, he was away from the others and the dark spirits acted on it. One of them latched its tentacles on his leg and pulled him down the slope with a yelp. He tried to struggle free but the tentacle had him tight.

As he reached the spirit the tentacle was attached to, he thought that was it. But then a spear of water cut the tentacle off and he fell to the ground. He looked to see who his savior was and looked up Desna and Eska. They leapt into combat, bending slices of water at the dark spirits. "Leave my Bolin alone!" Eska told the spirits.

Desna looked bored as always but if one looked closely enough, they could see the disdain on his face. "I am so done with spirits," he proclaimed.

"Eska!" proclaimed Bolin as he got back to his feet and came to her side, "I love you!" He planted a big fat kiss on her cheek and then bent a rock out of the ground. "Let's face the end of the world together!"

"You're so romantic," she remarked before joining him in the attack. For the romantics and secret romantics there, they had to admit that it was a little romantic.

(Location: Land of Spring)

As Arashi socked a Firebender in the throat, he saw a group of adults, probably about three of them, coming up through one of the entrances. They saw the situation in the room and quickly turned away. "Guys, we've got runners!" he called out. The majority of the kids were knocked out already so they could reach them. Rin-sensei and the Suna group had reached the bottom of the stairs and were already on their way over to them. Gaara was still at the steps of the stairs, using his sand to form a shield over it.

Gin-sensei looked over at the adults. He saw the path to them was relatively clear. "Hiruzen, I'm taking them," he said.

The other Jōnin looked at the situation too. "Let Rin take it! She's closer!"

He saw the logic behind those words and nodded in agreement. "Rin, runners!" he shouted out to her.

She looked at where they were and nodded in acknowledgement. The runners took off when they saw the woman turning their way at a running pace. One of them shouted, "Get her out! We have to get her out of here!" When he heard that, Arashi froze. The words repeated inside his head. They could've meant anything, he knew that much. But consider what he knew now about what was inside this mountain and the panicked tone the guy was using, he came to one conclusion. _"They know where Natsumi is!"_

When Rin went down the tunnel, he tore through what Bending kids were stupid enough to stand in his way to reach her. "Wait!" he heard Gin-sensei call out. But he didn't slow down.

"Arashi, get back here!" ordered Hiruzen-sensei. But he was ignored too.

He reached his sensei's side and stayed by it. She looked down at him and demanded, "What the hell are you doing?"

"They know where my sister is! I'm not going to let them get away!"

"Arashi—!" she started to say.

"I'm with you. I'm not going on my own but I'm not losing the chance to get her!"

She understood what he was trying to say, even though he wasn't trying to actually say it. "Fine, stick with me!"

"Right!" he acknowledged.

"Hey!" Neither one of them said it. It came from behind. They were soon met with both Hiro and Tsukiko.

"What? You guys were just going to leave us?" Tsukiko demanded.

"What are you doing here?" Arashi demanded back.

She gave him a look even as they were running. "We're a team, backwater boy. No one gets left behind."

Hiro nodded in agreement. "I can't believe that you would even consider leaving us behind like that in the first place!"

"Less talking, more running people!" said Rin. "We need to get those guys!" They all fell silent and continued the chase.

As they ran, Arashi was silently glad for the fact they were there. If they hadn't been, he was sure that he would've gotten tunnel vision. But since they were there with him, he knew that he would be able to focus properly. They bore down on the runners and they were gaining on them, inch by inch.

Their opportunity came when the man in the front stumbled. It was a brief thing but it was enough to make him slow down and in turn, make the other two slow down as well. Arashi poured on the speed and tackled the man closest to him. It knocked them all down to the ground but he held onto his grip.

He saw Rin jump over him alongside with Hiro and Tsukiko. His teammates were able to handle one of the other runners and their sensei managed the third. She lifted him up from the ground and slammed him against the wall. "Where were you going?" she demanded.

"Fuck you!" he spat. He was a big burly kind of guy who was confident that he could hold his own against her.

She slammed him again. "Where were you going?"

He looked down at her with defiance. "You think I'm afraid of you, shinobi?"

"If you don't talk, you're going to be afraid of me."

"Ha! I'd like to see you try that."

She smiled the kind of smile that made Tsukiko and Hiro shudder and look away. "As you wish," she told him, reaching for him with her other hand. The first thing that she did was grab both side of his head and brought it down to meet her knee.

The sound of his nose breaking and the blood spurting out filled the rough-hewed corridor. Tsukiko could see the blood come out of his nose and her stomach rolled. But she didn't allow it to go any further than that. If she did, she wasn't fit to be a kunoichi. Hiro was a little worse for wear but he held on too. Arashi was the least effected, keeping his eyes focused on the man being interrogated. He sat on his own prisoner so he wouldn't try and move away.

"Gah, you bitch!" the man screamed, his voice changing pitch due to the nose.

She kept smiling as she reached out for his right hand and broke his middle finger. He screamed at the pain but she didn't let go. "If you're not going to be nice, I'll break the bones in your body," she told him. "You tell me what I want to know, no broken bones. Am I understood?"

"You…you…"

She reached for the ring and began bending it backwards. His breathing became rapidly fast-paced until it was just hissing in high-pitched pain. "Am I understood?" she repeated.

"Don't tell her anything!" The guy Hiro and Tsukiko were holding down shouted at him.

"You shut up," Tsukiko told him. "She's not talking to you now. You'd better hope that she doesn't." To add to the effect, at least she hoped it added to the effect, she pulled out a kunai and made sure that he could see them. She didn't know if it was working or not. She hoped that it was.

As Rin turned her attention back to the man she held, Arashi felt the guy beneath him, clearly the youngest of the three, trying to wiggle free of him. He shifted his weight, pinning him some more, and gave him a sour look. That was when he heard the sound of keys jingling. He looked around his shoulder and saw a key on a ring at the man's waist.

"Arashi!" shouted Hiro in warning.

He turned around and saw the guy lifting his head up, his mouth agape. _"Shit, he must be doing a jutsu!"_ the dyed redhead thought. He elbowed the guy's chin, shutting his mouth close. "Don't do that. Thanks, Hiro."

"No problem."

He turned back around and looked at the key again. He pulled it off and held it out so the guy could see it. "What is this for?"

All at the same time, the men exchanged a look. It was a look that asked for and confirmed solidarity. They thought that they wouldn't break. But Rin wasn't done. She snapped broke another finger and the guy screamed in pain again. "What was…?" he asked between clenched teeth, trying to get his breathing back in control.

"What was that for?" she asked him pleasantly. "He asked your friend a question. He didn't get an answer."

Arashi took that as an incentive to keep going. He leaned down closer to the guy, holding the key for him to see it. "What is this for?" he asked again. The man shook his head, keeping his mouth close. He punched the guy. "What is this for?"

"I…I…" he stuttered, trying to answer.

He punched him again. "I asked you a question. I want an answer. What is this for?"

He was able to actually answer this time. "I won't tell you."

"Wrong answer," the shinobi told him. He looked over at Tsukiko expectantly.

She didn't know what he wanted. The silence between them carried on until his eyes dropped to the kunai in her hands. That was when she realized what he wanted. _"He's wants me to follow through with my threat."_ Her throat suddenly felt dry and her hand became clammy. She had no idea what he wanted her to do exactly. It was probably best to start off slow. She put her kunai to her guy's cheek and pressed the edge against his skin. She pulled it away and cut skin.

"Ah," the guy bit out in pain. He fixed her with a filthy look. "You little bitch!" Then his eyes went wide and his breath came out at a higher pitch.

"That was a love tap," Hiro warned him as he removed his hand from his groin, using what he hoped was a brave voice. "Don't make me use a harder one."

Rin nodded encouragingly at her students. She looked back at the man she was holding. "You see the problem in here, right?" He stayed silent and stared challengingly at her. She returned the look and promptly slammed him against the wall again.

Arashi didn't wait for her to continue to focus on his own prisoner. "What is this for?" he demanded. The man didn't answer fast enough for him so he pressed down the key against his neck and pulled. The man gasped in pain as the key drew blood. "What. Is. It. For?"

"Don't say anything!" Rin's man shouted. She slammed him into the wall again to shut him up and this time, he fell unconscious. Tsukiko and Hiro followed her idea and knocked their guy out too.

Arashi's man finally broke. "It's a key to her room!" he all but screamed out.

The dyed redhead pulled the key away, leaving a trace of blood on his neck. "Whose room?" he demanded, grabbing his neck and pressing down on the wound.

"Her room!" he yelped. "The reason this base was created! It's her training ground!"

That was all he needed to hear. It was certainly demining enough. "Where is it?"

"I—"

"Where!?" he demanded, pushing down.

"Arashi, calm down," Rin ordered him. He looked up at her, feeling betrayed that she would try and stop him. "He can't tell you anything if he's dead or unconscious."

He looked back down at the guy. He was close to falling into la-la land and it looked like he was trying to get there on purpose. He eased off the pressure just enough to make sure he stayed awake. "You're not getting off that easily," the Genin growled. "Where is the room?"

The man looked at him, then at the other shinobi. They all had the same look of seriousness on their faces. He got a cold feeling in his stomach that traveled down to his bladder and gave him the urge to pee right then and there. He understood that they would kill him if he didn't tell them what they wanted. He looked down the corridor they had been running. "That way," he told them. "Go down that way, take the first right and then the next right after that. You'll find a locked door. That's where she is. If she's still there," he added as an afterthought.

Arashi froze at those words. "What do you mean by that?"

He clamped down on his mouth, refusing to say anything else. But Rin knew what it meant. "He means they're not the only one who could get her out. There might be another group trying to get to her."

The idea of his sister being taken away sent his mind into overdrive. He punched the guy hard, knocking him unconscious, grabbing the key and leaping up to his feet. "What are you waiting for?" he demanded to the others as he took off in a dead run down the corridor. "Let's go!"

"Arashi, wait!" Tsukiko called out to him. But even as she did that, her feet were moving to go after him. So were the others.

(Location: Spirit World)

They were losing ground, Asami could see that. As best they could fight off the dark spirits, they were being driven back up the slope of the tree, getting closer to where Korra had left her body. If the dark spirits were able to get her body, she'd be lost. But they were losing the fight. There was just too many dark spirits for them to handle.

"_There has to be a way to turn the tide,"_ she thought to herself as she fended off a dark spirit that had tried to claw her arm. If she looked out past where their line was, all she could see was just wave after wave of dark spirits coming towards them. She felt the whistle bounced against her chest as she moved away. She looked down at it and remembered what her sensei had said.

"_When things go south, and trust me it will in this kind of situation, and you find yourself standing in the deep end of shit, blow this and help will come running."_

She considered it for a second longer. _"If this doesn't count as the deep end of shit, I don't know what will!"_ She put as much distance as she could away from the dark spirits, yanked the whistle off of her neck, and blew hard. The sound pierced the air with a high pitch, almost shrieking. Everyone stopped at the sound. The dark spirits covered what past as their ears in pain, hunching down to hide away from the sound.

Asami kept on blowing the whistle until it shattered in her hand like it was ice. One piece of it cut a gash down the side of her finger to her palm. _"Ah, damn it!"_ she cursed, folding her hand close and holding it with the other. Blood still leaked out between her fingers and she could feel the pain like it was a bright burning torch close to her skin. She just hoped whatever the whistle was supposed to do, it did it.

The next few seconds had passed like the world had gone absolutely still. But nothing happened. The dark spirits rose back up from they had hunched down and looked at them with a renewed sense of hatred and fury. "Uh…I think they're angry," Bolin told them all with a worried look.

"They were already angry," his brother said back.

"Well, now they're angrier."

The spirits began to converge on them again but then the ground started to shake beneath their feet. Those who knew Earthbending stances took them to better solidify themselves against any potential earthquake. But the quake never came. The ground just kept rumbling. It was a steady pace that seemed to get louder with each passing second. But there was no end to it. It just went on and on, getting louder. _"Wait a minute,"_ Bumi realized, remembering the sound of his years of training and experience. _"That's not an earthquake. That's a stampede."_

"**INNNNNNNNCCCCCCCOOOOOOOMMMMMING!" **a voice bellowed out to them, a faint sounding voice that got louder and closer rapidly. A shadow formed over the dark spirits that grew larger until a gigantic red-furred gorilla with four tails smashed into them. As it rose back to its full height, it looked down at the humans. **"Hey, I didn't hit anyone, did I?"**

They couldn't have given it any reply since they were too busy staring at it in shock. Finally, it was Bolin who was able to give it a reply by saying, "Um…no?"

"**Well, that's good to hear."**

"**Damn it, Son!"** shouted out another voice, this one more feminine. A blue-furred two-tailed cat appeared at the edge of the dark spirit horde, battering its way towards the gorilla. With a startled look, Mako realized that the cat wasn't furred. It simply wore blue fire like it was fur. **"You don't have to go charging in like that!"**

"**I got excited!"**

"**That's not an excuse!"**

The gorilla actually scoffed at the cat. **"Well it's hardly my fault if the rest of you are too slow."**

"**We're not having that argument. Focus on squashing on these pathetic things now, hm? The others are seconds away."**

"**Ha! Why do you think I jumped?"**

As the two titanic creatures laid waste to the spirits around them, the humans could only continue to stare. "…Should we help them?" Asami asked, breaking the silence between them.

"I happen to value my life, thank you very much," Desna told her, even though he couldn't take his gaze off the fight. The dark spirits' attention wasn't on them anymore. It was focused on the giants.

"Asami, what did you do?" Bumi asked her.

She looked down at her hands again, still seeing the blood. "I just did what sensei told me to do if we got into trouble."

"I'll be damned," Yue said in an impressed tone. "The old man had a plan after all."

"You're surprised by that?" her fellow Paragon asked her.

"Uh, guys?" said Bolin, peering off into the distance. "I see six more spirit…creature…thingies coming this way fast." They looked at what he was looking and saw the exact same thing.

Mako frowned as he looked. "What are those things?"

"I've got a feeling that Naruto-sensei knows," Asami answered.

(Location: Republic City)

As Unalaq held Korra's astral form in the grip of his water, he would've tripped over himself if he was human to start bending the water to corrupt her. But he was not human, not anymore. He could take his time and be precise about this method. What Vaatu had shown him in the beginning moments that they had fused together was truly nothing like he had ever thought of before. It was like the cleansing of spirits that he had learned while becoming a master of spiritual energy. But there was a difference, a key difference. Instead of cleansing, this would corrupt a spirit or an astral form. With the former, the spirit would turn dark and never turn back. Only killing it would stop it. If he did it to an astral form, that person would never be able to go back to their original body. They would be stuck as a powerless spirit, cursed to wander the earth. If they were forced into the Spirit World, any dark spirit nearby would tear it apart and gouge on the energy there.

And that's what he intended to do with Korra. She could not stop him from doing it, not while she was completely in his grasp. As the purple water reached the zenith, he proclaimed to her unconscious form, **"****With you out of the way, I will be the one true Avatar."**

But even as he said those words and was on the verge of corrupting her, the energy of the world around him shifted. It was not a huge shift, but it was one that he noticed. It was enough to make him pause and wonder what it was. A small, pale light began to drift down from the arouras between the two giants in the bay. Even though the light was small and weak, it could be seen by everyone in the city. If any of them had a scope to look through, they would've peered through it and saw a little girl in the middle of the light.

Pema, having been on Air Temple Island with the rest of her children when the fight began, had a clear view of everything from the tallest tower. There was a telescope on the rail that was supposed to be used for stargazing but now, Ikki was pointing it at the ball of light. It didn't take her long to realize who the girl was inside the ball. "Mommy, it's Jinora," she proclaimed. "She's…beautiful." There was no other way to describe her big sister at that moment.

"What?" their mother said as she held Rohan in her arms. "Let me see." She took the telescope from her daughter and held it up to her eye with her free hand. As soon as she looked through the scope, she saw her daughter descending down over the bay. She looked like she was cradling something in her hands while there was a look of content serenity on her face, like she knew what she had to do and would do it. Pema's motherly instincts kicked in at that moment and she did what every mother would have done in that moment. "Be careful sweetie!" she called out into the bay, not caring if her shouting had surprised the rest of her children.

Unalaq did not know what the girl was doing as she came between him and Korra. He had been certain that she had been thrown into the Fog of Lost Souls, unable to come out of her volition. Before he could ponder the question any more, she looked him straight in the eye and released her cradled hands. As soon as she did, the light around became brighter, much brighter. It was so bright that he could not look directly at it, forcing himself to shield his eyes with his arms. But that was not all. The energy around them changed too, this time much more obviously. Something was changing inside of him and he didn't know what. The glare of the light was so bright he lost control of his bending, letting Korra go free.

As the light faded and Korra landed in the bay again, he recovered himself. _**"Whatever that was,"**_ he thought to himself as he readied the water to ensnare Korra again, _**"It was pointless and did not matter."**_But then he felt a light burning sensation on his chest, something that was small but resilient. He looked down and saw that his sigil had begun to light up but not in the way he knew. The light was warm and gentle and he could hear the sound of a heartbeat.

At that moment, he realized what was happening and fear gripped him. **"No!"** he tried shouting in denial, his hands reaching for his chest as if to claw out the light. But the fact didn't change. She was inside of him.

She was inside of him!

Korra looked up from where she knelt in the water. She saw the light inside of him and she knew too. **"****Raava!"** she proclaimed. Finding renewed strength in the new fact, she leapt to her feet and charged him. He tried to defend himself but she punched through the defense and placed her hand on his sigil, pushing past it. She pushed through the darkness inside him, aiming for that little ball of light, listening for the faint heartbeat.

It felt like she was plunging back down into that darkness, unable to find anything in it. But she knew that she was in there. Her hand touched the light and she was suddenly swarmed over with emotions.

Where was she?

What had happened?

Why was there no light?

Where was Wan?

Where was Wan!?

Was she alone?

No!

She couldn't be alone! She couldn't be alone in this darkness! But she couldn't find Wan!

Korra stopped the tide from drowning her and sent out a probing question. _**"Raava,"**_ she called out mentally. The emotions hit her again.

Who was that?

Why was she hearing a voice?

She was alone in this darkness, wasn't she?

"_**Raava,"**_ Korra called out to her again. _**"Listen to my voice. Talk to me."**_

The emotions stopped hitting. They were replaced by a voice. **"Who…?"**

"_**It's me, Raava."**_

"**Wan?"**

"_**No, not Wan. Korra."**_

"**Korra…"** she tested the name with her own voice. **"Korra…I know you."**

"_**Yes. You know me. Follow me, Raava. I can lead you out of the dark."**_

"**How?"** asked the trapped spirit.

"_**You have to trust me."**_ She stretched out her finger to the spirit. _**"Take my hand, Raava."**_ She felt a presence wrap itself around her finger, hesitantly at first but then more securely. _**"It's okay. I'll get you out."**_

She brought herself out of the depth of Unalaq's mind and with a great heave, she pulled out Raava too. As his counterpart was pulled out of him, Unalaq felt like his heart being torn out in the process. Every part of his body was in pain. If he had the strength to scream, he would have done just that. But it wasn't just the physical pain he was in, it was also mental. It felt like he was becoming weaker in the process, losing what strength that he had. When Raava was finally free of him, he couldn't find the strength to stand up and fell to his knees in the water.

He didn't stay down there long. The water at his feet wrapped itself around them and forced him to stand up, holding him in place and forbidding him from moving. The same water began to twist ribbons up and around his body. For a dazed moment, he wondered what it was doing. Then he saw Korra moving her hands around, just like he had done during the Spirit Festival in the South Pole.

He realized what she was doing just as the sensation started to crawl up his legs and the water began to glow yellow. The sensation felt like fire, cleansing and purging everything that was him. It crawled up his body, burning at the same intensity the entire time. He felt the pain but could do nothing about it. Inside his mind, he was raging. _**"This can't be it! I can beat this! I need to think of a way out of this! Think, Unalaq! Think! You can beat her! You are the true Avatar of this world. You are better than her! You need to think of something!"**_ The sensation kept trailing up his body and he couldn't break free of it. The last thing he could think of were the old man's words.

"_Do you really think you're the king of your own destiny, Unalaq? That you are a leader on the board game being played here? You couldn't be farther from the truth. You're not a leader. You're not a king. You're a pawn."_

No! That couldn't be true! This was his plan, his destiny! This was his doing! It had been his plan! He could get out of this! He just had to think! But he was too late. The cleansing fire of the energy crowned him, covering him completely. All he could feel was the burning sensation. Then he started to feel himself drift away. _**"No!"**_ he screamed in rage and denial at what was happening to him. But it was pointless. As the spirit water faded away, he did too, vanishing within seconds.

Korra finished the practiced motion by bringing her hands in the traditional Bending salute. **"****Go in peace,"** she intoned. It was probably more than he deserved but she hoped his next life would be more peaceful.

Raava flew down to her side and so did Jinora, still coned inside her sphere of light. **"****Harmonic Convergence is nearly over,"** the Spirit of Light said. **"We must return to the Spirit World so we can fuse once again."**

Both spirit and girl flew down to Korra's hands and she enfolded them within gently. She held them close to her chest, crouched down slightly, and willed herself to go back to the Tree of Time. To those who had watched the battle, they saw her form blur into haziness before shooting up into the sky.

(Location: the Spirit Word)

The humans watched as the eight gigantic beasts laid waste to the horde of dark spirits. It didn't seem like they would stop anytime soon. Not a single dark spirit got past them. It was like they were an untouchable wall. They just wouldn't stop. But that wasn't the thing that made the humans there nervous. It was the fact that the eight beasts were talking to each other as they laid waste. And it wasn't even serious talk, to let the others know if they were about to be attacked from behind or something like that. It was trash talk and insults, like what they were doing wasn't serious enough to warrant serious talk.

Then the connected portals began to glow and the middle started to swell up. It was a bright light that distracted everyone. **"Well, looks like it's time to go,"** the gorilla proclaimed.

"**Indeed,"** agreed a six-tailed slug.

The cat looked back at the humans while the other seven made their way out of the horde. **"It would be for the best if you got into the tree before that light comes down. Otherwise you'll get caught in the blast."**

"What blast?" Tenzin asked, forcing the words out of his mouth.

It just looked up at the swelling light. **"That blast,"** it answered. **"Oh, and tell Naruto he should come visit us more."**

"You know him?" Asami dared to ask.

"**We had been expecting him to be here when that whistle blew."** Those were her last words before she followed the other seven out of the horde of dark spirits. Once they were out, they took off at lightning speed, vanishing as quickly as they came.

The dark spirits were now free to do what they had been doing before getting tossed around like ragdolls: trying to reach Korra's body and that meant getting through the humans. But instead of fighting, they heeded the cat's advice and made for the tree. They reached it just in time as the light fell down and obliterated all of the dark spirits, washing them away like dirt in a river. The light was bright, blindingly so, but it was also warm and gentle. They couldn't look at it, but they knew that they were safe.

When the light finally died away, Korra's astral form knelt before the Tree of Time. She stood up as they came out of the tree. She opened her hands and both Jinora and Raava came flying out. The Spirit of Light flew through the air, taking in the residual energy from both the dark spirits and Harmonic Convergence, quickly growing bigger.

But Jinora floated down to the ground, where Tenzin was waiting for her. She hovered in front of him and said, **"****I'll see you soon, Dad."** He tried to reach out to her but she vanished, fading away before he could touch her. As she did, Korra's astral form dissipated into motes of blue light. There were too many to count and they all floated into the Tree of Time, where her body still was. They covered her body, every square inch of it, and she glowed blue for a brief moment. Then the light faded and she opened her eyes.

(Location: South Pole)

Jinora felt that her eyelids were sticky and heavy. But when she moved them, those feelings vanished. She found herself in a hut and her grandmother was standing over her alongside Tahno and Korra's parents. At the sight of her grandmother, she smiled. Katara returned the smile and helped her out of the water. "Gran-Gran, I missed you," she said, hugging her tightly.

"I missed you too, dear," Katara replied, hugging her just as tightly.

Tahno breathed a sigh of relief. "You gave us a scare there, kid," he told Jinora. "You should never do that again."

She looked over at him apologetically. "Sorry, I'll try."

"Hey, you don't have to worry about me. Your parents, on the other hand…" He didn't finish that sentence because he didn't have to. She knew that too and so did everyone else in the room.

"What about the others?" Tonraq asked from where he sat beside Senna.

She looked over at them. "Don't worry, they're all right. Korra saved the world." They smiled in relief at that news and she was happy for them.

Then all of a sudden, they heard the telephone start to ring. "I wasn't expecting a call," Katara said, looking at the table that held the telephone. "That's odd."

Tahno walked over to the phone and picked it up. "Hello," he said casually, leaning against the table with the phone against his ear. Then he stood up straight like he had been called to attention. "Yes sir. I understand." He covered the telephone piece with his hand and said to Jinora, "It's for you."

Jinora was surprised by that. Like her grandmother, she hadn't been expecting any phone calls. She had been stuck inside the Spirit World, how could she? She tried to get out of the pool herself but her legs were weak. Her grandmother helped her stand and walked over to the telephone. She took it from Tahno. "Hello?" she asked, putting the telephone to her ear.

"I caught your little light show over the bay," Naruto's voice told her, "Very impressive." There was a light mocking tone to his words as he said them.

But she didn't care about the mocking. She was too busy being surprised by the fact of who was calling her. "Lord Naruto," she greeted him, still surprised.

"I've got a couple of questions for you, Jinora. It would be best if you just answer them."

"O-okay," she agreed. Katara looked at her with concern but what she could she say? It wasn't like they could hear the conversation going on.

"First off, where did you find the power to wake up Raava? That's not something a kid barely into her teens can do with ease."

She might've been insulted if she had been talking to someone who wasn't Naruto Uzumaki and if it wasn't true. "I could feel the world changing and I knew I had to do something. I heard a voice and I followed it."

"While still in the Spirit World?"

"Yes."

She heard an irritated sound on the other end and she knew that he wasn't happy with what she said. "So what did you do then? Just wander around until you found the solution?" She didn't answer immediately and so he spoke again. "That's what you did, didn't you?"

Her cheeks flushed but she tried to explain, "Not exactly."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, his voice cracking like a whip.

She knew that the others in the room were looking at her, clearly wanting to know what the conversation was about. But they couldn't know until she was done. "I followed a voice. It led me to a spirit that was cloaked from head to toe."

"Uh-huh, that's what I thought."

"You…you did?"

"Let me guess, the cloak was made of equal parts white and black, they were constantly moving around but never mixing to form grey, right?"

"Yeah, right," she answered. "How did—?"

"That's not important. What did he do to you?"

"Well, he talked to me. He remarked that things seemed to be going to…" She trailed off as she realized that she was about to say a bad word. She didn't want to use that bad word in front of her family but the Fire Paragon wanted to hear what she had to say.

"To shit," he asked, not sounding impatient, "Was that you were going to say?"

"Yes."

"Then what did he do?"

"He told me that he knew what I needed. Then he said that Raava was going to have to owe him one and he…" She gulped down air and continued, "He reached up and pulled out his own eye." Both Tonraq and Senna gasped in surprise at her words and Tahno looked a bit sick.

But it was Lord Naruto's words that stunned her the most. "I doubt it. It's more likely he tore out a piece of his being that took form as an eye to give you. Now that we've got that out of the way, shall we discuss your idiocy inside the Spirit World?"

"My what?" she asked completely stunned.

"I'm assuming it's idiocy since you somehow managed to end up by yourself in the Spirit World since you went in there with Korra. She's says that it was her fault for losing you and getting you trapped in the Fog of Lost Souls, but that's her half of the story. I want to hear yours and I'm fairly certain I know how it started. When you first went in, you were awestruck by how beautiful the Spirit World looked. And while you were being awestruck, you stopped paying attention to Korra. Stop me if I'm wrong."

She couldn't because he wasn't. Now that she thought about what had happened, she felt rather foolish. "You're right. I made a mistake," she told him.

There was a pause on the other end of the telephone. She thought that he was about to yell at her being stupid. But instead she got a calm voice. "Well, so long as you admit it, that's good."

"It is?" she asked.

"Don't get me wrong, Jinora. I'm holding you responsible for getting trapped in there by Unalaq, but I'm not completely blaming you. You got distracted by the Spirit World because you're a kid and untrained."

"But I was Korra's guide. I had to be the one to lead her into the Spirit World."

"Just because you were her guide does not mean you were ready for the task. If you had received training and lessons, you would've remained focused. Take this to heart, Jinora: just because you know how to do something, doesn't mean you know everything about it."

It was a lecture, she knew that. But it wasn't a lecture that she couldn't ignore. His words struck true. It was the same as when she had started Airbending. She hadn't been a master of it when she started. She wasn't even a master now. She shouldn't have thought since she could spirits, she knew what to do. "Yes, sir," she said to Naruto, glad for what he was trying to tell her.

"Glad to hear it. Now, how did Unalaq grab you?"

She remembered what happened quite clearly. It wasn't like she was going to forget anytime soon. "I was taken to Wan Shi Tong's Library by a spirit I thought was my friend. That's where he grabbed me."

"Wan Shi Tong's library?" he repeated. "Where was that bird when it happened? Where was Zei?"

"Wan Shi Tong stood there and let it happen," she told him.

"…He did WHAT!?" The roar echoed through the telephone and into her ear, jarring it. She held the phone away from her ear at the last moment, letting the others in the room hear the same thing. Tahno looked nervous but Katara, Tonraq, and Senna looked downright panicked.

Carefully, she put the telephone back to her ear, holding gingerly like it would blow up in her hands. "He let me be taken. Unalaq even cut Professor Zei down and Wan Shi Tong stood there did and nothing," she explained quickly.

For a long second, she heard nothing but silence and it was completely unnerving. She waited for him to say something, anything. Finally, the silence was broken when he said "Excuse me. I have to go defenestrate an owl." And then the phone line went dead.

She stared at it for a second and then looked at everyone else. "What does 'defenestrate' mean?"

Katara looked at her somberly. "Think of it like jumping off a cliff to fly without using a staff." Her granddaughter turned pale as she realized what she had heard and the old Waterbender wished she could thump Naruto on the head for whatever he had said to her.

(Location: the Spirit World)

As Korra stepped out to the lip of the tree, she could see everyone staring up at her. But she only had eyes for Raava. The Spirit of Light had returned to her giant size like she had been in the memories of Wan. The two of them only had to look at one another to know what to do next. Raava flew towards the tree and then upwards to the connected portals. Korra hopped onto her tail and the second her feet touched, it felt like they were connected. Up and up they flew, closer to the portals. When she was within reach, Korra reached out and touch them. Thunder boomed and lightning crackled as the portals surged with power and the two of them fused together.

In that one moment, something changed in her.

In that one moment, she saw farther then she could've ever have seen before.

In that one moment, she could see the universe.

And she saw that it was beautifully glorious.

Everyone watched as the portals broke apart, the sky lighten up, and Korra emerged from the orb of light, glowing blue with Raava's sigil shining brightly on her chest. "The Avatar Spirit has returned," Tenzin proclaimed.

She descended down to the ground, using the air to guide her gently down. The glow vanished as she landed on the ground, the last of it being her eyes when she opened them. "It's over," she told them all.

Mako, Bolin, and Tenzin ran up to her, the Firebender reaching her first to pull her into a hug and kissed her on the cheek. "I don't even know what to say," he said to her.

"You were amazing," Tenzin said.

Bolin started talking and the words almost seem to fall out of his mouth. "And the way you turned all gigantic like that, wow! I just wished Varrick was here to film it! It would be the greatest mover ever. After the Nuktuk chronicles of course," he added as an afterthought, making both Asami and Yue frown slightly.

She smiled but was more focused on her cousins who stood behind everyone and did not move to talk to her. She went to them and said, "I'm sorry about your father. But he was already fused with Vaatu. I couldn't save him."

Eska looked over at her twin brother. "It seems cousin Korra is under the impression we're saddened by our father's demise."

"But I will not miss him at all," he agreed. "In the end, he became a deplorable man."

"Agreed," she replied before taking on a worried look. "But how will we explain this to mother?" While they might not have had the best of relationships with their father, their parents truly did love one another.

While they were considering that fact, Bolin walked up to Eska "So, I was thinking. I'm not really a fan of a long-distance relationship thing," he said to her while her cousin backed off, "so how about you move to Republic City with me."

"I do not think it will be possible," she told him.

He had a feeling that she would say that, so he would have to compromise. "Okay. Desna can come too."

"I will not be joining you, Bolin. Desna and I must return home."

Hearing those words was a little more than surprising for him, even more so when he saw that she did actually look sad. "But you said—"

"Eternal darkness was upon us. I became caught up in the moment."

"Yeah," he conceded after a paused silence. "I guess I did too."

She walked up to him so it was just them in the conversation. "But, you will always hold the special place in the organ that pumps my blood. I will remember you fondly." She put her sleeved hand over her heart. "My turtle duck."

Bolin smiled at her. From off to the side, Asami couldn't but stare at the Waterbender. _"Wasn't the same girl who chased us across eight miles of water because he dumped her?"_ She was acting like a completely different person and it was a little weird.

Bumi was looking around the area, ensuring that they were indeed alone. It might've seemed obvious to do that, especially after that light show, but his training kicked in. As he looked around, he heard a familiar trilling sound behind him. He turned around and saw Bum-Ju flying at him. "Bum-Ju, you're okay," he exclaimed as he grabbed the spirit and pulled it into a hug. "I missed you, little buddy." Bum-Ju seemed quite content to rest there and let him have his hug.

Tenzin and Korra both walked over to the northern portal. It stood tall in the air and glowed a soft red that almost felt like the embers of a fire. "Now that you're bonded with Raava once again, are you also reconnected with your past lives?" Tenzin asked her.

For a moment, she didn't say anything to him, only looked him in the eye. She broke her gaze and let it fall to the ground. "No. I think that link is gone, forever," she declared. Try as she might, and she did, she couldn't reach out to any of the previous Avatars. It was scary to not have that even when she didn't use it often. It felt like going back into an empty room that had been the life of the party a few minutes ago.

"I see." There wasn't really anything else he could've said at that moment. "Why don't you close the portals, and we'll go home."

She walked up to the portal's edge and reached out to touch the energy. But before her fingers could touch it, they curled away. She still had her arm outstretched but now she wasn't touching it. "Maybe I shouldn't."

"What do you mean?"

She brought her hand down from the portal. "What if Unalaq was right when he said the Avatar shouldn't be a bridge between the two worlds? What if Avatar Wan made a mistake when he closed the portals?" She turned her head back to look at the others. Bumi was playing around with Bum-Ju with a stick. Both seemed to be enjoying the game. "What if humans and spirits weren't meant to live apart?" Just by looking at the two of them made her feel that it was possible. She looked over at Tenzin. "Well, what do you think I should do?"

He reached out and placed a comforting hand on her shoulders. "I think you should trust your instincts. There is nothing else I can teach you. You are the Avatar. Whatever your decision, I support you." She looked at him and then at the portal. After a long second and thinking it over, she came to a conclusion and made her choice.

(Location: Land of Spring)

When the door opened, Arashi had to restrain himself from bashing it down. He stepped through and started looking around, but only saw darkness. "Where the hell are the lights?" he heard Tsukiko ask from behind him.

"Here they are," Hiro said, feeling them out on the wall. The lights came on and when they did, he wished that they hadn't.

They hadn't walked into a bedroom. They had walked into a training room, a brutal one at that. There were smears of dried blood and fresh ones too on the walls and on the floor. Cracks were there without any sort of pattern to them. There was blood near them which explained what caused them. The lights above were sterile, only showing dead white. There were no windows there and there wasn't any kind of furniture either. Above all else was the smell of it. The smell of dried blood filled their noses and made them want to gag.

"Kami save me," Tsukiko swore as she took it all it. "What the hell were they doing in here?"

"Training," Rin said as she took it in with a professional training, "Intense training at that."

Hiro could only see the blood, only smell the blood. "How old is she?" he asked his teammate.

"Three years younger than me," Arashi answered, still looking at everything. _"What the hell did they do to you, Natsumi?"_ It looked like his little sister had gone through hell in here. His eyes soon fell on the only other door in the room. It was off to the left and seemed out of place due to the stark brownness of the wood.

He walked towards it, his hand stretching out. "Arashi, wait," he heard Rin call out to him. But he didn't care.

His hand grasped the knob. He turned it and opened the door slowly. When it was opened fully, he looked inside and saw a bed that barely fit in the room. And on it was his little sister. She had gotten bigger since the last time he had seen her but that wasn't surprising. She laid flat against the bed, facing the ceiling with her eyes closed. She looked like she was trying not to dream.

He stepped inside the room. "Natsumi?" he called out. She shifted in the bed, like she heard him. That was a good thing. He took another step inside.

He saw her move and her eyes opened. A hand grabbed his coat and pulled him away, just as she leapt up and a lance of fire erupted from her cupped hands. Both he and Rin fell to the ground, away from the fire. It vanished quickly and she appeared in the doorway, not wearing pajamas but a training outfit. Her eyes tracked everyone, seeing where they stood and how far away it was from her. Without a sound, she leapt at Hiro.

He stepped back from her initial assault but she flashed a quick surge of heat that forced him to close his eyes. She took advantage of that and elbowed him in the stomach. He fell to the ground and had to actually try and get his breath back. She stared at him, not saying a word. Tsukiko took that moment to try and get her from behind.

Her foot kicked up backwards, bringing an arc of fire with it. "Whoa!" the Uchiha exclaimed, stumbling back away from her. She hadn't been expecting that move. When the girl turned around and attacked her, she couldn't even read her attacks. It was all she could do to defend herself.

"Be careful!" Arashi warned his teammate as he got back to his feet. "She's better than the other Benders out there. She's been better since she was four years old."

"I'm beginning to see that," she replied, still fending off the attacks. She tried clocking her in the shoulder with a roundhouse kick but Natsumi ducked under it. She cupped her hands as she came back up, about to pull the same trick she used on Hiro. But it didn't work because Rin pulled her student out of the way and Arashi grabbed his sister in a tackle.

As they landed on the ground, she started to fight to get free and he had to stop her. "Natsumi, Natsumi," he said to her as he fought to stop her, trying to keep her pinned to the ground. "Natsumi, it's me. It's Arashi, your brother. It's me!"

She stopped moving and looked up at him. There was curious look to her face, like she was trying to remember who he was to her. He smiled encouragingly and relaxed his grip on her. "It's me."

She lost the look. She whipped her hands up, grabbed his throat, and began to squeeze. He felt air getting stuck in his throat or escaping outright. He couldn't breathe. His hands went to hers and tried to get them off but she held them too tightly. His vison was getting blurry and his strength started to weaken. He was going to die at the hands of his baby sister.

But then Rin rolled them over so she was on top and knocked her out with a swift chop. Natsumi's eyes rolled upwards and she collapsed on top of him. He didn't try to push her off. He was too busy contemplating the fact that his sister had just tried to kill him. _"What did they do to you?"_ he asked her silently.

(Location: South Pole)

It had taken a week for the South Pole to clean up the mess that had been made by Unalaq, ensure that the remaining Northern ships undid the blockade before leaving, and for the Council of Elders to make their decisions. Now it was the day that Korra was to announce the changes that had come to the world after Harmonic Convergence. She knew that everyone was curious as to why spirits were showing up all over the place and it was her duty to let them know what would come next.

But as she made her way out, Mako came up behind her. "Hey, can we talk?" he asked.

She stopped and looked at him. "Of course," she told him.

"There's something I've been wanting to tell you about that fight we had. I know I said it wasn't that bad, but, that's not exactly true." She lost the smile on her face and replaced it with a look of small worry. It just made it harder for him to say it, but he had to. "I, um…I-I broke up with you."

She didn't say anything right away and he was almost afraid that her rage was building up. But instead, she looked down at the floor with a melancholic look. "I remember."

He was surprised by that. "But, I thought you said you lost part of your memory."

"I did, but being inside the Tree of Time brought it back. I'm sorry for blowing up at you." Now that she had thought about it, she had been such an obnoxious ass about what had been happening.

"That's okay," he assured as he took her hand. "I think we've both said things that we regret."

"Why didn't you just tell me the truth in the first place?"

"I know I should have, but…I didn't wanna hurt you all over again. I guess part of me wanted to forget about the break-up too."

"I think we both know that this. Us? Doesn't work," she declared.

"You're right," he agreed.

"It's over. For real this time," she told him. He nodded in agreement. She placed her hand on his cheek and brought him for a kiss. This wasn't a quick peck or a long sensual kiss that could make things hot and heavy. This kiss was sweet, gentle, but also brief. When they stopped kissing, they touched foreheads and didn't move. To Korra, it felt like this would be the last time she would ever see him even when she knew that wouldn't be true.

When they finally pulled away, Mako told her, "I'll always love you, Korra."

"And I'll always love you." But even though she said that, she walked away.

He watched her go, not going after her. His brother came up beside him with what he thought was a somber look. "You want a hug?" he asked. Mako looked at him unsurely. He didn't wait for an answer and hugged his brother from the side. It was an awkward hug but Mako knew Bolin meant well.

Korra walked through the halls, trying not to think about Mako and what had just happened. She came across Asami. The two women slowed down their pace. "Hey," she said to the Paragon's apprentice.

"Hey," she said back. "How's the face?"

Her face had been struck at some point during her fight with Unalaq, she didn't know when. It had healed but left two faint red scars on her right cheek, almost like Chief Beifong. "Fine," she replied. "How's the hand?"

She looked down at her hand, taking in the scar that went down from her finger to her palm. "Fine," she said too, looking away from the hand. "You should get going. You've got a speech to give."

"Yeah, thanks." She walked on. Neither of them talked about what was hanging over their heads.

* * *

When the crowd outside the palace finally gathered, Korra took the stand. Everyone was looking at her expectantly, wanting to know why the spirits were still here. She felt a little nervous but took comfort in the fact that her family, Tenzin's family, and the Paragons were at her back. Even Naruto had finally left Republic City to come down for this. She breathed in and began to speak. "The war of the Water Tribes is over. Unalaq has been defeated, and the Northern fleet is returning home. The Water Tribes will always be allies, but the Southern Tribe is now independent, and the Southern Council of Elders has appointed my father, Tonraq, to be your new chief!"

As her father stepped up beside her and waved, the people cheered even more. Finally, they would be free of the Northern Tribe and one of their own was chief. As the cheering died down, Korra continued. "I've realized that even though we should learn from those who came before us, we must also forge our own path. So that is why I've decided to keep the portals open. Humans can now physically enter the Spirit World, and spirits will be free to roam our world. I will no longer be the bridge. Humans and spirits must learn to live together. My mission will always be to use Raava's light spirit to guide the world toward peace and balance. Harmonic Convergence has caused a shift in the planet's energy. I can feel it. Things will never be the same again. We're entering a New Age."

They were suspenseful words, she knew that. But they were needed. The crowd didn't cheer for that last part but they did clap politely. She stepped away from the podium and let the next speaker, her father, take over. She didn't stay around, choosing to go back inside the palace. Everyone who could follow her did. "Good speech," Yue said to her as they went through the doorway. The older woman walked close to her right.

"Thanks. I felt nervous through the entire thing," she replied.

"Did you really think something changed?" Bolin asked her as he walked by her side. He looked back and saw that Mako was keeping to the rear.

She nodded as they turned a corner. "Yeah, something changed. I don't know what exactly, but something changed."

Bumi stretched his shoulders from beside Bolin. "I'm just glad this crisis is over. I think I'm getting too old for them anyway."

Naruto snorted at the proclamation. "Say that when you are my age, Bumi."

"I know, I know, you're older than the rest of us."

Asami walked close to her sensei. Tahno was at her side. "I'm just glad it's over," she declared. "It feels like we just closed a chapter on history and not in an easy way."

"You'll get that feeling a lot," her sensei told her.

When Korra thought about everything that had happen, she could only conclude one thing. "We went through a great cluster fuck of stuff."

"Korra," Tenzin said warningly. He was the one to do it since both of her parents were still outside.

"She's right, Tenzin," Naruto agreed. "But we must also never forget who it was that caused this great cluster fuck."

"I don't think anyone of us would forget what Unalaq did," Korra said, walking out into the hallway.

But the words she heard stunned her. "Unalaq did a lot of bad things while he was down here, but he was the end result. He didn't start this."

"Then who did?"

"You," he said.

She stopped and turned to him. "What—?" Something blurred at the edge of her vision and suddenly, she was staring at the world sideways and her face burned with pain. She could hear people around shouting but they became blurry and far-off. She tried to get back up but something struck her again. This time her nose turned painful and she saw blood fly out of it. _"Did my nose just get broken?"_ she couldn't help but think.

She tried to get up but the blows kept coming down. It felt like her body became one giant bruise of pain. When she finally stopped moving to stand, the blows stopped raining down. For that, she was glad. She turned onto her side to alleviate the pain. Her vision came into sharp focus when a blade stabbed the ground, three inches away from her broken nose.

She followed the blade's length and saw Naruto standing over her. Bumi and Yue were off to the sides, stopping the others from getting closer. The three of them shared the same expression and Korra just knew that now, these were the Paragons that held judgement over her. "If you ever," the Fire Paragon said, his voice like barely restrained thunder, "disregard something your elders tell you because you think you know better and that they don't, you will get thrown into a hole and left there until your successor takes over, is that clear?"

She lifted her head just enough to nod. He pulled his sword out from the ground and sheathed it, turning away. She could barely open her mouth to speak. "Wh-why?" she croaked.

He looked back at her. "You needed to be taught a lesson, one badly needed it seemed."

"I would've thought she got that lesson in Republic City," Bumi said.

"It wasn't one she recognized."

"W-what?" asked Korra, trying to figure out what they talking about.

He looked down at her. "Those troops you were trying to get in Republic City? You were never going to get them, not after I had a talk with Raiko." He walked away and the other Paragons and their apprentices followed. Korra couldn't help but watch them go. Even as the others helped her up, she couldn't stop watching them. It was like she was seeing them for the first time. It left her scared.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

Yeesh, this one was a bitch to write. Not in the difficulty but in the time it took to write it.

I refuse to use the name of Unavaatu when writing about Unalaq in giant form. It's a stupid name. It would be like calling Korra Korraava every time that she went into the Avatar State.

I didn't show Naruto's fight with Unalaq because it wasn't a fight. It was as Naruto put it, a thrashing of Unalaq's ass. Plus, if he had defeated Unalaq then having the rest of the episode and the rest of the seasons be a little bit pointless. He also doesn't like being tricked like that. And no, the giant fox was not his **Bankai**, it was just Kurama's chakra.

So now you know where the Bijū have been for the past 70 or years. As to how they got there, I'll get to that in time. It's all part of the story, the same as Naruto's conversation with Unalaq before things went down.

If I remembered my facts correctly, the **Sharingan** has been usually activated by the feeling of loss of a close friend or a loved one but there are also other circumstances. I think that the perceived death of a close friend would also be enough to activate the eye. Hence what happened to Tsukiko when she saw Tsume go down. If she hadn't been pulled from the brink by the Jōnin, she would've gone down hard.

One of the reviewers made a note about how Arashi broke his promise to Naruto to not touch the men who grabbed Natsumi. Thank you for catching that, I'll be sure to put into the story when Arashi and Naruto talk next. (Of course they're going to talk again. I can't keep them apart for the entirety of the story).

Korra's beating at the end of the story was something I had planned from the start of the season. It was meant to drive the lesson that it was her fault the entire thing happened (which, if you think about it, it kinda is) and to remind her that the Paragons will take action against her if need be. She almost got the world swallowed in darkness because of something she did out of prideful anger, unintentional or not. What would happen if she did something like that intentionally in the future?

I'll see you all next chapter!


	39. Reunions and remembrance

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 39: Reunions and remembrance

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Konoha)

Arashi sat in the chair in the hospital, watching his sister's prone body. She wasn't prone because she was weak or had a severe injury. She was like that because she was sedated, almost heavily so. He could've protested this if it hadn't been for the fact that whenever she woke up, she fought the person holding her to get free. That had been the truth since they had left the mountain, gone back to the city, and took the train back to Konoha. It had happened so many times that there had to be a guard to watch over her.

They quickly figured out that he couldn't be him. That was because whenever she saw him, she didn't try to escape. She tried to kill him. His throat hurt the second time as much as it had the first. But that wasn't the worse part. No, the worse part would've been that Natsumi had never said a word to him during the entire thing. He remembered her voice as being the squeaky little thing that rose in octaves whenever she was excited or angry. It had a satisfied edge to it whenever she was smug or confident that she had gotten one over him. Back then it would've galled him to end and annoyed the hell out of him too. But now, now he would've gladly paid anything to hear just that satisfied voice.

When he heard the door open, he looked over at it. Tsukiko stood in the doorway. She looked at him and then at the bed. "Have you been here all night, backwater boy?" she asked him.

"Yeah," he said with a nod. They had gotten to the village late in the afternoon and Natsumi had been taken to the hospital. Once she had been fully sedated and put in a bed, he hadn't left the room.

"You know, I don't think that's healthy."

He scoffed at that. "Funny, I thought you did the same thing with me when I was in here."

She scowled at him. "I didn't spend the night."

"That's because I didn't give you the chance." He looked back at the bed and his somberness came back. "Besides, you can't say that you wouldn't do the same if it was Itachi in that bed."

She looked at the bed and suddenly all she could see was Itachi in that bed. She could him lying prone on the bed, heavily sedated. It was a chilling image and one she wanted out of her head. "Yeah, you'd be right," she admitted.

"That's what I thought." He didn't sound smug or victorious. He just sounded tired.

She walked over to him and took his arm in her hand. "Come on let's go get some food, huh?"

He looked up at her like she was insane, but there a small smile on his lips. "You want me to eat breakfast food at the hospital cafeteria?"

"I didn't say that, although you shouldn't say that in front of my grandmother," she warned him. The last time someone had made the mistake of saying that to Sakura, she ensured that the only thing that person would've been hospital food (despite that it was one of her grandsons).

He laughed a little bit. "Alright, fair enough," he agreed, getting up from the chair. "Where are we eating?"

She started to lead him towards the door. "There's a breakfast bar near the hospital. Dad always talked about he and his siblings would take Oba out to the bar after she had gotten off a long night shift. Jiji always smiled fondly when he talked about that place, so it must be good.

Arashi paused at the door, looking back at his sister. She still lay in the bed. He swallowed air and left the room, hoping that she would wake up soon. There were a lot of things that needed to be said and a lot of things to needed to be checked over. But most importantly, he wanted his little sister back.

* * *

Tsume walked back into her home from her impromptu sleepover at Tsukiko's home with a slight limp. She had it since the Land of Spring and while she had been told that it would go away soon, it felt like it was never going to leave to her. She wondered how exactly it was that she had gotten a limp after getting knocked out but that question didn't seem important when they had looked her over back in the Land of Spring. Now she felt like an idiot for not asking that question.

"_Maybe Hiro can help me out with this,"_ she thought to herself. With his **Byakugan** and knowledge of the **Jūken**, perhaps he could help her get rid of the damn pain that was causing her limp. There was a reason she kept seeing Hyūga clan members working as massage therapists around the village. Hell, even those who were shinobi and kunoichi did it part time.

Aoimaru looked up from where she rested inside her jacket and whined, sensing her partner's discomfort. "I'm alright, Aoimaru," she said to the puppy, rubbing the top of her head. She chuffed in disbelief. "I am."

When they reached the door to the house, Tsume pushed it open without a second thought. "I'm home!" she called out before stopping instantly. The heavy smell of hormones and pheromones hit her nostrils like a sledgehammer and making her step back. Aoimaru wrinkled her nose and burrowed deeper into the jacket in an effort to get away from it. It was only after she was able to get past the smell that she heard the sound of furniture creaking. "Mom, Dad," she called out, "Please tell me you're not doing…it in the living room again."

There was pause that almost seemed to bare down on her as she waited for a reply. The smell got heavier and heavier until it finally hit the peak. Then it started to subside and she heard her mother say, "Alright, you can come in now."

She was hesitant to go in there, but the hallway from the door was the only way into their house in the compound. She swallowed whatever it was that was holding her back and took that step. "Tell me you're covered!"

"Of course we are," her dad answered.

"With something else other than a pillow, please!" She still couldn't forget what happened to that last one or the smell that came off it permanently now.

"Don't worry about that."

"I worry about it!"

There was an impatient sounding sigh that she knew came from her mom. "Just come in already, Tsume."

She walked into the living room, making sure to cover her nose. Her parents lounged on the couch in the way they could only manage after having sex, against one another. There a sheet drawn over the majority of their bodies. However, it did nothing to hide her mom's prominent belly. "Mom, I know you're pregnant, but can't you keep that to the bedroom, where it's soundproof." She knew that it was soundproof because she had asked them why they were dancing at midnight, when she had been five.

Her mother, without any shame, smiled and said, "Sorry, honey, but we didn't think you'd be home today and I had that little itch that needed to be scratched."

That was a euphemism she had heard before so she didn't ask what she meant by that. She just looked over at her father and asked him, "Why didn't you take her to the bedroom?"

He just smiled and said with a laugh, "Tsume, I think we've established long ago that I do not wear the pants in this family. When your mom gets that itch, there's nothing I can do except follow what she wants."

"Oh you can do so much more than that," her mom said with a smirk that promised something as she looked up at him.

Tsume sighed in defeat. "And again, you two define the phrase 'horn dogs.'" The fact that they didn't seem embarrassed by that phrase just showed how much they had that inch. "What if someone had come in?"

"The only person who would've come in that smell would've been you, dear."

Sadly, she knew that to be true. So she sighed in defeat. "Look, I can't talk to you guys right. When you're dressed, let me know." She turned and went for the stairs.

"Tsume," her father spoke, his voice turning serious and worried. "What happened to your leg?"

"The mission," she replied. She put the foot down on the step and tried to suppress the yelp that bubbled up from her throat. It didn't exactly work.

"Tsume," her mom said, starting to stand up. The sheet started to fall off her shoulders.

"Mom, please, clothes," she replied, not looking at her and the child that would be her baby brother or sister. "I'll talk to you then." Aoimaru wiggled up out of the jacket and started barking. "Hush you, I will talk to them." She managed to get up the stairs and made her way to her bedroom.

* * *

"So, what should we do today?" Inoji asked his friends as they strolled down the street. He was in the lead but both Shikatsuno and Chōichi were close to his side.

"I don't know," Chōichi replied. "You got any ideas?"

"No, not really," he replied. He looked over at his other friend. "What about you, Shika?"

"I don't have any ideas, you guys know that," Shikatsuno replied.

The Yamanaka gave him a look that told him he didn't believe those words. "No, you have ideas. You just hide them behind your usual amount of 'pains in asses' and other whatnot. I'm just trying to get past all the crap and get right to the ideas."

He stopped as they turned a corner, making the others stop too. "Do you have something?" Chōichi asked him.

"Nothing to do," he replied, "But something we should talk about."

"What's that?"

"The mission we were on," he answered, looking at both his teammates. "What we saw in there even after the fighting stopped."

They looked each other, their mood growing grim. They had tried to return back to the village in a happy mood. But watching Arashi's sister trying to escape again and again on the way back and seeing all those kids in chains back in the mountain had ruined that attempt. "Should we go sit somewhere?" Chōichi asked.

"Well, we can't have the conversation out here in the open," Shikatsuno replied in bored sarcasm. "People would stare."

"How about that breakfast bar over there?" Inoji suggested, pointing over to the restaurant in question. He knew that it served good food and there were booths inside that would be able to provide some privacy for them.

His teammates nodded in agreement and they walked to the breakfast bar. The smell of food hit them like bread coming out of the oven, nice and fresh. They stood in the doorway for a moment, just enjoying the smell. One of the servers walked past them. "Hey, kids," he said when he saw that they were just standing there. "You going to come in and get something or what?"

Chōichi nodded at him. "Don't worry, we are."

"Then get a move on, you're going to plug up the door and we don't need that." His rebuke said, he walked on to the kitchen. There was another order he had to pick up and deliver.

They quickly moved at that rebuke, walking into the restaurant. It was a nice open space that had windows letting the sun shine in. There were tables scattered around so the place would have an informal feel to it instead of strict unity. But while the tables, all nicely rounded so everyone sitting there could see each other and small enough to keep the number of people down to four, were available, that wasn't what they were looking for.

Their attentions were on the booths alongside the walls. They were high-ended and backed so that when someone sat down in them, they wouldn't be seen by anyone else in the bar unless they were really looking for them. "Come on, let's find a place," Inoji said to his teammates.

As they started walking down one side, trying to find an open table, they came across something surprise (at least, to them). Both Arashi and Tsukiko were sitting in a booth across from each other. They looked up and almost jumped out of their seats when they saw them. "Oh, hey guys?" Tsukiko said, somehow making it sound like a question.

"Are we interrupting something?" Shikatsuno asked, looking at both her and him with a questioning look.

"No, you didn't," she said instantly. "You just caught us by surprise."

"Uh-huh." It was clear that he didn't believe that to be the case.

"What are you guys doing here?" Arashi asked, trying to turn the conversation to a different topic.

They all lost the mildly amused looks on their faces at that question, going to somber and serious. "We had to find a place to talk," Chōichi explained to them.

"So we are interrupting something?" Tsukiko asked, raising an eyebrow at them.

"Tsukiko, get your mind out of the gutter," Inoji ordered her.

The eyebrow didn't lower but she did look hurt. "Hey, I take offense at that. Why do you think my mind is in the gutter?"

"I know that look." He kept getting it from cousins who were overly fond of that old Icha-Icha series. It was why he stopped asking what it was that was making them all giggle.

"My mind isn't in the gutter."

"What are you guys here to talk about?" Arashi asked, driving the conversation back to the topic that didn't involve the proverbial gutter.

"About the mission," said Shikatsuno.

"Oh, I see." He looked down at the table and the open space on both sides of the booth. "Why don't you guys sit down here and eat with us?"

"Yeah," Tsukiko agreed, nodding her head. "We haven't ordered anything yet so you should be fine." She looked past them at the room. "Where is that waiter anyway? I thought he'd be here by now."

"Let's sit down first," Chōichi told her, moving in beside her. His teammates, well accustomed to what came next, sat down beside Arashi. That way, everyone had at least some room to move around in.

They waited for a couple of more minutes for a waiter to come their way to take their orders. But as the minutes passed, there was nothing. "Okay, this is now getting annoying," Inoji declared with a look of irritation on his face.

"It's busy," Shikatsuno told him. "One of them will come around eventually."

"And didn't you three get food at home?" Tsukiko asked.

"I'm an Akimichi," Chōichi replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I'm always hungry." Even though he said it, there was something in his words. It almost like that wasn't all he was telling them.

"Right, how could I forget?" She looked at the boys on the other side of the table. "What's your excuse?"

"It was a pain in the ass to eat breakfast with the family," Shikatsuno declared. He had that same something in his voice.

Inoji was the most honest out of the three of them. "I didn't have the stomach for food when I got up. The mission was still haunting me." Both Tsukiko and Arashi looked at the other two and saw that they were under the same affliction. They didn't say anything, not yet. It was probably to talk about it what was causing that when there was food in front of them.

Finally, a waiter came to their booth. "Good morning, what can I get for you?" he asked politely, like he had been trained.

They all looked down at the menus in their hands. Some of them felt like they should take their time to get back at the waiter for taking his time, Arashi the most of them. But Shikatsuno spoke up first and told the waiter, "I'll just have some toast and orange juice."

"The same," Inoji said, putting his menu back down on the table.

Arashi waited for Chōichi to order a big amount of food to scarf down vigorously (he had seen the Akimichi do it before). But instead, he put the menu down over Inoji's and said, "I would like a small order of bacon, crunchy, and some sausages along with some milk."

"I'll have some toast too and some bacon as well," Tsukiko added. "But could you make mine chewy?"

"That we can, miss," the waiter told her, writing down the orders on his pad. He looked up at Arashi. "What can I get you, sir?'

He looked down at the menu again. A lot of the foods on it were still things that he was getting used to eating. It was probably best not to go overboard but he was actually hungry now that he thought about it. "I'll take a large bowl of bacon, both crunchy and chewy, and a platter of toast," he finally said, putting the menu down. "Also, I would like an omelet."

The man didn't show anything as he wrote down the order. "Will there be anything on this omelet?"

"No, make it plain."

"Very well, sir." He finished the order and lowered the pad. "Your orders will be ready soon. We thank you for your patience."

"Of course, our patience," Tsukiko muttered as he walked off.

"Hey, we got the food ordered," her teammate said. "Let's take that as a win."

"What's with the big order anyway, Arashi?" asked Shikatsuno, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

"Just taking precautions," he replied.

He was even more puzzled. "Precautions?" he repeated.

"Yeah, in case you guys are still hungry after you're done eating."

"I don't think we're going to be able to even finish what we ordered," Inoji told him.

He shrugged his shoulders like he had seen his uncle do many times. "That may be but it doesn't hurt, right?" he asked.

"…I guess not."

Tsukiko looked at her teammate. "Hey backwater boy, what happened to your voice just then?"

"What do you mean?" he asked her.

"It changed."

"Changed?" he repeated. He didn't really understand what she was saying. His voice was his voice. He was embarrassed when it broke but that was the only time it changed on him.

"Yeah, it changed. It sounded, I don't know, more guttural, rough." She looked at the others. "I'm not wrong here, am I?"

Chōichi shook his head. "I heard it too."

Inoji nodded his agreement. "Same here," he told her.

Both of them looked at Shikatsuno for his answer. It took a moment but he finally said, "What a pain," and nodded too.

"Huh, I didn't think it change," Arashi said. To be truthful, he was having a hard time believing them. It was his voice after all.

"Trust us, it did," Tsukiko told him. "It sounded like it came from the street or something." After hearing about what the dyed redhead had done to Hiro, she had tried walking through those areas of the village herself. She barely lasted an hour and only stayed in one neighborhood, but the change in his voice sounded similar to what she had heard there.

He thought about what she had said. It didn't take him long to figure out just what they were saying. "Oh, that must've been something I unconsciously picked up from my uncle."

They all looked at him with some surprise. They had never heard him talk about having an uncle. Then again, getting information about his life on the other side of the planet was a lot like pulling teeth out, only they had no numbing agent. "You have an uncle?" Inoji repeated.

"Yeah, my mom's brother," he answered with a shrug of his shoulders. He saw the looks and frowned. "Did I mention him?"

"No you did not," Tsukiko said instantly. "Details," she commanded, "now."

He wondered why she would want details. "Does it matter? He's over there and I'm here. In fact, I think he's still in the slammer." He hadn't heard anything about him getting out. Then again, he had left virtually after Amon was defeated and vanished.

"The slammer?" repeated Chōichi. If he had been holding a bag of chips in his hands that probably would've been the moment he dropped them.

"Yeah," he said, nodding his head, "the slammer. You know, jail?"

"We know what the slammer is," Tsukiko told him, frowning a little bit at the implications of his words. "But what is he doing there in the first place?"

"I've to guess that it would be because he got involved in a crime," Shikatsuno said with dried sarcasm.

"Ah, more along the lines that he had to get protection."

Inoji looked at the dyed redhead when he said that. "He was thrown into jail for protection?"

"No, no, he put himself in jail," he corrected him.

That just sounded more unbelievable. "He put himself in jail for protection? Why?"

"Well, when you're a crime boss that had just lost the thing that made you a crime boss in the first place, you're going to have people coming after you to make sure you don't make a comeback." Of course, he was still irritated by the fact he had learned about what had happened from the newspapers instead of people like Jiji or Chief Beifong. They couldn't have told him Uncle Zolt had been put in prison? It was a simple sentence. He had thought that the man was dead!

"Your uncle was a crime boss?" Tsukiko asked. That almost sounded like he had made it up.

"Yep, he was head of the Triple Threat Triad before he was in the slammer. Some people had always said it was because of Jiji that he got that position, but both of them denied it outright. My uncle got that position on his own merit."

She didn't know if that was something that had to be said with the feeling of pride in his voice. His uncle was a criminal. But more importantly, what was he doing hanging around with a criminal. "What were you doing with him?"

"He's my uncle. It'd be kinda weird if I didn't spend time with him."

"He's a criminal."

"_Was_ a criminal," Inoji interjected. "He's in prison after all."

Chōichi looked at his teammate and shook his head. "I don't think that would automatically stop from him being a criminal."

"You're right," Arashi agreed with him.

Tsukiko just stared at her teammate. "So you're not put off by the fact he's a criminal?"

"Again, Tsukiko, he's my uncle. That matters more. I mean, the triad started to feel a bit like a family after a while."

"You spent time with the triad?"

He gave her a flat look. "It'd be kinda ridiculous to not spend time with the triad if I kept coming around to be with my uncle." He gestured at the table, empty as it was. "I got how to do this from him."

"An empty table?" she asked.

"Ordering a big meal," he corrected. "That way, we can eat together and feel a bit more like a family."

Inoji stared at him surprised. "And that worked?"

"One of the things that bring people to the Triad is that they treat their members like they are a part of a family. Since they're one of the biggest gangs back home, I'd say that it works."

The food was brought to the table and the big orders were put in the middle where everyone would be able to reach them. When the waiter was done setting them down, he looked at the Genin. "Will there be anything else?"

"No, thank you," Chōichi told him. If there was one thing being an Akimichi had taught him, it was always be polite to the staff.

He left and they tried digging in. Arashi ate like he hadn't all night (which he had) and Tsukiko followed him with less ravenous delight. But the Ino-Shika-Cho trio had a much more difficult time doing the same. The food didn't taste as good in their mouth and when they tried drinking the juice, it tasted a little rancid.

Arashi was in the process of all but shoveling food down his mouth when he saw that they were slowing down. He stopped eating and looked at them all. "Should we talk now?" he asked.

Tsukiko was in the process of scarfing down a piece of toast when he asked that question and proceeded to look at him like he had lost his mind. "What? Now?" she said.

"It's as good a time as any."

She couldn't argue that. So she swallowed the toast and looked at her friends. "He's right."

"It's the mission, isn't it?" the dyed redhead asked.

It didn't take long for them to crack, if cracking could be the word used. "Yeah, it is," Shikatsuno answered. He said it without his usual amount of laziness or annoyance. It just went to show how much it had happened troubled him and his teammates.

"I don't think I'm able to get the sight of those kids in chains and looking absolutely miserable out of my head," Chōichi said.

"Wait until one of them socks you in the stomach and looks at you smugly," Tsukiko told him. "Trust me, you'll think differently."

All three of them stared at her when she said that. They couldn't believe that she had said it. "Why would you say that?" Inoji asked her, "After all we saw in there?"

They expected her to defend herself with a defense that bordered on angry. But instead she matched their looks. "I've been through this already, remember? I blew up on you guys."

As soon as she said those words, they did remember. They had crowded her, wanting to know about the mission she had gone on. They had said that she was lucky to be the first one out of their class to get out of the village. When she had started shouting at them, telling them that they had no idea what they were talking about, they were caught completely off-guard. When she was done and she left, they were stunned.

Now, they knew why she had blown up. "You mean you got used to this?" the Akimichi asked her.

"I wouldn't say that." If she did, it would mean that she would get too cold about what mattered and that scared her. "But I will say that my dad was able to comfort me and give me some words of wisdom." And she had been glad for those words. She looked at all three of them with a puzzled look. "You guys haven't talked to your parents?"

"No, we haven't," Inoji answered.

"It wasn't from a lack of trying," Shikatsuno told her. "We just…didn't know what to say to them. We don't know how to start the conversation."

"You could always hug your little brother into oblivion," she suggested right off the kunai's edge. "That's what I did."

"And for those of us who don't have little brothers or even little sisters?"

She had forgotten that Shikatsuno was an only child. "Just talk to your parents. They've been through a lot more than we have. They'll understand."

When she was done talking, all eyes turned to look at Arashi. "What?" he asked them all. He was looking confused as to why they were looking at him.

"How did you cope?" Inoji asked him. "I mean, it's not like you have parents to go to."

"Dude!" hissed Chōichi.

He realized what he said. "Oh jeez, sorry!" he apologized instantly.

Arashi regarded him with a cool look. No one could tell what he would do or say next. The way his hand started creeping to the knife by his plate, Tsukiko was almost certain he would use it. But instead, the hand stopped and pulled itself away from it. "It's because of my parents' death that I'm able to cope," he told the Yamanaka. "And it's thanks to Jiji."

They were all hesitant to ask him in fear of setting him off for real this time. But this was also a chance to hear about Naruto Uzumaki, something that they didn't get much of a chance for. So Tsukiko risked it and said, "What did he do this time around?"

"_This time around?"_ the other three Genin asked themselves. Then they remembered the story about the ice bucket and promptly understood.

"It was about three weeks after the…the fire," the dyed redhead began to explain. "I'd been having nightmares about a fire burning, my parents dying in front of me again and again, my sister nowhere in sight, while I was being strung up and force to watch all of this. I would usually wake up screaming and wanting my mom.

"I didn't know if I should've told Jiji about the nightmares I was having. He didn't seem like the kind of person who would want to hear about someone having nightmares. So I kept silent. Until one day, after dinner, he told me to come to his room after I was done cleaning up. When I got there, he was sitting at his desk facing me. The first thing he said was that I was having nightmares. I was surprised that he knew so I didn't deny it. He asked me why I hadn't told him. I told him that I didn't say anything because I thought he didn't want to hear it.

He chuckled a little. "I got bonked on the head for that thought."

"Bonked?" repeated Inoji. The dyed redhead raised a fist and thumped it gently against his head. "Oh, bonked."

"Anyway," he continued, putting the hand down, "He told me that he was my Jiji and that if I couldn't tell him what was bothering me, who else would I turn to? I didn't have an answer for him and I don't think that he was expecting one. He asked me what happened in my dreams and I told him. When I was done, he stood up and gave me a hug.

"He said that he knew that I was scared and terrified about what had happened to me. He said that if I hadn't, he would've been worried. But he also told me that it wasn't an event that shaped a person, but the aftermath of it."

"The aftermath?" repeated Shikatsuno. The phrase seemed a bit odd on his tongue but for some reason it also felt like it fit.

"The aftermath," he said again, nodding his head. "It's not how or what we do during the event but what we do after it that makes the more lasting effect. So then he asked me a single question: would I let these nightmares overwhelm me or would I be able to withstand them? He couldn't make the choice for me. It was on me. So I told him that I would stand against them."

"You said that?"

"Yeah," he replied.

The Nara frowned. "What kind of grandparent would do that to his grandchild?"

"Yeah," Inoji said, nodding his agreement. "He should be gentle and comforting, not telling you to act like a soldier."

He glared at the both of them. "He was comforting me. He told me that I would have to stand alone, that he would be there if I ever needed him. And he also taught me how to deal with an event like the mission. _That_ is how I am able to cope." He finished the eggs and started to stand up. "Move," he told the others sitting next to him.

"Where are you going?" Tsukiko asked.

"Back to my sister," he answered, pushing himself past them to get out. "She's needs my help."

They watched silently as he walked out of the bar. For a moment, they didn't say anything. "Do you think that we said the wrong thing?" Inoji asked.

Tsukiko gave him a long and hard look. "What gave it away?" she asked sarcastically.

"No need to rub it in," Chōichi told her. He felt embarrassed even though he hadn't said anything himself.

"You talked smack about his grandfather in front of him. How would you feel if he did that to yours?"

"…Fair point," Shikatsuno conceded.

"Let's get back to eating, hm?" Inoji suggested. He was about to try eating his toast when he stopped and realized something. "Son of a bitch," he swore.

"What?" his teammate asked him.

"Arashi just skipped out on paying his part of the bill."

(Location: Hyūga compound)

Hiro stood before his grandmother's door. This time, he didn't hesitate. "Grandmother," he called out as he knocked on the door.

"Come in," she said through the door.

He opened the door and walked into her room. She was working on something at her desk, he couldn't tell what exactly. He knelt down and waited. She didn't turn to face him, continuing to work on her own business. The time started to stretch out for him. His patience was starting to shorten and he was getting annoyed but he kept his mouth shut. He was on her time, not his. They would talk when she was ready to talk to him.

Time kept moving on, going for another half hour before she finally put her pen down and turning to face him. "Yes?" she asked him.

"Grandmother, I came to make a request," he said formally, lowering his head to the ground in a complete bowing position. "Please train me fully in the **Jūken**."

There was a moment of paused silence before she spoke. "You have been trained in our clan's martial art."

"Not completely," he replied, his head still bowed. "I still have a lot to learn."

"Why are you asking me this?" She wasn't surprised by his request or shock. She waited for him to give his answer.

"I came back from the Land of Spring, finishing the mission we started there."

"I was aware of that yesterday. Did you falter this time?"

He didn't falter the last time and he was insulted that she had been put it like that. But he didn't call her out on it since it would be a surefire way for him to be thrown out on his rear. "I did not. But Tsume and the other teams got their rude awakening."

"And did you enjoy seeing it happen?"

"No!" he said, offended that she would even suggested such a thing! "Tsume almost died in there!"

"I know." The way she said those two words was so dismissive that it was like she didn't care about what happened to her granddaughter. If anything, it sounded like she wanted to get back to whatever it was she was doing before he had come in.

It angered him. "You know? That's your granddaughter and all you can say is 'I know'? It sounds like you don't even care!"

She fixed him with a look that told him to be silent immediately or suffer the consequences. His mouth clamped shut instantly at the look even though he wanted to keep talking. "First, I am aware that she is my granddaughter. Do not tell me that I don't care. Second, she was not killed. She was knocked out. She was protected and able to regain consciousness. That is not near death." She said those words in a matter-of-fact voice but there was also the underlying tone that told him that he was getting a lesson so he better shut up and listen.

And that was what he did. He waited until she was done talking before he dared to speak. The first words out of his mouth were "Forgive me for my words, Grandmother." He kept his head bowed as he spoke to her. "I spoke only in fear of what could've happened to her."

"As you should," she said back. "And you are forgiven. I would've been the same in your place. I have been in your place."

He knew what she was talking about. She had fought in the last war. It was where she had lost her cousin and almost lost her little sister. "That is why I ask this request of you," he told her. "I don't want to lose any of my friends or my family. We were beset by those kids and according to Arashi they were some of the most pathetic Benders he had ever seen."

"You were outnumbered. Quantity will sometimes overpower quality."

He looked at her in surprise. He didn't think she would know what happened in that mountain. "How did…?" he started to ask. Then he thought better of it. The Hokage probably had a talk with her and told her what had happened in that mountain.

"Yes?" she asked, looking at him expectedly.

He said, "Never mind. Look, they might've had the numbers but it was also because I wasn't good enough. If it had been just me, I would not have made it out of there alive. If it had been any of the Genin there, we wouldn't have made it out of there alive. I don't want to be caught in that situation again. I don't want any of my friends caught in that situation again. If I want that to happen, I have to get stronger, better. I need to get stronger. I need to learn more of the **Jūken**. And you are the one who can teach me." He bowed his head again. "Please, Grandmother, teach me what you know."

For a second, there was silence. He thought that she would say no and tell him to get out. He heard a shifting of cloth and he wondered if she was moving or if it was just his imagination. "Meet me in the training yard in fifteen minutes," she said. He lifted his head and saw her standing in front of him. "We'll start your training then."

"Thank you, Grandmother." He stood up and went for the door.

"Hiro," she said, making him stop. "This is not going to be easy. You asked for me to teach you and I intend to do that. You will find this hard, difficult, and exhausting. You will ask yourself why did you ask me and you will want to give up. But I will not allow you to do that. You will be trained."

"I don't plan on wanting to give up, Grandmother."

"They all say that. Tell me it's true after training begins." He didn't say anything else, choosing to go through the door and close it behind him. As soon as he was gone, she allowed a proud little smile to grace her lips. Her grandson was truly coming out of his shell now. When she thought about it, she almost found it hard to believe that a year ago he was a virtual copy of her in manners and shyness. He was coming out of it faster than she hadbut she could not claim the credit for that. No, that lay with Arashi Uzumaki, Naruto's grandson.

She wondered if the man was proud of his grandson. It was an odd question, she knew that. But she hadn't seen Naruto for the past 70 years now. He had already been different when they found him in Omashu, Kami only knows how much he's changed now. She decided to believe that yes, he was proud of his grandson. She also wondered how long it would take him to come back once word reached him that his granddaughter had been found.

(Location: Konoha Hospital)

As Arashi went back to his sister's room, he saw both Rin-sensei and the Hokage standing outside it, talking to one of the doctors there. He quickly jogged over to them. "What's going on?" he asked without waiting. "Is she waking up?"

"Hello, Arashi," Madara greeted him. "No, she hasn't woken up yet. We were going to wait."

"For what?" he asked.

The doctor eyed him as he said, "For you. We figured it would be best if you were in the room."

He looked at the doctor too. "Thank you…" He trailed off as details started filling in his head. "We've met before, haven't we?"

"Of course we have. You had that checkup with me."

"Oh yeah, I remember." He scowled at him. "You put me alone in a room and decided to play a thunderstorm all around."

"I had a suspicion. I needed to confirm it."

"As blunt as ever, Kuro," Rin said with a shake of her head and a smile on her lips. The way she said was like she had said it before.

The Genin looked at his sensei. "You know this guy?" he asked, pointing his thumb at the doctor.

"This guy, as you call, was our Genin teammate," she told him. "We served together when we came out of the Academy."

He looked at the doctor and then at all of them. The way they stood with each other, how they talked with each other, and how they were comfortable in each other's presence, he knew what it was. It was what he and his teammates were trying to create, but complete. If his team was a work-in-progress, this was a work of art. He almost felt jealous, but he knew that his team would come in time. "Wait," he said, realizing something. "If you guys served in the same team, does that mean your mother taught you guys?" he asked Madara. "Isn't that favoritism?"

The Hokage just looked amused. "It would be, if she had taught us."

"Wait, what?" He was confused. He knew that Sakura had taught Rin. If Rin had been in the same team as the two of them, that must mean that Sakura had taught them all. "How is that possible? Sakura taught you," he pointed at Rin, "so she must've taught the rest of you."

"Arashi, you can always have more than one sensei," she told him. "She…" There was a paused moment before she spoke again. "She helped me get through a tough time." Both of her teammates shared a look.

Arashi didn't ask what the look was about. It felt like an invasion of privacy that he didn't want to do. Plus, he had a feeling that he already knew what it was that she was talking it about. It had something to do with the organization in that mountain. Drawing the conclusion to the mountain brought him back to why he had stopped in front of them. "Are you going to wake her up now?"

"Not yet," Kuro told him. "We're going to wait until we've got a suppression group at the ready."

"Suppression unit?" he repeated. That was a new term for him. It probably was something medical and it didn't sound like it was a good thing.

"It's a unit of shinobi that are stationed in the hospital," the doctor explained. "They're on call to handle our more volatile patients."

He heard those words and he scowled harder. "My sister is not volatile."

"Arashi, she attacked us without question," Rin reminded him. "She almost strangled you."

Kuro saw the doubt and hesitance on the kid's face. "It's just a precaution. They're not going to kill her, kid. They're just going to restrain her if she gets free."

The doubt faded away from him, somewhat. "Alright," he said. "I'll wait inside." He walked into the room without looking back.

But the adults watched him go. Once the door closed and they saw him sit down in the chair, they turned their attention to one another. "Alright, tell us what the Yamanaka have found," Madara said to Kuro.

He became completely serious. "They found the same type of code inside Arashi's psyche inside Natsumi," he started.

"Exactly the same?" asked Rin.

He shook his head. "No, there are differences. For one, this code isn't corrupted. And while they are the same type, it's only basic. She's been programed for something else than her brother."

"Do they know what the activation phrase is?" Madara asked. If they knew what the phrase was, it was a start to curing her of whatever was in her.

"No, they haven't. But they have managed to discover what it is what she's basically programmed to do."

"What's that?"

"As soon as she lays eyes on someone, she'll attack and kill that person. It's probably meant as a means to catch the person unawares."

Both Madara and Rin looked at each other. It only took that one look for them to figure out and understand the same conclusion: Arashi could not know about what was inside his sister, the same as he couldn't know what was inside his own head. "Do they know who it is she's been programmed to attack?" asked Madara.

"No, they're still working on that bit."

Rin folded her arms and leaned against the wall. "I can make an educated guess." They both looked at her. "Who would be the one person that would welcome her back without hesitation and with gratitude, probably even give her a hug to welcome her back?"

"Arashi?" offered Kuro.

"Naruto," Madara corrected, realizing what she was trying to imply. "You're talking about Arashi's grandfather."

She nodded. "Whoever put that code into Natsumi wanted to use her as a surprise attack on Naruto."

"You don't sound too convinced."

"Whoever is doing this either hasn't met Naruto Uzumaki in a long time or not at all," she declared. "He's one suspicious and cautious son of a bitch."

They both looked at her in surprise. "I didn't think that you were say something like that," Kuro told her. The man used to be one of her idols. They all used to think like that but she was the one who held onto it.

"What can I say?" she said with a shrug. "I've met the guy. The first thing he said to me was a demand for my name or I'd end up in a grave." It had been a shock to hear those words from him when she thought that he was just a cop, even more so when he realized that she was a Hatake.

Madara turned his attention from her to Kuro. "Has the code been implanted just as long as the one in Arashi?"

"More or less," his old teammate answered. "It is a few months younger than his."

"Good Kami," he breathed out. "Just what did they do to her?"

"I've got a better question," Rin said, looking concerned and uncomfortable. "Why did they put a code inside Arashi?" It was something that bugged her ever since she first heard the activation phrase in Republic City. Arashi was supposed to shut down and obey the commands given by the person who spoke the phrase. Natsumi was supposed to attack Naruto when she laid eyes on him. Something was going on, she didn't know what. That wasn't something that sat well with her. It didn't make sense, none of it.

But the more she thought about it, the more she began to see the whole thing in a different light. It was a light that managed to be both good and bad at the same time. "Guys, I think we might've interrupted a plan."

Kuro looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"When we were in the mountain, the three men that my team and I started were shouting that they had to get her out. They were talking about Natsumi, I know that now. At that point, I had thought that she was being moved so that she could be kept from us. But now that we've talked about her being programmed to kill Naruto, it made me wonder why they were trying to keep her away when it seemed like they would want her to be found."

"So?"

"I'm starting to think that they do want her to be found, but not right now. They probably would've wanted her to be found in a few more years."

Madara gave her his full attention. "Why do you say that? Didn't Arashi say she was a prodigy?"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean she couldn't be trained more. I'd be willing to bet money that they were also waiting for puberty to kick in and for her to look more like a woman. That way, she would probably look more like her grandmother, getting Naruto more off-guard."

As she explained, they could see what she was seeing too. All the things she pointed out made sense for the plan that the kidnappers seemed to have made. "The codes were implanted in both Arashi and Natsumi's mind five years ago," Madara said, going over the facts in his head. "Why then? Why not sooner or later?"

Rin tried to think of something that could explain it but none of the things she came up with seem to fit. "I don't know," she finally admitted. "Maybe it was the only time they found a chance to get over there. Maybe it was when they discovered that Naruto had a family."

"There is something else we must consider," Kuro said. "If the purpose of the code inside Natsumi was to make her kill Naruto, what is the purpose of the code inside Arashi?"

That she could answer. The answer had come to her when she also realized that they had interrupted the plan. "I think that he would've been programmed with instructions on how to find his sister and 'rescue' her. If she was supposed to be rescued later, that would mean he would've been with the village a lot longer and he would trust us more and vice-versa. It would probably so his finding his sister and bringing her back would be a lot smoother."

They all considered what she said. It made sense. If this was supposed to happen all later on, Arashi would be with the village longer and he would trust them more. In turn, they would trust him just as much. If he found his sister and brought her back, they would believe him when he revealed her identity. They would probably also believe him if he said that she was fine. She'd protected until their grandfather reached them and then she would surprise them all by attacking and killing Naruto Uzumaki. It might even be that her brother would fend off any would-be helpers while she did the deed.

It was a plan that was long in the making and all for the purpose of killing Naruto Uzumaki. But like Rin said, the plan already had a few hiccups. The fact that Naruto wouldn't fall for such a thing, potentially, was one thing. There was also the fact that the code in Arashi was corrupted and would not activate. Finally, there was the fact that they had found Natsumi now instead of later. It seemed that they had mucked up the plan. The thing, they didn't know the complete plan.

Madara thought it over and realized something else. "With everything that has happened, it's possible that you were led to go to the other side of the world in order to meet Arashi," he told Rin.

She almost didn't believe him but when she thought on it some more, it made sense. "Just what the hell is going on here?"

"I don't know." And not knowing vexed him. He was the Hokage. He was supposed to know what was happening in the Elemental Countries and yet this was happening all under his nose. That was something he could not allow to continue. "Does the information you found in the mountain help us at all?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "They were still sorting through it all the last time I checked in. It's going to be some time before they have any kind of idea."

"What did you do, steal everything from that mountain?" Kuro asked her.

"Close enough," she replied honestly. If it had been information that looked to be valuable, they snatched it before leaving.

They fell silent for a moment and considered everything that they had just talked about. "So, we're not going to tell Arashi about we talk about just now?" the doctor asked them.

"No," the Hokage replied.

"Absolutely not," the Jōnin said at the same time. She peeked quickly at the room and saw her student still sitting in the chair, watching the bed. "I will not allow him to know that there might be a plan to kill his grandfather through his sister because she was kidnapped. That boy has been through enough already."

Madara and Kuro shared a look at that. They knew all too well once she meant by that. "Alright, we'll keep it from him," Kuro acknowledged. "For now, I say we focus our attention on making sure his sister is still in one upstairs." They nodded in agreement to that.

* * *

Arashi stood by Natsumi's bed while the suppression unit stood against the walls. He watched as the sedation levels showing on the screen dropped down until they were gone. He turned his attention back to his sister and waited. At first she wasn't moving and he thought that the sedation had been more effective than he had originally thought. But he saw her eyes flickering beneath her eyelids and he knew that she was awake, just trying to pretend to be asleep.

Rin-sensei and the other adults saw the same thing. Kuro raised his hand towards to do something but Arashi shook his head. He knew the best way to wake up his little sister and it came from knowing her and what got her annoyed. "Nat, it's time to wake up," he said, using the old nickname that she had detested. She didn't move but he knew that she had heard him. "Nat, you have to get up. Don't make me sing the song."

"Song?" whispered Kuro.

He gave the doctor a look that asked him for his continued silence. He had to focus on his sister. She still wasn't moving or pretending to wake up. "Alright, Nat, you leave me with no choice." He took a breath and began to sing in that fake high voice he knew got her every time. "Oh, Nattie wattie wattie, it's time to wake up. Oh, Nattie wattie wattie, the day is wasting. You must get up now, don't laze around. Oh Nattie wattie wattie—"

Her eyes snapped open and she looked at him completely annoyed. _"Huh, that actually worked,"_ Kuro thought to himself. It had sounded like complete nonsense but it had snapped her out of it. He wondered if something like that could be applied to the residents here in the hospital.

Meanwhile, Arashi was glad that his sister's eyes were opened. They lost the annoyed look and regarded him coolly but he took it. "Sorry about that, I know that you hate that song," he apologized to her. "But I had to get you up somehow, right?"

She didn't say anything at first, choosing to continue looking at him. Then she tore her gaze off of him and looked around the room. "Where am I?" she asked in a voice with little if any emotion in it.

He winced at that voice but didn't let it stop him. "It's alright, Natsumi," he assured her. "You're safe now."

She barely gave him a look. "Where am I?" she repeated, using the same voice.

"You're in Konohagakure," Madara answered. He had talked to many people like her; people who wouldn't answer any questions until her own were answered. The best way to get through to them was answer the basic questions but not any of the more complex ones. It also helped to be polite. "It is nice to meet you, Natsumi."

She eyed him like he was a target. "Who are you?"

"The Hokage," he answered, keeping it short.

She fell silent again, looking around the room. Rin knew she was doing then: she was trying to find a way to escape. "Don't do it," she warned the little girl. "We're not going to harm you. We rescued you from Tōitsu. There's no need to escape."

"Natsumi," Arashi said, hoping to get her attention again. It worked. She looked back at him again. "Do you remember me?"

She examined him closely, eyes going all over his face. "…We've met, haven't we?" she finally said.

His heart clenched a little at that. It wasn't the response that he had been hoping for. But it was still something. "Yeah, yeah we have. Do you remember where?"

"In my training room, when you tried to kidnap me."

He shook his head hard at that. "No, we weren't kidnapping you, Natsumi. We were rescuing you. And we've seen each other before then."

"We have?"

"Yes," he told her, hope rising in his chest.

She looked at him again and her eyes became confused. "You seem familiar," she told him. "But I don't know…" She trailed off and her face went slack, her eyes glazing over.

He didn't know what was happening to her but it couldn't have been good. He reached out and grabbed her shoulders. "Natsumi, Natsumi are you alright?" he asked.

Her eyes regained focus and she looked at him again. "You," she said in an almost whisper. Her eyes hardened and her hands reached for his throat. "Traitor," she spat out.

He was caught off guard by her words and her hands got their target. She started squeezing and already he was seeing spots in his vision. "Get her off him!" he heard someone shout, probably Rin-sensei. "Get her off!"

He saw many hands and arms descend on the space between, grabbing her arms and pulling them away from. He felt strong hands on his shoulders pulling him away from the bed, something that he tried to fight as soon as he realized it. "Arashi, relax," Madara told him from behind. "It's me. You don't need to fight."

"Let me go, that's my sister."

"She just tried to strangle you."

"She's still my sister."

"Just wait, will you?" The kid stopped his struggling and watched as the suppression unit held Natsumi down. She fought like hell to get out of the bed but there more people keeping her down then getting her out. They had also been warned about her Firebending and were sure to keep her hands contained.

When they were finally able to hold her in place, Madara let Arashi go. He stepped towards the bed but stopped when she leveled a glare at him. "Don't come near me, traitor," she ordered him.

Those words hurt him and he knew that it showed on his face. "What are you talking about, Natsumi? I'm your brother."

If there was a thing to say that made her even angrier, that had been it. She tried harder to get out of the bed but they held her down. Even as she struggled, she latched a look of utter loathing at Arashi. "You're not my brother. You're a traitor."

"I'm not," he protested, his voice almost cracking. "I'm not a traitor."

"You are!"

"Sedate her already!" Kuro ordered the suppression unit. They should've done it before she even tried to get out of the bed. There was going to be a lecture later on but first, priorities.

"No," Arashi barked out at that. "Don't you dare put her under!" He pushed his way through the men and got close to the girl in the bed. "Natsumi, I'm your brother. How could I betray you?" he asked her, almost begging. "Tell me. How could I betray you? I would never do that." She just regarded him with a cold look of disgust and disdain, like he was something she was forced to scrap off the underside of her boot.

"Would someone get him out of here?" someone demanded.

A hand grasped his shoulder but he shrugged it off, keeping his attention on his sister. "Tell me, Nat!"

Her eyes lost the coldness and they burned with anger instead. "You left me behind! You let go of my hand and ran off!" she screamed at him. "Go away already!"

He went completely still at her words, tears leaking out of his eyes. Rin grabbed him by the shoulders, pulled him away from the bed, and out of the room. It was just how much he was shocked by those words that he didn't do anything to resist. Once they were out in the hallway and a good distance away from her, she stopped and looked at him. There were tears on his cheeks but he wasn't actually crying. It was probably a stupid question to ask, but she still had to. "Arashi, are you okay?"

That brought him out of the stupor. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said, wiping away the tears. As he brought his arm down, he looked at her. "I'm just glad."

"Glad?" she repeated. That wouldn't have been a word she would've used to describe what had just happened.

He nodded and said again, "Glad."

"Arashi, your sister called you a traitor and said that you abandoned her. She tried to strangle you, again. How are you good?"

"Because that's not my sister, not really," he told her. "That's just whoever grabbed her and held her captive. They tried to make her into something else but I know now that Natsumi is still in there somewhere." A hopeful smile came to life on his lips.

She saw the smile and wondered what it was about. "Care to explain?"

The smile widened slightly. "Natsumi hates being called Nat, Nattie even more so. If she was something else, she wouldn't have reacted like that. I could see the anger in her eyes. But that's not it."

"What else is there?"

"What she said about me abandoning, it's complete bull." He tapped the side of his head. "I remember that night. What she said wasn't what happened." He could remember it clear now so much, he couldn't believe that he had forgotten what had happened. "I didn't leave her behind or run away. I never let go of her hand, not until they forced us apart."

"So what does that mean for you then?" she asked him.

"I think it means that if I remind her of what happened that night, she'll snap out of whatever it is they've got her under."

She fixed him with a look that asked for an explanation right away. "And how do you plan on doing that?"

"I keep close to her and tell her that she's my sister and I'm not a traitor. I will do it over and over again if I have to."

"Arashi, that girl has tried to kill you twice already. Some people would take that as an incentive to stay from her."

"I'm not going to do that," he said with a fierce determination. "She is my sister. I am not going to abandon her like she thinks I did."

* * *

Madara sat at his desk, finishing up some last minute work before he finally left for the day. The work of the Hokage might be never ending but he had learned from Konohamaru that one should always leave work at work and never bring it home. He had to put down a set time to leave the office for the day and go home to his family, otherwise he would never leave.

As he looked over the last document that needed to be read and either approved or disapproved, there was a knock on the door. He looked up from the paper at the door. "This had better be important," he called out. "I am on the last paper and I will leave the office once it is done. If this is something that can wait until tomorrow, please do so."

"As you wish, Lord Hokage," an old voice said from the other side of the door. "I will not trouble this night."

He went still, his gaze halfway to the page. "Is that you, Jūgo?" he called out.

"It is."

He put the paper down instantly. "Come in," he called out.

"Are you sure? You sound rather intent on getting home."

That was true but he had learned a long time ago to be respectful of the Snake Sannin. That man had fought in the last war and was at the front of the lines every time. There were still tales being told about his battles and having seen a few himself, Madara knew that there was a lot of truth in them.

The door opened and Jugo walked in. His grey hair was a mess and his beard was barely less so. The clothes he wore were ragged, torn in places, and looked like they were about a step away from falling off entirely. Yet the Hokage knew that wasn't the case at all. It was all a disguise to fool people into dismissing him and thinking nothing about him. He walked with confidence and sat down in the chair opposite of the Hokage with ease. Even then he towered over the Hokage by a half foot. "I will try and be quick about this," he said with the utmost politeness. "I am sure you want to be with your family."

Madara smiled. "Thank you for the consideration, Jūgo." That was another thing about Jūgo. To the people who knew him, he was really a gentle giant. It took a lot to set off his temper and as far as he knew, Madara was not aware of anyone who was still alive that could do that. "What is you wished to talk about?"

"I have been observing the latest graduates from the Academy," he began. "And I believe that I have managed to find one who could become a suitable pupil for me."

That perked his interest. It was a well-known fact that Jūgo would only accept a student that he himself had picked. There had been numerous attempts early on by others to show off potential students to the man but he had refused each and every one of them. The attempts eventually stopped but the Sannin still hadn't chosen a pupil. Until now, that is. "Who is the candidate?"

"The boy who's living with your family, the one who is on the same team as your daughter," he answered.

Madara processed that information, which took a moment. "Arashi?" he finally asked, wanting confirmation.

Jūgo answered, "Yes, him."

The Hokage started to feel a little bit concerned about the entire idea. It wasn't that Arashi would make a bad student. On the contrary he seemed to take everything he learned like a man drinking water, taking it all in and still wanting more. What concerned him was his lineage actually. "Jūgo, you do realize whose grandson Arashi is, right?"

He nodded. "Of course I do. I remember Naruto Uzumaki quite well."

He knew that but it was about the Shinobi Kikan that concerned him. "So don't you think that the man would want to train his grandson to become the next Toad Sannin? If you poach Arashi that might not go over well," he explained.

"Perhaps," the Snake Sannin said. "But I do not believe that Naruto would be offended if I took his grandson as my pupil. As I remember, he did not take the title of Toad Sannin after Lord Jiraiya died and didn't summon the Toads at all when I met him."

"70 years can change a man."

"Indeed they can. I believe that those years made him even more sure not to use the Toads. He'd probably given them back to us if we asked. And besides, I do not think that Arashi would be right, they require a certain bluntness, like Jiraiya and Naruto had. In fact, I would say that your daughter has that same kind of bluntness."

"Tsukiko?" he said.

The old man nodded. "Yes. I believe she would do well if she signed their contract."

He knew that his daughter was a blunt sort of person but he wasn't entirely sure about what that idea. "I think my mother might be grooming her to take the Slugs." Sakura hadn't taken a pupil herself but no one had ever tried to force one onto. (He always suspected it was because she would use her fists if that happened).

"If that is true, she has not told me. Do not get me wrong, Lord Hokage," Jūgo said, raising his hands in defense. "I am not saying that I will take Arashi as my pupil right this moment. I just have an interest in him. There is still time for him to grow and mature."

"On that, we can agree. He just got his sister back and she seems determined to kill him for seemingly betraying her."

"Did he?"

"Not according him."

"Then there should be nothing to worry about." He paused and considered what came next. "Has their grandfather been notified?"

Madara shook his head. "The only message we sent to the Bending Countries was informing the United Republic about the kids we found." There had been a small debate about where to send that message. Rin had advocated for the Republic because not only had she been there, but it was also the country that was neutral, having a mix of all four. It was a good place to start and so they agreed.

"Does Arashi know how to contact his grandfather?"

"He does, at least a phone number."

"Then why hasn't he used it?"

"Because he's too busy focusing on his sister." It had already been a day since she tried to strangle him and he still went back to the hospital to sit in her room. Reports have come back to him that the boy would talk to her and she would just ignore him. There were no reports of strangulation because Arashi hadn't gotten close to her again.

"I see." He stood up from the chair. "Good day, Lord Hokage. I will take my leave of you."

"Good night, Jūgo," he replied, watching the Snake Sannin leave his office. Once he was gone, he turned his attention back to the paper.

* * *

The first thought Tsukiko had when she found herself standing in a dining room was _"Where the hell am I?"_ It didn't look like any dining room she had ever been in. For one, it wasn't big enough and the table wasn't long enough. Then again, she might be jaded from sitting in clan dining rooms where the table had to be long enough to seat the entire clan. But it was more than just that. The room didn't look formal but rather cozy. It had a feeling of people eating casually rather than formally when they sat down at the table.

There were two doors that led out of the room but she couldn't see beyond the frame. She didn't know why. "Hello?" she called out.

Someone appeared in one of the doorways. As she stepped out into the light, Tsukiko that she was a girl just like her, only a few years older. Her brown hair was worn short in a bob cut that stopped at the top of her neck. Her gold eyes found the other girl standing by the table. **"Ah, good,"** she said, walking forward with grace and power. **"You're here. I didn't think you would be."**

Tsukiko was confused and it showed on her face. How could this teenager have been waiting for her? She didn't even know her. And that wasn't the only question she had. "Where am I?" she asked, looking around again.

"**Would you like your answer or my answer?"**

"Huh?" That didn't even make sense!

The girl smirked. **"Your answer would be that you're currently in your dream. My answer would be that you're standing in my dining room."**

She didn't like how the other girl spoke. It carried more than a hint of arrogance. This was a girl who clearly had spent her time looking down at people. "Who are you?" she asked the girl. "I've never seen you before."

"**True, but you know me in a fashion."**

"No I don't. I don't think I would ever want to know a snotty girl like you."

Instead of getting angry at being insulted, she just laughed. **"I didn't say you know me directly, girl. You must try and listen better. You know my grandson and you know of my husband. Try and connect the dots, will you?"**

The dots were rather easy to connect once she had the information. In fact, she had even laid out the dots quite blatantly. "You're Arashi's grandmother?"

She nodded but also frowned. **"You were never told my name."**

The Uchiha girl became defensive. "Hey, it's not my fault. We have hard enough of time to get Arashi to talk about his grandfather. None of us even thought about talking about you."

The frown became deeper. **"Don't give me that. You only learned about Naruto because you know of him, not me."**

A protest started to rise up in her throat but it stopped before it came out. It stopped because it was the truth. Tsukiko knew as much as she could about Naruto Uzumaki. She never bothered to learn who it was that he married. Now that she was talking to that person, she could see how that would get her in trouble. "Sorry, alright?" she offered. "Could you tell me your name?"

The frown lessened slightly but it was enough to stop making her seem so dangerous. **"I am Princess Azula Uzumaki. It's nice to meet you."**

"Wait…you're royalty? Arashi's royalty?" she asked, completely.

"**Yes. He's not exactly in line for the throne, but yes."**

"He never mentioned that!"

She gave the girl a look. **"Why is that surprising? After all, he never told you about me."**

Tsukiko understood the reasoning for that. But there was something else that was bugging her. "Why do you look like that?" she asked, pointing at the other girl's form. "Aren't you supposed to be old?"

She barely flicked her eyes down at her body. **"I figured that it would be easier to talk to do at this age."**

"But you're old."

"**I'm dead. There's a difference."** She let out an irritated sound. **"But if it makes you feel better…"** In an instant, the girl was gone. She was replaced by a woman, an old woman with steel grey hair but with the same bright eyes and strength in her body. **"Happy now?"** she asked, her voice showing her age as well.

"Yeah, it's better," Tsukiko said with a nod. It was much more believable.

"**So glad that you are satisfied,"** she replied with sarcasm so thick it could've been used as an adhesive.

She frowned but said, "Well, at least I know where he got his sarcasm from."

"**Yes, from his grandfather. I got it from the same place."**

She wasn't going to argue that. "What am I doing? I didn't even know how I got here."

"**I called you. I wanted to have a little chat with the girl closest to my grandson."**

She knew that her face went red at the implication of those words. _"What does she mean by that?"_ her brain asked, trying to figure it all out. Did she mean what she thought meant? That couldn't be right! There was nothing like that between her and Arashi! "What the hell are you talking about!?" she almost shouted at the old woman. "We're just teammates! He's not my boyfriend! We're not even dating!"

Azula didn't look annoyed or irritated that she was being yelled at. Instead, she just looked smug and confident. **"I never said anything about that,"** she replied. **"I only said that you were the closest girl to Arashi. But of course, now that you've denied it, it's going to stay in your head."**

"No, it won't!"

"**Trust me, it will. That's how I manipulated my son's wife into dating him."** She turned serious. **"But that's not what I brought you here for. Things are changing for Arashi. He's going to need support, especially now that Natsumi has been found. Can I trust you to be at his side and keep him going?"**

Tsukiko was able to get calm again and when she heard that question, she was insulted. "Of course I can! What the hell do you take me for? Some kind of girl that drops friends when they get too tiresome or annoying?" she demanded. She remembered those girls back at the Academy, queen bees who thought that they had it all and could drop friends like they never mattered in the first place. She always took pleasure in the fact those queen bees were never able to become actual shinobi. "I always stand by my friends. I would never abandon them when they need my help!"

To her surprise, the old woman looked at her with fondness. Then she began to laugh amusedly. It went on for a minute or so before she stopped. **"Forgive me, but you reminded me so much about my husband at that moment."**

"Um…thanks?" She wasn't really sure how to take that. From what she knew about Naruto from his grandson, he was a man who was strict in his training and seemed to be cold most of the time but also be protective and comforting too.

"**You're welcome."** She looked around the room, seeing something that Tsukiko wasn't. **"Hmm, looks our time here is up. Remember girl, I will hold you to that promise. Stand by Arashi's side. He's going to need it."**

She wanted to ask what she meant by that and got her answer when her eyes snapped open. She was still in her room. "Damn it," she groused to herself.

_Thump!_

_Thump!_

"_And there he goes,"_ she thought, already pulling herself out of the bed and heading for the closet to grab her own clothes. Once she was ready, she climbed out the window. "Would you stop doing that!?" she shouted, out of habit.

* * *

Arashi couldn't help but wonder about the conversation he and Tsukiko had over breakfast that morning. She had a talk about his grandmother. It would've been surreal if he hadn't had his own meeting with a ghost. The difference between them was she had met someone from his family but he didn't meet one from hers. He had met Rin'sfather_._

That had been a meeting that he was not likely going to forget any time soon. He knew that it had been in order to pass a message onto his sensei but there was another question that bugged him. How was it possible that he or his Oba were able to stretch out from the Spirit World and touch the living in their dreams? He hadn't heard of any stories where they could do that. If anything, the living had to go into the Spirit World to talk to them.

He also wondered why Oba didn't talk to him directly. He would've wanted that to happen if he had known. He didn't realize until Tsukiko had told him, but he missed his grandmother. If he had the chance to talk to her, he would've told her that Natsumi was found. Well, if he couldn't tell her, he could still call his Jiji and tell him that she was found. Some people might ask why he hadn't done that already. He would say that he wanted to be sure that Natsumi was back to being Natsumi.

As he reached the hospital, he felt something in the air change. It felt like it had gotten…heavier, like water pressing down against his skin. Everything around him began to darken like night had fallen early. _"What's going on?"_ he asked. He looked up at the sky and froze instantly. The sky was purple and glowing ominously. That couldn't have been good.

His first instinct was to get to his sister. He reached for the door and yanked it open. He ran into the building, heading for her room. He didn't even get across the hallway when she came into sight, along with one of the doctors, his hand clamped tight around her arm. His eyes found the doctor, saw the panic mixed with irritation, and knew that he wasn't an actual doctor. He had come to bust Natsumi out. "Let go of her, now," the Genin ordered the man.

He regarded the boy with a look of contempt. Then he looked at the girl. "Deal with this," he told her.

She didn't say anything back. She merely bent her fire to cover her fist and drove it into the man's chest. Both he and Arashi were shocked by her actions, although her brother's look lasted longer than his. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked as the man fell to the ground dead.

"Ridding myself of baggage," she said, her fist and forearm now covered in blood. "He would've slowed me down. Now move, traitor."

If it was any other situation he would've sighed in slight annoyance at her name-calling. But something was going on outside, he could already hear people outside shouting in panic and fear. They probably thought the village was under attack. He wasn't sure that they weren't. Whatever it was, it was clear to him that she was trying to escape. "Natsumi, you're safe here."

She didn't say anything back. She took off running for the door. He got in her way and tackled her to the ground. She bent her fist aflame and threw it right at his face. He saw it coming and realized, _"That's meant to kill!"_ He rolled away from the fist, getting off of her.

She sprang back up and ran out the door, kicking it open with her. He got back to his feet and went after her. "Nat, get back here!" he shouted as he followed her out.

She raced down the street that was closest to a gate that led to the woods. He didn't know how she knew that. Someone must've told her, probably that phony doctor. That didn't matter now. What did was the fact that he had to keep on her. As they raced through the streets, she blindly threw fire at him. But he saw them coming and was able to dodge them. "That's not going to work, Nattie!" he told her as she banked around a left corner and he followed her. The exit was in sight. If she got out and he lost sight of her, she would be gone for good.

She whipped her head back at him. "Don't call me that, traitor!" she shouted, bending an even bigger fireball at him.

He ducked low and it flew overhead, hitting something behind them. It sounded like it had caught on fire too. He kept going, right out of the gate after her. Soon they were running down the path in the woods. The purple glow in the sky casted dark overshadows on everything, making them all foreign and dangerous. "Nattie, there's no need to run!" he called out to her. That just got him another fireball that he dodged. "Nattie!" he called again.

"Don't call me that! I hate that name!"

That was it! That was his way to her, the real her! "Why? Why do you hate it?"

She faltered in her running and almost fell. She recovered and ran again, trying to disappear into the woods themselves. He stopped and leapt for the trees themselves. If he hadn't trained in these woods, there was a good chance what she was trying to do would've worked. But he had and he could see where she was going. She was running across the ground, trying to avoid the trees that got in her way. Her confident pace started to slow and she began to stumble across roots.

"I'll tell you why you hate that name!" he called down to her.

She spun around in a circle, trying to find him. But in the thick entanglement of the branches and the leaves, along with the dark shadows all around her, his voice might as well have been a voice on the wind. "Leave me alone!" she shouted, bending fire at where she thought he was, only to reveal just shadows.

"You hated that name because you thought it made you sound like a little girl," he told her. "You would scowl and tell people not to call you that. They would just aww and say how cute you looked at that moment. It took a temper tantrum and your Firebending to appear during a dinner for it to stop!" He had remembered that night clearly, since he was the one who was closest to her and had gotten singed in the process. The family had had guests over that night and they had left with apologies from his parents. "Don't you remember that?"

She paused as vague things flashed inside of her mind. The burned smell of cloth. Someone talking. A sense of embarrassment but also pride. They all seemed familiar somehow. But she didn't know how. And that annoyed.

Arashi saw her pause, saw her annoyance. "You remember, don't you?" he called from above.

She hardened her eyes and bent fire at where his voice had come from. "No, I don't!" The fire hit nothing but bark and shadow. She had missed him again. She didn't want to stick around. She had to get back. So she turned and continued running.

But even as she ran, his voice followed her. "If you don't remember, Nattie, why do you get angry? Why do you think I left you behind?"

That she did know. She remembered that clearly. "I needed your help and you left!"

"I never did!"

"You lie!" She had to get out of this damn forest. All she could see was trees, trees, and more trees! She heard something, faint but there. She turned to the sound and focused on it. It sounded like…water, running water. There was her escape. She ran towards it at full speed.

"Where are you going, Nattie?" Arashi's voice asked her as it followed her. "Are you going back to the people who kept you locked away?"

She didn't know why she had to respond to his words. They had taught her to be silent, to fade away until no one notice her in a crowd. But there was something about him, something that drove her anger and hatred that made her speak back to him. "They kept me safe!"

"They kidnaped you, Nattie! They took you from your family!"

"STOP CALLING ME THAT! I'M NOT YOUR SISTER!"

"Then why do you hate that name?" he demanded, getting closer and closer each time that he spoke. "Why do you hate me and call me a traitor? How could you know me if I'm not your brother?" he asked her.

She didn't know and those questions were burrowing themselves into her head. They were making her wonder about what her life should've been like. No, she couldn't allow that! She knew who she was. She was an instrument, one that was made with one purpose in mind, all to serve Tōitsu. If she started to question that now, all would be lost. That could not happen! She had to get back to them! Once she was safe with them, they would take care of her.

"Just stop running!" Arashi pleaded with her, still up in the trees. He could hear the water too and had an idea of what she was going to do. But what she didn't know was that the rivers around the village were swift and fast. If someone didn't know what they were doing, they were liable to end up dead.

There was a small edge of a clearing between the forest and the river, centered on a bridge. She made a break for it but he leapt out of the trees and landed right in front of her. He stood in her way to freedom. "Get out of the way," she told him.

He had a pained look but would not budge. "Natsumi, it doesn't have to be like this. You don't have to run away. I'm here to help you. Let me help you."

She snarled at those words. "You won't help me. You never help me."

"That's not true!"

"Yes it is!" She could not forget how he left her. "You dropped my hand! You let go! Tōitsu was the one who saved me!"

"I didn't abandon you, Natsumi. They took you!" He was all but pleading with her as he spoke, hoping that the real her would be able to hear him and get free.

"Get out of my way!" she shouted, bending a stream of fire at him. He rolled forward to avoid it and came up swinging a leg. She stumbled back from the kick, not expecting it, and bent a fireball at him on instinct.

He stayed low and shifted his shoulders, letting the fireball fly right past him. Now he knew what her weakness was. The bastards that had her were probably so focused on cultivating her Firebending into an actual weapon they never bothered to teach her how to fight in close quarters. And while her bending was much better than the other kids that they had found, she clearly didn't have any experience fighting against a competent Bender. Well, he couldn't claim to be a Bender, but the streets of Republic City, the Triple Threats, his friends, and his Jiji had taught him how to fight one.

She tried to keep the distance between the two of them. He kept closing it, throwing punches and kicks at her. She took some and dodged some, always returning fire. They circled each other, continuing the fight like that. She was getting vastly annoyed by the fact that he was able to block her from getting away. No matter how many times she tried to get to the bridge, he would either get in her way or drag her back into the fight.

As she delivered a fire-enhanced kick that should've taken his head off and he avoided it, she felt something in herself. She felt…excited. Why? Why would she feel excited? She was trying to get away from him but she was enjoying the spar they were having. Wait, why would she call it a spar? She was trying to kill him! He was a traitor.

But a part of her wondered why he was a traitor. She tried to squash that part of her away but it came back, wondering again about why. She knew why. It was because he left her when she needed his help. It wondered what it was that she needed his help for, what the situation was. She tried to answer that question, but found she couldn't. She didn't know what had happened. She didn't even know if it had been day or night. All she did know was that she needed his help and he left her.

But did he leave her? She could not remember any kind of life before Tōitsu. They had been the ones who found, raised her, nurtured her, molded and forged her. How was it she knew that he had left her if she couldn't remember a life before those training halls? It was then she came to a horrifying truth: she was being corrupted by being close to him. She had been warned that this might happen but she hadn't paid attention to it, thinking that nothing would be able to stop her.

"_I have to get away from him, now!"_ she thought in a near panic. If she stayed any longer, there would be no hope for her. They had fought around and around in circles, so she was looking at the bridge again. She brought her hands together and swung them at his face.

He saw the move and knew what was coming next. She was going to try and blind him. He closed his eyes and held his hands in front of him to block the light that would come. Except that it didn't. Instead, he heard her running past him. He opened his eyes and saw her running across the bridge, the same bridge that she had been throwing fire at without thinking about it and was now incredibly weak. "Natsumi, don't" he shouted to her.

_CRACK!_

The bridge snapped in half, collapsing into the river. For a sick second it looked she just stood there in the air, wondering what had just happened. Then she fell into the river with barely a scream to shout out. Her brother did that for her. "NATSUMI!" he screamed as he went to the bank. He tried to look into the water and see her there, but he couldn't see her.

He couldn't see her.

He couldn't see her!

_He couldn't see her! _

He stripped off his jacket without a second, dropping it to the ground, and all but tore off his shoes to get them off. He leapt into the river and it received him with a cold and unyielding grasp. As he pulled through the water, he looked around for Natsumi. But the semi-darkness of the water turned even darker with the glow coming from the sky, making it almost impossible to see.

Air demanded that he surface and breathe. His head burst through the surface of the river. He fought the current to look around and see his sister. "Natsumi, Natsumi where are you?!" he shouted. He didn't get a reply and feared that she had been knocked unconscious by something. He looked further down the river and saw something trying to stay afloat.

It was Natsumi and she was fighting to keep her head above the water with little to no success. _"They trained to be even more deadly than when she was a kid but they couldn't teach her how to freaking swim!?"_ one part of his brain demanded in outrage.

The rest of him was more focused on getting to her. He swam hard down the river to reach her, and the river guided him to her. He grabbed her and flipped her onto her back, keeping her afloat, just like how the Academy had taught them. She gasped in the air, glad for it. But when she saw who it was holding her, her eyes hardened into anger. "You!?" she demanded. "Let me go!"

She struggled to get free and that got them all twisted around in the river, falling into it. He kicked to the surface quickly and got his breath back. She breathed too and tried to get free. "Stop that!" he told her, making sure that he didn't lose his grip.

"Let me go!"

"I'm not going to do that, Natsumi!" he told her as he struggled to keep them both afloat. "You don't know how to swim. If I let you go, you're going to drown!" He looked from side-to-side, trying to find something that would help them. The river up ahead looked like it would turn rocky and with the speed the water flowed, they would be liable to get bashed around in there. He also knew that there were rapids down the river and neither of them would survive that.

He saw a tree that had grown close to the river. One of its roots had broken out of the ground and now dangled over the water. He swam to the bank and once they were close, reached out and grabbed hold of the root. The jerk on his arm as they stopped made him yelp in pain. It also made his grip on Natsumi get shaky. He could feel her getting free and tried to retighten. "Hang on!" he told her as he tried to think of a way to pull them out of the river. He couldn't wait for any help, he didn't know if any were coming.

Natsumi wanted to break free of his grip and be free, but she had seen the river just as he had. She was also aware that she could barely swim. All she could do now was try and stay in one place. But the water was fast and hard. She could feel it pulling at her, pulling at the grip that was holding her there. It was like a wet, slippery hand trying to force them apart. When he tried to retighten his grip, the water actually pulled it apart.

"_No!"_ Arashi screamed inside his own mind at the sight of her slipping out of his grasp. He lunged for her with his free hand and grabbed her. She might've claimed to hate and despise him but that didn't stop her from instinctively grabbing his forearm. "Natsumi, hold on!" he told her, struggling to pull her up back to his side.

The river had a stronger grasp than him and he could feel it pulling her away from him. His grip on the root was causing the thing to dig into his hand, breaking the skin and causing him pain. He felt stretched out and his head always seemed on the verge of going under. _"Damn it, if only I could use my chakra to stop the water from pulling at us!"_ he groaned inside his head.

Then he paused. Why couldn't he do just that? If it got him and Natsumi to the bank safely, he would take it. He channeled his chakra to his entire back and it floated up to the surface. It stayed there for a couple of seconds and then his back fell through the water again. He did it again and the same happened again. _"What am I doing wrong?"_ he asked himself. _"Maybe my backside is too much. What if I did it on my feet?"_

He channeled his chakra to his feet and suddenly they stopped moving around so much. It felt like the water had become like platforms underneath his feet. He tried to move them to a better position but it felt like the platforms were slipping out from under him. He put more chakra into them and they were there again.

In a stop-and-go kind of motion with his feet, he struggled to get closer to the bank. Inch by inch he got closer to it until he could've reached out with his hand to touch it. Drawing upon his strength and pushing off from the water, he hurled himself onto the river bank, letting go of the root. Doing so made him hiss in pain but he was able to drag himself completely out of the river. Once he was on dry land, he yanked Natsumi out of the river too, collapsing against the tree behind him.

He lay there, panting like a dog after water. He had thought that his sister would've been the same but she was still able to drag herself on top of him and put her hands on his throat. But she didn't squeeze. "Why?" she asked him. "Why did you hold onto me? You left me before and now you saved me. Why?"

He looked up at her and put gentle hands on hers. "Natsumi, listen to me. Just listen," he told her. "I never let go." She jerked back like those words had hurt but he held firm. "I never let go. They took you away from me by force, but I never let go."

Those words, so full of promise, regret, and love for her, made her go rigid. Her mind, trained as it was, could not figure out what they meant. But there was another part that did and it fought its way to dominance, taking over in those few seconds. Her memories came back to her all in a blazing rush. Memories of home. Memories of life. Memories of family. They overwhelmed that she would've screamed if her voice was still strong.

When the tidal wave left her, she looked around with a fresh and uncertain eye. _"Where…where am I?"_ she asked herself. She tried to remember what she had been doing but her memory was fuzzy. She tried looking back even further but it was still fuzzy. She looked down at herself and realized that she had gotten bigger. _"What happened to me!?"_ she screamed in her head.

She felt someone below her and her hands around someone's neck. She looked down and saw a redheaded boy looking up at her expectantly. His face looked familiar, especially with those blue eyes. Then she remembered those eyes. They were the same as hers. Suddenly, she knew that face. "Arashi?" she asked hopefully.

His eyes widened in surprise but also hope too. "Natsumi, is that you?" he asked her. "Is it really you?"

She nodded shakily. To him, she was completely different from the cold girl she had been when they found her. "What happened? I…I can't really remember…" She fell silent as she tried to remember what had happened. What she could remember made her start to cry. "Spirits save me, they took me from you. I was kidnapped. How long was I gone?!" she asked, almost bordering hysteria.

He pulled her hands away from his neck. "It's been almost six years now," he replied. "But it's okay now. You're safe." She slumped against him, clutching his shoulders like he was her lifeline, and began to cry. She cried because she was scared and she didn't know what had happened exactly. But she was also crying because she was with her brother again and she knew that she was safe. Arashi cried too because he had finally found his sister again.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

It's one thing to know that your parents are sexually active but it's another to actually walk in on it. Now some people might think that their parents would keep it to the bedroom but please remember that the word "kinky" doesn't just apply to the younger generation.

I know that what Natsumi thinks about Arashi and her time during her captivity don't exactly match up. That was on purpose. I wanted it to look like they had gotten to her, only to have a sloppy job over it. It is very likely that someone is going to be losing their head over this little fiasco.

Some people have pointed out that Arashi and Tsukiko are a lot more like the other's grandfather then their own. That's intentional. I'm going somewhere with this. Plus, it'll be interesting for Naruto to meet a female Uchiha version of himself.

As you probably guessed already, the sky glowing purple had been when Harmonic Convergence. It might not look like that things have changed in the Elemental Countries because of that, but I'm sure something will pop up. Who knows? Maybe the barrier between the land of living and dead will get weakened or something.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	40. Same page and getting out

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 40: Same page and getting out

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Republic City)

Naruto entered his apartment, flicking on the lights as he walked in. "Ah, it's good to be back," he declared as he went for the kitchen.

Asami came in behind him, closing the door. She had been with him since they left the South Pole, learning everything that she could and taking to his training like a turtle duck to water. She did not want to be caught off-guard if anything like Unalaq fusing with Vaatu ever happened again. When she told him that, he gave her a short nod of approval. Then he promptly tried to brain her with his sheathed Zanpakutō, which led into a spar on the deck of the ship.

Of course, when she thought about her training to be a Paragon, Asami couldn't help think about her duty was focused on, Korra. Ever since that beating she had gotten, the Avatar had stayed away from the Paragons, looking at them with nervous looks. She hadn't been the only one who had been caught off-guard by her beating. Everyone else who had seen it, Asami included, was shocked by what Naruto had done. When they tried to step and stop it, they found themselves to be blocked off by both Bumi and Yue, who sported identical looks of grim seriousness.

Asami and Tahno had shared many an uneasy look with each other every time they saw Korra on the ship back. Once their teachers had explained why Naruto had beaten Korra almost to a bloody pulp, they could understand why the lesson that they had been trying to get across. (When Tahno had suggested that they could've taken Korra aside and talked to her about what she had caused, Bumi simply told him, "She wouldn't have listened.") But now whenever they looked upon the Avatar, they couldn't help but wonder if this was what it would be like for the rest of their lives. Would they be watching Korra with suspicious eyes, wondering what it was that she was doing? Would she watch them with those same eyes, wondering if they would descend upon her for doing something they thought was work and not give her a chance to explain?

The silent questions had lasted throughout the trip back to Republic City. Asami wanted to approach Korra and talked to her about it but the Avatar always seemed to be not in the room. When she was, the bright white bandage that covered her nose took up all the attention and not in a good way. There wasn't much talking done between them. Asami knew that had to change. She needed to know that they were still friends. She just didn't know how to talk to Korra about the whole thing, not after that beating.

"Asami, you still with me?" her sensei asked from across the apartment, standing in the kitchen. His travel bag was resting against the table and his coat had already been tossed onto the coat rack with disgustingly good accuracy.

"Yes, Naruto-sensei," she replied, taking off her own jacket and hanging on the rack. "I was just thinking."

"About what?" he asked. He was too busy puttering around and making a quick snack to actually look at her.

She walked to the kitchen but did not join him fully in there. "About Korra and the situation between us now," she told him. "I think that one of us needs to go talk to her."

"About what?" he asked, finally casting an eye back at her. There was a small note of suspicion in the eye.

"I'm not talking about you or the other Paragons," she replied. "I was talking more about me or Tahno. We're the ones who are going to be keeping an eye on Korra for the rest of our lives and I'm sure neither of us wants that to be on a sour note because of what you did to her."

He wasn't put off by her small accusation. "She needed to be taught a lesson, something that you agreed with."

"Just because I agreed with it doesn't mean I liked it."

To her surprise, he smiled slightly and in approval at her. "Good. You're learning."

She looked at him. He seemed a bit too casual about what he had done. She was almost certain that he would forget about the event in time. "Sensei, does it even bother you about what you did in the South Pole."

He shrugged his shoulders as he opened his pantry. "It wouldn't be the first time I had to brain an Avatar."

"You did a little more than brain her!" she protested. "You practically beat her black and blue!"

He closed the pantry with a flick of his head. "I know." He turned around and looked at her. "One thing you're going to have to learn quick, Asami, is this: being the Avatar is never an excuse. There was a reason why people wait until the Avatar turns sixteen before telling them about who they are."

He waited expectantly and she quickly grasped that she was supposed to give him an answer. "That way, they're able to have a normal childhood."

"There is that but it is also the Avatar has a chance to grow a brain and some sense. The Air Nomads made a mistake and a mess when they told Aang that he was the Avatar when he was twelve. And after he got out of that iceberg, he didn't have any actual adult watching out for him, allowing him to run wild."

"But weren't those when he had most of his adventures?"

He gave her a look. "Do you not remember what I said about him when Jinora asked?"

She fell silent, knowing full well what he was talking about. "Alright, I see your point," she conceded.

_RING-RING!_

_RING-RING!_

They stared at the ringing phone. "What the…?" said Naruto, a little surprised.

_RING-RING!_

_RING-RING!_

"The phone is ringing, sensei," Asami told him.

He gave her a scowl that told her not to state the obvious now. "I can see that, Asami."

"Were you expecting a phone-call?"

"Not at the moment."

_RING-RING!_

_RING-RING!_

"Do you want me to answer it?" she asked, already stretching out her hand to pick up the handle.

He put down his snack and went over to the phone himself. "No, don't do that. If you pick it up, the person on the other side might get confused about why I have a young woman in my apartment."

"They would probably just assume that it is me," she replied. "After all, we did announce that I was your apprentice publically at that Nuktuk mover."

"Still, better to be safe than sorry," he remarked as he picked up the phone and held it to his ear. "Yes?"

"Lord Uzumaki, we have a call long-distance for you," the operator on the other end told him in a professional voice. "Would you like to take this call?"

He wondered who it was that calling him. Long distance could've meant anywhere from the other end of the Earth Kingdom to the far ends of the North Pole. "Where is this call coming from?"

"Past the Fire Nation, sir," the operator answered, "from the Elemental Countries."

"_Arashi,"_ he instantly thought, becoming worried. "Put it through immediately, please."

"Of course sir," said the operator. "Please hold."

He heard the waiting music start to play and rolled his eyes at it like he did every time. _"Why Sokka thought it was a good idea to put music on the phone's waiting signal is still beyond me,"_ he thought to himself. _"And it's not even good music to begin with."_

Thankfully, he didn't have to wait long. He heard the phone click, signaling that the other side had made it through. He opened his mouth to speak only to have his ear bulldozed over when the voice on the other side screamed, "WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN!?"

Asami winced at the voice. She had backed off to give her sensei some room with the phone, leaning against the couch. The voice was loud to make her almost lose her balance and fall against the couch. Naruto's head jerked back at the sound of the voice since he got full blast of it. When the voice died down, they looked at each other. Despite the screaming volume, they knew that voice. The old man put the phone gingerly back to his ear and said, "Arashi?"

His grandson spoke again in that screaming tone, clearly not done. "I HAVE BEEN CALLING THIS NUMBER FOR A WEEK NOW! YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO LEAVE A MESSAGE TELLING PEOPLE WHERE YOU'VE GONE AND WHEN YOU'LL BE BACK, NOT JUST LEAVE THEM IN DOUBT!"

This time when the shouting started, Naruto held the phone away from his ear. That way, he wouldn't go deaf from it. When the screaming stopped, he put it back to his ear. "Are you done now?" he asked his grandson.

There was hard breathing on the other end. "No, I am not done. I'd like to shout at you some more."

"Then why haven't you?"

"Because I just remembered that I'm in a hospital and one of the doctors is giving me the evil eye."

"_Hospital?"_ thought Naruto worriedly. _"What the hell is he doing in a hospital?"_ He looked over at Asami and saw that she had the same concerning question on her face too. "Arashi what are you doing in a hospital? Were you injured?"

"No, they initially kept me because they thought I might have hypothermia. Then I stuck around because I wanted to make this phone call here."

"Why are you calling from the hospital then?"

There was a paused silence, like his grandson was trying to figure out what to say exactly. And then it came. "I found her, Jiji. I found Natsumi."

All of sudden, Naruto's world felt like it had gotten turned over. Arashi had found Natsumi. He had been going through all of his contacts throughout the Bending Countries trying to find even a sniff of a hint as to her location ever since it had been revealed that she was still alive. He had gotten nothing and it was his grandson that found her. "Where?" he asked, "Where was she found?"

"In the Land of Spring, right in here in the Elemental Countries," Arashi answered.

A growl bubbled up from his throat. The one continent that he made sure that he never went back to ever again, that was where they had hidden her. Now that he thought about it, it was blindingly obvious. _"Damn it, why didn't I think of that before?"_

"**I'll tell you why,"** Kurama said. **"It's because you were so intent on not going back that you didn't even consider that it might've been someone from the other side of the planet. That's bad thinking on your part, Naruto."**

As much as he wanted to argue the idea, he couldn't. _"Agni fuck me, you're right. I'm getting stupid in my old age."_

"**First off, you and I have both met Agni. You know full well that he would never fuck you. Secondly, you're not getting stupid in your old age. You've always been this stupid."**

He ignored that last remark and focused more on the phone. "Arashi, are you sure? Are you absolutely that it's her?"

"Of course I'm sure!" his grandson almost shouted at him. "Look, I'll prove it. Just hold on."

He heard the sound of feet moving across tiled floor and the faintest murmur of people talking far off in the background. Then the noises settled and another voice spoke, "Jiji?"

That one word and his knees went weak. His free hand reached for his chair, trying to find so he could have some kind of support. When he did find the support, he leaned on it. He needed it. The last time he had heard that voice, it had been five years ago at a family picnic. "Natsumi, is that really you?"

"Yes, it is."

"Agni save me, it's been so long. Are you alright? Are you hurt in anyway?"

"The doctors are keeping me over because I might have hypothermia too and…other things."

"What other things?"

"I don't know. They didn't tell me." There was a worried note in her voice.

That was enough for him. "Natsumi, please give the phone back to your brother."

"Okay."

"Natsumi," he said, stopping her before she did anything. "I love you dearly. This is not a smack against you. Okay?"

"Okay," she said back, sounding a little bit better.

He heard the sound of the phone being shuffled around. When it settled, he only asked one thing. "What happened?"

There was movement, probably his grandson moving away from his sister for a little more privacy. "I don't really know," Arashi said in a whisper. "When we first found her, she was completely different, cold. I don't know if the adults talked to her when I wasn't in the room but she didn't say anything about who had her when I was there. The only time we got an actual reaction out of her was when she saw me and tried to strangle me, calling me a traitor."

Natsumi tried to kill her own brother? Just what the hell did those bastards do to her? But it also sounded like there was more. "And then?"

"I was able to snap her back to her actual self but now she can't really remember what happened to her, only bits and pieces. The last clear memory she has is…of that night."

"Arashi, I'm coming over there."

"**Well, what is this?"** Kurama said in a mildly impressed voice. **"You're finally going back, after how long now?"**

"_Not now."_

"Jiji, the Hokage sent a message to the Republic Council about what they found. Do you remember what Rin came there looking for?"

"Yes, missing kids. You told me as much as in your letters." He noticed Asami's eyes widened slightly at that but ignored it.

"Well, we rescue them along with Natsumi. They're waiting for someone to pick them up now."

That was all and good on their side, but things had changed on his side. "Arashi, there is no Republic Council anymore. There's been a change of politics. We have a president now."

"Oh, oh boy," said Arashi in embarrassment.

"Don't worry about it. I will take care of it. I'll be as soon as I can."

"So about a year, if we're lucky?" he asked with more than a hint of snarky in his voice.

"Watch it, Arashi," he replied with a cutting tone. "This is not something to joke about."

"…Sorry," his grandson replied, truly meaning it.

"I will be there. Goodbye." He put the phone back in the cradle and then picked it back up.

Asami looked at him with a puzzled look. "Are we not having a lesson, Naruto-sensei?" she asked him. It was the reason she had followed him to his home.

"Not anymore, we're not," he replied, dialing the number for Raiko's office. "You can go, Asami."

She started for the door but stopped. She looked back at him. "Might I ask what happened? I did hear Arashi, right?"

"You did," he said as he held the phone to his ear.

"What happened?"

"My granddaughter has been found."

She froze at that news. She knew of Arashi's sister and that she had disappeared. Now that she had been found… "Agni bless you," she said.

"Thank you but I'm not going to be blessed until I absolutely know that my granddaughter is safe."

"Would you like me to tell the others the news?"

"Sure. But keep it to them." He was so focused on the phone that he didn't really think about what she had said. When he did think about it, he just hoped that she would only tell it to the Paragons, and perhaps her friends and Tenzin's family.

The phone stopped ringing and the president's voice spoke. "Yes."

"Raiko, it's Naruto," he said without preamble.

"Ah, Lord Naruto, what is it I can do for you?"

"You're going to get a message from the Elemental Countries regarding the kidnapped children in the upcoming months. I will be taking care of it now. This is just a forewarning."

"Oh, I see."

"I will also be commandeering one of the ships from United Republic Navy for the task."

"I understand. Would you like me to contact the captain of the ship to expedite the process?"

He knew that the president meant well but that would actually slow down the process instead of speeding it up. "No, I know who to contact. Good day, Raiko."

"Good day, Lord Uzumaki."

The phone clicked and began the waiting ring. He put it back in the cradle, picked it up again, and dialing the number that would put him right through the captain he wanted. He didn't have to wait long. "This is Commander Iroh of the _Scarred Dragon_."

"Iroh, it's Naruto."

There was a faint scraping sound. "Lord Naruto," he said.

"Iroh put the hand down. There's no need to salute." He didn't have to be in the same room to know that the younger man was saluting. "And do you remember what I told you the last time about calling me a lord?"

"Sorry, Uncle," he apologized.

"Better."

"What can I do for?"

"Prepare your ship and your crew for a long trip across the seas. Pack additional supplies for people that you will pick up."

"Pick up?"

"Yes. Do you remember the kidnapping ring that was discovered?"

"Yes, I do."

"They've been found in the Elemental Countries. That's where you're going. Don't worry about getting official orders from Raiko. I talked to him first and he knows what's happening."

To his credit as a soldier, Iroh didn't protest or argue. He simply said, "I understand. How soon are we to leave?"

"ASAP," his great uncle answered.

"What port are we to dock in once we reach the Elemental Countries?"

He thought that information over for a second. He wasn't sure if the locations had changed since he left. It would be a safe assumption that they would but it would also be a safe assumption that many of the old places would still be there. He racked his brain to try and find a port that he knew would still be around. **"Maybe next time, you bring a map with you,"** Kurama remarked with a smug grin on his face.

"_Shut up, furball,"_ he replied shortly. _"I don't need it."_ A name came to him and he said, "Find the port city named Aozora. It should be close to the capital. Once you're there, wait until someone contacts you."

"How will that happen?"

"I will take care of it."

"Very well, we will head for the Elemental Countries ASAP."

"Good." Again he put the phone in the cradle and picked up again. He dialed a single digit and waited.

This one took even less time than the others. "Republic City phone center, how may we help you?"

"This is Naruto Uzumaki," he began without preamble.

"Really?" the operator asked in a voice that was equal parts surprised and disbelieving.

He had heard it before. "You're new at this job, aren't you?"

"Um…yes, sir?" she answered, making it sound like a question.

He rolled his eyes. "Get one of your superiors to take over this phone call, now."

"Now wait a minute—"

"Now," he repeated himself. "And make to pay attention to the lecture they'll give you later."

"Of all the—"

"Now," he said a third time.

He heard grumbling on the other end but eventually heard the phone being put down and the operator walking away. It was a minute before someone came back and picked up the phone. "Lord Uzumaki, I apologize for that."

"How new is she?"

"This is her first week." There was embarrassment in the man's voice as he spoke. "Be assured that she will be lectured about this."

"Good. Now, put me through to my usual number on Ember Island."

"Of course sir," he told him. "Have a good day."

He waited while the phone rang, getting a little agitated at how long it was taking. He tried to stop himself from getting annoyed but it was rather hard to do so. When the phone did pick up, he thought to himself, _"Finally."_

"**He's as old as you,"** Kurama reminded him.

"This is Zuko speaking."

"Zuko, it's Naruto," he said to his brother-in-law. "I'll be over there in a couple of minutes. Is Fǎn Yìng ready to fly?"

"Of course he is."

"Do you think that he'd be able to fly across the ocean?"

"Naruto, you know that he can do it. We have flown from the Fire Nation to the Earth Kingdom many times."

"That's not the ocean I'm thinking of."

There was a paused moment on the other end. When Zuko did speak again, it was with suspicion. "Naruto, are you not saying what I think you're not saying?"

"**Is that even an actual thing to say?"** Kurama wondered. **"I'm older than either of you two and that's probably the first time I've heard it said like that."**

"_I doubt it. Now shut up,"_ Naruto told him. "Yes, Zuko," he said to his brother-in-law.

"I thought that you said that you would never go back. You and Aang fought about it whenever trade came up."

He knew that. He also knew that every time he and Aang had that argument, he was able to browbeat the Avatar into agreeing with him. But that wasn't the case now. "Have you heard about the kidnapping ring exposed in Republic City?"

"Yes, it made the news in all of the countries. I cannot believe that Sozin's successor would have been able to allow such a thing."

"You didn't meet her that much. Trust me, she did it gladly. But there was also the fact we couldn't find the children that had already been sold. Now I've just learned from Arashi that they were in the Elemental Countries this entire time."

"While that is something good to hear, I don't think that would be enough to make you want go back."

"There is more," he admitted. "Arashi and his team didn't just find the missing children, he found someone we had both given up for dead."

"…You mean…?" It was like Zuko was trying to ask the question but could not find the words or the strength to finish the question.

Even though he was on the phone, Naruto nodded. "He found Natsumi. She's been over there this entire fucking time."

"Agni have mercy on me. I never thought, never once considered that she—"

"I know, Zuko. I'm the same way and I'm kicking myself over it too." It was a good thing that the fox wasn't snickering, otherwise he might've torn it a new one.

"I can Fǎn Yìng ready to fly long distance in two hours. If we go at a pace where we don't kill ourselves getting there, we should reach the Land of Fire within the week."

Normally, Naruto would've said to go for the speed that killed them, but they weren't young men anymore. That kind of flying on a dragon might actually kill them. "I'll be over momentarily. Let me just grab a few things."

"Naruto, before you hang up the phone, I want to make sure of something with you."

"What?" he demanded slightly irritated. Time was slipping through their fingers here and Zuko wanted to waste it on more talking?

"…Never mind. We'll talk once you're here and we're airborne. But something has to be done about the children."

"I've already taken care of it. Your grandson has been notified and ordered. He will be sailing to Aoizora."

"President Raiko…?"

"Has been informed already," he finished.

"Then I will see you presently." The phone clicked at that and went dead.

He put the phone back in the cradle and started moving around the apartment, gathering what he thought he would need. He didn't pay attention to the fact that he would be going back to his homeland in almost a century now. There would be time to worry about that later. Once he had everything that he needed, he grabbed his coat, threaded it through his arm, and grabbed his pack.

"**Naruto, wait,"** Kurama said as he started for the bedroom. **"Aren't you forgetting something? Arashi did just yell at you for it."**

He stopped and turned back around, going to the voice message machine and quickly relaying a message. Just to be thorough, he also grabbed a piece of paper and left a message on the table for anyone who would come by with a key and wonder where he was. Just because he had told Asami what had happen and she was willing to tell the others, it didn't mean he wouldn't get that kind of situation while he was gone. The message on the table read the same as the one on the voice mail:

To whom it may concern.

I'm currently out of the apartment on an extended trip. I do not know when I will be back. If your message is not that important, please wait until I do get back. If it is that important, leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as I can. And for any potential morons who think that raiding an empty apartment is an easy thing, just remember this: if you're able to out of here alive from the traps, I will find you when I get back and you will not like the outcome.

You have been warned.

Naruto Uzumaki.

Once it was done, he went to the bedroom and straight to the closet. It was a standard kind of closest one would find in an apartment, full of clothes and whatnots that weren't needed in the rest of the apartment at that moment. But what Naruto was most keen on was the seal carved and inscribed on the floor. It was something that he had made when he and Azula had first moved into the apartment. It was a seal just like the one that Jiraiya had used to pull them to Konoha all those years ago. It was able to connect to another seal, like the one on Ember Island, with ease. Anywhere else in the Bending Countries, he would have to concentrate and make sure that he brought seal tags, otherwise he would have to go back home the long way around.

He was about to kneel down and place his hand on the seal when he stopped and looked at it for a second. He continued to look at it. Then he grabbed a nearby ink jar and brush. Once he was sure that the ink could still be used and the same with the brush, he knelt down and began painting additions to the seal. This would only be a short-term measure since the ink would burn off after a few uses, four at the most. If he wanted to make it permanent, he would have to inscribe it like he had with the rest of the seal.

"**You should inscribe it,"** Kurama told him as he was finishing up.

He paused momentarily at the fox's voice. "I didn't ask for your opinion, fox," he said, finally going back to painting.

"**Well, I'm giving it. You should inscribe it. If this tribe goes the way I think it will go, you'll be making a lot more trips to the Elemental Countries. You don't want to be taking a trip on that dragon or a ship every time, do you?"**

"For all you know, this is going to be a one-time thing."

"**Please, like that is actually going to happen. This is a good thing, you know."**

"If you say so," he said dismissively.

"**I do say so. This is going to help with the rest of the process of getting rid of your phobia of going back."**

He sighed. "In case you haven't noticed, fox, I would have to make some adjustments to the one in Konoha, if the thing is still around." If he was lucky, they would've destroyed the seal already or have built something over it.

The fox scoffed at those words. **"Is that really going to stop you? We both know full well it would only take you a day to carve and inscribe a new one. And with your ability to not be where people want you to be, I'd say that you'd be able to make one without anyone seeing you."**

He finished and put the tools away. "Maybe," he conceded as he knelt down again, placing his hand on the seal.

"**Maybe?"** the Kyūbi asked in clear and sarcastic disbelief.

"Fine," he replied while letting his chakra flow through the seal, allowing it to glow in the dark closest, "Definitely." For a moment, the glow engulfed his entire senses, leaving him alone in a void. That void and him were old friends so he ignored it. When the moment and the void passed, he wasn't in a closest. He was kneeling in the middle of a private courtyard in Zuko's house, the same one that he had spent his childhood summers in.

As the blonde stood back up, he looked over at one of the corners. It was funny, if he squinted his eyes and let every else fade away, he could almost see his younger self with Azula, Zuko, the rest of his Paragons, and Team Avatar relaxing and having a small break against what they went through daily.

Then he blinked and the shadows were gone. He heard footsteps behind him and turned to look at his brother-in-law. "Hey, Zuko," he said in greeting.

"Hey, Naruto," Zuko said back.

(Location: Konoha)

Natsumi stared at the phone then at her brother. "Was he always like that?" she asked him.

He sat next to the phone beside her bed. "Do you mean short and blunt?" he asked her.

"Yeah," she answered. Her memories of their Jiji were of him being loving, kind, but also willing to either pull a joke or be the joke. In her mind's eye, he had a kind smile that could and would break out into laughter when he heard something funny.

Arashi scratched his side of his head. He could hazard a guess what she was thinking of when it came to him. "I think he was always like that, he was just nicer to us whenever we came over to him or he came over to us."

She made a small frown. "Could you imagine living with him if he was like that all the time?"

"Since I did live with him, I can," he retorted.

"You lived with him?" She actually sounded surprise at his words.

He frowned at her. "Of course I lived with him. Did you think that I was just going to live out on the streets after what happened?" he demanded. His face froze in horror and lost the angry glint in his eyes. "Sorry, I wasn't thinking."

"No, it's okay," she told him, feeling just as bad. "We both went through a bad time." While she had lost most of her memories of what happened to her when she was kidnapped, she did know enough to know that she hadn't cared about the family she was taken from. Meanwhile, her big brother had been the only one left who thought that she had still been alive.

There was a moment of awkwardness between them. It stretched out because neither of them really knew what to say to the other. "Look, Natsumi," Arashi started to say.

"Nat," she cut him off.

He stopped and looked at her. "Sorry?"

"Call me Nat, not Natsumi."

He didn't know what to say to that. When something did come to him, it was, "You hated being called that."

"I also wanted to eat fire gummies and ice cream all day when I was four."

"That's not even the same subject, let alone thing."

She knew that, it just came out of her mouth. She felt a little stupid for saying what she actually felt about her name. When she looked at her brother, all she saw was a desire to return back to the old days when they were kids. But still, she didn't have a good reply to him so all she could really give him was the truth. "Natsumi is a little girl whose biggest concern was making sure she could continue to one-up her big brother when it came to Firebending. I'm not that person anymore and neither are you."

"Natsumi—"

"Please don't call me that," she told him, her voice snapping but also almost pleading. "It just brings up painful memories and something even more painful."

He was concerned now. "What?"

"The idea of what could I've been if I hadn't been kidnapped," she told him, making it sound like it was the most obvious thing in the world and he was a moron for not seeing it. She stopped and reined in the temper that was building up inside. It was hard and it was all she could do to not start yelling at him. "Natsumi is too painful, but Nat? Nat is someone else, someone new."

He looked at her for a long second. She was right. They weren't the same kids before the kidnapping. For the love of Agni, he had dyed his hair red! He really couldn't call her out with his hair like that. "Alright, I'll call you Nat," he agreed.

She smiled a little at him. "Thanks." Then a warning look appeared on her face. "But don't you dare ever call me Nattie!"

He held his hands up in a surrendering gesture. "I know that already. I remember that dinner." He didn't get the taste of ash out of his mouth for another week.

She remembered it too and felt embarrassed about it. "Yeah, sorry about that," she said. "That was probably a little overboard."

"You set the table on fire and blew up the main dish. The dinning room smelt of overcooked fish for a month straight after that," he reminded her. "The first time I showed my Firebending was I had the hiccups and ended up belching fire."

She giggled a little at that. "Yeah, and after that you would always snap your mouth shut every time you felt one bubble up. Oba called you her little burping dragon after that."

He groaned loudly. "Oh Spirits save me. I had forgotten about that nickname. Thank you so much for reminding of it!" But she laughed and he found himself chuckling. What they were going on with here, it was nice. It felt like the past couple of years weren't important.

As the laughter petered out, Nat became serious. "Do you know when they're going to get me out of here?" she asked her brother.

"I think the doctor said something about letting you go today."

"And you weren't go to tell me that?" she asked, annoyed that he wouldn't tell her something like that in the first place.

The door slammed open, making them both turn in surprise. Tsukiko was standing in the doorway, panting like she had just run here (which she probably had). "Iron Claw?" said her teammate in surprise.

Natsumi looked at her brother. "You call her that? That's rude."

"Say that after she's made you lose feeling in your legs."

Her face morphed into a disgusted look and she leaned away from him. "Oh, gross! I didn't need to hear about that!"

"Not like that! Look, just wait." He looked back at Tsukiko. "What are you doing here?"

"Does she get out of here today?" she demanded, pointing at the girl in the bed.

"I think so. Why?"

She reached back out the door and pulled in a wheelchair. "We need to get her out of here, now."

He stood up, concerned and worried. "What's going on?"

"No time to explain," she said shortly, "Could be life and death!" She pushed the wheelchair quickly up to the side of the bed. "Hop in!"

Natsumi looked at the wheelchair and then at her, her pride insulted. "I'm not getting in that thing. I can walk just fine."

"This will be faster, trust me. Now get in already!"

"No, I refuse."

She stifled an irritated growl and grabbed her by the arm. "Oh just come here!" She yanked the smaller girl out of her bed and into the chair. "Alright, let's go." She pushed the chair to the door, looking out quickly before pushing it out.

Arashi followed her out. "Tsukiko, what's happening?" he asked her in a whisper. "Are there people in the building for Nat?"

"Yes," she whispered. She pushed the wheelchair towards the elevator. Arashi's sister looked indignant about it but she didn't say anything. That was good. It would help them blend in.

When they walked past the nurse's station, he looked back at it. "Hang on. Aren't we supposed to sign her out before we can take her?"

"Already did that," she replied.

He looked at her with surprise. "How?" he asked.

"I forged your signature." She had been practicing her **Sharingan** on his handwriting and she was certain that she pretty much had it down now. They were getting close to the elevators. Once they were in the elevators, it was just a matter of getting to the first floor and getting out of the hospital.

They heard the elevators ring out but only she was paying attention to who it was coming out of them. _"Crap!"_ she thought to herself when she saw who it was. There was no way out that way! _"Wait, there's another set of elevators on the other side. We can get out that way!"_ She reached out to poke Arashi in the side.

He looked down at her. "What?"

"Turn around naturally," she told him quietly. "We're heading for the other elevators."

"What's wrong with the ones in front of us?"

Nat looked up at both of them with a suspicious frown. "Why are you whispering?" she asked them, unconsciously lowering her voice to the same level.

Tsukiko didn't answer her. Instead, she told her brother, "They're not good any more. We have to go to the other ones now."

"Not good?"

"Just come on!" She turned the wheelchair around and pushed it back towards the nurse's station. He was confused about what was going, just like his sister, but he still went with her. They moved through the other people on the floor, trying to look natural about it.

Suddenly, the placid noise level was shattered when a familiar voice shouted, "THERE THEY ARE!"

At that voice, Tsukiko speed up her pace, considerably. "RUN!" she shouted to Arashi as she blazed forward.

He looked back confused but still ran alongside her. "Wasn't that Tsume back there?" he asked as he dodged a nurse.

Tsukiko was so intent on steering the wheelchair that she barely paid to him, giving him a short, "Yes!" for an answer.

"Why are we running from Tsume?"

Nat tried looking back but the speed she was going at kept her neck in place, letting her only see where they were going and even then she was experiencing a little bit of tunnel vision. "What's going on?" she asked, getting irritated by not understanding the situation. "Arashi, do you know that girl?"

"Yeah, she's a teammate and friend."

"Why are we running from a friend of yours?"

"That's what I'd like to know," he said, looking at Tsukiko with a questioning look. It was kinda hard to do while running at full speed through a hospital trying to avoid the other people.

"Not now," his teammate said shortly. She could see the other elevators in sight. She pulled the wheelchair into a stop in front of them and started hitting the button rapidly. _"Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on."_

"Tsukiko, what is going on?" Arashi demanded.

"FOUND THEM!"

She twisted her head and saw Hana at the end of the hall. The elevator doors opened and she pushed Nat in. Arashi followed, still confused. As the doors closed, he saw Tsume trying to reach them with a frustrated look. As the elevator moved down and they felt their gravity shift up, he looked at his teammate. "Could we please have an answer now?"

"They heard that she was getting out today," she replied. "They were going to subject to one of the worst tortures I know of."

"What?"

She looked him right in the eye and said, "A girls' day out." She shuddered as she spoke, remembering her last experience with that kind of thing. It hadn't been out on town, it had been an ambush inside her own home. "Trust me. It's going to be bad. We need to get your sister out of here."

"Are you overacting?"

"No."

The elevator dinged as the doors. Tsukiko thought they were close to victory as she took in that light coming from the crack. But then as the crack widened and she saw that there was a person standing in front of the elevator. Her heart clenched and she knew they were defeated when she saw who it was. "Oh, hey Mrs. Inuzuka," her teammate said like nothing was wrong.

Tsume's very pregnant mother stood in front of them, her hands resting lightly on her stomach. "Tsukiko, what are on earth are you doing with the poor dear?" she asked, looking down at Nat. "She looks practically scared."

Nat was not scared, practically or otherwise. If there was a word that defined what she was feeling exactly, it would've been surprised. But she wasn't going to tell her that. So instead she chose to go with a rude "Who the hell are you?"

The woman didn't even flinch or look offended at her words. "I'm a mother. You looked to be a daughter. Am I wrong?"

She flinched a little bit at the mention of her mother, like her brother. She couldn't help but think of her. "My mother's dead."

The slightly mischievous smile the woman had on her face changed into a gentle and caring one. "I know, sweetie. I'm sorry for your loss."

"Mrs. Inuzuka, what are you doing here?" Tsukiko asked her, looking at her wearily.

She looked at the young Uchiha girl. "Oh, I'm just here to supervise my daughter and her friends in their little endeavor. Which involves her," she looked down at Nat, "and you." She looked at her.

A small wave of horror filled her stomach. "Me?"

"Yes, you," she said with a bright smile, reaching out and grabbing hold of her arm. "Don't worry. Your mother said it was fine."

Tsukiko looked down at the hand holding her arm. It was gentle for now, but she knew it could turn firm and unyielding. She knew that there was no escape now. "Okay then," she said with a surrender. Nat looked up at her with confusion and surprise but she shook her head. There was no point in trying to escape now.

"Oh good," she said delightedly. With a gentle tug she pulled the both of them out of the elevator. "I do not know what you were doing in this elevator when Tsume and the others were coming up the main ones."

"_One could wonder what you were doing waiting in front of this one,"_ she thought to herself. Of course she didn't say that aloud. It would've been pointless since it was obvious why she was there.

"Arashi, where are you going?" the older woman asked suddenly. She and Nat turned around and saw that he was trying very casually to walk away from them.

He stopped and looked at them, staying out of her easy reach. "Oh I just figured that since this was a girl's day out, you wouldn't need me. So I'll just be on the way."

"Don't be absurd," she said with a smile. "Of course we'd need you. Somebody will have to help us carry all those clothes."

"_Clothes?"_ thought Nat, confused as all hell. She looked back at her brother but he didn't look at her.

"With all due respect, Mrs. Inuzuka, I'm going to refuse," he told her. "I will be gladly be many things, but bag boy for a girl shopping spree will not be one of them. Have a good day." He started to walk away again.

"Arashi, you do see Shimo there, yes?" she asked him, looking off to the side. Everyone else looked that way and saw her partner resting there. He was a big old hound whose white fur shone in the light of the windowed sun. He perked his head up at his name and watched the dyed redhead intently. "You don't want him to chase you now, do you?"

He eyed the dog back before looking at her. "Madam, you make it sound like this would be the first time I would have to outrun a dog hunting me."

"_He's done that before?"_ Tsukiko and Nat thought, the former with less surprise than the latter. The latter also wondered what her brother had been through while she had been gone.

But Mrs. Inuzuka wasn't fazed. "I do not believe that was with an Inuzuka hound, was it?" Shimo got up to his full height, still keeping his gaze on the dyed redhead.

He didn't say anything. He just stared at the hound. "…I'll take that chance." He bolted down the hall for the hospital entrance.

She waited about ten seconds before she looked at her partner. "Shimo, if you could?"

"Alright, fine," he replied, going after him at full speed.

"Don't make him hurt too much!" she called out after the hound. She didn't get a response but she knew that he would listen. They wouldn't have been together this long if they didn't communicate.

Nat stared at where her brother and the animal had run off in with a mouth slightly agape. "The dog spoke," she said.

"Yes," the woman replied, making it sound like it was nothing too shocking.

"The dog spoke."

"Yeah, the dog spoke," Tsukiko agreed. She understood where the girl was thinking since she remembered how Arashi had met Shimo the first time around. He had been just as surprised. She only hoped that this time around it wouldn't end with a bloody nose and bitten leg.

"The dog _fucking_ spoke!"

Mrs. Inuzuka frowned at her. "Now, now, there's no need to be rude, young lady," she said in a chastising tone.

She frowned right back at the woman, pregnancy be damned. "I'm not a lady," she started to say. But she felt a firm hand on her shoulder.

She looked at it and who it belonged to, seeing Tsukiko lean down to her ear. "Don't try fighting her," the Uchiha said to her in a whisper. "You would only lose and feel bad about trying to fight in the first place. Trust me. I know." She looked like she did want to keep arguing but Tsukiko shook her head firmly. Caught between the two of them, Nat chose to give it up. But that didn't mean she hadn't meant what she said. She was no lady.

(Location: Air Temple Island)

It was a good thing that the boat to Air Temple Island was quick or Asami would've swum the distance. She was certain she could've made it. She had barreled up the island as soon as she had touched the dock and found everyone at dinner. They had been surprised that she had showed up like that.

But they were even more surprised when she had revealed the news she had learned only a half hour ago. "Are you absolutely sure about this?" Tenzin asked her. They were all still sitting around the dinner table but dinner had been forgotten at this point.

Asami was sitting next to Korra and was trying her best not to think about it. She wanted to stay on point with this. "Of course," she told the Airbending master. "I was there in the room when he got the phone call."

If he was in a chair, he would've slumped against it. But since he didn't have that, he settled for leaner further back on the mat. "Spirits preserve me, Natsumi is still alive," he said in a voice that was both awe and relief. That same mixture also showed on his face.

He wasn't the only one who had the expression. While Ikki, and Meelo were a little confused by the looks, Pema, Kya, and Bumi shared Tenzin's expression. "We…we had given her up for dead," his wife said, her expression becoming horrified.

"We couldn't have known," Bumi tried reassuring her, but he didn't look any better. "We searched for her everywhere but we couldn't find her. We thought that she was dead."

"But Arashi didn't," she told him. "We all told him to let it go but he never stopped believing that she was alive."

There was truth in those words, even if they stabbed him a little bit to admit it. He was going to have to a very big apology to Arashi if he ever saw him again. Ikki looked back and forth at the adults and teenagers with a confused look but it was Meelo who asked the question. "Who's Natsumi?"

Asami heard the question and stared at him completely surprised. "He doesn't know?" How could he not know? He lived with Arashi.

"We never told him or Ikki," Tenzin explained.

"How could you not?"

"Who's Natsumi?" Meelo said again, this time looking a bit more annoyed that he was being ignored liked that.

"He had never met her."

Asami didn't think that was a good enough reason. "That doesn't make sense and you know it, Tenzin."

"If he had not met her, what would've been the point of telling him about her? It was a sad thing and he does not need to know of what happened."

Meelo looked like he was about to blow his top from being ignored so much. He took a deep breath in, opening his mouth wide. He was on the verge of shouting when a nut was fired right at his mouth. He snapped down shut on it immediately but looked at who had fired it. "No shouting at the table, Meelo," Korra told him, "Especially with Airbending. You know the rules."

He was on the verge of protesting that he wouldn't have done that, but he also saw the look on his parents' faces. "Alright," he acknowledged. "But who is Natsumi?"

She looked at the other adults in the room. They didn't look like they would argue with what she was going to say. "She's Arashi's little sister. She disappeared after the fire burned down their house."

"That's sad," Ikki declared. The briefly sad expression on her face vanished and was replaced with an annoyed one. "But why didn't you tell us about her?"

"We decided that Arashi would be the one to tell you, if he wanted to."

She didn't accept that as a viable answer. She looked over at her big sister. "Why didn't you say anything if you knew?" she demanded.

"Dad's right," Jinora replied easily. "It wasn't my place to tell you about her."

Bum-Ju flew into the room and landed in Bumi's lap. "Hey there, buddy," Bumi said to the spirit, smiling down at it. "Where have you been?" The spirit chirped happily at him and his smile got wider. "That's good to hear."

"You can't understand him," Kya told her brother.

"I do too."

"You do not."

Tenzin rolled his eyes at his brother and sister. Then he noticed a spirit flying past the nearby window. A minute past and then another one flew past too. "It seems the city has been getting more and more spirits," he remarked.

Korra looked out the window too. "Yeah, they've been getting here by the swarm," she said with a nod. She had been seeing them come into the city on the ship coming into the docks. They were flying or swimming to the city and dispersing amongst the streets.

Jinora looked at the window too. "Isn't that a good thing?" she asked them.

"It is, Jinora," her father told her. "But we also must think about where they are going to live. The president has been informed but he does not have a plan in regards to them."

"They could all live here!" Ikki said. It sounded like a good idea to her. Maybe if they came here, she could have her own spirit friend, like Uncle Bumi.

But her father shook his head. "There would be too many of them, Ikki. We couldn't handle them all."

She looked a little sad at that. "But where they would all go then?"

"I don't know."

"It is something that can be worried about tomorrow," Pema told them both as she readjusted holding Rohan in her arms. "Tonight, we just got back from our trip. So let us eat the food before us and then sleep."

Everyone could agree with that sentiment. But even though they were about to eat, Bumi spoke again. "I'm sorry but I want to go back to Natsumi." He looked at Asami. "What's Naruto doing about this?"

"He was taking care about it when I left him," she told him.

"And he didn't want any help?" His tone had a slight accusatory to it, like he was blaming her for not staying with him.

She was offended by that. She had seen the intensity on her sensei's face. "It looked like something that he was going to take care of personally and didn't need me for. It's his family. You'd be the same if it was one of yours."

He scowled at that. "I was in the military. I know the importance of teamwork and asking for help."

"Bumi," his sister said, "Naruto was in the military before either of us was even born. This isn't a military operation. It's just him finding his family. He might just rely on family."

Tenzin nodded in agreement. "Yes, that does make sense. He and Fire Lord Zuko are close."

"They are?" asked Asami, a little surprised.

"Yes."

"Sensei had never talked about him or even mention him before." She would've remembered if he had.

But he didn't look surprised at her words. He reached out for his tea and took a quiet sip of it before saying, "It might not seem like it, but Lord Uzumaki and Fire Lord Zuko are indeed good friends."

"They'd have to be," Kya replied, "since they're in-laws and all that."

As soon as she heard that, Asami felt like an idiot. Of course her sensei would be friends with the previous Fire Lord. He had married Princess Azula after all! _"How could I miss that?"_ she asked herself, frowning a little bit. She saw Korra looking at her from the corner of her eye but when she turned to look back, the Avatar was staring at her food.

"And there is the fact that along with Sokka, Naruto and Zuko were the only real people who were able to reel our dad in," Bumi added. He looked at the children, even the baby. "Remember kids, if you don't want to get sit on by Naruto, don't do anything to irritate him." They nodded in acknowledgement while their dad rolled his eyes.

(Location: Konoha)

"What the hell am I doing here?" Hiro asked aloud as he followed Tsume, her mother, and the group of girls down the walkway in the mall. His arms were aching from the amount of bags on his arms. They had already gone to five shops and it didn't look like they were going to stop any time soon.

"You're helping me," Arashi answered, right beside him and carrying bags like him. There was a resigned look on his face as he followed.

He frowned at his teammate. "I wouldn't be here if you hadn't thrown me in the path of Shimo."

"When you want to escape a dog, you throw anything in its path, which includes teammates." He shifted the bags on his left arm so it wasn't so straining on his arm. He had been able to get away from the Inuzuka hound because of that move and several tricks he had picked up. The only reason he was here was because the Hokage's wife had been waiting for him when he got back to the clan compound and essentially guilt-tripped him into going.

He looked at the dyed redhead with a suspicious look. "Just how many times have you been running from dogs?"

"I spent a lot of time on the street."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"Look, if you want a reason to why you're doing this with me that makes sense, just think of it me getting back at you for falling asleep while Iron Claw up there had her grip on my leg," he said, gesturing up at their teammate. Tsukiko did not look like she wanted to really be there, second only to Nat herself. But both girls were in the middle of the group and so they didn't have an actual chance to get away.

"Alright, here's the next store!" Mrs. Inuzuka proclaimed as they came to a stop before the aforementioned secret.

Both of the boys stopped a foot or so behind them. Arashi looked up at the store itself. It was colored in reds that seemed to be somewhat suggestive and pinks that somehow managed to come off as playful. He looked at the windows on either side and saw what the store was selling: mannequins wearing bras and panties. "Oh no," he said in a whisper. "Is that…?"

"Yes, it is," Hiro replied, his face paling.

"Agni save my hot burning soul."

"Yeah, that too," he agreed.

"Alright, girls," Mrs. Inuzuka said aloud. "Let's go." They all started walking for the entrance but then she looked back at the boys. "Arashi, Hiro, why are you standing there?"

Arashi looked at the store and then at her again. "You don't honestly expect us to go into there, do you?"

"Yes," she answered, blunt and straightforward.

He shook his head rapidly. "No, no way. That's not happening."

"And why not?" she asked, eyeballing him like he was about to become Shimo's next meal.

Hiro almost faulted underneath that gaze but willed himself to be strong. "I-I don't think that we have the right parts to qualify to go in there," he offered.

"Parts?" repeated Yuki. The other girls giggled and he felt his face go red.

"It does not matter what parts you have, Hiro," the leader of the group told him. "You can come in all the same. In fact, you must. You are holding our bags after all."

"_Not by willing choice,"_ both boys thought to themselves. Arashi quickly tried to come up with something else that would get them out of this. He did come up with something but it was going to have him apologize to his sister later.

"Actually, if you guys are going in there, this might be a good time for me to take Nat on some shopping for her."

Mrs. Inuzuka's eyes narrowed into just enough of a frown to make him nervous. "And what does that mean?"

Suddenly, he lost the idea of what he was trying to say. "Well, I…I—"

"He means that you guys haven't been really shopping for her," Hiro stepped quickly, saving his friend.

"Yeah, that," he said, getting the idea back.

"Of course we've been shopping for her," Tsume said, completely offended.

But he shook his head. "Not really, it's more like you getting stuff that she will grow into. I mean," He gestured at the shop. "I don't think she's going to be needing any of that any time soon." Nat gave him a scowl but he just shrugged his shoulders. It was the truth and it was going to get him out of here.

Mrs. Inuzuka eyed them with suspicion. "And just where were you planning on taking her, hmm?"

"_Ye Old Shinobi_," he said instantly.

The eyes were even more suspicious. "Why there?"

He didn't really have an answer for that. It was the first store name that came to him. "It has excellent customer service and helped me find clothes of my own."

"When you say customer service, are you talking about my cousin, Yuki?"

"Yeah?" he said, involuntarily making it sound like a question. He quickly recovered and said, "She helped me and found me this coat." He shifted his arms to emphasize his point. He loved the coat. Whenever he had it on, he felt like he had a whole new level of confidence.

"It is actually a pretty good coat," Hiro agreed. He kinda wished that he had the same kind of coat. Probably not in that color of red, but he would still like that kind of coat. Well, he had his grandmother's jacket, so it would have to do.

Nat looked at the coat. "Can I get one?" she asked her brother.

He nodded. "Yeah sure you can."

That settled it for her. She pushed out of the girl group and went over to him. "Let's go."

He looked at Mrs. Inuzuka with a slightly apologetic look. "Her choice, sorry," he told her.

"Alright, you can take her," she said in surrender. She wasn't about to deny them a chance to bond after being apart for so long.

He took her words as they were meant to be and started taking bags off his arms. "Oh, I'll go with you," Hiro said quickly, reaching to do the same.

But his cousin pounced on him before he could even have a chance. "You can't leave us, Hiro," she told him. "We're going to need a guy's opinion on all this."

His face paled. "An opinion?" he repeated.

"Yeah, you can't expect us to be good judges on what's inside, can you?" she asked, gesturing at the store. He could only stare up at the store's name. The words _Kunoichi's Closet_ had never filled him with so much dread before now. He looked at his teammate with a desperate plea for help in his eyes.

"_Sorry, Hiro,"_ Arashi thought to himself, _"But you're on your own."_ He put the last of the bags on the ground. "Hey, Iron Claw, can you grab these?" he asked Tsukiko. He didn't wait for her to answer before grabbing his sister by the shoulder and leading her away from them. The last looks he saw on his teammates were expressions that were practically screaming "SAVE ME!" He ignored them and kept walking.

Nat was the same way. They didn't stop walking at a quick pace for a good five minutes. When they did slow down, they breathed in relief. "That was close," she said. Then she slugged him in the arm.

It didn't hurt him enough to make him cry out in pain but he did rub the arm. "I deserve that."

"Damn right you did." She was embarrassed that he would even mention something like that. They hadn't been reunited for a month and already he was talking about her body? She was going to kill him. _"No,"_ the rational part of her brain told her, _"you can't kill him. There'd be no one else to stop those girls from coming back next time."_

"Come on," he told her, dropping his hand and grabbing hers. "Let's get to the store. I think it's only a floor up."

The store was where he said it would be. As soon as they stepped through, she felt like she had stepped into a darkened cave. She could see clothes at the front of the store but the back was cloaked in dark shadows. Someone came up to them, a woman in torn clothing. "You're back," she remarked as she looked at them both.

"Hey, Yuki," Arashi greeted her in friendly fashion.

She gave him a jerk of her head but kept her gaze on Nat. "Who's this?"

She almost felt like she wanted to back off but her pride refused to let it happen. "This is Nat," her brother introduced her. "She's my sister."

"Sister, huh?" she repeated, making it sound like a surprise in deadpan.

He nodded. "She's here for clothes."

"I can see that. She looks like she needs it." She wasn't sure what exactly the girl was wearing but it was something frilly, something pink, and something that just did not work on her. "Kami almighty, kid, who the fuck put that on you?" she demanded.

Nat looked down at her clothes. "I don't know myself," she replied. "It was the first store we went to and someone thought it would be adorable on me. It might've been one of the girls or the Inuzuka woman."

"Inuzuka woman?" she repeated with an arched eyebrow.

"Tsume's mom," Arashi supplied.

She lowered the eyebrow. "I see. That makes sense. My cousin does not have a fashion sense, not a good one anyway." She reached out and grabbed the girl by the arm. "Come on, kid. Let's go save your sense of fashion before it dies." She started leading her into the store. Arashi was about to follow them when the woman barked back at him, "You stay!"

He froze in place at the bark and lost them to the shadows. He didn't want to try and go after them. The last time he had been in here, the store had felt like a maze. It was a wonder to him that Yuki had been able to find clothes in there. Well, there was nothing he could do now in that store now. All he could do was wait for Nat to come back into the light.

He walked back to the entrance and leaned against the door. His foot rested up against the door. His hands went into his coat pockets and stayed there. He stared out at the mall while he waited. He watched people walk by, busily going through their lives and not paying much attention to anything else. He didn't focus on one person, instead choosing to watch them all as a whole.

He didn't realize that he was being watched until he saw a group of girls around his age on the other side of the mall. As soon as they made eye contact with him, they broke eye contact, somewhat. They didn't look right at him but they were still looking. _"This is weird,"_ he thought to himself. Still, it was best to be polite. He gave them a small wave of his hand and they giggled in response. _"Okay, even weirder."_ What exactly was going on?

In the end, he decided not to pay attention to it. He turned his eyes from away from them and let them focus on nothing. That way, he was able to see everything around him, or at least he tried to do that. Sometimes it would just make his head hurt and he had to close his eyes to give it a moment. But once it was gone, he was able to reopen them.

It was during one of those moments when he reopened his eyes that he saw a girl standing in front of him. She had been a part of the group and he could still see them standing in the same spot, watching intently. The girl himself was staring confidently at him, her brown eyes never flinching. "Can I help you?" he asked her, standing back up completely.

"I don't know," she said with a smile. "Can you help me?"

The smile was trying to tell him something but he wasn't sure what. "You're the one who came up to me."

"I did."

"Look, I'm not working here in the store," he told her apologetically. "So I don't know if I'd be able to help you."

She didn't look disappointed. "That's okay. I didn't come over here to browse through the store."

He frowned confusedly. "Then why are you over here?" If she wasn't here to look through the store, she didn't really have a purpose standing in front of the store. He didn't want to be mean and say that aloud though.

"I wanted to talk to Mr. Cool who was lounging outside the store."

He paused and tried to figure out who it was she was talking about. It didn't take him long to realize that there was no one else outside the store. "Me?" he asked her.

"I don't see any one else standing here."

He was surprised that she wanted to talk to him. Now, Arashi was not opposed to talking to the opposite sex. After living with Pema, Jinora, and Ikki, while also knowing Chief Beifong, Asami, and Korra he couldn't not talk to them. But the thing was they weren't the same age as he was. They had either been younger or older than him. He could talk to them (and have a crush on Korra, but the less said about that embarrassing thing the better) but the talks had nothing like this going on. Actually, it reminded him of the girls in the Academy when they tried talking to him.

But they had just tried chattering to him excessively and he wasn't sure what they had been trying to say then. He still didn't understand know. He was just glad that since he graduated, he hadn't really seen any of them around. As far as he knew, for all intents and purposes, his Fan Club was long gone. But now, he was looking at a girl who was trying to talk to him the same way they had. Perhaps it would be for the best if he stopped her before they started. "Look," he started to say.

But she didn't let him even begin. "So you're a shinobi, right?" she asked him.

The question of "How do you know?" bubbled up his throat but he squashed it down. She lived in the village. She had probably seen him around with his team. "Yeah, I am."

"Are you lying to me?"

That was a surprise to him. "Why would I lie to you about that?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I've seen guys trying to impress people by claiming that they're shinobi, but they usually don't have the thingy to prove it."

"The thingy," he repeated. He had a feeling about what she was talking about but it still sounded stupid when it came out of his mouth.

She reached up and tapped her forehead. "What they always wear right here," she told him, making it sound like it was completely obvious.

He took hold of his coat's edge and pulled it open. His headband stood against the red starkly, allowing her to see it. "You mean this?" he asked her, matching her tone.

She stared at the headband. Then she looked at him with a smile. "Looks like I win the bet. So tell me, why do you keep it there?"

"So I can do this in other situations." He let go of the coat and it flapped back down to his side. "People might underestimate me if they didn't think I was a shinobi."

"Good-looking and brains to match," she said, giving him a once over.

That was even more confusing and it didn't sound like it was a good thing. "Say what now?"

She just smiled a little suggestively at him. "So tell me, you got a girlfriend?"

"_What the…? Where is that coming from?"_ he asked himself. "No," he told her hesitantly.

"You want one?" She looked back at where her friends were. "I'm sure we can help you pick one out if you want to hang out."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"We all saw you and thought that you looked like a pretty cool guy. So we'd thought that you should come hang out with us." She reached out and put her hand on his shoulder. "It'll be interesting to hear your adventures."

He wouldn't call them adventures, not in a long shot. He would've rebuked her for that but she was an innocent. It wouldn't seem right to criticize her for what she didn't know. Instead he chose to focus the first part of what she said. "I really can't do that. I'm waiting on someone."

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "I thought you said that you didn't have a girlfriend."

"I don't. I'm waiting on my sister."

"Who is that?" his aforementioned sister asked as she stepped out of the store. She saw the girl being all too close to her brother and she didn't like what it was trying to be sure. As soon as the girl looked at her, she started glaring her to death and back.

"Just someone I was talking to," Arashi explained. "I didn't even get her name." He looked back at her apologetically. "Sorry."

She tore her eyes away from the death glare the little girl was giving her. "It's nothing," she tried to tell him, her confident voice losing the confidence. The little girl didn't break her concentration as she stepped up to her brother, holding him by the arm. Suddenly, she had an overwhelming urge to get back to the safety of her friends. "If you'll excuse me…"

Nat watched her scamper off, trying not to flee. "Coward," she snarled.

"Down, Nat," Arashi told her. "You're acting like an attack dog."

"No good would've come of that," she declared. "I just know it."

"She's gone. Leave it at that." He looked down at her and took in what she was wearing. She wasn't the wearing pink, frilly thing any more. Instead she was just wearing a shirt and pair of pants. Both were colored darkly enough so that they would blend in with shadows. There wasn't anything labeled on the shirt and the pants were plain. "Going for a minimal look?" he asked her.

"It was her idea," she replied. "She said that it would work for me, especially when I got older, whatever that meant."

"No coat?"

"She wouldn't let me have one. I tried to be insistent and she thumped me on the head."

His protective brotherly instincts began to perk up. "Thumped?" he repeated, wanting to be sure that he heard rightly.

She nodded. "It wasn't a big one, just enough to make me stop. She told me that until I actually have a fashion sense, I didn't get an opinion on what I wore." She looked down at her shirt, fiddled it with her hand while she held a couple of bags in her other hand. "I think she might be right."

He could see that she was thinking. But he couldn't tell what it was she was thinking about. Was she thinking about the time she had spent captive? Was her life before that? If their mom was alive now, would she have a fashion sense? "You want to get out of here?" he asked. "I think that we've done enough shopping today."

She looked up at him, her hand leaving her shirt. "Weren't we supposed to go back to the others when we were done here?"

"I never said that." He looked down at her with an expression full of barely concealed meaning. "Besides, do you really want to go back to them and continue shopping?"

She didn't hesitate when she answered, "Hell no."

"That's what I thought."

The thing was she didn't want to go back to the hospital already. She wanted to be out some more. "What do you think we should do?"

"We could spar."

A smile came to her face. She remembered them sparring when she was younger. It was a good memory. "Has your Firebending got any better?"

A grimace crossed his face at that. "…We'll get to that."

That didn't make any sense to her. Either he didn't have his Firebending or he did. "Did you lose your Firebending?"

"I said we'll get to that," he repeated with a slightly harsher edge. "I don't wanna talk about it out in the opening!" He looked up at the mall, taking note of the way people were moving. He knew where the exits were and how to get to them. "Right now, we need to get past through our next big problem."

"What's that?"

"Getting out of here without Mrs. Inuzuka realizing that we're gone," he answered. And he hoped that they were still in that store they left them at. Otherwise his plan to get out of the mall would become a lot more complicated.

(Location: Air Temple Island)

Asami walked up the steps to the gates. "Korra?" she called out as she reached the top. She had already heard the gates spinning but she wanted to be sure. It turned out that her calling out wouldn't be necessary. Korra was already moving through the gates, going with the flow of the air currents. Asami came to a stop, just watching her go. It reminded her of how she had trained with the gates. She reflectively winced. _"That had been painful."_

Korra came to a stop, dancing out of the gates. She gave them a respectful bow and was about to go again when she saw Asami standing near the steps. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I came here to talk to you. What are you doing here?"

She looked at the gates briefly. "Just going back over the basics, refining my technique," she answered.

Asami looked at the gates too. "I would've thought that you'd stay away from them. They hurt."

"Only if you don't know what you're doing. Once you get the hang of it, it's actually relaxing." There was silence for a second. Then she asked, "Why don't you give it a go?"

Her body instantly reminded her of all the bruises that she got going through that thing the first time around. "Uh, no thanks, I'll pass."

Korra looked at her with a determined glint in her eyes. "Come on, Asami, try it out. It's not as scary now for me." She waved at the gates with a renewed sense of energy.

She looked at the gates uneasily. Her body reminded her again of what it would be like to go through them. But one look at Korra and she knew that the Avatar would grab hold of her and stop her if she tried to get away. She was also certain that the Avatar would try and make her eyes big to guilt her into doing. Seeing that there was no point in trying to get away, she sighed in resignation and went up to the gates. "Start them up."

"You got it," Korra replied, already bending a current of air through her hands. As soon as the Paragon apprentice reached the edge, she released the current through the contraption. They started spinning rapidly.

Asami knew from experience that to charge straight into the gates. She had to wait for a moment, a chance, to move through. She watched the gates twirl and twirl, waiting for that moment. As one gate twirled, its face showing towards her, she moved towards it, following it through its twirl. Her feet turned in a circle as she moves.

To her surprise, she finds that the motions aren't confusing or strange. They're almost second-nature to her. She uses the word 'almost' because there was still a slight hesitation to her movements. If it was anything more than a hesitation, she would've gotten smacked around by the gates.

"_Be the leaf,"_ she told herself as she moved through the gates, following the current of the wind. It was a saying that Tenzin had told her when she had first begun using the gates. She figured out what he was trying to say but figuring it out and actually putting it into practice were two separate things. It had taken her a little while to have her body move in circular motion but she was able to do it.

She kept moving through the gates and before she knew it, she was out on the other side. She stood there, looking out at the trees, taking a moment to realize that she hadn't hurt herself while she was in there. Actually, she had enjoyed the practice. _"Was that why Korra came out here?"_

"Not bad," she heard Korra say. She turned around and saw the tribeswoman standing there with a cocky look on her face. "But I bet I could get through it faster."

"I wasn't going for time," she said back. "I was making sure that I got through it in one piece."

"Well, let's see whose faster then?" She was already turning back to the gates, readying to go through with her own challenge.

"Korra, wait," Asami stopped her. "This isn't what I came out here for."

She looked back at the raven haired woman. "Why are you out here then?" she asked with a puzzled look.

"I…" She struggled to find the words to say it properly. "I…I wanted to make sure things weren't on a sour note between us."

Korra just looked even more confused. "Why would there be a sour note between us?"

She looked at the Avatar in surprise. Had she forgotten already? "You were beaten by Naruto in the South Pole?"

"Oh, yeah, that." She winced visibly at the memory. But what came out next was, "I don't blame you for it."

"You don't?"

"No. It'd be pretty petty of me to hold you responsible for something that you didn't do."

"Well, Tahno and I are going to be the next Paragons. We thought we would be guilty by association in your eyes."

"Asami, trust me when I tell you, I would never think you were guilty for something that you clearly didn't do. Besides," she added, looking down at a pebble by her foot, "if I look at what happened to me, I kinda deserved it."

Now that was something Asami never would have thought she'd hear Korra say. The tribeswoman had always walked tall and confident. She had never seen her admit to any mistakes that she could've made, instead preferring to try and fix them. And if she thought she was in the right, she would defend her position. But now, she was practically admitting that she had been wrong. "You really think that?"

"Of course I do. Just look at what happened, Asami. I got cocky and arrogant because I thought I had mastered Airbending. Because of that, I blew off Tenzin, my dad, and your teacher so I could learn something interesting from Unalaq. And when I did that, he was able to hoodwink me into opening the Southern Portal so when Harmonic Convergence came around, he could free Vaatu and become the Dark Avatar. Quite frankly, we managed to get through the entire series of events on dumb luck."

"You couldn't have known what was going to happen."

"That's not an excuse. Like I said, Naruto was right to beat me for my stupidity." She frowned momentarily as she reached up and touched her nose, fresh out of the bandages, gingerly. Even so, she winced. "I just wished he hadn't broken my nose doing it."

Asami could understand why she would say that. The nose had healed but not back straight. Instead, it had healed slightly bent. To the passing glance it wouldn't have been noticeable. It was only when someone stopped and actually looked at her that they saw it. "If it's any consolation, it looks good on you," she said.

"It does?" the Avatar asked, "Really?"

"Yeah," she said with a nod. "It gives you a bit of a roguish look. And everyone likes a rogue." Spirits know that she had enjoyed them in her books when she had been a kid growing up. If she had a choice, she would've gone with the rogue over any other kind of character every time.

Korra smiled at her. "So, you wanna see if you can get through the gates faster than me?"

She smiled back, glad that they were on the same page. It comforted her. "Sure."

(Location: Konoha)

Arashi and Nat had much better luck sneaking out of the mall then they had getting out of the hospital without being spotted. He took her to the training ground his team used. It was empty, so they would have plenty of room to spar. Once her bags were set aside along with his coat, they stood apart from each other.

Arashi slipped into a fighting stance easily. "You ready?" he asked his sister.

She looked at his stance instead of moving into her own. "That's not a Firebending stance," she told him. A Firebending stance kept the arms out in front, ready to bend fire at the opposition, and the legs were kept somewhat bent so a charging attack could be made. This stance had the legs bent to smaller degree and only one arm was pointing at her while the other was folded against his back.

"No, it's not," he acknowledged.

"What is then? And what happened to your Firebending?"

"It's a style called **Gōken**," he told her. "I learned it here from a man named Rock Lee." He made a mental note to go see the old man and tell him about his sister being found. He had yet to do it and now he felt selfish for it.

"You didn't answer my second question," she replied, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. "What happened to your Firebending?"

He didn't move out of his stance but his eyes did look a bit pained. "Nat…"

"What happened?" she repeated again.

He sighed. She wasn't going to give up on this. "I don't know what happened. After that night, I lost what little I had for Firebending. It just vanished."

The suspicion drained out of her quicker than one could blink. Sympathy replaced it. "Sorry about that, Arashi."

"Why are you apologizing? You didn't do it." He saw the sympathy but he also saw something else in her eyes. It was pity. She pitied him for losing his Firebending. "Knock it off," he ordered her.

"Knock what off?" she asked, confused.

"Knock the pity. I don't need it. Losing my Firebending wasn't the end of my world." He put his focus back to the fight they were supposed to be having. "Now, are you going to get ready or what?"

She looked at him for a moment and then nodded, losing the pity in her eyes. She moved into her own stance stiffly and hesitantly. Her memories of this stance weren't picture perfect but she was sure that she remembered the basics of it. "Ready," she declared.

"No Firebending," her brother told her. "Just show me what you can do."

"That's no fun."

"You'll live. Come on." He flexed his hand at her in silent challenge.

She responded gladly, taking off at a running charge. He met her halfway, blocking her swing his arm. She kept swinging and he kept blocking, only using the one arm. He didn't exert himself in his fighting because he didn't need to. She kept swinging punches at him and he was able to block them. They were punches only in the basic sense. That confused him a little bit. She had been better than this back in the Land of Spring.

"Is that all you got?" he asked her challengingly as he deflected her swing just by pushing it out of the way.

She looked frustrated as she swung again. "I'd have more if you would use your other arm." It was still tucked behind his back.

Again, he pushed the arm out of the way. "I'll use the other arm when you give me a reason to use it."

"How about this then?" she asked, snapping a kick right up at his face like she wanted to get him in the chin.

He reached out and grabbed the leg. Its momentum was still strong and could've kept going, if he hadn't put his other hand on it too, stopping it completely. He looked down the leg at his sister and saw that she was grinning triumphantly. _"Not bad, little sister,"_ he thought to himself. _"But don't get too confident."_

He twisted his hands around abruptly, taking the leg and her with it. For Nat, it was like the world had suddenly twirled upside down and she was chewing grass on the ground. She turned back around and looked up at her brother. He was smiling down at her and it angered her. "That was a dirty trick," she declared.

"Was it?" he asked back, trying not to smile but failing all the same.

She got back up to her feet, still glaring at him. "Yeah, it was."

"You're just mad because I was able to knock you down to the ground first for once." He remembered clearly that every time they had sparred before the fire, he would always be the first to get knocked down. He'd win a couple of spars but he would still be the first one down every time.

"Whatever," she declared, dismissing it. "Now, you're going to fight me for real this time?" She went back into her fighting stance. It was still stiff but she move a bit more confidently. The motions were coming back to her, she knew it.

He moved back into his own stance but this time both his hands were out in front. "I thought we were already fighting."

"Less talking!" She charged him again. This time it was different. He lashed out with a kick of his own. It seemed so swift and sudden to her that she could only drop down to the ground again to avoid it.

He checked his kick and lowered it, staring at his sister. She should've seen that coming. He had telegraphed that move so loudly and moved it like it was going through syrup. But she had dropped instantly. She could've blocked it but she didn't. _"Something is up."_ She was not fighting like she had in the mountain. "Maybe we should stop."

"Why?" she demanded, getting back. "I can still fight. I'll just use my Firebending."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Nat."

She scowled at him, her anger bubbling up. "I can use it just fine!" To prove that she could, she bent a fireball into form and threw it at him. He leapt out of the way and she followed him, throwing fireball after fireball at him. "See?" she demanded. "See!? I can use it!"

He rolled under to avoid a fireball. They were slow and easy to predict but he put on a good show for her. "I get it! I get it!" he replied. "Stop it with the fireballs already."

She did as she was told but her hands stayed lit. "Good."

He looked at her and saw that her hands were still on fire. "Nat, you want to turn off the fire now? I got the point already."

She looked down at her hands. She tried to quell the fire but it wouldn't go out. She tried again but it wouldn't. Instead, it started leaking out of her hands, setting the grass on fire. "Come on," she said, "Turn off already."

"Nat, quell the fire," her brother told her.

"I'm trying!" she snapped, trying to focus on the fire being put out. But she couldn't do it. It stayed her hands like a stubborn creature that refused to leave. Before long, she was standing in a circle of fire. The smoke was reaching up into her nose and mouth. It was making her cough and choke. It was everywhere. She couldn't get away from it. She tried to stop the flames both around her and on her hands but they wouldn't respond. She started to panic, trying to get the fires out. But they only grew higher, separating her from her brother. _"What is going on?"_ she asked herself. She was supposed to be a good Firebender! This shouldn't bother her!

Suddenly, she heard a sound like a crashing wave. Water hit her hard, knocking her to the ground. The ground was wet under her but it wasn't on fire anymore. Both it and the flames in her hands were put out. Arashi came to her side. "Are you okay?" he asked her, kneeling down beside her.

"What was that?" she asked, sounding a little dazed as she sat up.

"Water bomb, low grade one," he answered. "More importantly, what the hell was that?"

She looked down at her hands, her confidence now gone. "I…I don't know. I didn't know how to put out a fire."

"But that's the most basic thing Firebenders learn." Bending a fire was easy. Knowing when to put it out and be able to do so willingly, that was a little harder for beginners. He had struggled with it and she had managed to figure it out.

"I know that," she told him. "But…it's like I do know how to use it at all." All of her skill, her talent with Firebending, it was gone. She didn't know how to use her fire. And that terrified her.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

I don't think I have ever shown just how far Naruto's influence goes in Republic City. The whole phone conversation just came along and was a good place to show it. He would do anything to make sure the path to get to his granddaughter.

They probably don't have _Victoria's Secret_ in that particular world. But the idea of the guys being forced to go into a store like that was amusing, so an alternative had to be made. And yes, Arashi's talk with the girl was a bit on the awkward. That's mostly because he doesn't have a clue about what was going on.

Nat's little problem with her Firebending is something I'll try to focus on in the upcoming chapters. It's not just her personality that did a one-eighty. It's also what they trained her in while she was with them. When I say that she's a completely different person, I mean it.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	41. Visits and pranks

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 41: Visits and pranks

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Konoha)

Madara was taking a break from his duties as Hokage, time-consuming as it was. He knew that the paperwork was never-ending but he still took that half hour break. Usually, he spent it with a cup of coffee leaning the window watching his village. People might think him weird for doing that but he found it soothing.

He didn't come up with the practice himself. He had picked up from his predecessor. An amused half-smile came to his lips when he thought about that old man. He had found memories of doing the grunt work in this building, back when he was a Chūnin. He always seemed to find Konohamaru staring out the window at the village. It had taken him a month before he finally dared to ask why.

"It helps me remember why I took this job," the Hokage had told him. "It's also helps me remember why I put up with all that paperwork instead of burning it down."

He had laughed at that when he first heard it. But now that he was the Hokage, he saw why Konohamaru had said it. There were times when it felt like Madara was all but drowning in the paperwork and he dearly wanted nothing else but to use a Katon jutsu to burn it all down. But when he took a break and looked out the window, he felt relaxed and a little rejuvenated.

But it also gave him to reflect. He would reflect on his family, his clan, and anything that would come to his mind. He used to worry about the teasing and taunting his daughter had to endure in the Academy, being called the Great Loser and other such names. He could've intervened and tried to make it stop but Tsukiko had made it clear to him that she didn't want to be seen as a daddy's little girl. As much as he hated to know that she didn't want him to protect her, he didn't fight her on it. He's wondered about how Itachi was doing in his own class in the Academy and about how the twins were doing that day. Those two were always a handful, even on the days when they were calm.

But instead of thinking on his family, he thought on his guests. It had been two weeks since Natsumi Uzumaki had come to the village. In that time, she proved to be a girl that was trying hard not to be overwhelmed by everything that was happening to her, both the good and the bad. Her brother tried to help her but there were times when he wasn't there that she had a look of complete loss and hopelessness.

She hid this from most people by having a snarky attitude and a sarcastic tongue (the latter of which Arashi claimed was genetic). If things got to be too much for her, she would lose her temper and blow up. While that was concerning, it was even more so due to the fact that her temper was short. She tried to hold it in but she would lash out.

But for all her temper, snarky attitude, and sarcasm, there was also the fact that she was still trying to cope with the fact that she had lost five years of her life. She had also lost her ability to Firebend. No, that wasn't the right word. She could still Firebend but according to Arashi it wasn't at the level she had been before being kidnapped.

Perhaps the word he was looking for was "skill." Yes, that sounded right. She had no trouble bringing a flame forth but when it came to putting it out or even controlling it properly, that was where the trouble came in. It also didn't help that she would lose her temper when trying to bring the fire under control and just making the fire bigger. He had forbidden her from trying to practice inside the clan compound after she almost burnt down the bathhouse. If her brother hadn't been there to toss her into the pool…he didn't want to imagine what would've happened.

He looked down at the clock on his desk and realized that his break time was already up. But even as he put the coffee on the desk and brought his eyes back to the paperwork in front of him, he still couldn't help but think about Natsumi. Even when she insisted being called just Nat, he would call her by her full name. Perhaps it was a little intentional on his part and his wife, but they were not the only ones who were handling her like she was damaged goods. The only one who wasn't doing that was Itachi and that was because he was looking at her with hearts in his eyes.

A chuckle escaped his lips when he thought about his son. It was amusing to see him go through his first crush. There wasn't much of an age difference between the two of them so he probably thought that them getting together might be possible, even if he wasn't actually thinking that exactly. Madara could only hope that this crush would not end with his son devastated if Natsumi rejected him. That had happened to him and the only up part of it was the fact his crush had been Rin and they were able to still be friends. Hell, they were able to laugh about it nowadays. Still, Natsumi hadn't taken the time to realize that Itachi had a crush on her. If she did, things would definitely progress. But she was too busy trying to stick close to her brother's side.

There was a knock on the door that caused him to look up from the paperwork. "Yes?" he called out.

"Lord Hokage, your father is outside."

"Send him, please." The door opened and his father walked in. He stood up and asked, "Dad, what's the matter?" His father would never come to the office, not unless it was incredibly important. Already Madara was getting a nervous feeling in his stomach.

"We have a guest at the complex," Sasuke told him. "He came with a note from the Daimyo." He pulled that note from his coat and placed it on the table. Madara took the note and opened it, reading the words there.

Madara

You're going to have a couple of people coming to your village from the other side of the planet. They'll be coming by dragon. Yes, I did say dragon. Don't worry about it. I've been assured that it will be able to feed and take care of itself. Its rider has assured me that it can stay hidden in the woods surrounding Konoha. So make sure the villagers don't find out about it. The last thing this country needs to supposedly have a secret weapon on our hands.

There will also be a ship coming to dock at Aoizoa, the RCS _Scarred Dragon_. It will be there to pick up and take back the kidnapped children your shinobi found. From what I've been told, it's currently sailing as fast as it can across the sea, faster than any trade ship that's taken the journey. I've been given an estimate of perhaps three weeks, two if they have very good weather. Be sure to tell the children that they will be going home soon. Have them sent to Aoizora in two weeks to make sure that they see the ship coming in. Send that Uzumaki boy with them too. I've been told that the captain of the ship is related to him.

Also, there's something else. The dragon rider had someone with him: Naruto Uzumaki. He's insisted that no big fuss or hullabaloo is made about his coming to the village, that he doesn't want, and I quote, "No recognition, no welcoming committee, and for fuck's sake, no parade!" So naturally, I'd like to do a big announcement as soon as you are able. Make sure that you don't let him out of your sight once you see him. That old man is not going to sneak in and out of Konoha without being caught.

Koyuki

"Okay," he said slowly, putting the note down and looking back at his father. "Where's the dragon?" If anyone had seen it land or in the words, he would have to start doing the hush up right away.

"I don't know," Sasuke told him. "It wasn't at the compound when our guest showed up."

"Then how did he get there?"

"He walked through the front gate," he answered drily. "Benihime was the one who found him and he asked her to direct him to me and Sakura."

"Wait, you said this morning?" He looked down at the clock. "It's almost eleven. Why wasn't this brought to my attention sooner?"

"That would be because we had him for breakfast—"

"Dad, you know how I feel about your cannibalism. Please keep it private. I don't need the village finding out about that."

He stopped and gave his son a look that showed he wasn't amused. "Very funny, Madara," he said.

He shrugged his shoulders. "You were the one who taught me that I had to be careful with what I said. Please continue."

"Thank you. As I was saying, we _ate_ breakfast_ with _him," he said, placing special emphasis on those two words, "and spent time catching up. After all, it had been 70 years since we saw each other last."

That made sense to him. He had done that himself a couple of times with old friends that he hadn't seen in a while. "Is the man still at the compound?"

"No, he's waiting outside."

He gave his dad an exasperated look. "Well don't just leave him out there." He leaned over to look at the door. "You can come in."

A man walked into the office and the first thing that Madara saw was the old burn scar on his left eye. The outer layer was pink while the inner part around his eye was darker, redder. It stretched across to his ear and it was burned too. The second thing he noticed was that the man was just as old as his father. "Hmm," he said as he looked around. "It's been more than 70 years and this office hasn't changed a bit. Of course, I've only been in here a few times, so my memory might be blurred a little." He walked with a pace that might've seemed to slow but Madara saw that it was deliberate. He walked in his own time and it would not him if it came to a fight. And he knew that the man was a fighter, it showed in his presence.

"And you are, sir?" the Hokage asked him.

He looked at him. There wasn't a deferred look in his eyes or one that proclaimed he was superior. They looked at each other as equals. "Good day. My name is Zuko, former Fire Lord of the Fire Nation. Arashi and Natsumi are my sister's grandchildren," he introduced himself. "I am here for them."

"Hello, Zuko. I am Madara Uchiha, the Nanadaime Hokage," he replied. The name floated through his head. It sounded a little familiar to him but he couldn't place it exactly. "Dad, did you tell me any stories that had him in it?" he asked Sasuke.

"Yes," his father replied. "But he was a minor character in them."

"What a thing to say right to my face," Zuko said, sounding slightly hurt.

"I hardly knew you at the time. I was more acquainted with your sister."

He accepted the fact with a nod of his head. "True."

"Dad, Lord Zuko," Madara said, getting their attention. "Can we get back on point here?"

"Of course," the foreign man said. "Now, how soon can I go see Arashi and Natsumi?" There was a note of urgency in his voice, barely noticeable but still there. He was trying to keep to politeness and courtesies but underneath that was a man who really wanted to get out and find his family.

He reached for the phone on his desk. "I can call Tsukiko, tell her to find Arashi, and call the house so Mito can bring Natsumi," he offered. It was their day off and while he knew that his daughter would be out doing some of the groceries with Itachi, he only knew that at best Arashi wandered around the village.

"That's very kind. But I think a more relaxed setting would be best. Being called into your leader's office can not mean good things if you're not here to receive a mission."

"_He knows his stuff."_ He was right, of course. The shinobi under his command always assumed that something must be happening if they were called to the office, whether it was good or bad. If they had just wanted to chat with him, they would either drop in unannounced or catch him outside of the office (which he preferred). "Alright, let me just get some things in order here and we can head back to the compound."

Sasuke gave him a look. "Madara, the paperwork is not going to run off. You can get back to it."

"I still have something to write off on," he replied, looking for a pen. He found one at the edge of the paperwork and grabbed it. He quickly searched through the papers in front of him to find the one that needed to be signed. Once it was found and signed, he looked back up. "And that's not all that needs to be taken care of." He looked at Zuko. "You need to know that there are some things different about your grandniece."

A younger man might've been indignant and try to rebuke him, saying that he was well aware that she had been kidnapped and held for five years. Zuko probably would've done that himself when he was a younger man and had a looser control on his temper. But instead he replied with complete seriousness, "Like what?"

"For one thing, she will insist that you call her Nat, not Natsumi. She seems to think that Natsumi is someone that she no longer is."

"I will make no promises. She will be my grandniece either way. What else?"

"She has no control over her…Firebending?" It was probably a little childish to make it sound like a question but he wanted to know that he was dealing with the genuine article. He loved his dad, no doubt, but he didn't get to being the Hokage by taking everything at face value. Rin probably would've been dead if he had.

A look of shock briefly passed over Zuko's face as he heard those words. "What?" he asked. "What do you mean by that?"

So he was the genuine article. "She can conjure up fire but she can't put it out. She has tried to, but the fire…leaks when she tries." He didn't really have a better word than that and he felt it was rather appropriate. When he had seen it, the fire did look like it was leaking out of her hands.

"Oh dear, this is unexpected. Azula made no secret that her granddaughter was a hell of a Firebender before she was five." And it wasn't idle or grandparent prideful bragging either. He had seen Natsumi practice her Firebending and it was good, very good for her age. It reminded him of Azula when she had been that young.

"She's not now. In fact, she's almost burned down the clan's bathhouse trying to stop the fire."

"She has apologized for that already, Madara," Sasuke reminded his son.

"I am aware of that, Father. But he needs to know what has happened when she tries to use her Firebending."

"I would assume that is a lot of burning involved," Zuko said, somberly serious. What he said could've been taken in a lighthearted manner, if he had tried to make it lighthearted. But this wasn't something to be lighthearted about. His grandniece had lost what skills she had gained as a Firebender. This was a serious matter. "Do you know how it came to be?"

"Arashi has a theory," Sasuke said.

He looked at the old Uchiha. "He does?"

Madara nodded in agreement with his father. "Yes. He believes that it has to do about her time being captive."

"Explain, please."

"When Natsumi was first brought to the village, she was different. I was told that she had skills as a Firebender but there was nothing of the sister Arashi had known. She was an assassin with no emotion. No," he amended, "That's incorrect. She did have an emotion. It was a feeling of hatred whenever she looked at Arashi."

He looked shocked. "Are you sure it was hatred?"

"Yes. She called him a traitor but never gave us the full reason as to why that was. If he dared to get close to her, she would try to kill him."

"Agni have mercy." He paused and remembered the words said. "What changed?"

"I don't know myself, only Arashi and she could tell you but they haven't told anyone what happened. All we do know is that the day the sky turned purple, she tried to escape and he went after her."

Zuko went still. "Did you say the sky turned purple?"

"Yes."

Sasuke watched the old Fire Lord closely. That question had tipped him off that he knew something. "Did the same thing happen in the Bending Countries, Zuko?"

It took him a moment to actually answer, like he was considering his words. "It did. But we know what had happened."

"Which was what?"

"An event that only occurs once every ten thousand years. The planets had all aligned perfectly and the spiritual energy grew exponentially because of it."

"That's what caused the sky to turn purple? The planets aligned?" It sounded rather simple to him, almost too simple.

"There was a situation when it happened but I was told that the Avatar and Naruto were able to handle it."

That old hope for his former teammate fluttered up in his chest. It was something he and Sakura always got when they had news of Naruto. It had been all but nonexistent since the blonde and his new team had vanished back to the Bending Countries after the destruction of the Akatsuki. Sure, they had written and gotten letters but never from Naruto himself. Eventually the letters died out and they gave up of ever seeing their teammate again. It came back with a kick when they met Arashi. Now, they held onto the small hope that Naruto would come to the village to see his grandson. That hope seemed quite possible now.

Zuko didn't pay attention to Sasuke. "What happened when Arashi brought Natsumi back?" he asked Madara. "What was she like?"

"She had done a complete 180."

"A what?" he asked in confusion. What did numbers have to do with the condition of his grandniece?

"180 degrees, Zuko," Sasuke explained to him. "She turned around and gone in the complete opposite of her first attitude."

"I see. Why didn't he just say that?" he asked, flickering his eyes over at Madara like he was a kid in a room full of adults.

Madara acted like the adult he was, saying, "It's easier to say a complete 180. Anyway, Natsumi was different now. She was more like an actual person, albeit with a short temper and a sarcastic tongue."

Zuko chuckled. "Don't worry, she gets those naturally."

"Arashi has told me the same. Since he seems to have the tongue, I'm inclined to believe him. In any case, while she was different, she also could not remember what had happened to her when she was kidnapped."

"Good."

He shook his head. "Not when you consider the fact that when she was an assassin, she was absolutely loyal to them. She had probably remembered everything that happened to her when she was like that. But when she turned, she lost it all. She can remember bits and pieces of it but she refuses to talk about them. The last clear memory she has is the night that she was kidnapped."

He didn't say anything for a couple of seconds. "…I realize that you are the leader of the shinobi in this village," he said, his words measured and controlled, like he was trying really hard to restrain himself from lashing out. "And I realize that information is key to your survival and being proactive. But you will pardon me if I think that Natsumi not remembering everything that had happened to her while she was held by the people that had kidnapped to be a _good_ thing." There was heat in his voice as he finished, his restraint loosing just enough to be shown as a hint.

Madara listened to all of those words and actually felt a little nervous when he heard the heat. It told him that he should be careful of what he said next. But it was nothing he couldn't handle. It wasn't that he was nervous. It was how he dealt with that nervousness. "I respect that, sir, as I hope that you respect the fact that we lost a potential goldmine of information on a group that's been operating since the end of the last war and quite possibly before it."

The old man looked at him with a searching gaze, his golden eyes moving at a rapid pace to take in everything. "I do," he finally said. "Now, shall we go?"

"Not yet, there's more."

He let out a little irritated sigh. "What else?"

"There's a psychic code implanted inside her. It's supposed to activate when she sees someone particular, making her try to kill that person. We believe that the person she's been programmed to kill is Naruto."

He went completely still. "Are you sure of that?"

"It's just a theory. But we also think that we've disrupted whatever plan they've been concocting. They were trying to get Natsumi away when she was rescued. It might be that she's too young to be implanted and utilized. But the theory also has substance because of Arashi."

"Why is that?"

"Because he has a similar code embedded in his mind too."

"He what!?" he demanded, gold eyes flashing in anger and outrage.

But Madara stayed calm and collected. "We have found that a psychic code inside Arashi's mind. It supposed to activate when he hears an activation phase and sent him into a vegetable state. It's also supposed to make him palatable to orders given by the person who utters the phase. We think they were planning to use him to 'find' his sister and bring her back when she was older and better trained. Naruto supposedly comes running and is overjoyed to see his granddaughter again that he doesn't realizes that she's about to kill him until it's too late."

Zuko thought back to the phone call he had with Naruto. "He would've come running," he agreed. "But I don't think he would've been caught off-guard so easily."

"Are you sure?" Sasuke asked him.

He looked at the old Uchiha. "You don't know him, not like he is now. He would've been on his guard." He looked back at the Hokage with a narrowed look of suspicion. "You said 'supposed.' That means that something's changed."

"We don't know how," Madara replied, "but somehow the code in Arashi has been corrupted."

"Corrupted? What is that supposed to mean?"

"Whenever someone has spoken the activation phase to Arashi, it does not work. Something happened to him that was able to render it harmless. Do you know what that was? Some kind of event that happened to him?" he asked, hoping for some kind of information that would be beneficial to figuring out this whole mess.

"The only events I know Arashi was a part of in recent years was the conflict with Amon and the Equalists."

He nodded. "I am aware of that event. I've seen pictures of the scars Arashi carries." Zuko's hands clenched and his eyes burned brightly in anger. He wasn't angry at Madara. Just at the fact Arashi had been tortured. "My mother has been treating him. The majority of the scars should be gone now."

"I am sure they are. Anyways, I don't think that this code of yours was affected by the torture. From what I was told, that was physical, not mental." He looked at them both, letting his gaze wander slowly. "Is the code still harmful?"

"We can't extract it because it's been corrupted," Sasuke told him.

"But aside from that," his son continued, "it all hinged on that activation phrase. Since that's been rendered inert, it's practically harmless. We can also extract the code from Natsumi's psyche, but it will take a little bit of time."

"I think that both Naruto and I will be fine with that." He decided that enough was enough and turned for the door. "Now, perhaps you can take me to your house so that I can be reunited with my grandniece, please?"

Sasuke went after him. "Of course," he agreed without faltering.

Madara quickly gave word to his secretary that he would be gone for the rest of the day and followed them out of the office. Once he made sure the door was closed, he went after them. "Is Naruto waiting for us outside?" he asked Zuko as they walked through the corridor.

"No," he replied. "In fact, I don't know where he is."

He almost tripped on the carpentry. "What? I thought you came in together."

"We did. But Naruto didn't trust the daimyo when we met with her. He claimed that she had the 'the eye of mischief' when she promised that there would be no big hullabaloo. So when we were about a day's out from Konoha, he fell off the dragon."

The way he made those sound like they were commonplace, it made it seem like that the fact of falling off a dragon was commonplace over in the Bending Countries. But even if that was the case, it was still surprising to the father and son who walked beside him. "He fell off the dragon?" Madara repeated.

"Yes," Zuko replied. They entered a staircase and started down the steps. As they went down, he added, "We weren't that high up in the sky."

"Oh, yes. That's makes all the difference." He couldn't help the sarcasm, not in this situation.

"Don't worry. He was fine when he vanished from sight. Odds are he's already in the village, seeing how it's different."

"Then I'll see to it that we'll keep a watch out for him. Can you give me a description of him to pass to my on-duty shinobi?"

"I could but it wouldn't do you much good. He's probably already in disguise."

"We can spot a **Henge** jutsu."

"That would be good, if he was using a **Henge** jutsu."

That didn't sound right to the Hokage but the old Fire Lord again made it sound commonplace. "You mean he's not?"

"Naruto has gotten quite proficient in physically disguising himself. Apparently, it never hurts to learn how to do it properly. Considering how it ended a war for us about 50 years back, he wasn't wrong."

"That sounds like a story," Sasuke said as they turned the corner. "Any chance you can tell it?"

"Of course," he said back. "It was, well, let's say a politically charged time in the Countries. A man had managed to rise to power, creating an army and grabbing land in the Fire Nation, Earth Kingdom, and the United Republic. People flocked to his side and his power kept growing."

"They just followed an upstart?" Madara said.

"A charismatic upstart that had a talent for words," Zuko replied. "He claimed to be a son of Ozai and believed that his father's belief that the Fire Nation was right to spread their culture to the four corners of the world and if the other countries could not accept that, they would be made to see reason."

"You mean conquering them," Sasuke said.

"Yes." It was obvious to all three of them so it shouldn't have needed to be said. But there was no point in arguing about it.

"So, was he a son of your father?"

"If he was, it would've been after my mother had disappeared. It was general knowledge that Ozai only had two trueborn children. But it didn't matter that the man was supposedly a bastard son. The people who followed him chose to focus on the fact that he was a son. Those who were skeptics were swayed by his words. And it didn't help that the New Ozai Society were backing him and gave him council."

"The New Ozai Society?" the old Uchiha repeated, tasting it in his mouth as he made it sound like a question.

He nodded. "It was a secret society that was established to put my father back on the throne. When he finally died, they shifted their goals to the Fire Nation conquering the world again. They had been a nuisance before the war but kept it low-key. Instead of outright demanding that I give up the throne, they recruited people, trained them, stockpiled weapons and built fortresses. That was one of the reasons why he was able to take so much land so quickly. They were prepared."

"But still, it should not have been hard to retake the lands stolen. It was one army against three." At this point, Madara had accepted the fact that he was only a listener. He was quiet as they came out of the staircase on the ground floor.

"That's where the politically charged part came in. His announcement of returning the Fire Nation back to the conquering days stirred up old resentments and grudges. It also didn't help the fact that the people who joined him weren't just from the Fire Nation. Doubt and suspicion were abound and the wrong move could've been seen as an act of war. We were practically at a stalemate while he was grabbing land."

"The Avatar didn't do anything about it?"

"He was more concerned about the fact that Katara was pregnant. An assassin had been set after her and while he had been handled, a message was sent to him soon after. If the Avatar got involved, not only would he be attacked on sight, the next assassin would get her and his children. His hands were tied."

"Oh dear," he said. He knew what that meant, same as his son. If they had been in the same situation, it would be hard to choose between their family and the mission. They were shinobi. They were trained to focus on the mission first. But they were also fathers and husbands. It wouldn't be too much to say that if someone tried to take their families, they would gladly tear the Elemental Countries apart to find the killers. The thing was, they could also find a way to make sure their families would be safe before going after the people who made the threat. From what he remembered, Aang wasn't that person.

"So what happened?"

"Sokka, Suki, and June essentially told us to get our heads out of our collective asses and get rid of the threat. It did the trick but by then my so-called brother had control of a lot of land and practically fortified every part of it that he could. It took us two years fighting on three fronts to get to his stronghold. That was the most fortified of them all and was prepared for a long siege. That's where Naruto came in."

An old smile, one that he got when he thought about his old teammate's antics, came onto his face. Whatever he was going to hear next, he knew that it was going to have Naruto stamped all over it. "Do tell."

"We had been all too busy focusing on making sure that we didn't set off a war and then focusing on ending the war to really think about where Naruto was. I had seen him in passing a couple of times and others had been too, but that was it. Turns out, they had been only clones. Azula was the only one who knew the truth and kept it in case of spies being able to find out.

"When the bastard first came to power, Naruto went undercover at his stronghold, pretending to be a servant there. In those three years we were fighting, he had worked his way to become the personal valet to the bastard pretender himself. He and the Society had complete trust in him.

"So when they were about to become under siege and were confident that they would be able to hold, they had no idea that their death was already with them. Naruto killed them all and then had the gates opened, allowing the remaining strength of the rebel army to be taken by surprise. He even managed to have himself supposedly killed so no one would go looking for him."

Sasuke nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that sounds like Naruto." Even with the war, fighting, and death, it sounded like something the blonde would most certainly do.

"So, why would Naruto be in disguise now?" Madara asked daring to so now that the story was finished.

"If I have to hazard a guess, it would be so he could make sure that he's not discovered. He did after all swear to never come back," Zuko said somberly. "He takes those things seriously, only breaking them if he absolutely has to do it."

"Well, he's probably going to find a few things different around here."

"Oh, he already knows that. If I had to guess what he was going to do while spying around the village would be to spy on the younger generations while also causing mischief and mass mayhem in the process."

* * *

"Would you hurry it up?" Tsukiko shouted back at her brother. They were walking home from the grocery store. She was carrying the majority of the groceries and yet, Itachi was the one walking slower.

He caught up with her when she came to a stop. "You could walk a little slower, you know," he told her.

"You could walk a little faster," she replied.

"My legs are short."

"That's not an excuse. Now come on!" She started walking again, putting on a faster pace because she could.

"_Why do I have such a sadistic sister?"_ he moaned internally as he played catchup to her pace. It was a struggle, especially with all the groceries he was carrying. "Is this because we ran into some of your classmates from the Academy at the grocery store?" he asked.

She grimaced at the mention of those bloody twits. The run-in had been mere coincidence and they had left them soon after but it still grated on her nerves. "How is it that even though they didn't even graduate from the Academy, they still look down their noses at me?" she demanded. It was absolutely infuriating how they saw her headband and seemed amazed that she was able to graduate.

"I don't know," her brother replied. "They were your classmates."

She stopped her ranting, realizing what he had said. "You're right, Itachi. I'm sorry. I shouldn't be taking it out on you. I just hate it when they call me the Great Loser to my face." There had always been great expectations heaped onto her because she was the Hokage's daughter and the granddaughter of Sasuke and Sakura. But once she started to flounder at the most basic of concepts, people laughed and ridiculed her, calling her the Great Loser.

At first it had been behind her back but when she kept failing it was said straight to her face. Not when a teacher was near but still to her face. It also didn't help the fact the teachers always seemed to walk in just as she would throw the first punch. But still she kept up hope that she would be the best and would continue to be the best. It didn't really hit her of how she was doing until Arashi first showed up.

Sitting there, listening to her teacher, her dad, and someone she considered to be an aunt before she became a teacher talk about a kid that had only shown up that day and dominated made her realize just how bad she was doing. But she didn't let it get her down. Instead, she kept doing the best she could and ignored the criticizers who enjoyed making fun of her. She had wanted to see Arashi as some kind of rival at first. But that didn't turn out the way she thought it would have. Still, she was glad he was a friend.

"You should've let me just set their pants on fire," Itachi told her. He would've done that gladly.

She heard that and couldn't help but chuckle. She and her brother had her moments of argument and spats, but they were still siblings. "As much as I would've liked to see that, you couldn't do it."

"Yeah I could," he said stubbornly. "It would've been funny."

"It would've been bad for Dad," she said back as they crossed the street. "He would've had to bail us out and I'm not going to let that happen. Those girls would've just made it seem like I was a daddy's girl and I refuse to give them more ammunition to use."

"Excuse me," an old, tired voice spoke. They stopped and looked at a man leaning heavily on his cane. His head was covered by a hat so they only saw his chin, which seemed rather pale.

Itachi thought the old man smelled like cleaning detergent strong enough to make him wrinkle his nose. He wanted to move on but Tsukiko opened her mouth. "Is there something you need, sir?"

"Yes, I believe that I am lost."

"_Sucks to be you then,"_ the boy thought to himself. He and Tsukiko needed to get going if they wanted to get rid of these groceries. He gave his sister an impatient look to key her into what he was thinking.

But she chose to ignore it. "Do you know where you were supposed to be going?" she asked the old man.

"Yes, I was looking for an old friend of mine who lives on Shady Tree Street."

She frowned to herself. That street name didn't sound familiar to her and she practically knew the village like the back of her hand. That was why Arashi was wandering around the village today, to see if he could match her memory for it. "Sir, are you sure that you know where you're friend lives?"

"Of course I'm sure. I've been there countless times. I know I haven't been here in a while but I do know that Shady Tree Street is just off the Old Oak Boulevard and is across from Tobi Street."

The light of realization hit her eyes as she heard those words. "Sir, just how long has it been since you've been to Konoha?"

He didn't lift his head to look at her, probably because he didn't have the strength to do it. But he did turn to her. "It's been a couple of decades, I'll admit."

"Before the 4th Shinobi World War, sir?"

"Well, yes. I'd be a fool to travel around the countries in the time of warfare, wouldn't I?" he asked her, somehow making his tired voice sound patronizing.

She looked past it. It wouldn't do well to get mad at an old man. "Sir, Konoha was hit during the war, several times. Shady Tree Street was destroyed. When the village rebuilt, it was built over with a new set of buildings."

"Good Kami," he said and his voice showed he was surprised. "What of the people living there? Were they all killed?"

That she couldn't answer, not without looking up. "I believe that it was a mostly civilian sector and the protocol was to evacuate the civilians away from the village to safety."

"Even when the village was attacked?" he said, clearly in disbelief.

"They were escorted to safety, sir. I'm sure of it."

"Didn't you see the buildings of the inner wall?" Itachi asked him. "That's where the rebuilding was set up. It's pretty hard to miss."

"Itachi!" snapped his sister, pinning him with a glare.

But the old man spoke before she could continue. "No, it's alright. I did see the buildings and did note how they seemed defensive. But I had put it down to the style of the architect who built them. However," he added, turning his head towards Itachi. "Considering I haven't been in the village for a long time now, any sense of direction I've had should be forgiven, especially from young children who have had only the good in life."

Itachi got angry because of the rebuke. He wanted to retort but he got a look from his sister. _"Don't say a word,"_ the look said.

He gave her a look back that said, _"Come on!"_

"_Not a word,"_ her look repeated before following with _"You brought it on yourself."_ She looked back to the old man. "Is there anything we can do to help you?"

"Tsukiko, we have to get these groceries back to the house," Itachi told her pointedly, shifting the bags in his left hand so the sound would get her attention. "Otherwise Mom is going to get mad."

"If it is not too much trouble," the old man said to them both. "I would like to walk with you, until I am able to get my baring back."

"I don't have any problems with it," Tsukiko told him.

"_I see a problem!"_ Itachi thought in silent protest. He didn't want to be walking with this old man. He was rude and smelled like detergent! But there was nothing he could except follow his sister and the old man down the street. Other people were walking down the street and saw them. He felt embarrassed for walking close to an old man.

"So, whose children are you?" the old man asked, "Anyone that I know?"

Itachi couldn't believe his ears. "Are you—?"

"I don't think you would know our parents," Tsukiko cut off her little brother. "But you might know our grandparents, Sasuke and Sakura?"

"I've heard of those two…" He trailed off and that made them go further than him. They stopped and looked back at him. He was still leaning on his staff and they couldn't see his face. "You're Tsukiko and Itachi _Uchiha_?"

"_Glad to see he at least knows the clan name,"_ Itachi thought to himself. If all else fails, they could always rely on the clan name.

"So you have heard of us?" his sister asked.

He rolled his eyes at her. _"No, he just thought the name sounded odd."_

"Well, I've heard of your grandparents." He started walking again, going past them without a moment's hesitation. "They were passable shinobi in their day, am I right?"

"Passable?" she replied, offended by his words.

"Yes, passable."

She got angry at that. How dare he disregard her grandparents like they were the Kurojishi no Sharingan (Black Lion of the Sharingan) and the Konoha Sakura no Hō-ō (Konoha's Cherry Blossom Phoenix)! They were legends in the shinobi world! She had heard stories of shinobi who would rather turn tail and flee than fight either of them if they took to the battlefield! This old man had no spitting on their names, not even when he hadn't met them!

"But the real thing that should be paid attention is you," the old man said, pointing at Itachi with a wrinkled hand that seemed to be on the way to gnarled.

"Me?" Itachi asked. He was a little surprised at being pointed at but on guard for the exact same reason.

"Yes, you," he said. "What the hell were your parents thinking in naming you?"

His surprised vanished and he glared at the old man. He was on the verge on setting the guy's pants on fire. "They named me to honor a man who tried to do right, a martyr of what it meant to be a shinobi."

But the old man just laughed a harsh cruel laugh. "A martyr?" he said as he kept walking, "Is that what they're calling it nowadays?"

"Like you would know," he challenged. He glanced quickly at Tsukiko to see if she would try to rebuke him again. But she looked just as mad as he was.

"I would know, actually. You see, unlike the two of you, I've met the original Itachi Uchiha. He was a cold, unfeeling, psychopathic son of a bitch. He would kill you if he had to and you wouldn't have a chance in stopping him."

"You're lying," Tsukiko said, glaring at the man's back. She couldn't believe that she thought he was just a helpless old man who had gotten lost.

"I'm not. The original Itachi was a killer, simple as that. Actually," he said almost pondering, which made the two of them even angrier, "that would probably be too simplistic an explanation. What would be the right word? Ah, yes! A butcher, he was a butcher!" he declared, sounding proud of himself.

Her **Sharingan** blazed in fury. "He wasn't a butcher! Stop slandering his name!" she shouted at him. Old man or not, she was about ten seconds away from beating him to an inch of death.

"Good Kami, have they been erasing the mere idea that he massacred his entire clan?" He laughed again, this time more bitterly humorous than cruel. "What fragile egos the Uchiha clan has. It's pretty pathetic."

That's it. That was the last straw. She was going to seriously harm him now. "Itachi, watch the bags," she told her little brother as she shrug them off her arms. Itachi nodded his head and stepped closer to them while she approached the old man.

He stopped next to a bend in the street that led into an alleyway. His head still didn't raise but he somehow managed to see her. "Oh, are you going to hurt an old man now?" he asked her. "I didn't know Konoha shinobi did that now. Or is it only Uchiha shinobi?"

"Only when they deserve it," she told him, her hands clenching into fists.

But he didn't seem scared of what she could do to him. "While that might be embarrassing for you, I think I've found where I need to go." He turned to the alleyway and walked into it.

Caught-off guard by the move, she looked at her brother. Both of them hurried to the entrance and watch him walk stronger now, leaning less heavily on the cane. "That doesn't go anywhere," she shouted to him.

"On the contrary," he replied back. "It goes exactly where I want it to go."

"And how do you know that?"

"Because I lied before, I wasn't lost. I knew exactly where to go. I just chose to wait."

"For what?" shouted Itachi.

He laughed again. "If you must ask that question, then your father seriously erred in naming you. The real Itachi would've understood what I was saying. Good bye now." He kept walking into the shadows, the cane being more dragged than leaned on now.

"Who are you?" Tsukiko demanded. She wanted to know it was that derided her family like it was nothing to do.

"Oh, did I not introduce myself?"

"No!"

"Then let me fix that." He turned around, dropping his cane and taking his hat off his head. Red hair fell down his back like a river of blood. His face was obscured by a mask, a mask that bore the image of a snarling fox that seemed to demand death. "You may call me Kyūbi."

Both of the Uchiha siblings had flinched away when they saw the mask and the eyes beneath it. Those eyes were orange and burned intensely with hate and rage. But when they heard the name, they froze. "You…you can't be him," Tsukiko tried to say, stuttering through her fear. "You're sealed away."

He just laughed. "Who's to say I still am?"

"It can't be!"

"An old man's heart is such a fragile thing." He said no more than, choosing to turn back around and walk into the shadows.

Tsukiko could've sworn she saw nine tails lashing against the shadows. "Wait! Get back here!" She bolted down the alley to grab him but as soon as he was engulfed completely in shadow, he was gone. Her hand grabbed nothing but air. She quickly looked around, trying to find where he had disappeared to but saw nothing. There was a faint laugh that whispered in her ear, resounding in its mockery. But she didn't know where it came from.

"Tsuki," Itachi said, still standing at the entrance to the alley. "I wasn't imaging that, was I?" He sounded scared. His hands were shaking, making the bags in his hands rattle."

She came back to him and hugged him. Despite what she had just done, she was as scared as him. "I don't think so."

"What do we do? Do we go tell Dad?"

It was a good idea, she knew that. But she also had to think about it and what might happen. If they went to their father and told him what happened only to be proven wrong, it would be embarrassing and lower the esteem of the clan. That couldn't happen. "No, we don't tell Dad," she finally said.

"But—"

"We don't tell Dad," she repeated, breaking the hug to look at him better. She took a quick look around and saw that the street was now empty. "We're the only ones who saw him do that. There is no one else. If they can't find him, it won't look good."

"Then what do we do?"

There were a number of things she could answer him to that question. But the simplest choice seemed to be the best in this case. "We get back to the house with the groceries. If we don't see him again for the rest of the day, then we will tell Dad." If there was one her father was adamant about, it was that work stayed at work. If they told him when he was at home, he wouldn't send out waves of shinobi trying to find the man.

Itachi knew the same thing. That was why he nodded in agreement. "Okay." They picked up the groceries and kept walking. Tsukiko hoped to Kami and anyone else that might be listening that it had only been their imaginations having a very good time playing around with them.

* * *

Tsume could only stare at the chaos that the dog-yard was in. To say that it was a mess would've been polite and barely at that. The hounds in training and the pups were out of the kennels, running around like they had ten milk-bones each and trying to use all that energy at once. "How did this happen?" she demanded. Aoimaru watched what was happening inside of her jacket. She had been with her when she was called back to the compound, which was why she shared her partner's shocked expression (albeit in canine form).

"We don't know," one of the clan members, her cousin third removed she thought, told her. He was trying to calm one of the pups down, but while the one pup had his focus, he was bulldozed over by three others. They all pounced on him and it devolved into furry wiggling, happy barking, and exciting licking. Other clan members had to wade through the chaos and pull him out from the furry cuddle puddle. Said cuddle puddle tried to follow him but they were separated by the same clan members.

"Someone had set something off in the air that got them all excited," a clan member told her as he came close. He was from the old generation, the same as her grandfather, and was regarded as a kind old uncle by the younger generations, she included. "Then the doors opened up, all at the same time."

"So who let the dogs out?" she demanded. When she asked that question, all the dogs in the yard lifted their heads and barked as one.

_HOO!_

_HOO!_

_HOO!_

_HOO!_

_HOO!_

She stared at them as they ran rampant again. "What the…?"

"They've been doing that," the old uncle told her.

"Why?"

"I don't know. None of us do. But every time someone asks the question, they all bark like that."

"What questions?" she demanded.

He looked down pointedly at her. "You've already said.

"What? Who let the dogs out?"

_HOO!_

_HOO!_

_HOO!_

_HOO!_

_HOO!_

"Does that answer your question?" he asked drily as they stopped barking and went back to the chaos. Two of the training hounds had knocked a clan member to the ground and were play-wrestling with him. To the outsider, however, it would've looked like they were trying to rip him apart from the legs.

"Where are my parents?" she demanded. "They should be out here trying to contain this mess!" When he didn't answer, she got a disturbing feeling in her stomach. Aoimaru whimpered as she covered her face. "Please, please tell me that they aren't doing…_that_ right now, not when we have a really big problem on our hands?"

"You mean having sex?" he asked blandly. It was no secret that the clan head and her husband were very active in their sexual life (some had even wondered or claimed that they were trying to break some kind of record, which was untruthful and rude. There was no such record). It was also no secret that the clan head's only child (which would be rectified soon) didn't like hearing about their sexual life.

"Ah, don't say it out loud!" she begged him.

He smiled at her. "Don't worry, they're not. They were called away for something on the other side of the village."

"How convenient," she said.

"Yes, it is. And you, young lady, should stop being such a prude about what they do in the bedroom," he told her with a slightly chastising voice.

"I'd be fine if they kept in the bedroom," she replied while she watched a pup chased a training hound. A part of her wondered if that shouldn't be the other way around.

He shook his head good-naturally. "Don't worry about it, Tsume. You'll grow out of it. In fact, you're just like your mother when she was your age."

She looked back at him with a shocked look. "You're kidding."

"Nope, I'm not. It changed after she met her husband and married him. As I recalled, she all but dragged him off the bedroom at the end of the night, threatening death to everyone if they were interrupted. I always took it that it was a good night since they missed the train that would've taken them to their honeymoon."

"Oh, I didn't need to hear that. I did not need to hear that!" The old uncle just smiled at her and she glared back. "Alright, what are we going about this?" she asked, gesturing at the chaos.

"I imagine that would be up to you. Think of it as a chance to show you can lead the clan when the time comes."

That was something that felt a little grim. She hoped that the time she would become the clan head would be a long ways away. "Alright, I guess we're going to have to figure out some kind of coordination in getting them all back into the pens," she said, surveying the chaos. "We have to make sure that no one gets free. And we have to make sure that no one else asks the question, otherwise it'll get annoying fast."

"Which question? Who let the dogs out?"

_HOO!_

_HOO!_

_HOO!_

_HOO!_

_HOO!_

She scowled at him as the dogs stopped barking. "Yes, that question. You've just proven my point."

"Oh, I don't know. It seems a little bit catchy."

"How could—?" She stopped herself from finishing that question because she knew that if she did ask it, it would make her be seen not very Inuzuka-like. "Never mind," she told him. "Let's just get them back under control.

"Help me!" a clan member shouted as she was swarmed over by pups. Tsume had seen that a lot of times in horror films. But instead of being eaten alive or torn apart by the living dead, she was covered in pups that just wanted to play.

"There goes another one," the uncle said blandly as they all listened to the clan member giggle and sequel from the pups moving around and licking her exuberantly. "I think that you're going to have your work cut out for you, Tsume."

"I can see that," she replied. She signaled two other clan members to dig her out of that cuddle puddle and put the pups back in their pens. She waded into the chaos, finding a hound in training and trying to get him back to the pens. It was a little more difficult than she had thought, thanks to the chaos and the fact the hound seemed more intent on playing with Aoimaru. She was glad that the other clan members were still trying to herd the pups and the training hounds back to the pens along with her. But she soon realized that they were going to need more people.

She turned back to talk to the uncle figure. But someone had already reached him and was talking urgently. The uncle listened and then nodded before walking off at a brisk pace. _"I hope that's for more people,"_ Tsume thought to herself before throwing herself back to fixing the mess.

The chaos died down as they worked to contain the mess. The pups went back into the pens first since they were the more excitable and had the most energy. As Tsume put another pup back into the pen, she caught a new scent on the air. It was faint but she was still able to smell it. Sniffing the air, she turned to where the scent was coming from. It was coming from the back wall of the yard or rather from atop the back wall. There was a man standing there with blood red hair and a snarling fox mask. He saw her looking at him. He tilted his head slightly, like he was seeing something new and he was curious about it. But there was something else. She got the feel that his doing so was mocking and he was enjoying what was going on.

"Whoa!" she heard a clan member shout out. She turned her head and saw more of the clan wade into the mess.

Other newcomers to the mess spoke. "What happened here?"

"Who let the dogs out?"

_HOO!_

_HOO!_

_HOO!_

_HOO!_

_HOO!_

The clan member who had asked the question now stared at the dogs. "What the—?" he began to ask.

"They've been doing that," she told them all. "Just don't ask that question and they won't do it."

"What question?" another newcomer demanded.

She pointed an accusing at the clansman who had asked it. "What he had said. Just get to work, alright?" she demanded. "Some of you make sure none of them make a break for it." She tried using the voice of authority her mother used whenever giving orders to the clan. She also hoped that it was actually working. It seemed to be since the clansmen got to work. She turned back around but the masked man was gone. All she heard was a faint sound of mocking laughter in her ear.

"_Was it my imagination?"_ she asked herself. She didn't ponder too long. She had a mess to clean up.

* * *

"Um…Dad?" called out Chōichi as he stood at the front door. He had been about to go out and meet up with his teammates but what was on the front lawn made him stop completely.

"What is it, Chōichi?" his dad called back.

"Could you come to the door for a moment, please?"

"Why?"

"I think I'm seeing things and I want to be sure I'm not."

He didn't wait long before his dad walked up beside him and stopped. "…You're not seeing things, Chōichi," he said. "At least I don't think you're not."

"So you're seeing the deer in the front lawn too?"

"Yes, I'm seeing the deer in the front lawn too."

"Oh good," he breathed out in relief. The deer in the front lawn paid no attention to the humans. They were content to graze on the grass. "Dad?" he asked.

"Yes?"

"_Why_ are there deer in our front lawn?"

"I don't know, son."

One of the deer raised its head and looked at them. It was a passing look and it went back to its graze. In a human, that would've been a dismissive look. But in a deer it didn't seem as much. Chōichi tried counting the deer but there just seemed to be too many of them. It also seemed like they knew what he was trying to because when he got to a solid number, they would move around and he'd lose count. "Who put them here?"

"Again, I don't know. But I do know that those are not ordinary deer. These are deer the Nara clan tends to."

He looked up at his dad. "They are? How can you tell?"

He pointed at one deer in particular. "He's the leader," he said. Chōichi looked at the deer in question. His antlers were easily recognizable by the curving pattern they had on them. "Lord Shikamaru introduced his son's team to them back when we had become Chūnin. I made a joke about wanting to see if I could ride one and he gave me a dirty look."

"Lord Shikamaru?"

"The deer," he told his son. His phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out. "Hello?" he asked as he put it to his ear. His son barely paid attention to his talk, more focused on how the deer got to the lawn. "What?!" he suddenly shouted.

Chōichi looked up at him. "What is it?"

"Where did it all go?" he demanded, ignoring his son's question. "Find it, all of it. Otherwise we're in big trouble. No, I don't care about the manpower shortage that's going to cost us. If we can't find it all, the businesses are going to take a severe nose-dive, something that we might not be able get out of. Now move!" He closed the phone with anger and nervousness.

"Dad, what's happening?" Chōichi asked him. He had never really seen his father this side of angry, not unless it was truly bad.

"Our restaurants' stores have been hit. Everything was taken. We don't know where it is."

He could see the panic on his father's face. Quite frankly, he felt it in his stomach too. It wasn't a good feeling. If an Akimichi wasn't a shinobi, they were working in one of the many restaurants the clan owned. Those restaurants ranged from high-end to the common bar. But they were all owned by the Akimichi clan and they were all well-known in the village and out. "All of them?"

"Yes. All of them."

"Oh, oh Kami," he breathed out. "This isn't good, is it?"

"No, it's not," he said back. He looked like he wanted to pace around, try to get off the excess energy that they were both getting. But the problem was that the deer wouldn't give him ample room to pace and his wife had long forbidden him to pace in the house. "If we can't find those goods, we're going to have close down the businesses until we can restock everything."

"How long would that take? A week?" asked his son.

"No, not a week," he said back, "A month, several months."

That gnawing feel in his stomach deepened. It made him feel like he had to eat but it also made him feel sick. "Oh Kami, that's bad."

His father nodded. "Yes, it is. And on top of that, we have these deer to deal with." He sighed in exasperation and scratched his shaggy, greying hair. "Gah, this is turning out to be a hell of a day."

_RING!_

_RING!_

Chōichi looked down at his pants pocket. Now it was his phone that was ringing. He reached to grab it and flipped it open. "Hello?"

"Chōichi, it's Inoji," his teammate said.

"Hey, man," he said back, inwardly glad to hear his friend's voice. "Look, I don't think I'm going to be able to meet up with you guys. Something with the clan came up and I need to help out." He saw his father's look at him from the corner of his eye. He gave an approving nod of his head and he felt proud in that moment.

"Huh? Oh yeah, that. That's not what I'm calling about. Your clan owns that grill place by the Academy, right? _Jiraiya's_?"

He frowned and looked at his dad again. He looked, not saying anything. "Yeah, I think we own that place. Why's that?"

"Because I'm currently looking at a mass amount of meats, sauces, vegetables, drinks, and fruits that have overtaken our kitchen. They're all in crates and the crates have the _Jiraiya's_ logo."

"Oh." Again he looked at his dad. "Is it only you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Have you checked in with the rest of your clan to see if it's happening to them too?"

"No, we haven't. But I get the feeling we're going to. Argh, like we didn't have enough problems already."

He winced involuntarily. "Sorry."

"It's not your fault, man. Someone's stolen all of our gardening equipment along with the plants and seeds. The flower store's closed down, completely."

Something began to click in his mind. "Everything was stolen? It's not in your house anymore?"

"That's what I just said. I don't suppose you know where it got to?"

"I think I might have an idea. Hold on." He pulled the phone away from his ear. "Dad, could you call the Nara clan and ask the clan head if he's somehow managed to find all the gardening equipment and other whatnot the Yamanaka clan uses?"

"Why would I do that, son?" he asked.

"I've got a hunch. Besides, don't we need to tell Shikatsuno's dad that we've found their deer?"

"Fair enough," he agreed, putting his own phone back to his ear.

Chōichi went back to his own conversation. "Inoji, please check in with the rest of your clan. Someone robbed all of our businesses, taking the stores. We have no idea where they are, but now I think they're with you."

"Why would that happen?" his teammate demanded.

"I don't know but I think that this is just part of something bigger. The Nara deer are grazing on our front lawn."

"…I'm sorry, could you repeat that? It sounded like you said that the Nara deer are grazing on your front lawn."

He nodded even though he was just talking on the phone. "That's what I said."

"Why are the Nara deer grazing on your front lawn?"

"I asked that same question, and I still don't know." He saw his dad put his phone away. "Hang on." Again he looked at his dad.

"The Nara clan does have the gardening equipment," he told his son. "They don't know how it got there. They were surprised when I told them that their deer are in our front lawn. I think they think Lord Shikamaru knows what's going on."

"Why would they think that?" he asked.

"Because he's shaking his head at all the gardening equipment while saying 'What a drag.' But he's saying it with a smile on his face."

* * *

Rin could only stare at what was happening and think _"I just went out to get groceries."_ It had been a twenty minute trip, thirty tops. But that time, somehow, the entire Hatake Clan got locked out of their own apartment complex. She watched as some tried to pry the doors open or the windows but the things wouldn't budge. She wondered if it was some kind of Fūinjutsu that was holding them in place. If that was so, they were going to have call in someone who could fix it.

"Rin!" one of her brothers, Sakumo, called out to her. "What are you doing just standing there?"

She looked at him as he pushed his way out of the crowd and came over to her. "I can't help but stare," she replied. "What's going on, anyway?"

He walked up to her. It was a contrast between the two of them. Since he was one of the elder children of Kakashi, he was old enough to look like her father than her brother. "We're locked out of the complex, that's what."

"I see that," she told him, retaining the urge to inflict sarcasm. "Do we know how? Also, do we know how whoever did this was able to get everyone out?" She had done a quick headcount and it looked like everyone in the clan was outside.

"We don't know."

She got concerned fast. "You don't know if everyone is outside?" She quickly did another headcount. Everyone seemed to be there, but she couldn't be sure now.

"No, everyone's outside. We don't know how this happened."

"Do we know how to fix it?" She had food that needed to be refrigerated quickly.

"Not until we get inside. At this point, the only way would be the dog tunnels."

She knew of the dog tunnels. They had been ways Kakashi's hounds had been able to get in and out of the complex without anyone noticing. It was an effective tactic because no outsider had realized that the entrances had been located in the various playgrounds around the complex. But after their father had passed away, the tunnels had never been put to use. "So call in the Inuzuka clan," she told Sakumo. They knew of the tunnels and would use them to train their hounds.

"We can't. They're too busy trying to get their hounds under control."

She frowned with concern. "What happened?"

"I don't know. They can't help us. But there's one way that this situation can be fixed." He gave her a look that was full of knowing what she has and expecting her to use it.

She saw that look and her stomach went cold. She reached out with one hand and pulled him close. "Who told you?" she demanded in a hiss. "Was it Kenji?"

"No, it was Obito. He told all Father's children."

"Damn it, I asked him to keep it a secret." She had hoped her biggest brother would've been able to keep that piece of information. That was why she had told him in the first place.

But Sakumo gave her a look. "Do you really think that he would be able to keep that a secret?"

"I asked him!" she hissed.

"Rin, those are Father's hounds. We had all wondered where they had gone after he had died. Some of us were worried that someone outside of the clan had grabbed them!" He was beginning to look furious. But then he stopped himself and became calm again. "You should've told us."

She saw what he was doing and it irritated the hell out of her. "Sakumo, I know you've got five daughters. But don't you dare treat me like a teenager. I'm a grown woman and a Jōnin, damn it."

He didn't bat an eyelash at her small outburst. When she was done, he said, "You're acting like a teenager, so you'll have to forgive me if I was treating you like one." She didn't have anything to say back. "Rin, I know that you've got problems with dogs."

"You would be too if you woke up with a bulldog—"

"Rin," he cut her off before she could start, "That's not the reason you don't like dogs and we both know it."

She fell silent at the rebuke. He would know why. Of he would know. Both he and Obito were there when she was discovered in the pen. They were there when their father died in her arms. There were nights she would wake up and still feel the weight of him in her arms, his blood against her body. "He shouldn't have summoned the dogs," she said quietly. "He could've lived if he hadn't used them while already on the edge."

Sakumo know this complaint. It was something they had all heard her say since the rescue. And they all had the answer. "If he hadn't, we never would've found you. All Father wanted that day was to find you and get you home."

"I wanted to go home, but with everyone."

"It's in the past, Rin. Let it go. Summon the dogs."

"…Fine." She put the groceries in his arms. "But you're helping me put those away." She stepped back and took a deep breath. _"I guess Pakkun and I are going to have that little talk now."_ She thought to herself as she bit her thumb and clasped her hands.

* * *

"_Something is going on in this village,"_ Arashi walked back into the Uchiha clan compound. The day had started off normal enough, but as he wondered around the village he started to notice that people were agitated. He didn't know what it was and at first passed it off as a bad day for them.

It was only when he saw the streets where the stores were that it hit him how bad it was. Everyone was in a panic, running around, gesturing wildly, shouting at people and at nothing (which was weird), and also fighting over the tiniest things. For a moment he wondered if the end of the world was coming and they were trying to get ready for it. But as he listened to the chaos, the chaos actually started to make sense. Apparently, a lot of things from the stores were either misplaced or just out right missing and everyone was trying to figure out where everything was.

Instead of trying to walk through the chaos, he took the roofs. But there, he saw a broader picture of the village. It seemed and sounded like everywhere was in confusion or chaos. He also could've sworn that he was able to see a couple of buildings on fire, which was weird. He had wondered what was going on when he got a call from Tsukiko, telling him to get back to the compound.

"Hey, I'm back," he called out as he walked through the door, taking off his shoes. He heard talking coming from the direction of the kitchen. When he got there, he found his sister in a surprising position: standing on a stool between Tsukiko and her mother stirring something in a bowl. "This is something," he remarked, making them all turn around.

"Hello, Arashi," Mito said pleasantly, not at all surprised to see him.

"Hey," he said but his attention was more on his sister. "Nat, what are you doing?"

She turned around to look at him. She was wearing an apron with a cartoon shinobi holding a tray of food full of something. He couldn't tell what it was. There was a speech bubble over the shinobi's head and it said "You shall respect my cooking style taijutsu! Would you like a piece of meat?" There was a smudge of flour on her cheek, it made her seem younger, more like a child. "They're teaching me how to cook," she told him.

"How's that going?"

"I like it," she said with a smile. Again, she looked younger and more fun-loving. "It's fun."

Mito smiled down at her. She was glad to see the little girl behaving more her age than what she usually gave them. She looked at her brother. "Would you like to join us, Arashi? We're baking a cake for dessert tonight?"

He raised his hands up in protest. "No, thank you. My Jiji and I established that I can only make a few basic meals. Anything complicated and I blow up the kitchen."

Tsukiko gave him a look that said she didn't believe what she was hearing. "You're exaggerating again, right?"

"No, I would literally blow up the kitchen. It's been rebuilt every time but you can still see the scars of past attempts."

He said it with such a complete straight face, she couldn't help but laugh. "It's nice to see Mr. Perfect has a weak spot!" she declared.

"Mr. What?" he asked her, a look that was equal parts horrified and confused.

It just made her laugh harder. "You didn't know? Kami help me, this is rich. Maybe they should put 'doesn't hear well' on the imperfection list too."

"Where is this all coming from, Iron Claw?"

She looked past that nickname because she was still laughing. "It's what your Fangirls call you."

At the mention of them, he shuddered. "Tell me you're kidding," he practically begged her. Ever since he had realized that there were Fangirls trying to get his attention, he had a kind of fear of them. It was probably stupid and irrational but he had seen enough rapid fans when it came to his dad and had heard Jiji's own stories about his experience. Now he was beginning to wonder if the day would come where he would had to have security go with him to the public bathhouse.

Tsukiko was still enjoying his plight. "Not at all," she declared.

"Great."

"Tsukiko, could you please pay attention to the batter?" her mother told her. "We don't want the mixture to separate.

She spun back around and got back to the batter. "Right, Mom. Sorry."

"Thank you, dear." She looked at Arashi again. "How was the walk?"

"It was good, at first," he replied. "But after I got the call to come back, I noticed that the village was in chaos."

She was on the verge of turning her attention back to her two students but when she heard the last word, she whipped her head back to look at him. "Are we under attack?"

"I'm not sure. It doesn't seem like it," he answered honestly. "But this is a shinobi village. I don't know how an attack is supposed to happen."

"Then what do you mean by chaos?" she demanded intently.

He felt a little nervous as those eyes bore into him. Even though she was retired, he knew that she was a shinobi and a damn good one at that. "I walked by the market streets and everyone was up in flames, trying to find their stuff or accusing people of taking it. It seems like everything that they have for the stores is gone, completely swiped."

She lost the intense look in her eyes and almost seemed to relax. "Oh, oh dear," she said mostly to herself. For a moment, she was in thought. Then she looked back at Arashi. "Is it just the stores that have been hit?"

He shook his head. "I know that the Hyūga clan was hit in some way. When I took to the roofs to avoid the mess in the streets, I also ran into Hiro. He was avoiding his home because of something." All three of them gave him a look. "I didn't get a direct answer. All I got was Hiro mumbling about laundry being out and the utter shame of it all."

"What does that even mean?" Tsukiko asked him.

"I just said I didn't get a direct answer. I tried, but Hiro wouldn't even look at me. He kept repeating the same words, over and over again. The only time he changed his tune was when he told me to just run."

"Run?" That didn't sound like something that would be said in that kind of situation.

He nodded. "Yeah, run. When I asked him why I would run, he just said that his grandmother is angry."

"Oh dear," Mito said. "It must be bad."

They all looked at her. "You know what that means?" Natsumi asked her.

"I do. We have a saying amongst the clans, something that is never said in her presence. So make sure that you never say it in front of her," she warned them. "Got it?"

"Got it," Arashi replied. "What's the saying?"

"If Lady Hyūga is angry, don't be in the vicinity," she recited with ease. "She has a long temper but when she does lose it, it's best not to be in her way."

Arashi thought those words were similar to what his Jiji would do if ever he got really angry. He had heard about what happened the last time he really got angry. But he also remembered what he had told Tsukiko that night they had become Genin.

"Hello?" Madara's voice called out from the front door, "Anyone home?"

"We're in the kitchen, dear!" his wife called out to him.

"Are Arashi and Natsumi here?"

Both brother and sister shared a look. The man wanted to talk to them both? That couldn't be good. But there was no way around it. "We're here!" Arashi called out.

"Good." The kitchen and living room quickly filled with the sound of feet that came closer. He soon appeared and there was someone else with him. "There's someone here to see you."

As soon as he saw the old man beside the Hokage, Arashi felt like he was six again. He ran full speed at the man, crashing into him for a hug. "Uncle Zuko!" he shouted happily.

"Oof!" said Zuko as he held onto the hug. "Please be careful, Arashi. I have old bones now. They're more liable to break under pressure."

He smiled. It was the same old excuse his granduncle used every time they hugged him tightly. "What are you doing here?" he asked, pulling back slightly so he could look up at the old man.

He looked down with a slightly somber look. "Naruto called me and hitched a ride to here." He looked past his grandnephew and saw his grandniece standing at the kitchen entrance, looking up at him with nervousness, apprehension, but also hope. Arashi looked and saw the same look. He let go and the old man walked to her. He knelt down so he could look her in the eyes. "Hello, Natsumi," he told her. "Do you remember me?"

She looked up at him, staring up into those eyes that twinkled like old gold. Memories came back to her, memories of a summer that was filled with water, sand, sun, and laughter. But above all that, there was him. "Uncle ZuZu," she said.

"_Do not snort,"_ Tsukiko told herself, desperately trying to make sure that she could do it. It was hard, really hard. The name was just too funny to even think about without breaking into giggles. She looked at her parents and saw that they didn't even look like they were contemplating laughter. She tried to match their expressions but all it took was one knowing look from Arashi and she had to make sure that she didn't start again.

Zuko smiled. "So you do remember me?"

She nodded. "We spent a summer at your house on the beach."

"Yes. And when you got there, you thought it would be completely boring, staying at the beach with only your brother and grandparents with you. But at the end of the summer, you wanted to stay so much your parents had to wait until you were asleep before they even dared to leave the island."

She hugged him and he held her back. "Jiji's here?" she asked into his stomach.

"He's around," he told her. "I suspect he's causing trouble around the village for his own amusement."

Arashi was a little surprised at those words. "I thought he stopped doing that?" he asked Zuko. "Didn't Oba tell him to stop?"

"She did," he answered, looking back at him. "And he did. But I would say that this is a special occasion."

"Agni help the village."

"There's no need to pray to Agni, Arashi," he told the boy. "Not yet anyways. I don't think he's set anything on fire yet."

He thought about the walk through the village and over the rooftops. There had been a lot of confusion and chaos, but there was one thing that had been missing. "I hadn't seen any fires or smoke."

"Wait," said Tsukiko, staring at her teammate. "Your grandfather does that?"

He shrugged his shoulders and said, "Only when he was supposedly trying to get a big distraction." He looked back at Zuko. "Is that right, Uncle?"

"Yes, it is."

She quickly remembered what it was they were talking about and her eyes went wide. "Naruto Uzumaki is here?" she asked Arashi.

He looked over at the old man. "That's what he's saying. I believe him." He frowned and then looked at him again. "Am I supposed to go looking for him?"

"It's best to let him do what he wants to do," Zuko said back. "You know that to be the case."

"Yeah, I know," he said with a roll of his eyes. It was typical of his Jiji just to vanish and reappear whenever he felt like it.

Both of their eyes found Natsumi and saw how she looked sad. Zuko was by her side, so he spoke. "He hasn't forgotten about you, Natsumi. He wouldn't have come here if he hadn't."

"Then why isn't he here right now?" she demanded.

"He has a history with this village. It used to be his home," he explained. "But he left it a long time ago and he swore that he would never go back. If he didn't have that hindering him, he would've blazed a trail from the gate to here to get to you. But now he has to make sure that no one sees him."

"Why?"

"If no one sees him, it will be like he was never here."

"That's stupid!"

He smiled at her. "It is rather stupid, isn't it?" he agreed. "I should tell him that when he does show himself."

"Yes!" she agreed passionately.

"But before we do that, perhaps it would be best if we all ate. I am rather hungry. Also, some tea would be good." He looked at the Uchiha family. "Might I have some tea?"

"Of course," Mito said to him. "Tea sounds delightful."

"Oh boy," Arashi breathed out silently.

Tsukiko caught it. She leaned in closely and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"Uncle's something of a tea fiend. He will try any kind of tea he gets his hands on and if it's bad, he will let the maker of the tea know. I heard that he once caused a restaurant to shut down completely because the tea they served him almost killed him."

"Arashi, I am old, not deaf," Zuko said without even looking back at him. "And please do not exaggerate any tales you heard about me." But even as he said those words, a reminiscing smile came to his face.

"What are you smiling about?" Natsumi asked him.

"Oh, just remembering my own uncle and his tea-drinking habit. But let's not focus on that. Let us sit down, relax, and allow me to catch up with my sister's grandchildren. For instance," he looked over at his grandson, "what is going on with your hair, boy?"

"I dyed it," Arashi replied protectively.

"Why?"

"I wanted a change?" He knew he shouldn't have made it sound like a question. His granduncle just gave him a long look that said he didn't believe it either.

Tsukiko just gave the old man a disbelieving look. "It took him that long to recognize that you had dyed your hair?" she asked Arashi.

"No, he knew. He was just waiting for an opportune moment to talk about it. He's that patient and crafty." Zuko grinned at him, silently acknowledging the fact.

* * *

When the night had fallen, dinner was done and everyone had gone up to bed, everyone except for Zuko. He had chosen to sit outside at the back of the house, watching the night sky. It was a habit he had fallen into after he had stepped down from being the Fire Lord. It helped him relax and note the course of the stars themselves. After a few hours, he would go to bed.

While this habit was very well known to the people who knew, what most didn't know was that it was an opportune time to pass on information to him. He might be old but that didn't mean he had an interest in how the Bending Countries were running. If someone wanted to pass him information, all they would have to do was wait for him to stargaze, appear before him, and pass on the information.

Most chose to walk up and wait until he acknowledged their presence. That was not how Naruto chose to do it. The only sigh of his appearing by Zuko's side was a slight whisper of wind and even that was intentional. "Did you enjoy yourself?" Zuko asked his brother-in-law.

They didn't look at each other, only staring at the stars. "I'm not done."

"I'm not surprised."

They were silent for another moment before Naruto said, "How are they?"

"You could ask them yourself," he rebuked him gently. "It's not that hard."

"Zuko, just tell me."

"Are you going to actually see them while we're here or are you going to hide in the shadows until they come back home?" He got silence for a reply. He wouldn't take it. "I'm not telling you until I have an answer."

"No, I'm not going to wait. I just…" He looked for the right thing to say. "I want to see how they are here, how they are living."

The old Fire Lord stared at him in surprise. "You're thinking of leaving them here?"

"Arashi left willingly. Probably the only way we would be able to get him to come home now is if we knocked him unconscious and drag him away." He saw the look of surprise on Zuko's face out of the corner of his eye. "I'm not going to do that, Zuko. He left willingly. He wanted to be here. Natsumi, on the other hand, might want to come home."

"She might have to either way."

"What do you mean?"

"She's lost all of her skill as a Firebender. She can bend up a flame but she can't put it out. I've been told that she's almost burned down a few buildings. Along with her short temper, it makes for a volatile combination. She needs to be trained again, from the ground up."

"So you are going to train her?"

"Yes," he answered without hesitation. As soon as he knew what she had been reduced to and had seen her temper, he knew that he would have to be the one to teach her how to control her Firebending. There was also the codes implanted in both her and Arashi but he wasn't going to tell Naruto that, not until he was actually talking to his grandchildren.

To his surprise, Naruto chuckled. "At last, you'll be finally able to achieve your lifelong dream of being Uncle Iroh." He turned his head slightly over to him. "You can see the similarities, can't you?"

He could and it made him chuckle too. They sat there, laughing quietly at the similarities of Natsumi to a younger Zuko. When the laughter faded out, they watched for a little longer. Then Naruto stood up. "Naruto," Zuko said to him, making him stop, "Try to actually show yourself to your grandchildren. Don't hide in the shadows."

"You know I will. I just have a little more observing to do."

"Observing what?"

"Everything and anything in this village," he said. "I want to see how Arashi is amongst them." With those words said, he vanished with that small sigh of wind. Zuko didn't react to his disappearing. He had gotten used to it. He just stood up and went inside, heading to the guest bedroom he had been given. He had barely put himself under the covers before the screaming from Natsumi's room started.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

One of the reviewers had asked me what would happen if the villagers saw a dragon landing in their midst. This would be my answer. Landing in the middle of the village on a dragon is something on the ostentatious side of things and I do believe that Zuko was never that kind of person even when he was a young hothead.

However, in regards to Naruto, that was my plan from the start. So if you can tell me where the whole thing involving the Inuzuka hounds came from, I'll give you a cyber cookie.

There are similarities between Natsumi and a young Zuko. That is why Zuko now would be teaching her. He knows what she's going through and be able to help her through it. Plus, there's a chance for more tea humor now.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	42. Observing and pondering

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 42: Observing and pondering

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Konoha)

Hiro's jab slipped past Tsukiko's guard and tagged her. It stung and her arm felt slightly numb. But she didn't stop. She pressed her own attack. He avoided them with ease and stepped out of her reach. She felt Arashi tag her shoulder, the silent signal they had worked out earlier. They tried to try switch but somehow caught their legs tangled up and fell down.

Hiro winced as they fell. "You guys okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Tsukiko told him, lifting her head off the ground.

"Same," Arashi said. He wasn't really able to move around yet. He didn't know but it felt like some kind of pressure on his shoulder.

"Okay." He stared at them for a moment longer and realized the position that they were in. "Um, you two need a moment?"

They both stared at him in blank confusion until they looked at each other and recognized what he was looking at. They had managed to fall in such a way that she was splayed across his body like she was using him as a pillow to sleep. Tsukiko's face went deep red as she blushed. "Get off," she told Arashi.

"You're the one on top of me, Iron Claw," he retorted, blushing just as hard as she was. "Besides, I'm losing feeling in my shoulder."

She looked down and saw that her hand was gripping his shoulder. She let go and scrambled off of him. "There, happy?"

Rin walked over to them. "What's going on here?" she asked her students as they got back to their feet.

"Nothing," Tsukiko said instantly.

"It doesn't look like nothing."

"Well, it is."

She fixed her student with a hard look. "Tsukiko, something is troubling both you and Arashi. It's been so ever since you guys got here. Now what is it?"

Both Uzumaki and Uchiha shared a look. They didn't say anything for a moment. But when they did break their silence, it was Tsukiko who spoke first. "Something happened last night at home."

"What was it?"

"My sister," Arashi told her. "She's back in the hospital."

She looked at him with concern evident in her eyes. "What happened? Did she try to run away again? Did someone try to kidnap her?"

He shook his head. "No to both."

"Then what happened?"

"I don't know. She started screaming in the middle of the night. We found her against the wall, looking afraid but also ready to attack someone. She had acted feral, like she was some kind of animal trying to get away from danger or wanting to attack it."

"She tried attacking me," Tsukiko added. "But Arashi grabbed her and held her down to the ground. She kept trying to get free until Dad knocked her out. He had her taken to the hospital."

"We haven't even seen her yet."

Rin knew what happened to Aarshi's sister. Somehow, her code had been activated and she tried to kill her target. But she must've failed because neither of her students made mention about a body in her room. The question now was who her target was. _"It's couldn't be her grandfather,"_ she thought to herself. _"He's not here."_ But what if he was here? Could he have tried to go see her and inadvertently activated the code? "Arashi is your grandfather here in the village?" she asked him.

Hiro snapped his gaze up to her and then over to his teammate. But surprisingly, Tsukiko hadn't done the same. She stilled watched her sensei. "Technically speaking, yes, I think he is," Arashi answered.

"What does that mean?"

"I do know that he is here, but I haven't seen him."

She frowned. "And that makes sense to you?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I know that he likes to disappear on me for weeks, if not months on end."

This time, Tsukiko did look at him. "He does that?" she asked.

"Yeah, he does."

"Geez," she said, mostly to herself. She couldn't imagine her grandparents or even her parents doing that to her. But then again, Arashi had lived with his grandfather alone. She lived with her family.

Hiro looked more closely at Arashi. "Wasn't your grandfather infamous as a prankster when he was young?" he asked.

"As I was told, he didn't stop until after he became a grandparent."

He groaned and covered his face in his hands. "Grandmother is going to kill him, and then me by extension."

The dyed redhead was confused. "How is she going to kill you?"

"I have knowledge of him and because I haven't revealed it to her, she will kill me." He clasped his hands in prayer. "Please let my death be mercifully quick." Both his teammates shared a look but didn't say anything. The question of what did happen at the Hyūga clan compound did rise up in their minds but they had the feeling if they asked, they wouldn't get an answer (at least, not a coherent one).

Rin wasn't focusing on the supposed plight of her student. She was still focused on what Arashi had told her. The talk from the hospital between her and her old teammates came back to her. "Arashi, have you gone to see your sister?" she asked him.

He shook his head. "No, not yet," he answered

That wouldn't do. She gave him a look. "And why is that?"

He returned the look. "I would've, except I had to come to training today because you said, and I quote, 'if any of you decide to skip training, I will find you, cover you in meat, and set the Inuzuka hounds upon you.'"

She couldn't retort or protest that because it was true. She had made that threat to her team and they had come to training every time. "Alright, that's fair," she conceded. "But now, I want you to go see your sister. Bear in mind," she added as he turned to leave, "this is only a onetime thing."

"Yeah, got it, bye!" he told her before sprinting away. Within seconds, he was gone from the grounds.

"What about us?" Tsukiko asked.

She looked at her and Hiro. "What about you?"

"Well, you just let him go."

"Yes, because he's got a sister who's possibly just had a second traumatic experience. Do you have somebody who has that?"

The Uchiha girl didn't answer instantly. She fell silent before finally saying. "No, I don't."

Rin looked at Hiro. "What about you?"

"Does my entire clan count?" he asked in complete seriousness.

She knew that he felt like he was danger from his grandmother's anger. But she wouldn't let him use that as an excuse. "No, it doesn't."

He looked at Tsukiko. "Can I hide at your house until she calms down?"

"Uh…I'll think about it," she told him hesitantly. If his grandmother was that angry, she didn't want her coming around the house. She saw her sensei looking at the two of them with an expectant look. She knew what it meant. They had to get back to training.

(Location: Republic City)

"You're doing just fine," Yue told Tahno as she watched him train.

He wasn't of the same mind. "You are sadistic!" he told her back. His arms were burning both from within and out.

"I am not sadistic," she replied easily.

"What the hell do you call this!?"

She shrugged her shoulders like it was nothing. "I call it training. And besides, this is only the beginner's exercise."

"There's more!?" he yelped. But as he yelped, he lost his grip and his balance. He fell to the ground in a crash.

His sifu looked down at him with no remorse. The clay ball he had been holding in his hands rolled towards her. It started to pick up momentum but she stopped it with her foot. "Are you going to just lie there all day?" she asked him.

He had his face pressed against the floor. He could breathe and that was enough for him. "May I?"

"No. Now get up," she ordered. He started to get up when she said, "Watch it. It's going to get lodged in an awkwardly painful spot if you go like that. Go slower."

He stopped and went slower. As he stood up, he reached down and pulled out the wooden block that he had been standing on. "That was painful," he declared, coming back upright. "How in the names of Tui and La was that supposed to help me?"

She looked him innocently. "You mean you haven't figured it out yet?"

He didn't take that innocent expression for truth. "You said come over to learn. I thought that had meant book reading, not whatever…this was," he said, waving at the block and the ball. He had tried to find the right words to use but he didn't know what they would be.

"And there is another lesson to you, my apprentice: never take to one view. It is always best to keep an open mind."

"I would've settled for the books," he grumbled.

She smiled to herself at those words. When she had first seen Tahno, she had not been impressed with him. He had reminded her too much of Varrick by being too arrogant about what he could do. His teammates were the same but out of the three of them he was the worse. It turned worse when she learned that he was the son of Tahno Sr. Sozin's teammate. Tahno Sr. had been her first crush and she knew that he would've been disappointed in his son.

But after his Bending had been taken away the arrogance went too. In its place came depression, so much so that he had fallen into the gutters where she found him. She could've left him there but she felt pity for him. She pulled him out of there and helped him get out of the depression. She helped him get back on his feet and in return for her help he asked to be her apprentice.

She agreed and found herself impressed by him. He had taken to her teachings like a turtle-duck to water, learning everything that he could. She had thought that for a person like him, he would disdain books and scrolls, yet he surprised her by reading anything that he could get his hands on. He grumbled whenever she did something unexpectedly new to him but he didn't try to run away.

"Come on," she told him, "Back on your feet. You have to get to go again."

He groaned, "Again?"

"Yes, again," she said. She nudged the ball back to him.

It came to a stop against his leg. He stared down at it. Its tan texture was a contrast against the dark wood floor. "Sifu, why am I doing this in the first place?"

"Because I'm telling you to do it," she replied.

He knew that. But he also knew that there was another reason to it. She wasn't a cruel taskmaster. Everything she did to him had a purpose, just like that survival training down in the South Pole (the memory of which always made him wince). "But what is the purpose of this exercise?"

She looked at him with a fake surprised look. "You still haven't figured it out?"

"Sifu," he said, "please just tell me."

"Fine," she surrendered, making it sound like it was nothing. "What you're currently doing is a basic Earthbending exercise. You are trying to learn how to use both balance and strength at the same time."

He looked down at the ball and the block. "And that requires me to stand on a tipsy block of wood, holding a heavy clay ball in my hands over my head, and doing squats?"

"Yes. The squats and the ball are for the strength and the block is for your balance. Earthbending is not a straight-forward art, despite what others might think of it. It's not just throwing rocks around. It requires strength and balance, the ability to act and the ability to know when to stop. True masters of Earthbending can do more than just tear chunks of the earth out and throwing them somewhere."

"I'm not an Earthbender," he reminded her. He had been a Waterbender once but that was it. Even as he thought about it, the memory of that night came back. He didn't like to think about that time.

"You good, Tahno?" his sifu asked him, seeing how his expression turned melancholic.

"Yes," he replied, "Just…thinking about the change. It was the worst point in my life."

She gave him a long look. "You mean the sucker punch that came the next day wasn't it?" It seemed like that it was to her.

He didn't like thinking about that either. Pro-bending was all he really had then and to lose it like that was terrible. He couldn't face his teammates afterwards. "Can we not talk about that anymore?" he asked her.

"So long as you get back on that block and grab that bowl."

"Fine," he agreed. Anything was good so long as he didn't think about what happened. He placed the block properly on the floor, grabbed the bowl, and stepped up onto—

_BANG!_

_BANG!_

"Wah!" he yelped, falling off the block. "Damn it!"

Yue ignored him and went over to her front door. She opened it and saw her neighbor standing there. "Sho?" she said. "What's the matter?"

Sho scratched the side of his neck. He did that when he felt nervous when he was ever talking to her. "Can you help me?" he asked her. "There's something going on in my apartment."

"Just call the handyman. He'll be able to fix it." She knew that he always came to her first before going to the handyman. It was cute and she also found it cute that he kept trying to find a reason just to talk to her.

"I don't think the handyman is going to be able to fix this problem."

She rolled her eyes a little bit but smiled at him all the same. "Alright, what's the problem?"

"Well, my bathroom has somehow been overridden by vines."

He had said it with no joking tone and in complete seriousness. She didn't say anything right away, which allowed Tahno to say, "Are you kidding?" as he got back up.

Sho looked at the younger man. When they had first met, there would be a flash of hostility in his eyes. But since she explained their relationship to him, the hostility faded away and they were able to be relatively polite to each other. "No, I am not kidding. My bathroom is completely swallowed up in vines. What's worse is that there are spirits living in there now and are saying that _I'm _trespassing!"

"Alright, Sho," Yue told him. "I'll come over and see what I can do." Some people might've said that Sho was lying or inventing this. But she was willing to believe until she chose otherwise. He was a nice guy, Sho. "Come on, Tahno."

"Coming, sifu," Tahno said, following her out of the apartment.

(Location: Konoha)

"This is completely surprising," said the doctor as he stared at the report and at the girl in the bed.

Zuko looked at him from where he sat next to the bed. "What you do mean by that, Doctor Kuro?" he asked carefully.

He looked at the old man and paused for a moment. He wasn't sure how much he knew about the condition of Natsumi. He decided to just straight out ask him. It was the best way about it. "How much do you know about Natsumi here?"

Zuko kept his gaze on him. "You're going to have to be more specific. She is my grandniece."

In spite of the answer, Kuro liked him for it. It showed that he knew what to keep close to the chest and when to reveal what he had. It might be interesting and fun to play a hand of cards against him. "I was told that Madara had informed about what had happened to Natsumi when she was held. Was I wrong?"

"No, you were not wrong. He did tell me. He also told me the same problem is somewhat in Arashi too."

"_So he's read in,"_ Kuro thought to himself. It certainly made his job easier. "It's in regards to the code," he told him, tapping his clipboard.

"What about it?"

"For lack of a better description, it's gone."

He went still in the chair. He looked the doctor straight in the eye. "Say that again," he ordered, inflicting his voice with authority of the Fire Lord.

Kuro heard the authority. He almost snapped to attention at it. But he reminded himself that he was not obedient to the old man, no matter what kind of voice he used. "The psyche code in her mind, it's gone."

Zuko relaxed, breathing out in relief. He looked at Natsumi with a look of confused wonderment. "How?" he asked.

"That is the question."

"And I'm asking it," he said, not in the mood for games, "How?"

"I don't know."

His eyes went flat and hard. "That is not the answer I want to hear."

Kuro looked right back in the eyes. "That's the only answer I've got for you. I don't know how but the code's been rendered so inert, it might as well not exist in the first place. I don't know how and it's bugging the living daylights out of me."

Zuko closed his eyes and focused on his breathing.

In and out.

In and out.

In and out.

He did the basic exercise again and again. When he had been younger, he had always disregarded his uncle's advice to focus on his breathing, wanting to get stronger. That meant moving onto the more advanced techniques. But now, he could see what Uncle Iroh had been trying to pass onto him. Going back to the basic exercises allowed him to focus his mind and lean on his patience. When he did that, answers and solutions always came through eventually.

And today was no exception. An idea came to him that made him open his eyes again. "If the code was activated, would it act like a virus?" he asked the doctor.

Kuro looked up from the clipboard. "What?" he asked back. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, if a virus attacks someone there are only two ways that things can go. The first that it goes on undisturbed, killing its victim and then leaving the body," he explained. "The second is that the virus is stopped in the body and defeated there by curing the patient. Either way, the end result is the same: the virus is gone."

"Okay…" He didn't ask any questions because he had the feeling that it was about to be given a crystal clear image to him.

Zuko looked back at Natsumi, still sleeping on the bed. "What if the code in her psyche operates in the same way? What if when it's done or stopped, it dies?"

"That actually makes some sense." Kuro did know that viruses basically operated in the way the old man had explained. Comparing the code to a virus was a way he hadn't considered before but now it seemed like perfect. He lifted the papers on the board up until he was looking at a blank one. "I'm going to have to consult with the other doctors on this but I think I can see where you're coming from," he told the old granduncle as he wrote on the paper. "But how did you see it?"

"I read what I have to and I listen to what others have to say."

His pen stopped moving as he looked up at him with exasperation. "Are you trying to be vague?"

A small smile appeared on his lips. "Sorry, it's an old habit I picked up."

"Whatever," Kuro said, already dismissing it. He turned to the door. "Look, I'll take this to the other doctors. They'll probably see the sense of it."

"Alright," Zuko said, watching the doctor as he left. He continued to contemplate the situation. Of course, since Natsumi wasn't dead and there wasn't a body that meant the virus had been stopped. The question was how it was cured. Someone must've triggered it and then stopped before it went anywhere dangerous. Then he stopped and thought about it for a moment. The more he mulled it over, the more he realized the fact. _"Perhaps it's not just someone. Right, Naruto?"_

But the question remained, how did Naruto find out? He didn't tell him. Of course, when he gave it more thought, he realized that it didn't matter if he had told Naruto. The old bastard was still a shinobi. Finding information and staying out of sight while doing it was what he did. If he was going to guess, he had been in the hospital at some point and overheard the doctors.

The door opened and he saw Arashi all but fall in. "Uncle Zuko," the boy said to him.

"Hello, Arashi," he replied.

He walked over to the bed, looking down at his sister. "Is she alright?" he asked, putting his hand on her arm in silent comfort.

"She's fine. She's just resting."

"For how long?" he asked, still keeping his eyes on her.

"I've been told that they're going to keep her overnight." He saw the irritated look on his grandnephew's face. It was the same one his sister had when she was told the same thing. They got it both from Naruto. None of them liked staying any longer than they had to in a hospital. Truth be told, he found it to be a little amusing.

"Has she been like this since last night?" Arashi wondered, looking up at him. His eyes were alight with worry.

There was worry in those eyes, but also concern and love. Zuko felt glad for that. It was good to see that the two of them were getting closer again. "No, she was up for breakfast. She just felt rather sleepy and went back to bed."

Arashi was relieved to hear that. When he had walked into the room, he had thought his sister was in a coma. "Did we know what happened to her?"

"The doctors' are still going over all the facts," the old man told him. "They might have a theory as to what happened, but I don't know if it's conclusive yet."

"Okay." He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his phone. He flipped it open.

"What is that?"

He paused and looked back at his uncle, who was staring at the phone with curiosity and fascination. "It's a phone."

"A phone?" asked Zuko, "Really?"

"Really," he said back with a nod.

"How interesting," he remarked, "It can move around and such."

"Yeah, it doesn't have to stay in one place."

Zuko considered the object more. "It would certainly help a person out."

He nodded. "It would." Then he stopped and thought over what they were talking about. "But it might make the telegraph companies really angry. This," he waved the phone, "doesn't go from any kind of ground line."

The old man was surprised by that. He knew that it wasn't attached to ground line since there wasn't a cable attached. But he had assumed that it work in proximity to a ground line. It might sound a bit far-fetched but he wouldn't put anything past the shinobi. They probably would've found a way to make it work. "So how does it work?"

"I don't know."

He looked at Arashi with a slight disapproving look. "Arashi, you should learn about the things that you use."

"If I start asking, people are going to look at me like I'm an idiot."

He raised his eyebrow at him. "And?" he asked. Arashi didn't have an answer so he gave him one. "Looking like an idiot is something that is going to happen, Arashi. You might as well get it over with. Just ask the people who know what it means."

"But I don't know who those people are," he protested.

Zuko didn't lower his eyebrow. "Have you gone looking for them?"

He opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out. His uncle waited for him to say something but everything that came to his mind sounded weak when he gave it a second thought. He finally said, "No, I haven't."

"Then perhaps you should do that." It wasn't an order from his uncle, just a suggestion.

He would do it, but not at that moment. "How are you not surprised by this, Uncle?" he asked jostling the phone around in his hand. He knew he had been the first time he had seen it.

"I was surprised, Arashi," he replied. "But it's just a matter of how present it. I have always found it best to not look as surprised as I actually am. It will offset people and that will be useful when you need it."

He should probably remember that for later, but he had to call Rin-sensei. "I'm going to step outside for a moment, Uncle." He left the room.

Zuko sat in the chair and watched over his grandniece. As he did, he wondered where his brother-in-law was. _"Naruto, you'd better get before long. Otherwise, I will drag you in here."_

* * *

Tsukiko felt sore and tired, like she usually did coming out of training. But when she left the grounds and went back to the village proper, she couldn't help looking at each and every shadow. Her pace slowed as she kept looking around. Hiro had to stop twice so she could catch up to him. "Hey, Tsukiko," he said. She didn't say anything back. Knowing that it was probably going to take a drastic measure to get her attention, he leaned over and snapped his fingers in her face.

She blinked at the sudden snapping in her face and backed off. "What the—" she began.

"Nice to see you back with me," Hiro replied.

She recovered her balance and fixed him with a glare. "What was that for?"

"I was trying to get your attention. I had to do something."

"Well, what do you need?" she demanded with a huff.

He ignored the huff. Instead, he looked at her with concern. "Are you okay?" He wasn't sure that she was.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she lied, trying to shrug it off. But she kept looking around.

Hiro's pale eyes saw the looking. "Tsukiko, you're not fine. You're looking around like someone should be leaping out to attack you."

She turned those eyes onto him. "And you're not? Come on, man. Naruto Uzumaki is town."

"Don't remind me," he said with a shudder, still dreading that he would have to go home sooner or later. "But what is the problem?"

"He could be here," she said, going back to looking around, "watching us from somewhere."

Now he was certain that his teammate was losing her mind. "Why would he be watching us?" The old man was here for his grandchildren, wasn't he?

"I don't know. But I've got a feeling that he is."

"You're crazy."

She looked him in the eye. "Hiro, he's been back one day and he's done something to either us or our clans. Do you really think that he's not doing or plotting something that could get us again?"

He thought about it and the more he did, the more he realized that she might have a point. "Alright, you're right," he conceded. "But I don't think that we're high on the list of potential targets. We're just kids."

"We're not just kids," she told him. "We're shinobi. He could see us as a threat." She could admit that saying it out loud would make it sound farfetched but it was a risk she would be willing to take.

Again, Hiro gave her the look of disbelief. He just could not believe that those words were coming out of her mouth. "Yeah, maybe if we were our parents' age and had their experience too."

"Alright, maybe not that," she said, not wanting to cause a scene in the middle of the street. She had to look like everything was normal, even though she felt like they were being watched from every corner. "But it's not just that."

"What else is there?"

"Hiro, we are the grandchildren of the people he once saw as comrades, the same people who tried to bring him back when they found him and he drove them away. And now, we're his grandson's teammates."

He paused in mid-step and considered those words. They had merit. As much as it was chilling to consider, they had merit. "I'm sure that he wouldn't hold a grudge against us for what our grandparents did."

"Hiro, he deceived me and Itachi just so he could insult our grandparents, right to our faces." She had been so angry about what he had said she never once considered how he knew such things about them.

"You weren't the only ones he pulled pranks on, Tsukiko," Hiro retorted.

"Yeah, but I actually met the guy." She paused in talking as they rounded the corner onto a busy street. Suddenly, all she could hear were people moving and talking, shop owners proudly selling their wares to anyone who would come and browse them. Together, the two of them wove their ware through the street, making sure not to run into anyone. "Besides, I think he might put special attention on me," she finally said.

"What?" Hiro asked, barely hearing her over the din all around them.

"I said I think he might put special attention on me," she repeated a bit louder so he could hear her. "I mean, considering who my grandparents…"

He avoided a couple going down the middle of the street. There was something to her words but he also thought that she was putting herself on too high a pedestal. "I know who you're grandparents are, Tsukiko, just like you know who my grandparents are."

"So he'll have an eye on us both then," she told him.

"_Why do I feel like I have to be the voice of reason on this team?"_ he asked himself. It was beginning to feel like it. "Tsukiko, unless you actually see Naruto Uzumaki any time soon, would you stop worrying about it?"

She quieted down as they passed a bakery. Maybe he was right and she was being a bit paranoid about the whole thing. But the fact still remained that the Naruto Uzumaki was still amongst them. And…there was that other thing too. She didn't say it right away. When they left the street for a quieter one, she finally spoke. "Hey, Hiro," she said to him.

"What?" he asked, completely exasperated.

"Can I ask you a question? It's about Naruto."

"For the love of Kami, Tsukiko—"

"It's not about him watching us," she said quickly. "Well, it's a little about him watching us but it's not the full thing."

He sighed in surrender. She wasn't going to give this up, not until it was fully talked through. "Alright, what is it about?" he asked her. She didn't tell him, choosing to look around again. "Tsukiko, you're doing it again."

"Sorry." She brought her attention back to him. "Do you think that if Naruto looks at me, he sees himself?"

That actually made him stop and look at her. "What?"

"Well, think about it."

"I am thinking about it. I'm also beginning to think you're losing your mind. Come on, Tsukiko, you're a girl. He's not. You're also an Uchiha."

She scowled stubbornly. "Well, if you ignore those two things, we're pretty similar."

"How?" he challenged. "How are you similar?" He was so focused on seeing her wrong and she was so focused on being right that they weren't paying attention where they were going.

Rock Lee walked up to them both, catching them by surprise and making them stop. "What is the matter?" he asked them. They looked like deer that had been stumbled onto by hunters.

Hiro replied first, "Nothing, sir. We were talking and you caught us by surprise."

"I see. Do you mind if I walk with you?"

They both shared a look before looking at him. He didn't seem to be carrying anything in his hands and he didn't look like he was in a hurry. In fact, he almost seemed like he was just enjoying the day. "Of course, we would be honored."

"Excellent." They began walking through the streets. As they went, the people who knew who Rock Lee gave him a respectful bow of the head.

"How has your day been, sir?"

He rolled his shoulders back. "Oh, it has been alright. Of course I discovered that my home had been visited in the night and that I was not aware of it until it was too late."

"You were attacked?" Tsukiko asked him, angered that someone might want to do that to an old person. Sure, that person was Rock Lee and she had seen him train, but it was the same basic principal.

But he shook his head. "No, nothing like that," he told her.

"Oh, good," she said in relief. "I'm glad that wasn't the case."

"I'm glad that you see me so, Tsukiko." Really, it was heartening to see young people look at him with the respect of a student to a teacher, not just blind admiration. Blind admiration was why he had all but hidden himself away from the public eye.

"So what happened?" Hiro asked him.

"Well, it seems that someone had wandered around my home during the night and left a note for me. Apparently, one of my old friends is back in the village and no one told me."

Both Genin froze at those words. They looked at each other behind his back. "Do you know who that friend was, sensei?" Tsukiko asked carefully.

"As a matter of fact, I do. He was kind enough to leave his name on the note." He gave them both an eye that managed to be chastising somehow. "And it seems that I was left out of the loop when learning about that Naruto Uzumaki has come back to the village."

Again they shared a look. _"See?"_ Tsukiko told her teammate using just her face.

"_They used to know each other,"_ Hiro replied the same way. _"It's not surprising that he would check on the people he knew."_ He looked back at Lee. "What did the note say?"

The old man looked down at him. "It said that he liked my new house and that he was also amazed that I had mellowed out a bit."

"That's it?"

"Yes. Were you expecting something else?" He was a little amused by the reaction on the Hyūga's face. Then again, he did enjoy it when he could surprise younger people.

"Well… maybe something a little bit more."

He chuckled. "I am just content that he liked my home. I think that he would've enjoyed it if he had seen it when he was younger."

"I think he would do," Tsukiko agreed. She could still remember her first time seeing where Rock Lee had lived. It had been a bit of a shock to see that the two buildings connected to his home were a training ground. Of course, it had been more of a pain to clean them but she was willing to look past that time for the times she had trained there. "I had wondered," said Rock Lee, oblivious to her musing, "If the others had received such notes. So, I am going to them and see if they do."

"Who are you going to see now?" Hiro asked him.

"Your grandmother," he replied.

The Hyūga froze in place, almost falling down to the ground. "You're…you're going to go see her?" he asked the old man, looking at him like he was insane.

"Yes."

"You shouldn't."

Lee looked at him with a curious expression. "And why is that?"

"She was really angry the last time I was at the compound."

"And?" he asked.

Wasn't that enough? He all of people should know how scary Hinata Hyūga was when she got that angry. More sensible people ran for the hills when she got that mad. Most of the clan ran for the hills when she got that mad, if they were fast enough. "That doesn't terrify you?" he asked back.

"No," he replied. He knew how to weather that particular storm.

Tsukiko chose to change the subject. Here was a man who could answer the question that she had. "Lee-sensei, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course," the old man said to her. "What is it?"

"Do you think that I'm like Naruto Uzumaki?"

He didn't slow or stop his pace but there was thoughtful look. "What makes you think that you are?"

She took the question to be a good sign. Hiro rolled his eyes but she ignored. "Well, when I think about it, we are similar. Even my team is similar to his."

That was a new one to Hiro. He turned his attention towards her. He wondered just how she was able to come up with the conclusion. He looked over their team in his head. There was an Uzumaki and an Uchiha on, true. But he was a Hyūga, not a Haruno. "If you're trying to compare us, you're off by one."

"What?" she asked.

"His team was an Uzumaki, Uchiha, and Haruno. I'm a Hyūga."

She huffed in exasperation and annoyance. "I know that. I said similar, not exactly. If it was exact, I'd be the genius on the team."

Again, he thought about it. She had the point. And they both already knew that she was still known as the Great Loser. None of her friends called her that now but the other Genin or the ones who hadn't graduated yet did. "So what does that make me?"

"I was thinking the voice of reason."

He was glad that he hadn't been the only one to have thought that. But he couldn't let her know that. He had a point to prove. "I thought that was Arashi."

"He's the genius."

Lee chuckled. "I believe that he doesn't like to be called that."

They knew that but it was still the truth. Arashi was the genius of the team, probably of their entire friends. Whatever what they were taught, he just seemed to get instantly. Meanwhile, Tsukiko had to keep trying and trying to figure out the same thing. Even the **Sharingan** didn't seem to help. "So, what do you think, sensei?" she asked the old man.

He considered what was she was asking. "Yes," he replied. "You are similar to Naruto Uzumaki. But," he continued before she could say anything, "You are also very different. For one thing, you have a family and a clan when he had none. You have the **Sharingan** where he doesn't."

"And yet, I'm still known as the Great Loser," she replied, her tone turning sullen. "I get mocked by people with that name every time I go past them."

"So did Naruto."

Hiro was surprised by that. "He was?"

Lee nodded as they stepped aside for a wagon. "Of course he was. Did you think that he was praised as soon as he started completing missions?"

"Well, no." He knew that it would be foolish to even thinking about considering that idea. "I just thought that he would be respected."

"Like me?" Tsukiko asked in a voice that was half-sarcastic and half-bitter.

"I didn't mean it like that and you know it, Tsukiko. I respect you and I know that you can do a lot of things."

"We didn't," Lee said. There was a slightly mournful tone to his voice that made them look at him. "You have the confidence of your friends, Tsukiko. We all thought that he was a loudmouth. Even I did when I first met him. I ignored him in favor of fighting your grandfather." He hung his head in utter shame. "We didn't think anything of it, not even when he grew on us and showed his worth. It only hit home when he fled the village and refused to come back." For him, it struck home when Naruto had been marched to stand before Lady Tsunade and the council.

"I'm sorry," Tsukiko told him.

He smiled at her. "Think nothing of it, Tsukiko. It happened a long time ago. I've come to terms with it. Now," he declared, his mood switching around, "let's go to the Hyūga compound and talk to Hinata!" He walked ignoring, ignoring the scared look on Hiro's face.

(Location: Air Temple Island)

"People, we have a problem!" Yue proclaimed as she strode into the room with Tahno and Sho behind.

Tenzin and his family looked up from the dinner table. Korra did too and gave her a look of confusion. "What kind of trouble, Aunty Yue?" she asked.

"The bad kind, short-stack," she replied.

Bumi stood up. "How bad?" he asked, turning serious. To his nieces and nephews, it was a little surprising to see their wacky, fun-loving transform into what Ikki had dubbed "General Paragon Mode." Of course, the image was ruined slightly by the fact Bum-Ju was on his shoulder.

"Spiritually bad," Yue replied.

He grimaced. That was always worse than physically bad. "What degree?"

"I don't know."

He was about to swear like a seaman but remembered that he was in front of children. If there was one thing his mother and sifu had driven home, it was to never swear in front of anyone under twelve. "Poopy-doo," he finally said.

While the kids giggled, Yue gave him a look. "Poopy-doo?" she repeated. That wasn't like him at all. She knew him so swear impressively that he could make Toph blush (which was an achievement in and of itself). He just looked over at the giggling children in reply. "Ah, got it."

"I don't," Tahno said, looking very confused.

"Never you mind, Tahno." He was probably annoyed that he was brushed off like that but she wasn't paying attention to him.

Korra was still sitting at the table, looking back and forth between the two Paragons. "I'm sorry," she said, standing up. "But how is not knowing the degree of something bad?"

They both looked at her and then at each other. "Take notes, Tahno," Yue told her apprentice as she looked at the Avatar. When she spoke, it felt like she was talking to them both. "You should always respect and fear that unknown quality. If you don't, it's liable to bite you in the…blubber," she said, eyeing the kids in the room.

"Oh, okay."

"Yue, let me put the question to you in a different way," Bumi said to her. "Is the situation so bad that we need Naruto to come back ASAP?"

"No," she replied instantly. "Not yet anyway." She had the very good feeling that if they had called Naruto come back now when it turned out that the issue at hand would only be a minor problem, it was quite likely that they would be dead. Besides, she wanted that old man to be reunited with his grandchildren.

He relaxed. "Alright, what's the problem?"

"Well, for some reason my apartment building is being overrun with vines."

"…Vines?"

She nodded. "Yeah, vines." She reached out and brought Sho forward. "Sho can vouch for it."

The man looked nervous to be in the presence of such important people. "Um, yeah, yeah I can," he answered.

Bumi looked at him. There was something in the way he stood. It was muffled by the way he wasn't making eye contact but he was standing at ease. It might be that this man was former military. If that was the case, there was a simple way to get the information. "Ten-hut!" he barked out in his military voice.

The man instantly snapped to attention, saluting him. "Sir!" he replied instinctively.

"Name and rank," he ordered.

"Corporal Sho, 23rd Gaoling Regiment."

"Dust Dog, huh?" asked Bumi. Sho didn't answer. That was good in Bumi's eyes. It meant he knew it was a rhetorical question.

Korra watched them but was clearly confused. It was like they were beginning to talk in a language that she should know about but didn't. So she looked over at Tenzin and asked, "Dust Dog?"

Surprisingly, he wasn't the one who answered. "It's military slang," Pema told her. "A Dust Dog is someone who's served in the armed forces of the Earth Kingdom."

"I've done some time with some Dust Dogs out of Omashu," Bumi said to Sho. "They were a crazy bunch of people."

"_That's rich coming from him!"_ Tahno thought to himself. He almost voiced the opinion but one look from his sifu stopped him short.

"They're no crazier than Ash Rhinos out of Black Cliff City," Sho replied.

Bumi refrained from smiling even though the urge was there. Sho's answer told him that he didn't stay in one place during his service. He served with other groups. "And what about the Snow Cats?" he asked.

"Wouldn't know, sir," he replied. "I haven't served with them."

Bumi made him stand there a couple of seconds longer before finally saying, "At ease." Sho stood easy but still waited. "Report, solider," he ordered.

"Sir, at 1400 hours this day, I returned to my home from the market," he said, making each word clear and crystal. "Whilst putting the food away, I heard a noise coming from the bathroom that did not belong in the bathroom. When I went to investigate, I found that the bathroom was engulfed in vines. I also found a spirit crouching on the toilet. It told me to buzz off and that it was trying to move in. I was unsure of how to proceed. So I went to someone I knew had knowledge of spirits, Lady Yue."

When Yue saw her fellow Paragon look at her, she spoke out. "Don't think you're going to get me speaking like that, Bumi. It's not happening."

He wasn't going to. Yue was not military. "Just tell me what happened next."

"Well, Sho came to get me. We went back to his apartment and he showed me the bathroom. Like he had said, it was covered in vines. The spirit in there took one look at us and told us to leave again. It was rather rude, so I grabbed it by the ear and threw it out the window."

Tenzin was horrified at such blatant disrespect. "Yue!" he said. "How could you do something like that?"

"You know me, Tenzin. If someone's going to give me smack, they should be ready to receive the consequences."

"I can vouch," Tahno added. He had made the mistake of talking smack to Yue early in his apprenticeship. His ribs still didn't feel the same, not to mention his leg.

"Anyway," his sifu went on, undeterred, "the spirit tried getting back a couple more times. But since it got more and more snotty each time, I kept throwing it out the window. It finally gave up and left."

"Yue, you forgot the threat it made," Sho added, his cheeks red. It wasn't glaringly obvious but it was still there. They were red because the spirit that declared that he and his woman, supposedly Yue, would regret what had happened. It left before Sho could try and explain that they weren't what it thought they were.

Her cheeks weren't red when she looked at him. "I didn't forget, Sho. I just didn't consider it important."

"_How could you not?"_ he asked himself.

"So the spirit is gone," she said. "But the vines are still there. What's worse, the rest of the apartment complex started complaining that they were getting vines too."

"Where are they coming from?" Pema asked.

"No idea."

Korra listened to the conversation but her attention started to wander. As it wandered, it soon came back when she realized she knew the answer. "I know where the vines came from," she told them all. "Unalaq used them when he was here."

Tenzin remembered that. But he also remembered that there hadn't been any sightings of the vines when they had returned to the city. He looked at every adult there. "Did anyone see evidence of the vines being removed from the city?"

"I didn't," Bumi replied. Kya shook her and so did Yue. Pema didn't reply since she was rocking Rohan.

Tahno hadn't seen any of the vines. But then again, he hadn't been looking for them when they got back. "Did they burrow underground or something?" he offered. It sounded stupid but he didn't know what else to offer.

The Avatar gave him a look that questioned if he was serious. "It doesn't matter where they came from or where they've been," Yue declared. "What does matter was how we are going to get rid of them."

"It shouldn't be too much of a problem, right?" Korra asked them all.

"You think you can take care of them, short-stack?"

She looked at the Water Paragon, feeling rather confident. "I don't think it should be too hard. I mean, it's just vines after all. Plus, it's only one apartment building." If she took care of it, everything would be alright.

But Yue gave her a long look. "Did I ever say it was just my apartment building?"

Uneasiness suddenly filled her stomach. "There's more?"

She nodded. "At the rate the vines are spreading, Dragon Flats Borough is going to be engulfed in them. My building has already had to be evacuated."

"Oh Spirits."

"I wouldn't pray to them, Korra. They seem to be the ones who are causing this mess."

Tahno felt a little bad for his sifu. He would offer her a place to stay at his home, but he had moved to a cheaper apartment after being banned from Pro-bending. He was currently paying the rent with his saved money but he was probably going to have to take a job soon. "Do you need a place to say here?" Pema asked Yue.

She waved it away. "Nah, it's alright. I'll just move into Varrick's penthouse." She looked at Sho. "Hey, you wanna move in with me?"

Nobody had expected that question. They all stared at her in complete and utter shock, none more so than the man himself. "Wh-What?" he barely managed to ask her.

"I said you wanna move in with me? The place has got enough rooms, trust me."

He still looked completely surprised, not standing at ease now. "Uh, sure, if you've got the room," he agreed.

"Great," she said with a smile that managed to dazzle him.

(Location: Konoha)

Tsukiko came in through the front door of her home. "Hey, I'm back," she called out as she took off her shoes, "Anyone else in?"

"Up here, dear!" called her mother from the second floor. "Could you come up and help me with the twins for a moment?"

She climbed the stairs and found her mother in the twins' room. She entered the brightly colored room and took Mikoto into her arms. "Tsuki!" her little sister said happily, leaning into her shoulder.

She smiled at her. "Hey there, little Miko," she said. "What are you doing?" Mikoto just smiled widely and held herself against the shoulder.

Their mother looked up from tending to Fugaku. "I'm trying to get them down for their nap but they seem particularly rambunctious today."

"No sleep!" Fugaku declared, looking rather pouty as she hoisted him up onto her hip.

Mikoto nodded. "No sleep. Play!" she said. She looked up at Tsukiko. "Tsuki play too!"

Her big sister couldn't help but laugh at the look she was getting. Her baby sister was trying to convince her with a pleading look. "Sorry, Miko, but if Mom says it's nap time for you and Fugaku, it's nap time."

She pouted. "No fair. Tsuki not nap!"

"That's because Tsuki's a big person. She doesn't need naps."

"Miko want to be big."

"You can be big later, Mikoto," their mother told her as she came past. "But now it is your nap time." She and Tsukiko put the twins down in their beds. Even though they didn't want to take a nap, they were asleep as soon as their heads touched the pillows.

Tsukiko and her mother left the room and closed the door behind them. Mito took one look at her daughter and said, "Are you alright, Tsukiko?"

She wasn't fine, no matter how much she wanted it to be different. There was also no point in lying to her own mother. "It's been one of those days," she said.

Mito knew exactly what she meant when she said. Ever since her daughter had gone to the Academy, she had been tormented by others with their name-calling and mockery of her skills. For the longest time she had wanted to find those children and throttle them until they begged her to stop. Even then she would be tempted to keep going. But not only had her husband calmed her down from doing something so drastic, Tsukiko herself had begged her not to do it, saying it would only make things worse.

After she had graduated from the Academy, the taunting and teasing didn't stop. For some reason, those children could not let go of the fact that Tsukiko had become a Genin and kept calling names like the Great Loser. "I'm sorry, honey," Mito told her daughter.

"It's alright. I think I'm getting used to it." Even though she said those words, they both knew that she didn't mean it. Being heckled by former classmates she had run into after leaving the Hyūga compound was never something that she enjoyed. Being heckled by former classmates at all wasn't something that she enjoyed.

She went to her room to relax and try to get over her doubts on her skill as a kunoichi. It was something that always happened when she was called the Great Loser. She had always taken a few hours to be alone from the world to get over it but there was always that lingering doubt in her mind. But when she opened the door and stepped inside, she froze. Something was wrong with her room and it was blatantly obvious. "Mom?" she called out.

Mito looked her way. "Yes, dear?" she asked.

"Have you been in my room today?"

"I haven't been in your room since you threw that hissy fit when I discovered the poster of Hiroto Takahashi."

That had been when she was ten and her mother had stayed true to her word. She didn't go in unless she was invited in. "Did anyone else go in?"

"No." She started walking over to her side. "Why? What's the matter?"

Her daughter didn't look at her, only keeping her eyes on the floor of the room. "Someone must've been in my room. They've touched my Shiro Ryū books." They were all lying in two stacks on the ground. She took another quick look around the room and saw that there was no danger. She went into the room, a little weary. She picked up the first book and quickly flipped through it. There was nothing wrong with it. No pages were torn out or ruined. It was like it hadn't been touched. But that didn't clear her suspicions.

It was when she was flipping back to the front she saw the difference. It was on the first page. That page was supposed to be blank but now there was writing on it. She read it and her eyes grew wide. "Oh sweet Kami," she breathed out in awed wonder.

Her mother became concerned. "What is it, Tsukiko?" Her daughter didn't say anything. She just showed her the writing.

To the Great Loser.

When you feel like you're at rock bottom, there are only two options. You can either wallow in self-pity, or you can start climbing up.

And you don't look like you're a wallower.

The Dead Last Dobe.

It was certainly an odd thing to write in a book. If she hadn't known any better, she would've thought that someone was playing a mean prank on her daughter. But the thing was she did know better. She had listened to Sasuke and Sakura reminiscence about the days when Naruto Uzumaki was still a member of their Genin. They would always say that they thought him to be, in Sasuke's own words, a dobe.

Tsukiko quickly went through the rest of the books, checking each one before dropping them on the floor. "Tsukiko, you're making a mess," Mito told her daughter.

But she wasn't paying attention. When the last book was in her hands and opened to the first page, she had an amazed grin on her face. "He wrote in every one of my copies," he told her. "I have Naruto Uzumaki's autograph in my books." Not only that, but he had acknowledged that they were similar and encouraged her to prove the hecklers wrong. It was surprising (she didn't even know how he knew that she wanted this) but she was happy to finally get that birthday present.

Mito looked past the mess on the floor and saw something else in the room. "There's a note on your desk," she said to Tsukiko.

She saw it and knew that it hadn't been there before. She stepped over the mess she had made and opened the note.

Thanks for the cramp in my hand.

I'll be sure to mail you a copy of the next one when it's done. You might've even given me a scene to write.

(Location: Konoha Hospital)

Sakura was finishing up her rounds before she went home for the night. It was late, late enough for visitors to be sent home. Lights lit the hallway and the only people who were there were nurses and doctors, same as her. She was probably getting a little too old to be doing such things but she was still head of the hospital and when it came to her patients, she made sure that they were okay.

For now, she only had the one patient, Natsumi. The girl had no idea of what happened the night before. She had just wanted to get out of the bed and hospital as soon as she could. She had complained about staying overnight, insisting that she was fine, but Sakura told her that she would be staying and there would be no argument.

Thinking of that little girl made her think of Naruto. It wasn't in the appearance. That was Arashi (although if she was honest, he looked more like his great-grandfather). It was in her behavior and attitude. She was brash and loud. Sakura was certain that if she was fed ramen, she would be hyperactive too. It reminded her of her old teammate that a smile came to her lips every time. Kami, she missed the days when Naruto was still with them. They seemed better, brighter with each passing day. She could hardly believe that she used to think that Naruto's shouting could be annoying. She would love to hear it again. But she knew long ago that Naruto was gone. A different Naruto had been brought back to the village.

When they had heard he was in the village, both Sasuke and Sakura were tempted to go out and find him. But even though they wanted to, they didn't. They had learned long ago that if they were to chase after Naruto, he would just run from them harder. He would even resort to drastic actions to keep them away. It was why ever since he had vanished the second time they never tried to find him or even contact him.

As she reached the door to Natsumi's room she paused. Her instincts, trained and experienced, were telling her that was something was different inside the room. She instantly went on alert, prepared to go on the offensive for Natsumi. But as she began to open the door, she slowed down. Her instincts weren't saying that it was dangerous in the room, only different. She opened the door carefully.

The room was dark but the window was open and had enough light to shine in for her to see the cloaked man standing before the bed. He stood there, watching Natsumi sleep. The hood over his head covered most of his face, save for the bearded chin. The fact that he was just standing there and not doing anything was enough for her to know who he was. "Hello, Naruto," she said, stepping into the room. "It's been a while."

He didn't say anything back. He didn't even look at her. When Natsumi stirred in her sleep, Sakura instinctively looked at her to make sure that she was alright. When she looked back, Naruto was gone and the window was open. She considered going over to see if she could see him but chose not to. It was likely that he was already gone. She checked Natsumi to make sure she was fine left the room. _"At least he finally saw her,"_ she thought to herself as she closed the door behind her.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

Earthbending was based on Hung Gar style of kung fu and it's based on the movements of animals, such as the tiger and crane. It's all about strength and balance, so I figured that there had to be exercises for both of those at the same time. That was why Tahno was on a block doing squats with a clay weight over his head.

Tsukiko has grounds to be a bit paranoid about Naruto watching her since he pulled that prank on and the others. But she is also right about her being similar to Naruto when he was younger.

And now the vines are starting up. They wouldn't start spreading like wild fire. It would take some time to spread and grow. I'm willing to admit that I making up the details as I go with where it's growing but they never gave us details as to where it was growing.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	43. Decisions and returns

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 43: Decisions and returns

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Uchiha clan compound)

Natsumi yawned as she came down the stairs. "Morning all," she said to the Uchiha family. Madara looked out from the kitchen where he was helping Mito cook dinner. Itachi and the twins looked from where they were sitting at the table. Itachi looked away quickly and the twins barely paid any attention to her.

Her Uncle Zuko was reading a newspaper when she announced herself. He looked up and smiled. "Hello, Nat. How are you?"

"Better than I was in the hospital," she told him, walking past Itachi to reach her place. She thought it was weird when he wouldn't look her in the eye but she didn't think anything of it. It had been two nights since she finally got out of the hospital and she was going to enjoy it.

"Where is Arashi?"

Itachi spoke before she did, "Probably with Tsukiko."

Mito poked her head out of the kitchen. "What was that?" she asked, staring intently at her son.

He couldn't meet her gaze, throwing his eyes down to the table. "Come on, Mom," he protested. "I didn't mean it like that!"

Natsumi shrugged her shoulders, more interested in the smells coming from the kitchen. "I don't know where Arashi is. He was already gone when I woke up."

Mito's gaze turned to her. "And how would you know he was gone?" Natsumi didn't know why but her gaze was a little intimidating. She found it hard to not make direct eye contact with her.

But her uncle came to her rescue with a chuckle. "Falling back into your old habits already, Nat?"

The Uchihas who were paying attention to the conversation turned their attention to him. "What old habits?" Itachi asked him.

Natsumi gave the old man a warning look. "Don't you dare," she told him.

He just smiled amusedly. "They asked. I must answer."

"Uncle, no," she tried to command him, making her voice sound authoritative but it just made her voice sound squeaky.

He kept smiling and looked at Itachi. "When she was younger, she would sneak into her brother's room and sleep with him whenever she got scared. Sozin always said that he wished he had a camera that could take pictures instantly because finding the two of them in bed together looked so adorable.

She groaned in defeat, slumping her head to the table. She didn't even want to look up to see their faces. She knew they would be grinning like they had heard the best joke. It was only when she heard her brother come down the stairs that she looked up. It sounded like he was arguing with someone. "I almost had you that time!" Tsukiko declared as she came down first.

Arashi appeared next. "Almost had me?" he repeated with a grin on his face. "You were twenty yards behind me and panting like you were in a desert and needed water badly." She scowled at him and he just grinned wider.

"It's still better than last time."

"You mean yesterday when you were twenty-_one_ yards behind me?"

"Shut up!"

Mito Uchiha came out of the kitchen carrying steaming piles of food that smelled great. "Tsukiko, what have I said about that attitude in front of the twins?" she asked pointedly.

Her daughter looked at the twins, smiling innocently up at her. "To not to," she finally answered.

Arashi looked at his sister. "Ah, I see the sheet hog has finally woken up," he remarked.

His teammate swung her head to look at him. "Sheet hog?" she repeated. "What does that mean? She shared your bed or something?"

"_Don't say anything, don't say anything, don't say anything!"_ Natsumi silently begged her brother. He gave her a searching look. She understood that he was trying to figure out if they should know or not. She hoped that he wouldn't tell them.

But Uncle Zuko said, "It's alright, Arashi. They already know she used to sleep in your bed whenever she was afraid."

"Oh, okay," he replied, losing the look. "Yeah, Iron Claw, she used to do that. But she wouldn't sleep still in my bed. No. She would move around, tossing and turning, and somehow always managing to take all of the sheets."

Tsukiko snickered at the thought of it and Natsumi glared at her for it. "So I take it that Tsukiko lost the race again this morning?" Madara asked her brother as he joined them at the table.

He nodded and said, "By a long distance," as he sat down too, right by Natsumi.

She stopped snickering and glared at him again. "It wasn't that long." She sat down, on his other side.

"What race?" Natsumi asked him, curiosity coloring her voice.

"The race on the roof," he replied. "We've been doing it every morning now and she's not won yet."

"I will!" she proclaimed.

He laughed and said, "Not any time soon, you're not." Even though they were arguing, Natsumi could see it was serious. It was held lightly, between comrades. She felt jealous at it. It was like she was losing her brother before she had gotten to know him again.

"Don't be too surprised when she does, nephew," Uncle Zuko cautioned him. "It just might be one day that you'll let her win."

"Ha! The day I'll let Iron Claw win is the same day I'll shave my head and become an Air Nomad."

"Why did this happen?" Natsumi asked him.

He stopped laughing and thought it over. "You know, I honestly forgotten why."

"I haven't," Tsukiko said. "We're doing this because I want to get my morning snoozes back."

Natsumi stared at her in incredulous disbelief. "Morning snoozes?" she repeated. That just sounded ridiculous.

But she looked determined. "Yes, morning snoozes. I enjoy my morning snoozes," she looked at Arashi, "and I will get them back."

"You're the one who wanted to challenge me to a race," he retorted. "You could've stayed in bed."

"How could I enjoy my morning snoozes when you were running around up there like a herd of buffalo?"

Natsumi frowned. There was something missing from the girl's words. "You mean a buffalo yak, right?" she asked.

Tsukiko looked at her with a confused expression. She had thought what she had said made sense. "No, I meant a buffalo."

Zuko smiled to himself but made sure no one else saw it. _"And here we go_." This would be a little amusing for him.

But Arashi stopped it before it could even begin. "The animals here are a little weird, Nat," he told his sister. "They're just one kind of animal, not two."

"Seriously?" she asked, having a hard time believing him.

He nodded gravely, telling her, "Yes, seriously."

"…This place is weird." Her declaration made Zuko start chuckling to himself. The twins looked at him with a puzzled look. They saw nothing funny about the situation. He didn't pay attention, choosing to enjoy the moment of quiet hilarity.

"How could you say this place is weird?" Itachi asked Natsumi, both surprised and incredulous at her words.

"Easily," she replied bluntly. She had lost a lot of time and she woke up in a land that wasn't hers.

"You were wandering around the place all day yesterday!" She had gotten out of the hospital and took her brother out for a tour of the village. Itachi had run into them while they were out there and somehow managed to get himself dragged along.

She looked at him. "And?" she asked. He didn't say anything else.

Madara knocked against the table, getting the attention of the children. "I'm sure that you want to continue your conversation," he told them dryly. "But there is food on the table that I helped your mother cook. You shouldn't let it cool."

Tsukiko looked at the food with a small sense of apprehension. While her dad wasn't horrible at cooking he wasn't great either. He always seemed to be on the side of a little too much or a too little. "How much did Mom cook?" she asked him.

"Thank you for volunteering to clean the kitchen," her mother said back instantly.

She was caught off-guard and it showed on her face. "Wait, what? I didn't—" She faltered in her words when she caught the look in her mom's eye. It was a look that dared to keep talking. Nay, it demanded that she keep talking. So she did the best thing she could in the situation. "Yes, Mom," she said back. Itachi sniggered and she glared at him.

"Come," her dad said to everyone. "Let's eat."

They had barely tucked in to the food before Arashi's phone started ringing. "Arashi," Mito said disapprovingly to him as he fumbled to get out of his pocket.

"Sorry, sorry," he apologized. "I didn't expect anyone to call this early in the morning."

"And yet, you still carry it with you anyway," his teammate said with an approving smile. "You are learning."

He gave her an exasperated look. "Not now, Tsukiko." He finally pulled out the phone, gave the adults an apologetic look again, and flipped it open. "Hello?"

"_Who would call this early in the morning?"_ Madara wondered. None of Tsukiko's friends would do that and neither would Itachi's. If there were any calls for him, they knew that it would happen after he got to the office. And if it wasn't Hokage-related, they would still not call this early in the morning.

But they all watched as Arashi suddenly tense up with a look of surprise on his face. Both his sister and granduncle looked at him worriedly. "How did you get this number?" he asked. Natsumi still looked worried but Zuko relaxed. Apparently he knew what was happening. "What? Now?" the dyed redhead asked. He became irritated and angry. "We just sat down for breakfast! We can't even—" He stopped talking and kept listening to the phone. "Yes, I understand. We will be there." He closed the phone and put it away.

"What was that all about?" Itachi asked him. He hadn't really seen Arashi get that exasperated and irritated by a single phone call. But then he hadn't really seen him get exasperated and irritated. The dyed redhead was one for quiet humor, poking fun at people he knew, and sarcasm.

He looked down at his plate, full of food that he had put there. He looked up and then at his sister and granduncle. "We can't stick around. We have to go," he told them.

"Why?" Natsumi asked him. She was hungry and she wasn't going to move unless she got a really good reason.

"That was Jiji. He wants to see us."

Suddenly she wasn't that hungry. Her throat went dry and it felt like she couldn't form the right words. But her uncle sighed and said, "It's about damn time. I was wondering if I was going to have to drag that man out from his little hidey hole."

"Wait, you knew where he was hiding?" Arashi asked him, clearly surprise.

"No, but I could make an educated guess."

"Jiji wants to see us?" Natsumi asked her brother, "Now?"

"Well, not right away," he answered. "We can eat and then go see him. But he wants to see us soon."

"Then we best get eating." She practically dove into her breakfast at those words. Everyone else just watched her as she went through the food like a starving pig.

"Wow," Itachi said, "She's worse than you, Tsuki." The twins giggled and his big sister glared at him. But she couldn't deny that it was the truth. What Nat was doing right now put Tsukiko when she was really hungry to shame.

Natsumi was about to devour a piece of bread when she heard Mito clearing her throat and froze. She knew that kind of throat-clearing. It was the one that her mom had used when she wanted her attention. She lifted her head from the food and looked at the Uchiha matriarch. "While I understand that you wish to see your grandfather soon, we still have manners in this house and we eat like proper people," she said pointedly. "Kindly do the same thing, Natsumi."

"_Don't call me that,"_ the girl thought to herself. She didn't say out loud because she was too busy being pinned by the look on Mito's face. She lifted her face up, swallowing the food in her mouth. "Yes, ma'am," she said once her mouth was empty. She ate slower after that.

Once they were done, Arashi, Natsumi, and Zuko all stood up from the table. Tsukiko stood up with them but her teammate shook his head. "He just wants to see his family," he told her. "That doesn't include you, sorry."

"But I…" she started to say, only to stop. If she said it aloud, they might've thought her stupid.

He looked at her with a puzzled look. "But you what?" he asked.

She might as well tell him. If he laughed, she'd just get him back later. "I just wanted to tell him thank you for signing all my books."

Natsumi looked puzzled and Zuko seemed to smile mysteriously. But Arashi understood what it was she was saying. "How about this?" he said with a knowing smile. "How about I tell him for you?"

It sounded ridiculous, but it wasn't like she had an actual choice in the matter. "If you could," she said back.

"You got it, Iron Claw." He walked out of the room and the house with his family behind him.

* * *

"So, where are we going?" Natsumi asked her brother as they walked down the street. She had already seen the village but she still couldn't help looking and gawking at all the amazing things around her.

Arashi saw what she was doing and smiled. He remembered the days of being in awe of the village. It was almost strange to think about, considering how fast time flew for him. "Jiji said that he didn't want to meet in the village. He wanted us to have some privacy. So he told me to head out to the training ground."

She frowned. "But there are a lot of those." She had been taken to a few of them yesterday. They were all a little different from the others but they basically centered on a forested area. She also knew that the number of them went into the double digits.

"I know." They walked out the village gate and the sounds almost immediately started to die away.

"So which one are we going to?"

"After I was made Genin, I wrote to Jiji telling him which training ground I had the test in. He told me to go to that one."

They fell silent as they reached the training ground. But inside, Arashi and Natsumi were nervous, for similar but different reasons. Arashi hadn't seen their grandfather since he had ran off to join Rin on the ship. He wondered what he would actually think about him being a shinobi. Natsumi hadn't seen him since she was kidnapped. Her memories of him were happy ones but the Jiji Arashi had told her about was different. He sounded colder, sterner.

The nervousness stayed with her as they walked across the training grounds. Arashi came to a stop and so did they. Their grandfather was standing in the middle of the grounds, staring at them. To Arashi, he hadn't changed a bit. But to Natsumi, he seemed as different as she thought him to be. She gulped and clutched her brother's arm.

Zuko strode over to him, easy as swaying grass. "I see you've finally revealed yourself, you old bastard."

"You're just as old as I am, Zuko," he retorted, his voice sharp.

"Hardly, I am younger."

"Not by much." He looked at her and Arashi. His eyes softened as he came towards them. He stopped in front of them and looked down at his granddaughter. No one said anything. Natsumi didn't know what to say. She stared at his feet, unable to pull her head up. She was so nervous and worried.

"_Look up. Look up,"_ she tried to tell herself. But even when she said those words, nothing happened. It was like she was locked into place. She heard water falling and thought it odd. There wasn't any rain today. It was bright and sunny.

She finally looked up and saw that her grandfather was crying. His eyes were thick with tears and they streamed down his face without shame. "Natsumi," he said to her, his voice just as thick as the tears. "I am so sorry. I didn't think…I never considered…"

She knew what he was trying and it made her tear up too. Her body moved right to him, smashing into his midsection with a tight hug. "Jiji," she cried in relief, holding onto him like he was her lifeline.

He held onto her too. He wouldn't let her disappear like that again. Seeing her like this, it was a shock, just like hearing her voice again. Arashi came to them and hugged the both of them as tightly as they were each other. They welcomed him. Together, the three of them stood there, taking in the feeling of being reunited with a lost one.

* * *

Tsukiko walked up to Tsume's house in the Inuzuka compound. She pounded politely on the door. "Who is it?" a voice on the other side demanded. It sounded like a man's voice and she guessed it was Tsume's dad.

"It's Tsukiko Uchiha," she answered. "Is Tsume in?"

"She's around back with the dogs!"

"Thank you." She walked around the house only to pause. _"Wait, are they…?"_ she started to ask, only to stop herself before she did. She knew about Tsume's parents. They were rather infamous when it came to…that. She didn't pay attention to it and just kept walking.

Just like he had said, Tsume was in the backyard with the Inuzuka pups. They were running around, playing rough-house, and just generally causing confusion. Aoimaru wasn't anywhere on her person. She was running around with the other pups. Seeing her do that reminded Tsukiko just how young the pup was. "Hey, Tsume," she called out as she walked.

Tsume looked back barely. "Hey yourself," she replied. "What do you need?"

"I was thinking of going to the Hyūga compound and check in with Hiro, maybe catch a movie or something," she said, coming to a stop. "Care to join?"

"I'm a little busy supervising this." In spite of what people might think, watching over the pups was definitely like supervising. She respected the Academy instructors that had to deal with the young kids.

"I can wait."

She paid that no mind and looked back at the pups. Tsukiko didn't leave. Together they watched the pups play. Finally, the Inuzuka girl asked, "Why do you want me to come with you?"

"I'm not sure if it's safe to go there alone yet," Tsukiko told her, a little embarrassed to say it. She had been listening to Hiro talk about how dangerous it was to be in the compound in the past days and she could feel the unease when she went with Rock Lee. She didn't want to go back there again alone.

Tsume knew the same. "Is Lady Hinata still angry?" she asked, keeping her eyes on the pups. Some were getting rougher than needed and she had to call them out on it.

"I'm not sure. That's why I want someone to come with."

"And a convenient excuse to visit," she added. Since she was Hiro's cousin, she was known and could go in easily.

"There is that too," Tsukiko admitted without shame.

Even though they both knew it was the truth, she still rolled her eyes. "Why don't you just take your boyfriend with you?"

"What?"

"Arashi, you nitwit," she explained like she was talking to one of the pups. "Why don't you take Arashi with you?"

She went bright red. "He's not my boyfriend!"

Tsume smirked. "Could've fooled the rest of us," she replied. "You guys are already calling each other pet names and living with each other."

Tsukiko couldn't dispute the fact that they were living together because it was true. But that was the only thing that was true. "We do not call each other pet names!"

"Of course you do."

"We do not!" Her voice went higher and some of the pups stopped to look at her. Their attention lasted a second before they went back to their playing.

"So you don't call him backwater boy and he calls you Iron Claw for no reason?"

Of course there was a reason for the names. But that reason was theirs and theirs alone. "He's not my boyfriend," she repeated stubbornly. "Besides, he can't come with me. He's too busy."

"Doing what? Running around the roofs?"

The Uchiha couldn't help but smirk at that. "You're just upset that he managed to make you look like a fool when you tried racing him." She had been in that same race and while she had lost, she had lost a lot closer to her teammate than she had.

Tsume scowled. "Well, is he doing that?"

"No. Actually, he's gone with his sister to see their grandfather."

She went completely still and looked at her friend. "Naruto Uzumaki is actually in the village?" she asked in a whisper.

Tsukiko nodded. "No one told you? You didn't even guess with all those pranks?"

"No, I was too busy trying to making sure that all the hounds stayed in the compound when they were set free and going crazy."

"Wait, you what?" She didn't think a single Inuzuka hound could go crazy, let alone the entire pack of them. To try and contain them all had to be exhausting. But there was another question that came to her. "Who let the dogs out?"

_HOO!_

_HOO!_

_HOO!_

_HOO!_

_HOO!_

She stared at the pups who had barked. It wasn't all of them but enough to make her hear it. "What in the name of the Hokage?"

Tsume scowled, both at her and the pups that barked. "Kami, I had hoped that they would stop that."

"What made them do it?"

"I don't know. It happened when the hounds got released. Whenever someone asked that question, they would all start barking like that."

"What question? Who let the dogs out?"

_HOO!_

_HOO!_

_HOO!_

_HOO!_

_HOO!_

Tsume glared at her. "Stop that."

"Sorry." She stared at the pups with an amused look on her face. It had been surprising at first but she also found it a little bit funny. "Y'know, maybe Naruto Uzumaki had something to do with this. He was pranking everyone else that day."

She saw the sense in it. She also remembered her own grandfather saying that Naruto Uzumaki would declare war on the hounds when he was a kid. Ah, whatever. It didn't really matter. She was actually trying to forget about the whole prank bit. "You still here?" she asked Tsukiko.

"Still waiting on an answer," she replied.

It might a good idea to go see a movie. She was fairly certain that a new one had come out recently. Plus, if that one boy was working concessions and if she could pour on the charm and flirt, they might be able to get lowered prices. "Sure, I'll go with you to go pick up Hiro. Come back in an hour. They should be all tired out by then or someone will take over for me."

"Thanks, Tsume," she said with a grateful smile. "See you in a bit."

"Yeah, see ya," she said back, waving it off with a hand.

She turned back and headed off. When she was about to leave sight, she stopped, paused, and looked back. "You never did tell me, Tsume."

"Tell you what?"

"Who let the dogs out?"

_HOO!_

_HOO!_

_HOO!_

_HOO!_

_HOO!_

"I am going to kill you!" she screamed at Tsukiko. The Uchiha girl just left with a grin.

* * *

Arashi lost track of time they spent in that training ground. He only knew that it was noonish from the light of the sun. Once they were done hugging, they all sat down and just started to talk. Mostly it was just Jiji and Natsumi doing the talking but he joined at times. Uncle Zuko said nothing, choosing only to sit and watch them. They talked about the smallest of things, what's changed since Natsumi was gone, what's she seen around the village. Jiji even told her a couple of things that he was writing for his next book (after making her swear to never tell a soul).

"By the way, Tsukiko wanted to thank you for the autographs," he told his grandfather when he was done.

"Tsukiko?" he repeated, trying to look like the name puzzled him.

But Arashi knew that look was completely faked. After spending that long watching them from the shadows, there was no way he didn't know who she was. But he also knew it would be like pulling a tooth trying to be straight about it. The best way to go through was to play his little game. "Sasuke's and Sakura's granddaughter," he said.

"Ah, her," the old man said in recognition, losing the puzzled look. "Well, tell her that I said you're welcome and I still have a cramp in my hand."

"You do not."

"No, but I did when I was done autographing her entire series. I was quite surprised that she had them all. Then again, I'm also surprised that the series is such a big hit over here too."

"You mean the producer showing up at our apartment dressed and smelling like a hobo wasn't a big tip-off?"

He gave his grandson a long look. "Very funny, Arashi," he said back. Arashi just grinned in return. Naruto became serious. "I would like to ask you something, something about you living here." His grandson lost the look and became curious. "The old people, my generation, how have they been treating you?" he asked.

"Well enough,' Arashi answered instantly.

It just made him become suspicious. "And what does that mean, exactly?"

He became uncomfortable, knowing full well that they walking on a touchy subject. "Haven't you already been spying on them?" He had heard about the note to Lee-sensei from Tsukiko.

"There is a difference between spying on them and spying on them with you around. Now, how have they been treating you? Give me an honest answer, Arashi."

"They treat me fine, Jiji. I just don't have a lot of contact with them, except for Lee-sensei and Tsukiko's grandparents. When I do meet them, we just can't about you."

"Why is that?"

"It will lead them to wondering why I'm not more like you and that's an argument I don't want to keep having."

His gut clenched and his eyes narrowed. "Keep having?"

Arashi nodded. "The first time I met Lady Hinata, we got into a fight about you and she looked like she wanted to cut off my legs and hang me on a wall with them as supports."

Anger began to burn. "She wanted to do that, did she?"

The dyed redhead saw the anger on his face and felt more than a shiver of fear going down his spine. "Maybe I should start at the beginning?"

Naruto knew that was a good reason but his anger was burning and it did not want to be quenched. He forced himself to focus on the breath.

In and out.

In and out.

When he felt sufficiently calm, he looked at his grandson. "Go ahead."

Arashi began. "First off, they all had the same reaction when they saw me: surprise and recognition. It's after that and after I confirmed that they knew you things go bad."

"And what does 'go bad' mean in this situation?"

"They would want to know if I wanted to hear any stories about you when you were a Genin here and I would flat-out refuse. They would keep looking at me with expectations, like I was suddenly going to decide to wake up one day and paint the Hokage Monument. Yes," he said when his grandfather quirked an eyebrow. "I know of that. It's rather famous around the village now so I couldn't help but overhear it. Kids keep trying to redo it but the security teams keep catching them."

"Interesting, but not the point," Natsumi told him. She hadn't heard the story and she didn't really care about it.

"Bottom line is they kept getting disappointed in me because I wouldn't act like Jiji," he told Naruto. "It has gotten to the point when someone mentions that they knew you, I ignore them or leave the room. I can barely talk to the Rokudaime Hokage now because of that." He never did enjoy the fact that their first meeting went off on the wrong foot.

"I see," his grandfather said. "It is a shame that it had come to that. I had hoped that you and Konohamaru would get along a little."

He was suspicious. "You spied on him, didn't you?"

"Yes. I also left him a note."

"Jiji, he's blind."

"I was aware of that, Arashi. That is why I left him the note written in such a way that even a blind man could read it."

Zuko broke his silence. "I hope that you were polite in your note."

The Fire Paragon looked back at him, looking rather offended. "How could you say something like that to me, Zuko?"

He gestured to Arashi. "He told me about the note you left for Rock Lee." Natsumi giggled at the look of defeat on her grandfather's face. It was funny to see him make such faces.

He looked down at his granddaughter. Hearing her giggle like that brought a smile to his lips. It reminded him of better days, before the kidnapping. **"Are you going to put it off any longer or get to it already?"** Kurama asked him. **"We both know that you didn't come all the way out here to sit on the grass and chat."**

"_I can't enjoy time with my granddaughter?"_ he demanded.

"**You've been doing that. But you came to have a serious discussion. So get to it."**

He closed his eyes and sighed in recognition. Zuko heard the sigh and his smile vanished. He knew what would come next. Both children looked at him when he shifted in the grass, making it rustle. Arashi narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "What's going on?"

"We have to talk about something important," Naruto said, looking at Natsumi. "We have to talk about her."

"What about me?" she asked nervously. She had a bad feeling about where this conversation could go.

"Natsumi—"

"Jiji, I told you," she said instantly. "Call me Nat." He gave her a long that made her lose the irritation bubbling up. "Sorry for interrupting you," she apologized.

"Accepted," he replied.

"You want to take her back," Arashi said, eyes showing the angered realization coursing through his blood.

Naruto looked up at him. "We _have_ to take her back, Arashi. There is no want about it."

"Please remember, Arashi, that your grandfather is being considerate about this," Zuko added. "If he went about his usual way, he would've already kidnapped the two of you the second he had landed in the village and take you back to Republic City with no hesitation."

"Not the time for what I would do, Zuko," the old man told him, his voice almost snapping. The Firebender said nothing else and waited.

"Both of us?" the dyed redhead repeated.

Naruto looked his way. He was still the same boy but there were also changes too. The dyed hair was one but it was more than just that. It was a new sense of confidence that surrounded him. The old man already knew what the answer was going to be but still he asked, "Arashi, do you want to come back home?"

He paused and actually thought about it. Truth be told, he had started seeing Konoha as home. He enjoyed the days training with his team, going out on missions, and just being around the village. He would miss it if he left. He would miss kicking back and relaxing with all the friends he had made here. He loved watching the movies in the Uchihas' library, keeping an eye on the twins, helping Itachi with his schoolwork if he needed the help.

And yet…there were people on the other side of the planet, people that he knew, people that he hadn't seen since he left. He wondered how Jinora and her siblings were doing. They must've gotten better at Airbending since he was gone. Bolin was probably still trying to make sure that everyone stayed upbeat and cheerful while Mako attempted to make sure he didn't run his mouth too often. Asami was probably working hard at being Jiji's apprentice. And Korra…she was most likely working just as hard to be the Avatar.

It would be nice to see them all again. But he had come here for a reason. He shook his head and said, "No, I came here to get out of your shadow and I'm just starting to do that. I don't want to leave."

His Jiji didn't look disappointed or annoyed. He only nodded and said, "I understand."

But Natsumi looked at her brother with scared eyes. "I won't be able to see you again?" she asked. "But I just got you back!"

Sadness struck him as he realized that she would be leaving him here. But he put on a cheerful smile and said, "Hey, Nat, you're making it sound like I'm going to die. I'll still be here and I'll be sure that I can come to visit." He looked at their grandfather pointedly. "Right?" he asked.

"Of course you can come back to visit, Arashi," Naruto replied.

"Really?" he asked. "Wouldn't I be breaking the law if I return? I am a shinobi, after all." He had known that since coming here and becoming a shinobi that he couldn't go back easily. He hadn't really given it any thought until he found Natsumi. But now that she was here, that question was brought up.

Naruto knew what his grandson was trying to do. He scowled a little because he knew what would have to happen if the situation was to be fixed. He just didn't like the solution. **"Get over it, gaki,"** Kurama told him.

"_You know, I am approaching 90 years old here,"_ he replied.

"**And?"** the fox asked.

"_Do you think you could lay off calling me gaki?"_

"**Not a chance."**

"_Why?"_

"**You're approaching 90 years of being alive. That was called my childhood. Get back to me when you're 200, I'll start calling you a punk teenager. Now, would you pay attention to the conversation in front of you?"**

He stifled the urge to throw obscenities at the fox, mostly because he knew that it wouldn't do anything. "I will talk to the president," he told Arashi. "I'll see if the law can be amended."

Zuko paid closer attention when he heard that. He looked hard at his brother-in-law. "Amended?" he repeated.

Naruto nodded. "Amended," he said firmly.

"Why not abolish it completely?"

"If you think I am going to let the Bending Countries take shinobi contracts, you've got another thing coming, Zuko. People from the Elemental Countries can come over, but it had better not be for business. It will only be for pleasure."

He knew that look on the blonde. It was saying that he meant what he said and he wouldn't budge on it. It was the same look he had when he had that law first passed. When Aang had tried to argue and protest, he gave the Avatar the look and told him to sit down and shut up. It wasn't the last time he gave Aang that look. "As you say," he said, conceding.

"Glad you understand."

"So, I'm going home with you, Jiji?" Natsumi asked, looking at him expectantly.

The old men shared another look. But this one wasn't exasperation and stubbornness. It was more pained and unwilling acceptance. "Actually, Natsumi," Zuko said. "You're going to be coming with me to Ember Island."

She swung her head to look at him. "What?" She couldn't believe that she wasn't going back to Republic City with Jiji. That had been her hope ever since she knew that he was coming.

"I'm sorry, Natsumi," Jiji told her gently. "But you have to go with Zuko, not with me."

"But why?" she asked.

Arashi started to stand up, his hands clenching into fists. "Jiji, if you're planning to vanish soon…" he growled. "Agni help my hot burning soul, I will punch your lights out!"

Naruto looked up at him unworriedly. "Arashi, sit down. You're making a fool of yourself. I am not planning to vanish. Do you think me so callus as to do that after finding Natsumi again?"

"Considering the times you did it to me over the years? Yes."

"**You have no excuse there,"** Kurama commented.

He was right, but that didn't make it any more irritating. He looked at both of his grandchildren as he spoke, hoping that they would understand what it was that he was trying to say. "Arashi, Natsumi has to go with Zuko so she can train. We both know that whatever skill she had for Firebending has been lost. She needs to start at the bottom again and I can't teach what she truly needs to know. I'm not a Firebender."

"But I am," Zuko added in.

The two of them looked at him. They tried to look for something different about him but he appeared to be the same Uncle Zuko. Arashi looked back at Naruto. "Can't she just live with you and he could too?"

He gave his grandson a long look. "So you want to subjugate your granduncle to the couch, is that it? Because that's where he would be sleeping if Natsumi takes your old room."

He fell silent. He had forgotten about that couch, actually. In his mind, that had been a good thing. "You could always get rid of the couch."

"Certainly not, how else would I get unwanted guests out of my home?"

"Natsumi," Zuko said to her. "Do you not trust me to train you?"

She shook her head rapidly, trying to create a breeze with the movement. "No, no, nothing like that!" she told him insistently.

He smiled. "I should hope not. I would be worried about my teaching skills if you were."

Naruto scoffed at that while also rolling his eyes. But when he spoke, his voice was good-naturally. "Please, like your teaching skills are ever in doubt. The kids you've trained would follow you to the Face-Stealer and back without even bothering to consider saying no. Hell, the Dragon's Fangs would start packing up before you even finished your question."

"Hush you," he said back. He kept his eyes on Natsumi but his voice turned serious. "I want the best for you. If that is to happen, you have to start from the bottom up."

It would've been a moment to consider, if her grandfather had not spoken again. "Plus, this is a chance for him to achieve a lifelong dream."

"I said hush you." The kids didn't need to know about him wanting to be Iroh. That had been discussed enough that first night in Konoha.

"What's the dream?" Arashi asked, tilting his head in curiosity.

His grandfather opened his mouth again, but Zuko bent an orb of fire to his hand. "Naruto, I'm warning you."

"But I have that line all set to go," he protested.

"Swallow it or you swallow this."

He threw up his hands in a surrender that was by no means real. "Fine, I surrender. You can tell them."

Zuko quashed the orb, the flames flickering out between his fingers. "I'm not going to."

"If the two of you are done…?" Arashi asked them both. "Honestly, there are times I wonder how you guys are supposed to be old and wise. You act more like kids than either of us does," he said, gesturing at himself and his sister.

His grandfather arched an eyebrow at him. "Oh really?" he asked. "Then I was imagining things when I watched you guys go crazy for ice cream?"

"It was a treat." But it sounded feeble, even as he was saying the words.

"How about we move on from that?" Zuko suggested. He didn't want to get bogged down stuff like that.

Natsumi agreed with him, albeit silently. Aloud, she only asked, "If I'm not going to be living in Republic City, where am I living?"

"With me on Ember Island," her uncle told her.

She remembered Ember Island a little bit. In her mind, it was all sunny skies, warm sand, cool waves, and nights at the fire. She hoped that it would be the same as before. It would be nice. "Oh, okay."

Arashi looked at her with a grim look and then at both the old men. "Are you going to leave right away?" he asked Naruto. His sister lost the hopeful look on her face at those words.

Naruto looked at them both and saw the sadness there. "No, not right away," he told them. "We should spend some more time before leaving. At the very least, I can take you out for lunch."

"Jiji, I know it's been a while since you were in Konoha last. Things have changed around here." The dyed redhead figured that most of his grandfather's stomping grounds around the village were already gone. But he had learned a long time ago that he should never underestimate his Jiji. It would have bad results for the unsuspecting.

He smiled. "I know that one place hasn't changed. Ichiraku's is still around and I will be damned that I leave here before having a bowl of ramen from there."

"…I'm good for that."

Natsumi was puzzled. "What is Ichiraku's?" she asked them. "Is it any good?"

It was a testament to how much both of the Uzumaki males loved Ichiraku's that they gasped at the same pitch at the same time. "Is Ichiraku's any good?" her brother asked her. "Of course it is good! It is like paradise comes in a bowl from that place!" He could still remember his first meal there with the team. He had never tasted food like that before.

She just looked at him with complete disbelief. "If you say so," she finally said.

"If I say so?" he repeated incredulously, "If I say so!?" He looked back at his grandfather. "This must be corrected immediately! Come on, let's go!" He leapt to his feet, rearing to go for the exit.

"Hold on, Arashi," Naruto stopped him with his words. "One does not go to Ichiraku's because they feel like it. Conditions must be met!" He stood up and Zuko did the same. Natsumi did as well but looked a little confused as to why they were doing it. "For instance, you have to work up an appetite."

It was a good point. It made him turn back around and look at them. "Alright, what did you have in mind then?"

His Jiji smiled. It was a different smile from before, more challenging than warm. "You've been trained as a shinobi. You think you can take me?"

The first answer out of his mouth would've been a straight-up "No." He knew that he literally no chance of beating his Jiji in a spar. The last time he had tried it, Naruto hadn't even been trying to fight back and he still lost. But then he thought about the offer. His Jiji was right in saying that it was only right to go to Ichiraku after working up an appetite. He was also offering a way to work it up.

But there was something else in the offer too. His Jiji was silently asking him to show just how far he had come. He wanted to see what his grandson could do. "Alright," he finally said. "Sure. I'll show you what I can do."

Naruto grinned even more. "Excellent."

"Hey, what about me?" asked Natsumi. She didn't want to just there. She'd get bored.

Zuko came to her rescue. "We can start your training now, if you would like?"

She would like. "Let's do it!" she declared, bouncing up to her feet. She could feel herself getting pumped. Lookout Firebending, she was coming back!

Her uncle grinned good-naturally. "I'm glad to see you're excited. Let's step away from them," he suggested quietly, jerking his head at the other two. "We might get caught in the cross-fire."

"I heard that, Zuko," Naruto called out to him.

"It's nice to see that your hearing is still functional, Naruto." He led her away from her brother and grandfather, picking a spot where there was nothing but open grass. She followed like an energetic puppy, ready and eager.

* * *

The Hyūga compound was the only compound that Tsukiko knew of that employed traditional security guards at the entrance. It was something that she had always found ridiculous. It was even more ridiculous than having sentries at the gates to the village. What was the point of having sentries in this day and age? They had cameras and recordings and she knew that both were used at the gate. Why couldn't they do the same here?

But even as she thought about it, she knew that it was best to keep it to herself. It was well known in the village that Lady Hyūga was a traditionalist and anyone who had a problem with it did not share it with her. She and Tsume walked through the compound and saw how quiet it was. No one really made eye contact with them as they passed. "Geez, what exactly happened here?" she asked Tsume.

"You think I know?" she replied back. Aoimaru rested atop her head and she could feel her partner's concern as she kept looking around.

"You're related to them."

"That just means I know when to stay away." They reached the main house. The doors were large and made of good solid oak. Tsukiko reached out and pounded on them. The door didn't even rattle before being opened.

"Yes?" the man holding the door asked. He was dressed as one of the servants and held himself professionally.

"We're here for Hiro," Tsukiko told him.

Before he could answer, Hiro himself appeared at the door. "Tsukiko?" he said. "What do you want?"

"What am I? Chopped liver?" his cousin demanded.

He looked at her. "Yes, hello to you too, Tsume," he said shortly. It was no secret that she could come over whenever she felt like it. He had seen her here so many times that it didn't register in his mind any more.

She huffed in irritation. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"What do you guys want?" he asked again.

His teammate shrugged. "We're heading out to see a movie. I figured that you would want to come along. That is, unless you're busy?"

"No!" he said, almost excitedly. "No, I'm not busy at all! Just give me a couple of minutes." He turned and bolted back inside.

They both watched him bolt. It was with frantic energy. Tsume looked at the servant. "Is my grandmother still angry?" she asked. Her voice became tinged with worry and her left foot started putting more weight on the back.

The servant replied, "I have found that it is best not to ask that question, madam." But even so, he looked back inside the house with a concerned look.

"_I'll take that to mean yes,"_ she mentally noted, seeing the look.

Hiro appeared again, this time wearing the jacket. "Alright, I'm ready to go," he declared.

They were two steps away from the house when they heard, "Hiro, where are you going?"

He instantly froze. He turned his head and saw his grandmother standing at the door. "Out with Tsukiko and Tsume, Grandmother," he explained, doing his best to make sure that his voice didn't quiver. She didn't look angry or furious, but given what had happened he wasn't going to take any chances in risking her ire. "Is that alright? I thought we were done with training."

"We are," she replied. "I just wanted to know where you were going."

"Just to see a movie, Lady Hinata," Tsukiko explained, being as respectful as she could.

She looked at them all. It felt like her pale lavender eyes were baring into their souls. "Alright," she finally said, turning back around. "Enjoy your day." She went back into the house. The servant closed the door behind him.

The three of them didn't stop walking until they were outside of the compound gate. As soon as they were out, all three of them heaved a sigh of relief. "Why do I feel like that was a little too close?" Tsukiko asked.

"You got a brush of it," Hiro told her. "I have to live with it." This was why he took the opportunity to get out of the compound any chance he could now.

"What the hell happened, coz?" Tsume asked. She didn't know if she would be able to keep coming over if it felt like her grandmother was one step away from exploding in anger.

He looked back at the compound as it got smaller in the distance. "I don't wanna talk about it."

"Hiro, you gotta talk about it," Tsukiko told him. "Otherwise, our imaginations are going to run wild. Everyone else in the villages knows about what to the other pranks but they're still in the dark about what happened to the Hyūgas. If no one spills the beans, they're going to start making stuff up." That was what happened to her back in the Academy when she wouldn't tell anyone if her dad had trained her beforehand. When she didn't, the rumors had first been praises. But after the first round of practices, they had turned mean quickly.

Hiro had been there and he knew what had happened to her. They had known each other before then but when he stood on her side of things, that's when they really had become friends. He also knew that she was telling the truth about what people were thinking. He saw how they would look at him and other Hyūgas as they went through the streets. He didn't want to let others know but they could make something that was even worse. "Alright," he said, finally giving up. "I'll tell you guys what happened. But you can't tell others everything, just the basic stuff."

Both of the girls nodded and leaned in. They were eager to hear what happened. "Well?" Tsume prompted him.

He breathed out and mentally prepared himself for what would come next. "Naruto Uzumaki broke into the compound, stole every one's dirty laundry, and then scattered it across the grounds."

They waited, hoping to hear more. But he stayed silent. "That's it?" his cousin asked as they turned a corner. "He stole your laundry."

"Well, he did steal that too. He also managed to sabotage the washing machines and dryers at the same time."

"Okay…" She didn't understand where he was going. "You mind giving us a little more here, Hiro. So he stole the laundry and made sure that you couldn't wash it. I really don't see what the fuss is all about."

He looked her right in the eye. "Tsume, he didn't just steal the laundry. He stole the dirty laundry."

She rolled her eyes. "Now you're just repeating yourself."

"No," Tsukiko refused, her eyes narrowing in concentration. "I think he's saying something else. Hiro, when you say dirty laundry, are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Are you thinking that our teammate managed to find every little secret that each of my fellow clan members had stashed away and spread them out for everyone to see, yes, yes, he did."

"Oh," both of the girls said at the same time. Letting all those dirty little secrets being out in the open like that was not good. In fact, it was probably grounds for a fight.

He nodded. "And that's not all."

"There's more," Tsukiko asked. "What else could he have done?"

"It wasn't what he could have done more as it was timing. Everyone was already fighting when Grandmother stepped out the courtyard. She was so angry we could literally see the anger burning off in waves. I was just glad that I got out of there as soon I saw anger." He shuddered. "I can still hear the screams of pain the clan gave when she fell on them."

"Oh jeez," his cousin said with a wince. She could imagine the carnage that their grandmother could whip out and she didn't want to keep that image in her head. But it was already bleeding into her sight, almost overriding the street in front of them.

"What the hell made Lady Hinata so angry?" Tsukiko asked.

"Arashi's grandfather managed to find her secrets too. She and Grandfather had photographic evidence that they were quite kinky." Hiro couldn't help but blush as he told her that.

Tsume groaned and covered her eyes. "Oh, Hiro!" she said, voice muffled behind her hands. Aoimaru covered her own eyes with her paws, matching her partner exactly.

"You think it is bad listening to it, Tsume? You should try looking at them yourself. That's worse!"

"And how would you know that?" Tsukiko asked him. "I thought you said that the stuff was everywhere. How could you find the stuff…?" She trailed off as a bad thought came to her mind. "Did he…?"

"Leave the photos in a place that only I could find them first?" He nodded again. "Again, yes, yes, he did."

"Hiro!" groaned Tsume again.

"Not my fault!"

"Okay, we get the point!" Tsukiko declared, stopping the conversation. "We will tell people that Naruto Uzumaki stole your laundry and leave it at that," she told her teammate.

"And only if they press you."

"And that too," she agreed. "Now let's go see that movie." The other two agreed wholeheartedly. They walked down the street, talking about anything that wasn't what happened to the Hyūga clan.

* * *

The waiter standing at the post eyed them warily as Naruto's family entered Ichiraku's. "Man, this place has changed," the old man himself said as he looked around.

Arashi felt embarrassed. He was hungry and wanted to get to the food but his Jiji was making things weird for them. "Could you not gawk?" he asked. "You're making us look like we're out of town." He didn't suffer through a bad defeat out there in the training grounds to stand this.

"Some of us are, remember?" Zuko asked from the back.

He turned back to glare at the old man. "You're not helping."

While his head was turned, his grandfather walked up to the waiter. "Hey there," he said with a wide smile.

The waiter looked at him with a politeness that could only come from professional practice and experience. "Good afternoon to you, sir. Can I take you to a table for four?"

"No need for that. Just point us in the direction of the bar."

"I'm afraid that's not possible, sir."

Naruto went still. "I beg your pardon?"

"Sir, the people who are able to sit down at the bar are the people who have earned the right to sit down at the bar. As a newcomer, you certainly do not have the right."

"Well, that's stupid!" Natsumi declared irritably. She was irritable because of getting the exercises that she had been hoping for, all she did were breathing exercises. What was more irritating was that her uncle was right and she had gotten worn out by doing them.

The waiter looked at her once and it was a look full of irritation. He turned his attention back to Naruto. "Sir, if your group cannot compose themselves, I will have to ask you to leave."

The old man looked completely surprised and baffled. "When the hell did this place get so fancy as to have etiquette rules?" he asked no one in particular.

The waiter decided then and there that enough was enough. "Sir, you are—"

"Look," the old man said, cutting him off. There was something in his voice that sounded enough like a warning to make the waiter snap his jaws shut on instinct. "There's a simple way to fix this. Is Ayame Ichiraku in?"

"Yes." Ms. Ichiraku came in and worked every day and damn the person who tried to stop.

"Go back and tell her that her favorite customer is back." The waiter gave him a full look of disbelief. "Just go and tell her. If I'm wrong, you'll have the pleasure of telling me and kicking us out."

The waiter considered the idea for a moment before leaving the post. "Jiji, are you sure about this?" Arashi asked him. This seemed a little far-fetched. Ayame was one of those people who knew practically everyone in the village.

But his Jiji just smiled at him. "Just wait."

It didn't take long for the waiter to come back with a baffled look on his face. "Ms. Ayame says that you are welcome to sit down at the bar," he told the old man. "She's always instructed me to tell you to hold still when you sit down."

His grandchildren looked at him but he just walked past the post. The place looked different but he could see the old Ichiraku's there. It was enough to lead him to the bar. Ayame stood there, along with her sons. He eyed what she was holding in her hands as he sat down. "A frying pan?" he asked her, "Really?"

"I haven't seen you in over six decades," she told him with a focused look. "Did you really think that I would stick to a ladle this time around?"

He remembered that incident with a certain fondness. "Actually, I was hoping that you wouldn't hit me at all."

"Don't tempt me, Naruto," she warned him. But then she smiled warmly. "It is good to see you again."

"You too, Ayame," he said back.

She looked at the others as they sat down. "Hello again, Arashi," she said to the dyed redhead.

"Hello," he replied, sitting down next to his Jiji. Natsumi sat down on his other side and Zuko sat next to her.

She looked at them all. The other old man looked a little familiar but the girl was a complete stranger. "And who is this?" she asked, looking at her with a warm smile.

"I'm Nat," the girl told her shortly.

"It's Natsumi," Naruto explained, ignoring the glare he was getting. "She's my granddaughter."

Her eyes widened in realization. "You found her."

"No. He found her." He looked at his grandson. Arashi couldn't return the look. Instead he looked down at the bar.

"Well, then this calls for a celebration," Ayame declared. "The meal will be on the house." Both grandfather and grandson smiled widely at those words. They made their orders and they were quickly served. Thus Naruto and Arashi introduced Natsumi finally to ramen. True to form, she quickly proclaimed her everlasting love for it. Ayame smiled at the scene in front of her and also signaled her boys to get more supplies. She was serving Uzumakis now. They were going to need more.

* * *

The family spent another hour together in that restaurant, scarfing down ramen like it would vanish the next day. When they weren't eating, they were talking. Arashi had wanted that feeling to last longer than it should. But the saying "All good things must come to an end," was still true after all this time. When they left the restaurant, a clone of Jiji's was waiting for them with bag in hand. It was given to Natsumi and that was when they knew.

Naruto led them into the village, going into the old district. "Fǎn Yìng?" he asked Zuko.

"I had a feeling that you would want to go this way, so I sent him back yesterday," he replied.

They came to a stop in front of an old house in a treehouse. "Kinda hard to believe this thing is still standing after all this," Naruto remarked. He had thought the place would've been demolished by now. Perhaps the others who kept it up, for sentiment's sake? Nah, they wouldn't do that, not to this house.

"Why are we standing here?" Natsumi asked with her bag on her back, looking up at the house. "I thought we are leaving?"

"We are leaving, Natsumi," her grandfather told her. "We're leaving through the house." She gave him a look of such disbelief that he laughed. "It'll make sense when we get inside."

Feeling the time approaching, she turned to her brother and hugged him tightly. "Bye, Arashi," she said to his mid-section.

"I will see you again," he promised her. "If you want, I can write." He remembered the address to Uncle's house on Ember Island.

"I would like that." She wanted to keep on hugging him but eventually let him go.

He watched her go to their grandfather's side. "Goodbye, Arashi," Zuko said to him, coming to his brother-in-law's side.

"Bye, Uncle," he replied. He looked the old man straight in the eye. "I'll get you next time, Jiji," he said.

Naruto smiled at him. "I doubt it, but I also look forward to it, Arashi." Together the three of them turned their backs to the dyed redhead and went up the stairs. His heart felt heavy with each step they took up. It clenched when the door slammed shut with them inside.

His body wanted to race up after those steps and open the door wide. But knowing his Jiji, they would probably already be gone. He willed himself to turn around and walk away. He kept on walking until he almost ran into Tsukiko. "Whoa!" they both shouted, flinching away from each other.

"What are you doing here, backwater boy?" she demanded as she got her balance back.

"I could say the same, Iron Claw," he retorted. Both Hiro and Tsume rolled their eyes at the interaction.

"I asked first. Spill," the Uchiha girl ordered.

He looked back at where he had walked. It had been a ways away but he could still make out the treehouse. "Jiji left the village with Nat," he said shortly. "I just said goodbye."

"Oh, right." Suddenly Tsukiko felt like an idiot. Seeing your own sibling off like that and not knowing when you were going to see her again? It was probably hard for him. Looking at him being so forlorn did not sit well with her, not on a nice warm day like this. So she decided something. "Hey, we're going to see a new movie. You're coming with."

He looked at her for a long. "Sure, thanks for the offer," he told her. They both knew that it was a silent suggestion of support and he was happy for it. Together, the four of them walked off to the cinemas. "So, what are we going to go see?"

"Whatever's playing, I guess," Hiro told him.

"In the meantime," Tsume said, grinning mischievously. "Hiro finally spilled the beans on what happened to his clan. You wanna hear?" She figured that since it was his grandfather who had done the pranking, he had a right to know.

Arashi looked interested but her cousin looked panicked. "Tsume, don't you dare!" he ordered. She ignored him and told the dyed redhead all of it. Arashi swore up and down as they walked through the street that he wouldn't tell another soul. But Hiro still looked miserable and kept muttering that his grandmother was going to kill him.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

Ladies and gentlemen, Naruto has left the village! And no one saw him except when he wanted them to. Well, there was the one exception of Sakura but moving on.

It should go to show how Naruto is relaxing when he's willing to see if the law he had gotten passed can be amended. But that's as far as he is willing to go. Shinobi and Benders fighting each other is bad in his mind. He'll do his damn best to make sure that doesn't happen. But he also wants to see his grandson again if he wants to come back.

So now you know what he had done to the Hyūga clan. Nobody likes having their dirty laundry, both literal and figural, aired where others can see it. And revealing that Hinata and Kiba were kinky when it came to their marriage puts an image of the Clan Head into the rest of the clan's minds that shouldn't be there. Thus she was so angry that she made the rest of her clan absolutely terrified.

Now, I'm not going to Season 3 just yet. There are a few more things that I want to go through before getting to that. So hang on, because we're going further into unknown territory!

I'll see you all next chapter!


	44. Sands and waves

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 44: Sands and waves

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Ember Island)

It was the heat that Natsumi first felt when she woke up. It wasn't like in Konoha. There, the heat was like the sun itself, warm and gentle against the skin. Here on Ember Island, it felt more like a coat being pressed against her skin. It kept moving and digging in whenever she twisted and turned in the bed. Her throat felt parched. She wanted to get a drink of water but she didn't want to get out of the bed. She was caught in the middle of an age-old debate, one that had been pondered over since before her own Jiji was even considered of being conceived: to get out of the bed or to not get out.

Eventually, she couldn't take it anymore. Her throat was practically screaming for something to quench it. She threw the covers back and climbed out of the bed. _"You would think a guy like Uncle Zuko would have enough money to put in a decent conditioner here,"_ she grumbled to herself as she stalked out of the bedroom quickly made for her.

She didn't know if there was any kind of cups in the bathroom close to her room. Frankly, she wasn't going to risk it when she knew that there were cups in the kitchen. It was just a matter of getting there and getting the cup. Of course, that was a little bit easier said than done. The house looked different in the light of the morning than the afternoon or the evening. Shadows were in different places than she had seen them last and it made her think about where it was she was going.

She was able to make it out into the courtyard in the center of the house. There the heat lessened somewhat but she was still thirsty. _"Okay, I'm in the right side of the house,"_ she went over the details, looking all around her. _"Uncle's rooms are in the left side and the kitchen is on the side that we came through."_ She just had to figure out which side that was. When she stepped out into the courtyard, all the sides looked the same to her.

It was only when she looked down to the ground and saw the mural of a red dragon. It was beautiful carved and for a moment, she actually thought that the creature was flying through the stones themselves. When she looked at the head, she remembered looking at yesterday when she first came out to the courtyard. The side it was staring was the front of the house.

"_So that's where I need to go."_ Her little theory was proven right when she stepped inside and she recognized the parlor area. She walked past it and found the kitchen nearby. Just as it was last night the kitchen was very spacious. The focal point was a counter in the center, where the stove and oven stood. The space between it and the walls were wide enough for two people to walk together through. The tiled floor felt cool to her feet and that sucked off some of the heat. The sink was on the far end and was big enough for a little child to bathe in. She knew that because she could faintly remember being bathed in that sink.

She found the shelf that had the cups next to the sink. Pulling out a cup and putting it under the nozzle, she filled it to the brim with water. The water tasted fantastic and her throat thanked her for the quenching factor of it. But as she drained it, she found herself still thirsty. She poured herself another round and drank that too. _"Go slowly,"_ she told herself. _"You don't want to get a full bladder right away."_

When she was done, she put the cup down on the counter and walked away from the sink. She considered making something to eat but she didn't know what was edible for breakfast and she didn't know if her uncle would make something for them both. She looked back to the courtyard and past that, the wing where her uncle would be sleeping. She would have thought that he would be up by now. He had always been up before her back in Konoha. Ah, it wasn't something too important. She figured that since he was back at home, he could indulge in sleeping a little bit.

She tried to think of something to do. She couldn't turn the TV because there wasn't a TV to turn on. All there really was a radio and she did not know how to work that. There was a good chance that she could turn it on with the volume at max and wake up people the next house. And she didn't even know where the next house was. So the radio was out.

The heat started to settle down on her again and her throat started to dry out once more. _"I need to get out of this house."_ She decided to go out to the front porch. The porched jutted out over the rocky ledge next to the house and it gave her a wonderful view of the area. She leaned against the railing, her arms folded and resting comfortable against the grain of the wood, and just looked.

Truly, Ember Island was a paradise. When she looked down to the beach, all she saw were waves and sand. The fact that the sand was dark didn't bother her at all. Actually, she thought it suited the place quite well. The sound of waves crashing on the beach was soothing to her ears and the birds crying as they flew past her in the air added to it. The only problem she had was the heat, which was probably a little stupid since she was a Firebender (or supposed to be).

She saw something moving down on the beach. When she turned her head and looked closer, she saw that it was someone and that someone was her granduncle, clad in simple clothing that she assumed was his training clothes. He was doing something that involved moving around and a lot of bright flashes. She stepped down to the path and went down to the beach, interested.

It was more interesting when she got to the beach. It turned out that her uncle was doing a set of Firebending movements. He moved with a grace that made him look like he was dancing with the fire. The fire seemed like a partner in his dance, following where he led. All Natsumi could think as she watched was, _"Whoa."_

Zuko finished his practice, banishing the fire he bent. He brought his hands together in the ending prayer and bowed to the rising sun over the sea. He turned around and saw Natsumi standing there. "Good morning," he said with a smile. "You woke up late."

"Late?" She looked up at the sun. It was still morning to her. "Are you sure that you didn't get up early?"

He shook his head. "No, I didn't. If you want to be a serious Firebender, Nat, you must learn to rise with the sun."

She blanched. "That early?" she asked, the words coming out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"Yes. That early," he told her. "The rising sun is a good time for Firebenders. It allows us to breathe and make new energies within our bodies. New energies help us for the day, keeping us forward and keeping our minds focused. I have spent many an early morning to witness the rising sun and I have always felt rejuvenated each time."

"_Is he rubbing it in?"_ It kinda felt like he was rubbing it in her face. It was irritating. "Alright, I get it," she said back. "I'll try to get up earlier. Happy?"

He ignored her snapping remark. "Have you eaten yet?" he asked instead.

She shook her head. "No, I just had some water. It's really hot."

He looked around, feeling the air and the heat. "Actually, it's quite brisk."

"_It's brisk?"_ she asked herself. It felt like it was two steps from a sauna inside the house and the outside was only marginally better. And he thought that it was brisk?

He saw the look on her. "Don't worry. It's the temperature of the Fire Nation. You'll adapt."

Again, it felt like he was rubbing it in her face. She was started to get really annoyed with what he was saying. But she couldn't do anything about it. He was bigger than her and much more powerful. If she tried to take him on, he would beat her without flinching or blinking. So she did her best to quash her anger. Instead she asked, "Why did you want to know if I had eaten or not?"

"It's easier on your stomach if you train before eating."

She perked up. "We're going to train? Now?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Great! What are we doing today?" Oh, she hoped that they were doing something actual fire. She wanted to get that under control so badly.

"Just breathing exercises," he told her, standing easy on the sand.

She, on the other hand, went rigid. "Breathing exercises? But we did that yesterday!"

"Just because you learn something one day does not make you a master of it, Natsumi," he told her sternly, lecturing her. "You must do it again and again until it becomes more than just second nature to you."

"But it's boring." She wanted to know how to control her Bending properly again, not figure out how to control how much air came and left her body!

He would not be moved. He folded his arms and looked at her like a teacher would look at a student. "Natsumi, what does an Airbender bend?"

She didn't understand what he was saying? It was obvious. He had even said it himself. "Are you kidding?" she asked.

He didn't look like he was kidding. In fact, he looked quite serious. "What does an Airbender bend?"

She sighed in exasperation. If he was going to be like this, she might as well humor him. "They bend the air."

"Where do they get the air?"

Now he was just being ridiculous. "From all around us, it's what we breathe."

"Correct. Now, what does a Waterbender bend?"

"Water, doi," she told him. She answered his next question before he could ask it. "And they get it from any body of water that's nearby."

"Very good," he said. "What does an Earthbender bend?"

"The earth, which is also where they get it," she answered.

"And what does a Firebender bend?"

"Fire," she told him, complete with eye roll.

"And where do the Firebenders get the fire?"

She opened her mouth but found that no words could come out. That was because she didn't know where the fire came from. Never once had she seen herself or her uncle bend fire from a fireplace or campfire. It had always to be there already. But she didn't know the right words to say. She stood there, her mouth moving but with no words.

Zuko watched her for a minute, not saying anything. "You don't know, do you?" he finally asked her.

"…No, I don't know."

"Firebenders are unique amongst the four because we are the only Benders who can generate that what we bend. But in order for a Firebender to understand this properly, he or she," he added with a slight twinkle in his eye, "must know the flow from breath to energy to fire."

"What? What does air have to do with fire?" she asked. To her, there were two separate things, not to be mixed. But her uncle smiled again and she had the feeling that he would tell her. She also had the feeling that he would explain it in such a way that she would feel stupid for asking. Suddenly, going back to bed and fighting the heat was starting to look very appealing.

"Air has more to do with fire than you would initially think, Natsumi," he told her. "The elements are not separated but connected. But we'll get to that in time. For now, we'll focus on the flow. You breathe in air," he explained, doing exactly that as he spoke. "That breath goes down into your body and becomes energy. You pull on that energy to extend past your limbs and it becomes the fire you want to bend. But in order to bend the fire, you must know your own breath."

Yep, she had been right. He had explained it in such a simple way that she felt stupid. Now the bed was really looking appealing. But she couldn't go back inside. It wasn't just her pride that was keeping her out here on the beach. It was the idea of what her uncle's face would be like if she turned her back on him. It would probably be a look of such disappointment that she wouldn't be able to look at him again.

So she stayed put. "Breathing exercises?" she asked him.

"Breathing exercises," he told her.

She sighed in resignation and said, "Alright."

His smile became gentler. "Glad to see you agree," he told her. "Now, take the starting position that I showed you."

She shifted her legs apart until they matched the width of her shoulders and brought her palms together. He waited silently and she began to breathe.

In and out.

In and out.

"Now," he began, "greet the sun."

"_Aw, crud,"_ she thought. She had forgotten to face the sun when she started. She found that the exercise could be done in any direction but Uncle Zuko preferred to face the sun in this position. She contemplated turning to face the sun but she would have to start her breathing all over again. She was here, so it was best to just continue the exercise. But as she lifted her hands up to the sky, she caught the look Uncle was giving her. Now she knew that he was going to put her through the wringer, just by breathing and stretching the body.

* * *

As the sun moved to its peak, Natsumi walked behind Zuko as he went into town. The exercises had gone like she had thought they would. By the time they were done, her legs were screaming for a break and her knees were considered mutiny. It was a miracle that she was able to drag herself off that beach, she had fallen down so fast. Her uncle had just laughed and told her that she would get used to it. She didn't believe. But the upside was that the breakfast afterwards tasted fantastic.

She thought about that breakfast and how her granduncle had been the one to make it. That was the surprising thing to her. He had made it. There were no servants in the house today or yesterday. "Uncle," she said to him. "Don't you have servants?"

He didn't slow his pace down when he looked back at her. "Why would I have servants?"

"You're a man of importance. You're the Fire Lord." One of the few things that she could remember was that her uncle was an important man in the Fire Nations and people would always say his name and the Fire Lord title with respect.

"I was the Fire Lord," he corrected. "Now, I'm just an old man who likes his privacy and who occasionally helps out with matters in the five countries."

"That still doesn't explain why you don't have any servants."

"True." He didn't say anything else as he kept walking.

The question was still burning inside her brain, demanding to be answered. Her silence held out until they reached a curve in the road and she could see a town before them. "So why don't you have any servants?" she finally exploded. "Are you going to tell me or am I going to have to guess here?"

He looked back at her but didn't seem angry. "I don't have any servants because I had gotten used to not having them in my exile. Having them back when I returned was something that I wasn't able to get used to again. So if I don't need servants, I won't have any on hand."

"Oh." That was all she could say. It made sense to her in a way. She remembered how she didn't grow up with servants. If she had some on hand, it probably would have driven her to the edge. But she would have thought that her uncle being an important man and an old one too, there would've been at least one servant on hand.

When she walked into the town, the first thing that she saw was there was a lot of red on practically everything. If a roof could be tiled red, it was. If a lantern could be woven in such a way as to glow red, it would. It also seemed that the brighter the color red, the better-looking the building looked. The only other color that was constant was gold and it mainly served as a framework. The smell of the sea, freshly salty, seemed more subdued here. It was mixed with other smells, like firewood and cooked meat. The people in town all dressed either lightly or half. The half part leaned heavily on the men, their chests bare for everyone to see. The women weren't that far out, wearing something that covered their breasts. They all seemed happy and content.

Those same people looked their way and recognition spread across their faces. _"Do they know me?"_ Natsumi asked herself. She dismissed it as she kept watching them. They weren't looking at her. They were looking at Zuko. "Do they know you?" she asked him quietly.

"You could say that I am a known person in town," he replied.

"Uncle, you said that you liked your privacy."

"There's a difference between liking my privacy and keeping myself away from the world, Natsumi," he told her.

"Lord Zuko!" a voice called out. She looked at where it came from. It was a man with a receding hairline that glistened under the sun. He was leaning out of a window that was covered in various pots but had enough room to put his meaty arms down. "Have you come to see my wares?"

"Not today, Chey!" he replied back.

The vendor didn't look disappointed at the rejection. He just smiled good-naturally and waved it off. "Ah, that's alright. You'll come around sometime!"

"Have you come around, Uncle?" Natsumi asked him as they passed the shop.

"Yes, usually when he's not expecting me."

They continued to walk through town. The cobblestones felt smooth beneath her feet. They must've been walked over by many people over countless years. She almost wanted to look down at them, to see if they were that smooth. She almost did but then Zuko stopped and she did too. "What is it?" she asked, starting to search for threats. There were none that she had seen but that didn't mean they weren't there.

Zuko saw how she was training to look around without looking around. She wasn't doing a very good job at it. "We've arrived, Natsumi," he told her. "That's all."

"Arrived at what?"

"The tea store," he answered.

She stopped her searching and actually looked at the building they had stopped at. It looked no different than the other buildings they had walked past. The wood was a dark brown and looked well worn. The tiles on the roof didn't seen as bright as the others but was still brighter than others. She didn't see any kind of sign that would tell her that it was a tea store, but she did smell something on the air. It was almost like a fragrance. "You brought me into town to go to a tea store?" she asked him incredulously.

"I needed more tea and you weren't going to spend all your days in that house." He took to the steps but stopped her before she could follow him. "You will probably be a bit bored waiting in there, Nat. The owner and I go back a bit and we do enjoy our chats."

She couldn't believe him. He was just going to leave her outside like she was some kind of dog? "What am I supposed to do then?" she asked him.

"Why don't you explore the town a little?" he suggested. "You will probably be spending a lot of your time here. You should know what the layout looks like."

"Can't I just go inside with you? Please?"

He could hear the fear and dread in her voice when she spoke. In the time that she had come back to them all, she had never been apart from one of them for long. She didn't want to be left alone. But while he wanted to make her know that she would never really be alone, he also has to ensure that she would be able to stand on her own two feet. That was why he was borrowing a tactic from his dead father and making her stand on her own.

The difference between him and Ozai was that he wouldn't be cruel about it. "You'll be fine, Natsumi," he told her reassuringly. "Go on and see what there is out here." He continued up the steps and went through the door before she could say anything.

She stared at the door, unable to believe that he had just done that. She stood there, just staring at the door for a long minute. Finally, she turned away with a huff and stomped away. _"Fine, Uncle, if that's what you want!"_ she thought to herself as she left the tea shop behind.

Her stomping quickly turned back into simple walking. Her frown stayed on and other people avoided her because of it. But she didn't care. She was still focused on the fact that her granduncle had just left her out hang. And in a new place, of all places! If he was going to do something like this, he could've done it in a place she knew! As she walked, her anger was gradually being replaced with fear. She looked around nervously at everything and everyone. It all seemed so new, so sudden.

"_I can't,"_ she quickly decided. _"I can't do this. I have to go back. I need to go back."_ But even though she wanted to turn back around and go back to her uncle, her legs kept moving forward. She followed the road away from what was beginning to feel like the center of the town. But she didn't stop walking.

The buildings started to look less like shops. Well, more like professional shops anywhere. There were a lot of bright posters and pictures covering the windows and the buildings. She really couldn't make heads or tails of what they were supposed to mean. Maybe it was from a lack of knowledge. But it irked her and she looked away. She saw one area that wasn't a building. It was an open area filled with tables, chairs, and umbrellas shading them. There wasn't a particular pattern to their positioning. They were probably just moved whenever someone felt like moving them. But that wasn't what interested her. The back of the area was covered by a long white wall that seemed to reach her chest. She couldn't see what was beyond it and that made her interested.

She went to the wall and looked over. Down below she could see a big beach, bigger than the beach in front of Uncle Zuko's house. It was so wide that she didn't think she could see the ends of it. She saw a few people sitting on towels and a few more in the water but the beach was so big that they seemed inconsequential to her eyes. She was more entranced by the smell and sounds of it all. It was more than her uncle's beach. To her, it all felt like freedom, freedom that she didn't have since she was locked away underground.

She stood there, leaning against the rail with her arms, just taking in the view. She lost track of time and found that she didn't really care. She heard people chattering away in the background but dismissed it as the townspeople going about their business. The chatter got louder and it was beginning to get a little annoying. But when it suddenly stopped, she was glad. It was fairly annoying.

"Hey," a girl's voice said behind her. She didn't pay attention to it. It wasn't for her. "Hey." It was the same voice and it sounded like it was getting a little annoyed. Well, if it was, it wasn't her problem. "Hey! Little girl!"

Natsumi turned around to see who it was, finally annoyed at it all. "What?" she asked with a snap in her voice.

A slightly older girl stood in front of her with a sneer on her face. She was wearing makeup on her face but it just looked caked on. Other girls stood behind her, sharing the same kind of sneer. But it was obvious that the girl in front was the leader. She looked at Natsumi down her nose like she was something not worth the time. "What are you doing here?" she asked, her sneer somehow managing to work its way into her voice.

"What does it look I'm doing?" Natsumi asked back, her voice still snapping.

There was a small look of surprise on the girl's face, like she wasn't used to being talked back to. The surprise vanished but the sneer stayed. "Do you not know where you are standing?"

She looked around. Other kids were beginning to show up and sitting down. But they were sitting on the far side, where it was smaller. It looked like they were fighting to get a seat. She looked back at the girl. They were both the same age of the others. The girl's clothes were made of good quality but there was something off. The shirt was tied off around the center and the skirt seemed a little short. It was like she was trying hard to be something but it was only making her look younger.

"Hey!" the girl barked. "I asked you a question. Are you stupid or something?"

Anger started to burn through her veins. She wasn't stupid. She knew where she stood. "I'm standing here," she replied.

But that only made the girl laugh. When she laughed, the others started laughing. It was a laugh that traveled through the air and went into her ears. Its taunting sound made her anger burn even hotter. "Wow, you really are stupid," the girl said with a mocking tone added to her sneer. "Are you new or something?"

"What of it?"

A pitying look came onto her face. It only added to her mocking. "Well, since you are new here, let me educate you. This is the Terrace. Where you're standing right now is only for the upper students and the cool ones at that. Since you are obviously neither, you need to move down there." She pointed to the farthest end, where it was the most cramped and the kids looked like they didn't want to be there either. "That's where the losers sit. Move along now."

Natsumi looked at the end. Everyone was looking back at her. They were waiting to see what she would do next. "I've got a better idea," she said as she turned her attention back to the lead girl. "Why don't you go blow it out your ass?"

"What!?" the girl practically screeched, almost overriding the surprised gasps everyone else emitted. "What did you say to me?!"

"Are you stupid or something?" she asked, throwing her own words back at her. "I said why don't you go blow it out your ass?"

"You little bitch!" She bent a fireball into her hand. It danced angrily, showing what she was feeling. "You wanna fight, is that?"

Natsumi would've liked nothing better than to put this girl in her place. Her hands were already curling up into fists in response. But before she replied or made a move of her own, she remembered when she tried to spar against her brother and what happened when she tried to use her Firebending.

_Thwack!_

The girl slumped her head forward in response to the scroll to hitting her. "Hema, are you trying to bully people again," the older girl standing beside asked, lifting the scroll up.

The girl looked up at her with both surprise and delight. "Natsuko!" she said, apparently glad to see the girl.

Natsumi rolled her eyes. _"So she's also a suck-up."_ That was even worse than just being a bully. She eyed the older girl and it became clear that whatever Hema was trying to do with her clothes, she was succeeding. This Natsuko was able to make her clothes look stylish with its wrapped shirt and shortened skirt. Her hair was tied up into a high ponytail. It looked messy, like she had woken up and just tied the hair up like that, and yet it added to the effect. Natsumi was willing to bet money that she was one of these so-called "cool kids."

Hema suddenly realized what the question was and tried to backpedal. "No, no, I was—"

"Hema," Natsuko said, her face turning into a scowl. It made her brown eyes shine with a fire. "You've been told about this by Tarek."

"I—"

She held up an imperious hand. "Remember your place, Hema. Now, go away. You're going to start bothering me." She walked past the younger girl like she couldn't care about her in the first place. Hema looked both dejected and angry at being brushed aside like that.

"_Guess she's not the biggest predator in the forest,"_ Natsumi thought to herself as she watched the would-be bully slink away with her cronies behind.

"Hey, you okay, kid?" she heard Natsuko ask her.

She turned to look at the older girl. She looked older than Arashi, in her late teens. "I'm fine," Natsumi told her shortly. "You didn't need to barge in like that."

It just made her grin. "Sorry, I don't like seeing people get bullied. I went through that enough times myself to know the feeling. So," she said, changing the subject, "What's your name?"

"Nat," she answered.

"What a coincidence, that's my name."

"No, it's not. Your name is Natsuko. I heard her say it."

She shrugged her shoulder. "Yeah, I know, but everyone just calls me Nat." She sat down in the nearest chair, letting her bag drop down to the ground. "Guess we'll have to figure out something that'll separate us. How about we call you Little Nat?"

Nat showed her enthusiasm for the idea with a disgusted look. "No way," she immediately proclaimed.

The older girl just laughed and leaned back into her chair. "Ah, we'll figure something out. Why don't you sit down?" She gestured at the chair to her left.

She eyed the chair and then her. "Are you supposed to do that? I thought you had to be one of the 'cool kids' to sit around here." Her tone made it evident just what she thought about the idea. She wasn't very impressed.

"Why did you come over here in the first place?"

She looked back at the wall briefly. "I wanted to see what was on the other side."

"The beach?" asked Natsuko, turning her own head to look out at the wall. "Why would you want to look over there? It's a beach, same as the rest here."

Natsumi was a little surprised by just how casual her words were. She just dismissed an amazing sight like it was nothing. How could she do something like that? "It's not just the sight of it," she told the older girl. "It's also the sounds and the smells. I wanted to take it all in, to see how it felt to me."

"Huh, never thought about it like that."

"I could tell." The sarcasm was practically dripping from her voice when she said those words.

Natsuko didn't look angered or upset at it. "I'm beginning to like you, kid," she replied, turning her head away. "Now just sit down already. You look like you're expecting someone to leap out and attack you."

That actually was what she was expecting. Her fear of her captors coming back for her always itched in the back of her mind. She forced herself to breathe steadily and reply with, "Fine." She took the seat offered and sat down in it. Almost immediately she heard surprised whispers and gasps coming from the other tables. But she would not look back at them to see their faces. She sat there while the older girl read one of the scrolls she pulled from her bag. The silence seemed infinite and she was fine with that.

But it was broken when more people arrived at the table. "Hey, girl," another older girl said to Natsuko as she sat down on her other side.

"Hey yourself," Natsuko said back, looking up from the scroll.

A boy laughed as he sat down. "Still hitting the books after class, Nat?" he asked, sitting easy and with a grin on his face. His hair seemed wild and the red streaks in it added to the effect. But in spite of that, Natsumi thought that he looked a little cute, especially with that grin. Then she wondered where the hell that thought had come from.

"It's called homework, Takumi," she told him. She might've tried to sound stern but the smile on her lips didn't make it as effective as she thought it might be. "I do know you are aware of it."

"Of course I am. I just choose to do it when I feel like doing it."

"I believe that's called procrastination," the second girl remarked, making Natsumi look at her. She looked a lot more glamorous than Natsuko. Her hair was straight and fell down to her back, gleaming in the light of the sun. Her clothes were neat and clean, not a speck of dirt or dust on them. She had a beautiful face with nice amber colored eyes.

The boy gasped in surprise. "You wound me, Teja!" he proclaimed, holding his hand to his heart. "How could you do such a thing?"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh good grief," she muttered. But there wasn't any real venom to her words.

Two more people sat down at the table. "Takumi giving you grief again, Tej?" asked the girl. Her black hair was cut much shorter than the other two and when she dropped her bag to the ground, it sounded louder. Natsumi watched her arms as she moved. They looked like they had muscles underneath the skin.

"He always does, Akane," Natsuko said before Teja could. "It's the mission of his life."

"Ain't that the truth," she agreed. "If people didn't know them, they would've thought they were already married the way they argued."

"_I didn't_," Natsumi thought to herself. She had thought that they were just having an argument. Was she missing something here? She probably was since she didn't know these people.

Natsuko looked at the second boy and she smiled even more at the sight. "Hey, you," she said in greeting.

He grinned back. "Hey, yourself," he replied. Natsumi looked at him carefully. As she looked him over, she came to the decision that if Takumi was cute, this guy was straight up handsome. His dark hair flattened itself against his head in short spikes. His light golden eyes seemed warm, almost invitingly. His skin was tanned and it looked good on him. But when he looked at Natsuko, Natsumi felt ashamed. It was clear that they were together. She shouldn't be crushing on someone's boyfriend. It wasn't right.

"Who's this?" he asked, looking down at her. There was a curious look in his eyes and she couldn't meet them.

"Everyone, this is Nat," Natsuko said, introducing the girl to her friends. She threw her arm around her shoulder, seemingly in a show of comradery.

They all looked at her and then at the older girl. "You got someone trying to be your clone or something?" Takumi asked her.

"No, she's just also called Nat."

"Well that's going to be a pain." He looked at Natsumi with a grin. "How about we call you Nattie?"

She stared right back at him glared. "How about I burn off your hair and feed you the ashes?"

He jerked back with a slight fear in his eyes. But then he chuckled and laughed. "Whoa, you're a little spitfire, aren't you?"

"You don't think I'll do it?" she asked challengingly. It was a stretch, she knew that. But she would be damned before she was going to let anyone call her Nattie.

"Simmer down there, kid," Natsuko told her before looking at everyone else. "There's an easy way around this. I'll be Nattie from now on."

Teja looked a little concerned for her. "Are you sure about that?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I've always like the sound of Nattie. It doesn't sound so formal, you know?" The others looked at each other, considering her words. Before long, they all nodded in agreement. "Great, so it's decided." She looked down at Natsumi. "See? Settled," she told the little girl. Natsumi didn't give her a response but she did give a grudging nod.

"So, why do we have a little spitfire amongst us, anyway?" Akane asked, looking curiously at Natsumi. She was cute in a way, with her brown hair and blue eyes. But she had to be sweating buckets with the black shirt and pants she was wearing. "Not anyone can just sit with us."

Natsuko looked over at the boy she smiled at. She wasn't smiling now. She was serious. "You need to get your parents to seriously talk to your sister, Tarek."

Natsumi looked at him with shock while he groaned and rubbed his head with his palm. "Was Hema trying to bully her?" he asked the obvious question.

"She was," she answered with a nod. "But Nat here held her own. It looked like Hema was about to blast her full of fire before I intervened."

"Agni save me," he grumbled. He knew that there was nothing really he could do about his sister. She would ignore his warnings, every kid her age was scared of her, and in front of their parents she was the perfect little princess. "Sorry about that," he told Natsumi.

She shrugged it off. She had been confident that she would've been able to handle herself. Wanting to move on to something else, she looked at them all and asked, "What's with all the getup?" They were all wearing matching uniforms. They shared the same white buttoned shirt but while the boys wore red pants, the girls had skirts on the same color. Natsumi almost thought they were in some kind of band if it weren't for the bags they all carried.

They looked at each other and then at her again. "It's our uniforms," Natsuko told her.

"Uniforms?" she repeated.

"Yes, for school." She looked more closely at the girl. "How long have you been on Ember Island, Nat?"

She couldn't really lie her way out of this one, mostly because she didn't know how to lie her way out of it. So she went for the truth, just with omitted facts. "I moved in with my uncle last night."

"Oh? From where?" asked Teja.

"A ways away," she told the glamorous-looking girl. It was probably wasn't a good idea to tell them that she had come from the other side of the world like lightning. They would laugh at her.

But her answer only made Teja smile both mischievously and determinedly. "If you're going to be coy, don't worry. I'll get it out of you soon enough."

"Don't scare the girl, Tej," Akane scolded her. Her friend just turned the smile onto her. She folded her arms and kept eye contact. It started to feel like a fight was about to begin or something. But then Teja blinked and Akane declared, "That's one for me."

Teja frowned and grumbled, "Dang it. I can never beat you."

Natsumi found it weird and ignored it. She looked at the table and realized that there was nothing to eat or drink on it. What was the point of sitting at a table if they weren't going to have anything to eat or drink? "So," Takumi said, getting her attention, "welcome to Ember Island, our own little slice of the good life. Now, I know that you're new here and all, but do you have a suit with you?"

"Suit?" she repeated, really confused. Why would she need a suit here?

He was about to open his mouth when he saw that all three of the girls were glaring hard at him. "It's an honest question!" he told them, scowling back. "If she's going to be living here, she's going to need a suit. Come on, guys. What do you take me for?"

"What suit?" Natsumi asked, still focused on that.

Takumi kept his glare up for another moment before looking at her again. "A swimsuit," he replied.

"Oh." Why couldn't they have just said that from the beginning? It would've been easier. "No, I don't."

That answer made them all turn and look at her. "Well, that's something that should be fixed," Akane told her with a deep sense of knowing.

The others nodded in agreement. But Natsumi just had a bad sense of unease. "I don't have any money," she told them all. She hadn't thought about it before now. Maybe she should've.

Her remark didn't draw any kind of pity from the others. But it also didn't make them unsympathetic. "Ah, that's alright," Natsuko said. "You find something that you like and I'll fork over the money for you."

"You-you'd pay for me?"

She nodded and smiled. "Think of it as a welcoming gift to the island and to our little group."

That was clearly not something that anyone at the table or listening in (which basically meant everyone on the Terrance that wasn't a part of the group) were expecting. "Whoa, that's out of nowhere," Takumi remarked.

Tarek nodded his agreement. "Nat," he began, only to stop and correct his words. "Nattie, we've only met her today."

His girlfriend matched his look with a determined one. "She's new to the island and she doesn't know anyone. And I'm not going to leave her to be bullied by your sister. She could use some friends, why not us?" She swept her gaze around them all. "And don't use her age as an excuse."

Many mouths closed instantly at that. _"They were going to use my age against me?"_ Natsumi asked indignantly. She understood that they were all probably four or five years older than her but that was just mean. She felt glad that Natsuko had come to her defense like that. She was still a little weary of them, though.

Teja responded first. "I suppose that you've got a point, Nattie. We could use someone new in the group." She looked across the table at Natsumi and smiled that smile again. "I guess that makes you our new little sister, Nat."

"_I'm not your little sister,"_ she said silently back with a frown. The only person she was a little sister to was Arashi. Her stomach rumbled at that moment, quite loudly too. Embarrassment flooded her at that moment and she stared down at it. _"You hush up."_

But the others heard it too. "Sounds like someone's hungry," Natsuko said with a knowing smile. She stood up from her chair and gestured for Natsumi to do the same. "Come on, Nat. I'll treat you to an Ember Island specialty."

She was almost tempted to refuse out of pure stubbornness. But she wasn't that stupid and she did feel a bit hungry. She stood up and followed the older girl away from the table. This time, she did dare to look back at the other tables. Everyone else seemed to be either surprised at what was happening or jealous that it didn't happen to them. She could hear them whispering to each other. They were probably talking about her and what she was doing sitting next to. What she saw the most, though, was Hema's furious eyes watching her every move.

She looked away and followed Natsuko into one of the buildings that was close to the Terrace. It looked the same as the other buildings in town, except it was built out of white stone. When she stepped through the door, it was like a wave of cold air hit her in the face and refreshed her. She saw the counters with see-through glass and instantly knew where she was: in an ice cream store.

"Hey, old man," Natsuko greeted the man behind the counter.

"Hello, Natsuko," he replied. "You're here earlier than usual." When Natsumi looked at him, she saw that he didn't really looked old. The better word would've been middle-aged. His skin was much darker than anything a tan could make, which made her suspect that he wasn't from the Fire Nation originally. He wore a white apron but the clothes he had underneath seemed to be different shades of blue.

She shrugged her shoulders. "We got out early."

Natsumi pulled her attention away from them and looked around the place. The shop only had the counter and ice cream flavors occupy about a quarter of the space there. The rest was full of chairs, seats, and even a few booths. There was music playing out of a radio nestled in a window. The walls were painted in murals that managed to be both enticing stories and soothing colors. One of the walls was dominated by a large glass container filled with stuff. Her curiosity prodded her over to the container to see what was in it exactly.

"So, what would you like today?" the old man asked Natsuko. "I have a moon peach flavor that I am sure you would enjoy."

She smiled. It did sound tasty. But she wasn't here for her, not first any ways. "Later, old man, I've come with a friend who's new here. You think you can whip up an Ember Island special for her?"

"Of course," he replied. He didn't ask about the money. He didn't have to. Natsuko had been coming to his shop for so long that he knew she would pay.

She looked back but didn't see where Natsumi had been left. Instead, she found her standing at the Throwback. The Throwback was a wall of memorial, of good times and sad. It had everything from old ads and posters to pictures. She had never put anything in the Throwback herself. But she hoped that when she did, it would be full of good stuff. "Hang on," she told the old man before she went over to the Throwback.

Natsumi was staring at one picture in particular. The sight of the picture made Natsuko stop too. She knew that picture well because she was there the day it was taken. It was a picture of Sozin Uzumaki and his family. She looked at the picture, saw Sozin standing there with his daughter on his hip and his son by his side, all three of them wearing identical grins. Xiu stood by them, her smile not as big but still there. Sozin's parents and uncle were off to the sides, smiling too. It was a happy photo and a happy day. She had been there with them, but stayed out of the shot because it was a family one. She wasn't family.

She wondered what attracted the girl to the photo. If she didn't know what it meant, it was just another picture on the Throwback. She heard a sniffle and saw she was crying thick tears. She reached out with her hand and touched Sozin's face. "Daddy," she croaked out.

Natsuko was thunderstruck. _"Daddy?!"_ she repeated in her own mind. She looked at the picture and looked at the little girl Sozin was holding. She looked back down at the girl. All she could see was the brown hair. She grabbed her by the shoulder and spun her around so she could look at her face. Blue eyes, thick with tears, still looked indignantly at her. "Agni preserve me," she breathed out, almost unable focus on anything except her. "Natsumi, is it you?"

When she heard her name, Natsumi's first reaction was to run. But her second reaction was what stopped her. _"How does she know my name?"_ she asked silently. She hadn't told anyone it. How could she know it?

She must've recognized her confusion. "You don't remember me, do you?" she asked her voice thick with emotions.

"No," Natsumi told her. "How do you know my name?"

She looked at the wall. "That picture, it was taken when you and your brother spent a summer here on the island. I would watch over the two of you whenever your grandparents had to go somewhere they couldn't take you. Arashi used to call me 'Big Sis,'" she explained with a little laugh. "You tried too, but you could never get the words right. You kept saying 'Fig Lis.' When you finally left, you gave your last hug to me."

A memory flashed in front of Natsumi's eyes. It was broken but this one wasn't because of her being kidnapped. Perhaps broken wasn't even the right word to use. Faded was truer. The memory was faded. It was faded even now. But she remembered a pair of arms holding her, a gentle voice, and a warm smile. All of these things pointed back to the girl before her. She looked harder at Natsuko and found that she was beginning to feel familiar, like she had known her from before.

Natsuko saw the searching look in her eyes and hope bloomed. "Do you remember me?" she asked.

"I remember…something. Feelings, a smile," she said, almost to herself, "Your smile."

She smiled and it was even more recognizable. "I'll take it."

"Hey, everything okay over there?" the old man called out.

They both looked back at him. He hadn't moved from where he had stood but he did look concerned. "Everything is fine," Natsuko told him, turning to face him fully. She walked back to the counter. Natsumi followed her, her hand now holding hers. "It turns out she was someone I had known from when she was a little toddler."

"That seemed pretty emotional for a reunion with someone you met when you were a toddler," he remarked, his eyes falling to Natsumi with a curious look.

She felt cornered and wanted to get out. Her feet started pointing to the door but her hand stayed in Natsuko's and it didn't move. So she stayed in place too. "I'll tell you later, old man," the teen assured him. "I think everyone will know, sooner or later. Now, about that special…?"

He nodded and went to work. Natsumi watched silently as he made the order. It was different from what the ice cream store in Konoha had done. Maybe it was because that seemed more high-tech than this place. _"Practically everything here is low-tech compared to Konoha,"_ she thought to herself. She had yet to see a building that went above three stories high and even those were really rare. Most of the buildings were just two stories. Maybe it was where they were and not the whole place in general.

"Here you go," the old man said as he put a cup with a spoon inside, "An Ember Island special: the Hot N' Cold mixer."

Natsumi took the cup carefully. At first she thought that it was too big for her hands but when she held it, she found that it was only slightly bigger. Her hands felt the coolness of the ice cream through the paper cup. When she looked inside she saw green ice cream with little dark flakes sprinkled on them. _"Is this mint?"_ she asked herself. It looked really similar to the flavor she had seen back in Konoha.

"Go on," Natsuko urged her. "Try it out."

"_Does she think I've never seen an ice cream before?"_ It was partially true. She had seen ice cream but nothing like this. She thought that it was supposed to be on a cone. But it did looked good, so she was willing to try it.

Her first bite was the mint. It broke over her tongue with such coolness that it was a shock. After the initial shock disappeared, she found that she enjoyed the taste of mint and kept eating it. So when the taste of spicy cinnamon came at her, she was nowhere near ready for it. She jerked her head back from the cup and gave it the evil eye as the spicy ice cream went down her throat. "What is this?" she demanded.

The old man chuckled and so did Natsuko. "That is the Ember Island special," he told Natsumi. "Two big scoops of mint with a cinnamon scoop in between and mixed all together. That way, you never know when the cinnamon is going to strike."

She would've scowled at him harder but once she got over the shock of it, it was actually good. It added some fire to the otherwise completely cool taste of the mint. She went back to eating it and a smile spread her lips wide. "This is good!"

"My work is done," the old man declared theatrically.

Natsuko let out a short laugh as she looked at him fondly. "Your work is never done. There are still plenty of people waiting outside to come in," she told him, pointing her thumb at the door. She put her hand back on the girl beside her. "Come on, Nat. We'd better go back outside before we get swarmed."

She was too busy being interested in the ice cream to argue, choosing to nod. They walked out of the shop and four seconds later, it was like a stampede of kids younger or her age rushing into the store. She found her seat at the table again and watched as the kids fought to get in through the door. She heard chuckling and saw the others were laughing. A quick look at the other tables showed that the older kids were chuckling. "Is this normal?" she asked.

"Yeah, pretty much," Tarek said. "We usually go in after they've gotten what they wanted."

She frowned in confusion. "So why did…?'

"Why did Nattie take you in beforehand?" Teja asked for her. She nodded. "Consider it a free pass and to give you a taste of the ice cream. The next time, you're going to have to fight your way through that." She gestured to the mess with a brief flick of her finger.

Takumi smiled at the sight. "Ah, yes. I remember the days we had to go through that ordeal. Good times. Good times."

Akane looked him with complete disbelief. "Ordeal?" she repeated. "I remember you constantly leaping onto a table and beginning that chaos by screaming 'Charge!'"

"Like I said, good times," he replied, still grinning.

Natsumi found it a little funny. She giggled as she ate her ice cream, almost relaxing into her chair. She looked over and saw that Hema was still at her table. That was odd. "Hey, why hasn't she started running yet?" she asked Tarek while still looking at his sister.

Hema saw her look and returned the gaze. Her eyes were still angry and also looked hurt. But then she turned her nose up and sniffed. Natsumi got the feeling that it was a rude move. She knew it was a rude move when Hema turned her away and didn't look at her any more. "Hema says that she doesn't like ice cream, that it's disgusting," Tarek explained to her.

Ice cream was disgusting? That wasn't true. She had the evidence right in front of her: the now empty cup she had carried out. It had been delicious. "That's stupid," she declared. "Your sister's an idiot."

He shook his head. "No, she's not an idiot. She just got tired of losing the fight to reach the store counter first. If it was permitted, I wouldn't be surprised if she would use her Firebending to get through."

"Then perhaps it is a good thing that rule is the only ironclad one about the ice cream store," Zuko remarked as he came up to their table. There was a bag being held in his right hand. It wasn't a big bag but wasn't small enough to escape notice.

The others leapt out of their chairs and came to attention. "Lord Zuko!" they said as one.

He smiled and said, "At ease." They rested easy and he looked at them all before his gaze settled on Natsumi.

Before he could say anything, she was out of her chair and marching up to him. When she was close enough, she punched him in the side. "You. Are. Mean," she declared, emphasizing each word with a punch. The others were probably shocked to see her like this but she didn't care at that moment.

He let her punch for as long as he permitted it. Then he stopped her with a simple move of his hand, catching her wrist. "That's enough," he told her as she struggled to get her hand free.

She glared up at him. "You didn't have to do that."

The others were surprised that someone would act so brazenly against someone so renowned. Zuko was a man to be honored and respected. But the thing, he didn't seem angry at the fact that a little girl was trying to punch him. He just looked amused. "Lord Zuko, we apologize for Nat's actions," Akane said to him, putting some formality into her words. She usually wasn't the formal kind of person, but she was able to see that this was a situation that needed it.

"Think nothing of it," he told her. "I expected this kind of reaction."

They all looked at each other, clearly confusion. "Do you know her, sir?" Takumi asked her.

"Of course I do. She is my grandniece."

This time, the looks on their faces were ones of shock. "Your grandniece?" repeated Teja in a voice that showed her disbelief. "But that's impossible!"

Zuko gave her a long look. "How is that?" he asked her.

"The only grandniece you have is…" She trailed off and stared at Natsumi with a new searching look, trying to find the answer on her face. The others did the same thing.

Natsuko felt like there was no need for them to make the girl uncomfortable with their staring. "Guys," she said to them, getting their attention. "It is her. This is Natsumi Uzumaki."

Recognition flashed through their faces and they bowed their heads to her. "My lady, forgive us for not noticing you earlier," Tarek apologized, feeling a bit stupid. He wasn't the only one. They had all seen the picture on the Throwback. Brown hair might be common in the Fire Nation but blue eyes weren't. They should've recognized her when they first laid eyes on her.

As soon as Natsumi saw them bow their heads, she knew that she didn't like it. "Don't do that," she told them all.

"Do what, my lady?" Takumi asked. Even Takumi, the seemingly wild one in their group, was being respectful and polite.

"That!" she exclaimed, gesturing wildly at them all. "Don't go treating me like I'm someone special. I don't want that. I just want the normal you, the people who were willing to put me in your group the same day you met me! I want the people who thought it would be a good idea to call me Nattie and called me a spitfire when I threatened you back!" Her voice showed her raw honesty as she spoke. She genuinely wanted what they had first given her. She wanted their friendship. "I won't be annoying or anything if that's going to annoy you. I'll stay quiet and try to help out whenever I can."

Natsuko lifted her slightly inclined head (she had just bowed it out of reaction to the others). "Alright then," she said, "We'll stick to being your friends." She looked at the rest of the group and they all nodded their agreement. "Besides, you're only going to be as annoying as we'll let you."

Zuko laughed. "As always, you are her granddaughter, Natsuko. She is proud of you."

Natsuko blushed at the praise. It wasn't that it was rare she got praise. It was more along the lines of her getting praise from the people who actually knew who her grandmother was. "You're too kind, Lord Zuko," she told him.

"Who's your grandmother?" Natsumi asked, confused and interested at the same time.

For a moment, Natsuko's friends looked at her like they couldn't believe she just said that. But then they remembered who they were talking and looked to her to explain it. "My grandmother is a powerful Firebender, Nat," she explained to the little girl. "She is one of the strongest Firebenders alive still and one of the wisest too. It's because of her strength and wisdom that she's known as the Blind Dragon."

"The Blind Dragon?" she repeated, making sure that she had heard it right. When she got nods, all she could say was, "Isn't that a bit redundant?" To be a blind dragon would mean that it couldn't really fly. And a dragon that couldn't fly was redundant to her.

But her granduncle only chuckled. "It's her title, Natsumi. She earned it. But I always preferred calling her Doll."

* * *

Within a few days, Natsumi had established something of a routine on the island. She would spend the morning relearning how to Firebend with her uncle, learning more and more breathing exercises on the beach as the sun rose out of the sea. When noon came, she would have lunch and lounge around the house, reading a book to learn something new. But when the clock started to ring that it was two in the afternoon, she was out of the house quicker than a struck match and on her way to town.

When she reached the Terrace, she would only have to wait five minutes before Natsuko and the rest of the group would show and she sat down with them. They would spend a half hour working on their homework (Natsumi learned that they attended Azula Uzumaki's Finishing School, which she found a bit funny) and then go about the town. For that half hour, Natsumi would sit still and listen to what they had to say about anything and everything. Occasionally, she would lean over, ask what a particular problem, and listen to the explanation.

But it was when the half hour was done that she truly looked forward too. It was then that she would follow them around the town and get to know it better. She had assumed that the others would stick to the places that they had known and she could work it out from there. But Tarek had told her that as her friends, it was their job to show her around the town proper. And that was what they did. With each day, she knew more and more about the town and she got more confident about walking through it alone.

So when they closed their books and put them back in the bags, she hopped out of her chair. "So, where are we going today?" she asked them. She had seen a lot of things in town but she was certain that there was more to be seen.

"We're going to the shopping center," Teja told her.

Her excitement died away and she could feel the enthusiasm leave her face. "But we've already been there," she said, doing her best not to sound whiney. They had shown her the shopping center on the second day. It had been impressive but it had nothing on the mall she had seen in Konoha.

"Ah, but today, we go with a purpose."

"What's that?"

She smiled down at Natsumi. "We are going to buy you a suit."

For a moment, she wondered what Teja was talking about. But then she remembered the question Takumi had asked that first day. "Oh." She didn't know what else to say. Plus, there was no real point in trying to refuse them. She needed a suit. "Let's go then."

They took her to the center. It wasn't a big building like she had seen in Konoha. It was rather a collection of stores centered on a large fountain. The fountain was a popular eating place and even as she followed Natsuko and the others into the swimsuit store, Natsumi could see people eating there.

"Welcome!" someone said in a big voice as she stepped into the store. She looked past the others and saw a grown man walking up to them. He had a big grin on his face that seemed practiced to her. "What can I do for you today?"

"We're here to buy suits," Tarek told him.

"Ah, good, good," he said, his grin becoming even wider somehow. "We just got in the latest fashion from Republic City. Would you like to see it?"

"Hold on," Akane said, stopping the conversation from going anywhere else. "We've got something else to do before shopping for ourselves."

"Oh, what is that?" the man asked, sounding a little disappointed.

They all stepped aside to show Natsumi to him. "This is her first time getting a suit," Teja explained.

He lost the disappointment and brightened right back up again. "Ah, I see. I see." He took a step towards Natsumi and bent down to look at her better. "Hm," he said to himself as he looked her over.

"_Why is he doing this?"_ she asked herself as he kept looking. She felt like she was being examined for something that would end badly for her. She started to slip into a fighting position, wanting to be ready to attack.

But then he pulled his head back. "I will go get Rina for you. She will be able to help you more than me." He turned and went back into the store.

"That was weird," Natsumi declared as she finally looked around. The store had two levels. The upper floor was reached by stairs in the middle of the store. As she looked to each side, it seemed like the males were on the right and the females were on the left. But aside from that, she couldn't tell how the suits were different from one another.

Akane shook her head. "No, that was him showing his expertise."

It didn't look like any expertise she should be aware of. "What do you mean?" she asked the older girl.

"He saw that you were a bit younger than what he normally sells to. He could accommodate but you're also new. So he's going to get someone who is proficient in handling newcomers."

"And here she comes now," Natsuko said whilst looking at the left side of the store.

Natsumi looked around, trying to see who this new person was going to be. It was probably a bit stupid to look on the ceiling but she couldn't be too certain. It was only when she looked past Natsuko that she saw a matronly woman striding towards them. "Hello, m'dears," she greeted them. The smile on her face didn't seem so practiced. It looked more genuine.

"Hey there, Rina," Takumi greeted her with a smile and a wave.

She eyed him. "Takumi, I was wondering when you were going to show up here again. Have you come to make an honest woman out of me yet?"

Natsumi was equally stunned and shocked at that._ "What?"_ she silently asked. She almost snapped her head looking at him.

He just laughed. "Rina, I would love to make an honest woman out of you. I just see two problems with it."

"I see no problems," she replied. "Could you tell me what they are?"

"Well, for one, this isn't the time of Avatar Aang anymore. I'm too young to be married off."

"Perhaps," she said, making it sound like his reason was a trivial one. "What would be your second reason?"

"Whatever would your husband say if you ran off with someone forty years younger?"

She considered his words for a moment, almost seriously so. But then she laughed merrily and shook her head. "It's always enjoyable to have you around, Takumi."

"Thank you, I do try."

"_Wait, they were just playing?"_ Natsumi thought. She looked back and forth between them. They didn't seem like they were serious anymore. It was completely surprising. She looked back at Akane. "Is this normal?"

"Yes," she replied shortly.

"Now," Rina said, clasping her hands together, "Who is this person that I need to help?"

Natsumi stepped forward. "Me."

She looked down at her and her eyes widened slightly. "Lady Uzumaki," she said with a respectful tone in her voice.

She grimaced at that. "Please don't do that," she told the matronly woman, her voice almost begging. Even since her granduncle had revealed who she was, the news had spread like a blaze throughout the town. People kept bowing their heads to her and being all respectful. She didn't want that. It reminded her too much of what Arashi had said to Jiji.

"Very well," Rina said easily enough. "Now, you come with me. The rest of you," she looked at the others with a serious look, "don't try and follow us."

Takumi waved her off. "We know the rules, Rina. We don't want to be spoiled of the surprise."

"Good boy." She took Natsumi by the hand and led her into the store.

She thought that they were going up the stairs but Rina took her right past it. "So, what exactly am I getting?" she asked Rina as she was taken past racks and racks of swimsuits. She didn't see any kind of a changing room nearby. It made her hope that there was one so she wouldn't have to change out where people could see her.

Rina kept her pace steady as she walked. "I think a one piece would best suit you now."

"A one piece?" she repeated.

She nodded. "You're a bit young to think about wearing a two piece." They came to a stop in front a rack that went down to the wall. The racks were filled with swimsuits, all of them made from one piece.

"_Oh,"_ thought Natsumi,_ "Now I get it."_

Rina took one of the suits off the rack and held it out for her to see. "Well? What do you think?"

She looked at it. It was brightly colored, so much so that she almost got blinded by it. There were also some happy fishes stitched across the midsection. "No," she said right away.

To her credit, Rina didn't press it. She simply put it back and took off another one. "How about this one?" she asked.

It was less bright than the first but it was still too bright for her tastes. And there was a turtle-duck resting high on it. She shook her head. "No."

It went back on the rack and Rina went further in. She came back with another suit. "I think that you will like this one."

Natsumi looked at it. The colors were muted, which she approved on. But this one had flower designs on it. Flower designs, on a swimsuit. She didn't know how that would even work. Flowers didn't belong in the water. "Can I get one that doesn't have any designs on it?"

"No designs?" Rina repeated, sounding like she was surprised at the idea. "Goodness, I don't think I have ever heard someone your age say those words. They've all wanted a design on their suits."

"It's stupid. I'd just like a plain one, please. Something darker," she added, almost as an afterthought.

She looked at her and nodded. "Alright, I think I know what you want." She went down through the racks, almost vanishing from sight. When she came back, she was holding another suit. "Would this be more to your liking?"

The suit had no designs on it and the color was a simple black. To Natsumi, it was perfect. "I'll take it," she proclaimed.

"I thought you might, m'dear. Now, if you'll just follow me to the dressing room, you can try it out."

She breathed a quiet sigh of relief. _"They do have dressing rooms."_ She was actually getting worried about that.

She followed Rina to the dressing rooms, which were in the corners. She was given the suit and sent into the dressing room. There were many rooms with doors inside. All she had to do was pick one. But there was someone else in there and to her eternal irritation, it was Hema. Ever since they had first met, they didn't like each other. Hema didn't say anything directly to her, staying only to snide remarks and making fun of her when she could. And while that did make Natsumi angry, she did nothing except ignore her. So far, the idea was working. But this was the first time they would be face-to-face since the first day.

"What are you doing here?" Hema asked her, her voice matching her sneer. She was standing in the way like she ruled over the spot.

She lifted up the suit so it was easier for her to see. "What does it look like I'm doing here?" she asked back.

She looked at it and then at her again. Her golden eyes were mocking. "Something crappy for a crappy person, I guess."

"_How is she Tarek's sister?"_ Natsumi asked herself, not for the first time. Tarek was kind, caring, and able to take a joke. It was him who kept the peace whenever Takumi managed to do something that set off the others. He was also a fantastic Firebender, moving like he was dancing with the fire, like her uncle. From what she was told, the only reason was that local Pro-bending team was looking at Takumi and Akane was because Tarek had flubbed his performance on purpose.

She pushed past Hema and picked one of the rooms. She went in, closed the door behind her, and locked. There was a bench inside, along with a mirror, and some coat racks. She stripped out of her clothes, leaving them on the ground, and put on the suit. Once she was sure it was on right, she looked at herself in the mirror.

She turned from side to side, making sure that she could see all of it. The blackness of the suit contrasted with her skin. It stopped where her legs met her hips and the top was supported by strong straps. But she still wasn't sure about the whole thing. Maybe it was because this was her first time getting a suit like this (at least, as far as she could remember). _"Well, it fits,"_ she thought to herself. _"That's something."_ She was told that any kind of looseness she felt could turn into drag out in the water.

After a few more moments looking herself over, she decided that she might as well go with it. Perhaps it will be better when she took out to the beach and swim in the sea. She reached down for her clothes, but her fingers only touched stone. She looked down and saw that her clothes weren't there. _"What the?"_ she asked, looking around. But the clothes weren't anywhere in sight. They were just gone.

"Are you looking for your clothes?" Hema asked from outside. She sounded smug.

She whirled around to the door. She saw a pair of feet on the other side. "Give them back!" she ordered.

"Hmm, no," she replied, sounding like she was enjoying it.

She reached for the handle and tried to get out. But there was a weight pushing against the door, preventing it from opening. "Hey, let me out!"

"No. You're going to stay in there like a good little idiot until I—"

Natsumi dropped to the ground and kicked her legs hard. She yelped in pain and pulled the foot out of sight. Natsumi leapt up and slammed her own weight against the door. It opened with a jerk, making her fall out into Hema. They fell to the ground together with a loud crashing sound.

She rolled off of her, grabbing her clothes in the process. "What the hell is your problem?" she demanded as she glared at Hema.

"You," she said with an infuriated look. She got back up to her feet and returned the glare. "You are my problem. You come here, walking around like you're hot stuff just you're a dead man's daughter."

"You don't talk about him like that."

She laughed rudely. "Why? He's dead. He's not going to care." She lost the cruel humor and went back to angry. "But it's because of him that you can walk in and make friends with people I've been trying to be friends with for two years!"

"Well maybe if you weren't such a cruel bully to everyone you met, you'd probably get there!" Natsumi was certain that she was the reason that whenever she tried to talk to the kids her age, they would all give her short answers and run off.

Hema looked even angrier at that. She reached out and gave her a hard shove. "You think you're better than me? You can't even light up a spark! You're a pathetic Firebender, at best!"

Rina walked in, her confused look turning into horror at the sight of things. "What is going on here?" she demanded.

Natsumi didn't pay attention to her. If she had, things might've turned out differently. But instead she got in Hema's face. "You want to see what I can do?" she challenged.

Her tormenter grinned like she just won a victory. "I thought you would never ask! Agni Kai, on the beach, at sunset!" she proclaimed. She turned around and strode out of the dressing room. "I'm going to enjoy this!"

Natsumi stood there, feeling like she had just walked into a trap she should've seen coming.

* * *

Zuko was preparing dinner when he heard the front door slam open and his grandniece shout, "Uncle, help!"

He put the knife down instantly and went to her. She was standing at the door, panting like she had run from town. There was a worried look in her eyes and she clutched a swimsuit in her hands. "Natsumi, what is it?" he asked her.

"You need to train me in some attacking and defensive moves."

"…Why?"

"I was challenged to an Agni Kai at sunset and I need to know how to properly use my Bending."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When they opened, the worry in them was gone. It was a strange thing to do, considering what he had just heard. "Natsumi, why are you being challenged to an Agni Kai?" he asked slowly.

She practically growled out, "Hema ambushed me. She tried to take my clothes, insult my dad, and then my Firebending."

"Let me guess, you got so angry that you just responded to her silent challenge?" She nodded. "I see. At least that's not something that comes from Azula or Naruto."

"It doesn't?"

"No, that comes from me." The similarities between this and his own Agni Kai against Zhao were too much for him not to remember that general. He had been a pompous, arrogant man who couldn't think past making sure his name got all the glory. Even after all these years, he was still glad that Naruto had cut the man down during the siege of the Northern Water Tribe. Then again, he had partial blame to their whole conflict. It was his need to catch Aang and his own bad temper that spurred them on against each other.

Natsumi waved it off. "That's not important. I have to learn how to fight. Come on, let's go." She turned around and headed back through the door.

"Natsumi, I am currently cooking dinner," he told her, gesturing back to the kitchen with the fish currently being cut apart on the board. "I am not going to leave it like this."

She froze at the door and looked back. "What? But…but I need to know this stuff!"

He was resolute. "You don't need to know the techniques. You'll be fine."

She was incredulous. "I only know how to breathe! I can't even bend fire!"

He saw how nervous she was underneath all the incredulous fury. She needed a helping hand. That was what he was here for. "Natsumi, I will tell something that you should always remember. The breath is all you need."

"What?" That didn't make any kind of sense to her. She stewed in her own thoughts and was getting more and more certain that he was playing around with her.

But he actually looked serious about the whole thing. "As a Bender becomes more proficient with the art, there is a good chance that they will be more concerned about learning the techniques and forget where it had all come from. So long as you remember the basics of your Bending and stay true to them, you will survive."

She looked at him like he was a crazy old man. What he had said was just insane. "You have got to be kidding!" she protested.

He shook his head. "No, I'm not. I know of what I speak. It happened to me."

She stopped and looked at him. "You?" she repeated, almost like she couldn't believe his words.

"Yes. I was not always the patient man you see now, Natsumi. I was young once, stubborn and hotheaded too. I was driven to a task almost blindingly so and I ran headlong into a situation like yours. I went into an Agni Kai against a man who was a much more experienced Firebender than me while I could barely be considered competent." Years of learning and experience had led him to being able to admit that. His younger self might've protested it but it was the truth.

"You?" she said again. This time she was asking about his Firebending. She sounded like she didn't believe him.

He shrugged his shoulders. It didn't bother him anymore. "I was a late bloomer. Anyway, when I went up against this Firebender, all I had was the basics. And I used them to defeat him."

"Did you know how to attack and defend?"

"Yes."

She looked at him like he had just made her point for her. "And you won't teach me how to do the same?"

"Natsumi, there is a difference between you and me. You take after Azula when it comes to Firebending, not me. And unlike me, Azula was not a late bloomer. Even I considered her a prodigy."

"So?"

"What makes a prodigy is not just the fact that they are able to understand things quicker. It is also because they are able to take what they learn and adapt it into something else, something new. All you need are the basics. Now," he turned back to the kitchen, "Come help me cook dinner. It's one thing to be a part of an Agni Kai. It's another to do it on an empty stomach."

* * *

When sunset came, Natsumi made her way down to the main beach. From the crowd of people already there, she could only guess that was where the Agni Kai was going to be. She looked back and saw her uncle standing there. He didn't say anything, only nod once.

She looked back at the crowd and took a deep breath. She strode towards it, her hands beginning to move in order to push everyone aside. But as soon as they saw her, they stepped aside. It gave her a clear view to the ground selected for the battle. Hema was already there, kneeling in the ground facing away.

As Natsumi went to her own spot, she saw Natsuko and the rest standing nearby. They all looked supportive and Tarek even looked embarrassed about the whole situation. She didn't blame him for this all thing. If there was one person to blame, it was his sister. She gave them a brief smile before kneeling down herself.

As she waited, she closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. Zuko had told her that this moment where Firebenders would set their minds to ease, to put all thoughts at rest, so that they could focus on what would come next. There were many things that worried her. She only knew the basics, she had no clue how to fight or defend. She didn't even know how to properly hold a flame in her hand. There was a good chance that she was going to get her butt kicked here and it would be embarrassing. But even as those doubts ran rampant, she focused on her breathing, trying to calm her mind.

In and out.

In and out.

In and out.

In and out.

She kept her breath steady and let her mind calm itself. She could do this. There was no reason why she couldn't. "Are you ready?" a voice asked her. It was the old man from the ice cream store, his voice having a more official tone to it.

"Yes," she answered.

"Then stand and face your opponent."

She stood up and turned, letting the vest draped against her back fall off with a flutter. She wore the traditional pants and her chest was bounded to protect her modesty. Hema was dressed the same. The two of them face the other across the ground, waiting for the signal to begin. Natsumi could feel her heart racing but she refused to let it take control. She kept control of her breath. Even as Hema sneered from down the other side, she kept her breath.

She heard the gong ring out. Hema made the first move, taking a strong step forward and punching a big blast of fire. Natsumi could feel the heat long before the fire was anywhere close to her but that was changing rapidly by the seconds. Instinct kicked in and she leapt to the side, avoiding the fire but falling to the ground ungracefully.

Her side felt like it was in pain. She hissed as she started getting back up. _"I think that's going to hurt,"_ she thought to herself. Ah, who she was kidding? It hurt now. She looked up again and saw another fireball coming her way. She scrambled out of the way, avoiding it by inches. She couldn't stop there. The fireballs kept coming and she had to keep scrambling. Her whole world became nothing but sand, fire, and flashes of pain.

The last fireball was too close. Its shockwave knocked her back onto the sand and kept her there. Her head was ringing from where it hit the sand. "Is that all the daughter of Sozin has?" Hema asked loudly and derisively. "It's pathetic! He must be turning over in his grave at the sight of you!"

Those rid her of the pain and put strength back in her limbs. She was angry. "You don't talk about him like that," she snarled.

"Fight me like a Firebender then! Or are you a coward!?"

She wasn't a coward and she would make anyone who accused her of it to eat the words! She lifted her arms, ready to burn this little brat to cinder and—!

Her breath was ragged. It was out of control.

She stopped what she was about to do. She lowered her arms and steadied her breathing. When she felt in control again, she looked back at Hema. _"This is not the way I want this to go,"_ she told herself. She was running around like a scared little mouse.

She didn't look back but she could hear her uncle's voice. _"Remember your basics."_

"_My basics are breathing exercises!"_ a part of her mind wailed.

Still, it was all she had to go on. She brought her feet closer, underneath her shoulders, and brought her hands together. "What do you think you're doing?" Hema called out, "Breathing exercises?"

She ignored her and it prompted a fireball getting thrown at her. As it came towards her, she remembered one of the exercises. _"The dragon curves around the mountain."_ She inhaled through her nose and exhaled out her mouth, bending down into a curve. The fireball sailed overhead, missing her completely.

She rose back up and saw how angry Hema was. The girl looked like she was about to scream or breathe fire, whichever came first. Her arms were flung wide and two fireballs came at Natsumi. She kept her breath constant and remembered what she knew. _"The hawk flies with the wind."_

She felt the wind being parted by the fire. She breathed out and turned to the side, following the wind. The fireballs flew past once more. She turned in a full circle and faced Hema again. She looked murderous. "Fight back!" she screamed.

Natsumi ignored her, keeping her breathe steady. Something was happening to her. She could feel the heat of the fires being thrown at her. But it was more than that. As she breathed in, the fires almost seemed to dim. When she breathed out, they grew. _"They live on the breath,"_ she realized. _"Fire is the breath. The breath is life."_

Her breathing remained steady and firm as she ducked and twisted away from the fires. She was becoming more and more confident with each step she took. Each form came to her as easy as breathing, ironically enough. When she reached the middle of the ground, Hema screamed in raging frustration and threw a gigantic fireball at her. She probably should have run at the sight of it.

But instead, she brought her body into a strong stance, setting her arms in front of her face. _"The komodo rhino stands its ground."_ When the fireball hit her arms, she flinched away from the heat. No, that wasn't right. She flinched away from the surprise of the heat. It was hot, like she was standing too close to the fireplace.

But even though it was hot, she could bare it. She breathed in and the fire dimmed. She silently reached out and took control of it, breathing out and extending it past herself onto it. The fire didn't seem to burn so badly now. But what was she to do with it? She could brush it off but it would only continue the fight. What she wanted to do was end it now.

An idea came to her. It was something that she had never seen any other Firebender do. Perhaps that would end it all. _"Was this what Uncle was talking about?"_ she wondered. But now wasn't the time for that. She had to react. She breathed in and when she breathed out, she divided the fire's strength in two, making two fireballs.

It was something that almost made her a little hollow inside, like she was getting rid of something that she should hold onto. But she placed it in the back of her mind and focused on the fight. Her breath came out in a scream as she threw the fireballs back at Hema. Her opponent tried to stop them but it was too little too late. They caught her right in the chest and slammed her right into the sand.

Hema's whole world became nothing but pain as she lay on the ground. But inside her own mine, she was stewing. How could this have happened? She was certain that the girl was nothing but hot air. She should've been easy pickings! She felt a heavier pain on her chest as she stewed. It brought her out of her mind and her pain. She saw her opponent looking down at her with a foot on her chest. "What's my name?" she asked. Hema didn't answer. She pressed down harder and made the pain heavier. "What's my name?"

Her breath was getting shallow. She was running out. She had to answer. So she spat out, "Natsumi Uzumaki!"

Natsumi took her foot off her chest, only to reach out and grabbed her by the neck. She bent out a flame to cradle in her hand. She held it close to Hema's face, close enough to the skin. "The next time you do something like this, you won't get off so easily," she hissed out in warning. "And never talk about my dad like that again." She saw the fear come into her eyes and felt good for it.

But almost instantly she felt bad for feeling good. She stood up back and walked away quickly, not making eye contact with anyone. She didn't stop walking until she was in front of her uncle. "You did well," he told her. "But there's one more thing you need to do."

She looked up at him. "What's that?"

He looked down at the flame in her hand. "You must extinguish that."

She looked down at the fire. It should've been easy to do. She knew how to do it now. All she had to do was stop the flow of energy to the fire, extinguishing it. But…she couldn't do it. The hollowness came back. It was reminding her what happened the last time. She had only a fireball in two. It would've been nothing like this. She didn't want to think about what would happen if she did this.

But her uncle was watching her, waiting. She took a breath in and stopped the flow. The fire died away but the hollowness inside her grew. It was horrible, practically unbearable. She looked up at Zuko. "Why does it feel like I had killed something?" she asked.

"That is your first lesson as a Firebender," he told her gently. "Fire is life. To extinguish a flame is to extinguish life."

"Then why do Firebenders throw fire like it's nothing?" If it hurt like this each time, she would never bend a flame again.

But he smiled knowingly. "That will be your second lesson, how to accept it. But for now, I think that you'll have to deal with your new fans."

"What?" He turned her around and suddenly she was swamped by the kids her age. They were all babbling excitedly. She heard them saying that what she did was so cool, awesome, amazing, or how they were finally glad Hema was taking down a peg. They wanted to know if they could move like that and she was baffled. She hadn't done anything they didn't already know, right?

As she tried to answer, she also tried to get out. They were almost suffocating her. She pushed forward but it was like they were going to swarm over her. But then a hand grabbed hers and led her out of the crowd. She found herself looking up at Natsuko and the others. They all looked impressed and proud, smiling down at her. "You did good, Nat," Tarek told her.

She smiled back. "Thanks." She kept on smiling for the rest of the night, when she sat around a fire on the beach with her friends and grandfather eating komodo rhino sausages, and when she finally went to bed. She felt like this was home to her now. She liked it.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

Well, Natsumi is back in the Fire Nation. Hopefully I was able to successfully show how it felt for her to be in such a new place. I wasn't sure if I was writing a kid's first day at new school or the first _Karate Kid_ movie at one point.

I was borrowing from Iroh when it came to the breath and fire. But if it is the basics of Firebending, then the place to start would be breathing exercises. And yoga has some good breathing exercises.

I know it might be a bit odd that she be friends with kids that are older than her. I was thinking long term there. As a person gets older, the age difference becomes more and more redundant. There is a life beyond high school, or in this case, finishing school.

I might have Doll actually come into the story at some point, I'm still deciding. For those of you who don't know who I'm talking about, Doll was a character I put in the prequel. She was only mentioned once but I couldn't just leave her and the others like that.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	45. Truth and ruins

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 45: Truth and ruins

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Republic City)

Asami's world was upside down, literally. She could feel her arms straining themselves as they held her up from the rooftop. It was made worse by the fact that her legs weren't pointing straight up. They were folded on top of her body and it made her heavier. She tried to focus on her breathing but it was hard when everything seemed like wrong. "I don't think I can keep doing this," she groaned out.

"We haven't even started yet," Tahno said beside her in the same position. They were dressed in the same training clothes and they were sweating in equal amounts. They were facing the edge of the roof but they tried their best not to look that way. If they did, they would start thinking about what was below them and that would not be for their concentration.

"My arms are going."

"Suck it up."

"I want to fall." It had never sounded so good before.

"Don't you dare."

She braved turning her head to look at him. "How are you able to do this?"

"I'm in as much pain as you, Asami. I just refuse to give them the pleasure of seeing us fall."

"You do realize that we can hear you, right?" Yue asked from behind them. All they had to do was hear her voice and they knew that she was very amused.

"At this point, Sifu," Tahno replied, "I don't care!"

"Just be glad you're not doing this exercise on a beach when the tide's coming in."

"Doing this on a rooftop is no walk in the park either, you know!" He made a groaning sound that could've also passed for taking a breath.

"You whine but you'll be thanking me later." She made a chuckling sound. "Ah, being an apprentice. Kinda brings back the memories, doesn't it, Naruto?" There was a long, paused silence. "Right, I forgot who I was talking to."

"Thank you," Naruto said back.

"_Are they really just going to talk and leave us like this?"_ Asami asked herself. She could feel the entire weight of her legs on her body. It was a weight that she didn't want to really feel. Her mind began begging her to drop down, to ease off the pressure. She willed herself not to think about it. It was really hard to do that.

"Alright," her sensei said, "extend the legs."

She could've sobbed in relief at those words. But when she lifted her legs and held them pointing in the air, she waited for the next command but it seemed forever to take occur. She could feel her legs start to wobble. _"Don't focus on that,"_ she told herself. If she did that, she would lose her balance. She had to focus on something. Her breathing! She could focus on that so that was what she did.

In and out.

In and out.

In an—

"Split your legs," Naruto commanded.

She did that and her legs instantly started wondering what in the name of any merciful spirit was she doing. She tried to focus on the form, to see it through to completion. But her balance was already going and before she could stop it, her legs were dangling over the edge of the roof. Her back might be hurting but she was more concerned about the fact her feet felt nothing but air.

She scooted back away from the edge and fell flat against the ground. She took the moment to breathe regularly. She didn't care about anything else in that moment. She just wanted everything to stop hurting so much. A second later, she saw Tahno out of the corner of her eye. "You couldn't hold it either?" she asked him.

"Why else am I here?" he asked back, not putting his usual snark into it.

They heard footsteps coming close and when they looked up they saw their teachers looking down at them. "Well, guess you were wrong, Naruto," Yue said. "They weren't able to do it this early in the training."

"It seems so," Naruto agreed. He didn't sound so disappointed in the fact. He looked at the both of them. "Are you going to just lie there all day?"

"It'd be nice," Tahno told him.

Yue knelt down beside her student and thwacked him lightly on the head. "Tahno, you can get away with the snark with me, not with him."

Asami slowly sat up and looked up at her teacher. "Naruto-sensei, just what exactly were we doing here?" It had just seemed like torture to her and she knew that he never tortured her without a reason.

"We were seeing if you were ready to fight like an Airbender. Clearly, you were not." He sighed in something akin to irritation or acceptance. "Guess that means we're going to have to work more on balance and flexibility."

She didn't focus on that but on the first part. "Sensei, there are no ways to fight like an Airbender."

"You sure about that?" he asked her with a knowing look.

Both she and Tahno looked at each other before opening their mouths. They had long accepted the fact that if they opened their mouths before knowing everything, they were going to sound like idiots. That was something they tried to avoid at all times, especially when they were being trained by their sifus. "There's an offensive form to Airbending, isn't there?" she finally asked him.

He nodded. "It didn't last that long, only a couple of Avatar generations. Then the Air Nomads declared it to be wrong and promptly banished all teachings of it. Some radicals even tried to burn them all away but thankfully there were a few copies in Wan Shi Tong's library."

She didn't ask the question that was on her mind, even when it was burning. She had heard about what her sensei had been planning to do to the owl spirit from Jinora. But no one was brave enough to ask him if he had done that. All she knew that was he disappeared for a night when he had come down to the South Pole. She kept her focus on the subject being talked about right now. "What was it's supposed to be, anyway?"

"It's basically a dance that disguises the offensive moves. Avatar Long used it to help break free of his slavery but it had been developed by his Air Nomad predecessor, who was also a slave." He looked over at Yue. "Perhaps we should give them a demonstration?"

She smirked. "Think you can keep up, old man?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "The last time you asked me that question, I left you in the dust with barely a sweat."

"I was a punk kid who didn't know better."

"You mean you're not one now?"

"Ha, ha," she said shortly and dryly, "Very funny."

They started to step back from their apprentices. As they moved, their pace became more flowing, sweeping longer than it normally was supposed to. It looked like they were about start dancing. Asami watched with rapt attention, eager to see what it was they wanted her to do. But Tahno said, "Before you guys get into all that, can I ask you something?"

They both stopped their movements and looked at him. "What is it?" Yue asked him, clearly exasperated with his timing.

"Why are we even learning this?"

Asami thought it was an odd question and all it took was one look at her sifu to see that he had the same opinion. Naruto looked over at Yue. "Have you not been teaching him what it means to be a Paragon?" he asked.

Yue looked rather offended at the question. She opened her mouth but Tahno spoke before she did. "Yes, she has been teaching me what a Paragon is all about," he told the Fire Paragon. "It's just, why do we bother? We've got a good Avatar on our hands and I don't think she's going to turn evil."

"You'd think so?"

"Come on, it's Korra! I mean, yes, she made a mistake when it came to Unalaq but she willing to own up to the fact. Doesn't that say something about her character?"

"It's not her character I'm concerned about. It's her actions. Hers and the Avatar that comes after her," he proclaimed. He saw the surprise on the apprentices' faces. They hadn't considered that possibility. "Yes, there is a good chance that you will see Korra die and the next Avatar be born. Whoever it will, they will be different from Korra, just like how Korra was different from Aang. Do you understand?"

"I don't," Asami said. She thought that he was being paranoid, perhaps a little too much so. Then again, she thought that Tahno was right. Korra was a good person. She was willing to own up to her mistakes.

Naruto looked at her and then at Tahno. His eyes were searching for something on them but she didn't know what it was. When he was done, he didn't say anything to them. Instead he looked at Yue. "Well?" he asked her.

She had the same look on her face but it was also worried. "Isn't it early?"

"Perhaps," he admitted. "But circumstances and events have changed things."

Tahno shared a confused look with Asami before looking at the adults. "Hey, what are you guys talking about?"

They didn't pay him any attention. "I don't think it's a good idea," Yue told Naruto. "It might change their perspectives."

"That's the point," he replied.

She opened her mouth and then closed it. She looked at their apprentices and at him again. "Perhaps we should have this talk privately?"

He looked at them too and nodded. "Good idea. Tahno, Asami, spar against each other for two hours. Once you're done, you may go for the day." They both turned and started walking for the door.

"What are you guys going to be doing?" Tahno asked them, standing up.

"Having a private talk," he replied as he closed the door.

They both looked at the door and then at each other. "You think he was serious?" he asked Asami.

She nodded. "When Sensei tells you to spar, you spar." That being said, she twisted around and swung a high kick at his face.

He was surprised and fell to the ground with his ear ringing. "Hey, how about some warning beforehand?" he asked.

"Why would I do that?" she asked back. "It's not like the enemy is going to do the same." She didn't know who the enemy would be but she was sure that they would get no advance warning.

"You raise a good point," he acknowledged as he sat up and kicked at her legs. She got the leg easily and held him there. He used his own weight against hers to pull hard and drag her down to the ground too.

As she fell, he got to his feet and swung down to punch her. She rolled out of the way, bouncing up into an Airbending stance. He took a Waterbending stance and moved to strike with twin fists. She twisted out of the way but he followed with a stinging right strike. _"How much help would that form Naruto-sensei was trying to teach me be right now?"_ she asked herself as she fended off the strike, only to get one in her side. But even though she wondered, she was also smiling. She enjoyed sparring.

(Location: Air Temple Island)

Korra was not having a good day. The spirit vines were not getting removed. In fact, they were spreading faster than she could deal with. They had spread from an apartment complex to an entire street. Not only that, but she was butting heads with the president about the vines. It was enough to give her a headache that just would not leave her.

That was why she looked forward to the evening meal. She would finally have a chance to relax a little bit. "So how was it today, Korra?" Pema asked her as soon as the prayer was done and they were all reaching for the food.

She froze as she reached for a moon peach. It was a momentary thing and she quickly unfroze. "It's was about par for the course," she told the woman across the table.

Bolin was sitting on her left and looked at her with a confused look. "Are we talking about the old course or the new course?" he asked her. She gave him a look that said "Huh?" It made Tahno snigger and she scowled at the ex-Waterbender off to her right.

Tenzin looked to say something to them when he noticed that Bumi was frowning. There were multiple variations of his brother frowning, from when he was comical to sad. But this time, his frown was more brooding. That was enough for him to be concerned. "Is something the matter, Bumi?" he asked.

Bumi brought his eyes up and looked at him. "It's nothing."

"It can't be nothing, not when you look like that."

He stared at his brother. "What do you mean by that?"

"You're brooding, Bumi," Kya said next to him. "When you brood, you're serious."

He didn't reply right away, choosing to pick at his food. It lasted about half a minute. "Have any of you noticed that we've not gotten any kind of contact with Gāng lately?" he asked. The apprentices perked up when they heard the Earth Paragon's name but he was more focused on his siblings.

Tenzin thought it over for a moment. It was true he hadn't seen Gāng in sometime, but that was normal. He was often in Ba Sing Se, keeping an eye on the Earth Queen. "No, I haven't heard from him," he finally said. "But that is normal for Gāng, isn't it?"

"Yeah, he's doing crowd control with the Earth Queen," Kya added. "It takes up a lot of time."

"But he missed our monthly telephone Pai Sho game," Bumi protested. "He never does that!"

The young people at the table, including Tenzin's children but excluding Rohan, looked at him in surprise. "You play Pai Sho, Uncle Bumi?" Jinora asked him.

He looked at her and asked, "Is it not obvious?"

"Uh, no, no it's not," she said with a shake of her head.

Kya chuckled. "Trust me, Jinora. Bumi can play Pai Sho. Iroh introduced him to the game one time and the rest of us have lamented the fact ever since."

Korra was still surprised by the fact Bumi could play Pai Sho. He didn't seem like the type of person to play. And what Kya just added a whole new degree to it. "So, he's good at Pai Sho?" she asked.

"Let me put it to you this way, Korra: anyone who knows Bumi that well will always refuse to play Pai Sho with him," she said back, pointing her thumb at her brother. "In fact, the only one who keeps playing him is Gāng."

"That's the point!" Bumi exclaimed. "He never misses our games. Something must be going on."

"Maybe he's just overworked?" Jinora offered.

He looked like he wanted to refuse the suggestion but her mother jumped on before he could say anything. "She might not be wrong, Bumi. What Gāng does requires his attention full time."

"Yeah," Kya said with a nod. "Do you remember the last time he was convinced to take a vacation? It ended becoming such a mess that all four of the Paragons, Toph, and Dad had to go there to clean it up."

He scowled at his sister. "I'm well aware of what happened over there. When sifu came back, she was bemoaning the fact that she had left Nyla behind." She had left the shirshu with him and told it to keep it on his toes. In the three weeks that she had been gone the only time he was able to sleep easy was never.

Tenzin's children weren't the only ones who looked both confused and intrigued at what they were talking about. "What happened?" Jinora asked her father.

"And why was it he was a Paragon when you were an apprentice?" Asami asked Bumi.

All of the adults looked at each other. They had a silent conversation that happened in the space of five seconds. When they were done, Tenzin looked at them. "You're too young to know," he told them.

Ikki and Meelo accepted his words with objections. They were kids, after all. If their dad said they were too young to know, he was probably right. But Jinora was on the side of Korra and the teenagers when she felt old enough to know what had happened. "Hey," Bolin said in protest before she could say anything. "I think we're old enough to know." He gestured at the other teenagers.

Jinora was a little hurt that she wasn't included. "Not in front of the children," her father said a little sternly. The Earthbender didn't protest any further.

Bumi nodded in agreement with his brother. Then he looked at Tahno. "And to answer your question," he began, "Gāng had only recently become the Paragon of the Earth Kingdom when the mess happened. Since Suki was the first of the last generation to take an apprentice, he was the first to graduate."

"Hang on," Korra said, frowning as she went through her memories. "If Gāng isn't really able to leave the Earth Kingdom, why was he in Republic City during the tournament?"

"Technically, he wasn't supposed to be there," he told her. "But he was out on a trip to a town close to the border. When he heard the tournament was happening, he decided to come over and watch."

"Then why didn't he go back right away?"

He gave her a look that asked her if she was being serious. It vanished quickly enough and he told her, "His sister was in trouble. Gāng was never one to abandon family when they needed help."

"Well, except—" Kya started to say, only to shut her mouth when the other adults looked at her. Oddly enough, she looked embarrassed.

The door to the dining room opened and Naruto and Yue walked in. "Hey, what are we talking about here?" Naruto asked them all.

"Gāng's last vacation," Bumi told him. Korra looked at him expectantly but he didn't say anything else. It was like what Kya was about to say wasn't going to be discussed.

"Ah, yes, that," he said with a small irritation as he sat down at the table. He placed his sword down by his side and reached for the nearest plate, putting food on it with a quick pace. "That was a mess that even had Aang's temper frayed at the end of it. I don't think Gāng ever stopped apologizing to his mother for bringing her out of retirement like that."

"What happened?" Jinora asked him. If there was one person who she was certain would tell them. It had to be him.

But her mother frowned and said, "Jinora!" sharply. Rohan whimpered in her arms and her attention went back to him.

Naruto looked at her for a moment and then at Tenzin. "What did you tell them?"

"They were too young to know," he answered.

The old man nodded and went back to his food. "I will say this, though," he said before eating some rice. "By the time we were done with the mess, we went back to Ba Sing Se and had a small chat with the Earth Queen."

"Oh no," Bumi said in resignation. He had a bad idea what that chat was like. The thing was though, he probably would've agreed with it at the time.

"Oh yes," Naruto said. "And it's because of that chat that the Earth Queen now fears two people in the whole world."

"Only two?" asked Tahno with a frown. To him, there was some math missing there. "Why not five?"

"We all figured that due to the two in question would get the point across easier. Unfortunately for us, one of them is dead and the other is now firmly in retirement."

"You're not the second one?" Korra asked him. She would've thought that he was. But that just might've be her own history talking.

"No, I was more of the opinion that we should just kill her and crown the next one." He said.

Tenzin frowned. He had heard a different story from his father. Avatar Aang had been shocked when the news of what happened to the Earth Queen. "How did you managed to get this past Aang?" he asked.

"We planned it when he was asleep and waited to do it until he left Ba Sing Se," Naruto answered.

The easy admittance of violence made Jinora think back to the talk she had with the Fire Paragon over the phone during Harmonic Convergence. It had been said with more anger and fire then but the threat of it all made her shiver then. Now, she couldn't think of anything else. The question that she wanted to ask hanged in her mouth. Before she knew what she was doing, it broke free and made her mouth say, "Lord Naruto, can I ask you something?"

She looked at her parents, wondering if they didn't want her to say anything. But then she wondered why she had to wait for them to give permission. This was her question. She was able to ask it. "Did…did you really do what you said you were going to Wan Shi Tong?"

He shook his head. "No, I didn't defenestrate him." She breathed a sigh of relief as he took a sip of his drink. She didn't like it when things were harmed, not even spirits. "I just broke his wings and kicked him out of the library."

The casual way he said those words, like it was something to be dismissed out of hand instantly, was something that chilled her. She looked to her family and saw that they were just as shocked as she felt. The only one who didn't look was Uncle Bumi and she didn't know if that was bad or not. "You, you did that to Wan Shi Tong?" her father asked him.

"Yep," he answered without shame.

"How could you do such a thing?" Aunt Kya asked him.

He thought about it but there was something in his movements that made Jinora think he was acting. "It was all very simple, actually," he finally said. "I walked up behind him, grabbed his throat, marched him to one of the exits, broke his wings, and kicked him out of the library."

"That shouldn't have stopped him," Tenzin protested. "Wan Shi Tong is a spirit. They should be able to heal their injuries instantly."

"True, that would be the case," he conceded. Then he reached down and hefted up his sword. "That is, if I hadn't used this to break the wings."

"Can we move on from this?" Yue asked dismissively. "The pretentious owl is out of the library and he's not coming back."

"Question," Bolin said, rising his hand.

It got the attention of both Paragons and their apprentices. "What are you doing, Bolin?" Asami asked him.

He looked puzzled. "Trying to get their attention," he told her.

"Put your hand down, moron," Tahno said. "We're not in class and you're not trying to get the attention of the teacher."

"Oh. Right," he said as realization dawned on him. He brought his hand down and was embarrassed. "Sorry."

Naruto was still looking at the Earthbender. "You had a question, Bolin?" he asked the boy.

"Yeah, yeah, I do. What happens when Wan Shi Tong's wings get healed and he can come back to the library?" He didn't know how long that might take the owl to heal but he figured that it was going to happen.

The old man just shrugged his shoulders. "If that owl hasn't figured out the point I gave him by then, I'll just break his wings and kick him out again."

He was fairly certain that he wasn't the only who felt a shiver go down his back at those words. But there was something else that he knew he didn't know and wanted to fix that right away. "Uh, what point?"

A scowl came onto Naruto's face. "That you don't stand by and do nothing when someone cuts down your friend in front of your eyes. Zei was the closest thing that Wan Shi Tong had to a friend and he did _nothing_ when Unalaq attacked him!" His fist clenched as he spoke and he looked like he was about to bang it down on the table itself.

Jinora knew what he was talking about. She had been there. "Lord Naruto, is the professor…okay?" she asked, she really hoped that Professor Zei was alright. She wasn't a child. She knew that death happened. But she didn't want it to happen to that man.

"He's fine," he said.

"Oh, good," she said back.

"Hey, I just said that we need to move past this," Yue said. There was an irritated frown on her face as she looked at everyone. Tahno ignored her look, choosing to focus on his eating. "Can we do that already?"

"Alright," Bumi told her, "What is it you want to talk about?"

She glanced at Naruto before saying, "Naruto and I had a bit of a talk today. And we decided that we're going on a training trip."

Korra went completely still at those words. She watched all three of the Paragons with complete attention, waiting to hear what they would say next. Bumi looked somber and serious. "When you say 'training trip,' are you—?"

Yue nodded. "Yes, I am."

"Spirits, isn't it early?"

"It is, but Tahno asked the pivotal question."

"Oh. Well, that's that then." He turned his attention back to his food.

Tahno and Asami were watching their teachers with rapt attention. This had been what they were talking about before. This was something that would be happening to them. Tahno dared to ask, "How long are we going to be on this training trip?"

Yue looked at him. "You pack a go bag?" she asked him, looking at him expectantly.

"A go bag?" he repeated. His face turned into a frown as he tried the new phrase on his tongue. It sounded like something that was to be used while on the move. But the look on her face said that she was expecting him to know about it already and it to go.

"Yes, a go bag."

"No. What is that?"

She frowned like she had just lost the grand prize in a competition. It made Naruto chuckle. "You forgot to teach him the principle of the go bag, didn't you?" he asked her.

She frowned even harder at that question. She almost looked like she was trying to remember a memory. "I could've sworn that I had taught him that before we went out for survival training."

"You didn't," Tahno told her hotly. "You just said that we were going out to the wilds for some training. The next thing I know, I'm trying to find shelter in a blizzard fifteen miles outside the city limit." Asami shuddered at those words. She had been through some of that training and she would like very much not to remember it any more. She had all but cried in relief when Yue had brought them back to the city, where actual food, warmth, and her friends were.

"A go bag, Tahno," Naruto began to explain, "is something that you always have packed in case you are needed to travel extensively and/or live off the land for any extended periods of time. It was something Sokka came up with after he looked over all the adventures he had with Aang when they were kids. He came to the conclusion that they had been very, very lucky to have survive as such, leaving the South Pole as they had."

"So he came up with a go bag?" Tahno asked him.

"That he did. Initially, he called it the quick travel pack or QTP. But after Toph called it the go bag, the name stuck and there was nothing he could do to change it."

Asami started going through a mental checklist of things that would probably be needed for a travel of such length. But even as she went through it, she also knew that she would have to check against what her sensei knew. "What do we need to bring?" she asked him.

"Clothes, toiletries, canister for water, travel snacks, and some form of entertainment," he rattled off.

She nodded at each of the items, but frowned at the last two. "Travel snacks and some form of entertainment?"

He nodded. "You never know when you feel a need for a snack and it always good to have something to entertain at the end of the day. Personally, I prefer books."

Yue snorted in mock derision. "As opposed to actual conversation between people," she said to his face.

He looked at her with a look that was equal parts annoyance and amusement. "Just because I try to keep my answer to short words, does not mean that I enjoy a conversation."

"You threatened to throw Gāng off a cliff the last time you went on a training trip."

"We had just finished a long hike, I was short-tempered, cranky, and just wanted to relax and read my book. I apologized to him afterwards."

Both Tahno and Asami shared a look and a thought. _"Note to self, do not piss off Naruto while on this trip."_ That was something they could easily do since they saw him when he was angry. That was not something they wanted put on themselves.

Naruto and Yue stopped their little verbal sparring to look at the two of them. "So, any questions?" the Water Paragon asked them.

"We're going to need to pack this go-bag, sifu," Tahno reminded her.

"I know. That's why after dinner, you'll both be going home to pack."

"Are we leaving soon?" asked Asami. It was probably a stupid question but someone was going to have to ask it.

She nodded and said, "In the morning, at dawn."

"That's early," Ikki said, "Like, really, really, really, really, really, early." Even though she was stating the obvious, she looked really curious about why they were leaving that early in the morning. Asami and Tahno just breathed in relief. The same remark had been on their tongues but they had clamped down on it before it could've gotten them in trouble.

"We know."

"Why do you have to go that early? You should be sleeping until the sun comes up."

"Yeah, you should!" Meelo agreed vocally.

The two Paragons didn't look swayed by their suggestion. They actually looked amused. "We go at dawn because we go at dawn, Ikki. It's the best way to leave," Yue told her.

"That and it's the best way to avoid a sudden stampede of affection wanting women," Naruto added almost absently.

They all turned their heads at him. He could see the looks of confusion, surprise, and disbelief written clear on all their faces. Even Bumi and Yue had the same face. The sight of so many surprised faces made him chuckle. It was too much. "What?" Bumi asked him. "What is so funny?"

"Your faces," he explained in the midst of his chuckling. He was doing his best to keep it from going into outright laughter.

Yue and Bumi shared a look. It was clear that they didn't get the joke and it was a little vexing. Naruto hadn't been like this since they had become full Paragons, always mentioning something he did with their teachers or chuckling at something that he found funny but they didn't. "What happened?" Yue asked him.

"Something that happened to me, Sokka, Zuko, and Aang," he explained, "Long story, don't ask right now." He looked over at the apprentices, his laughter disappearing into somber seriousness. "Be back to the island before dawn with a go bag," he told them before.

Asami nodded her head in acknowledgement. "Yes, Naruto-sensei," she told him without hesitation.

They turned their attention back to the food, ready to continue eating. Korra spoke out, "I'm going with you."

It might've been a surprise to hear such a thing come out of her lips. But Naruto barely gave her a look when he said, "No."

She wouldn't back down this. Her face took on an Earthbender's stubbornness and she said, "I am going with you."

This time he quirked an eyebrow at her. "If you think that trying to use an Avatar's authority will get you to come with us, please remember what happened the last time you did that," he said to her curtly. "This is a trip for Paragons, and you are not a Paragon. So again, my answer is no."

She knew that his words were true. She did cause the whole Southern Tribe problem because she had used the Avatar's authority to get her way. She had thought that she had learned from that and tried to not do it again. She spoke again, without the authority. "I have to go with you."

"Oh, you have to?" he repeated. "Tell me, why do you have to go with us?"

She remembered what she had been told to say. "Sifu is breaking protocol."

It was actually a little funny to see how fast the expression on Naruto changed from self-assuredness to surprised confusion to outright annoyance. "Crap, him," he groused to himself.

Yue shared a look with Bumi as their elder grumbled to himself. It wasn't every day that they heard from their spiritual guide (for lack of a better word). He only appeared to part on some advice or to make sure they stayed on the right path. But whenever he appeared, they listened. "Naruto, we can't go against him," Yue said.

He looked up from his grumbling. He was still annoyed but he looked like he was also accepting the facts. "I know that." He looked over at Korra. "Pack a go bag after this. We leave at dawn."

"Alright, got it," she told him. She felt satisfied that she was able to get one over him. It wasn't something that she didn't think would come easy. It was best to relish and cherish each one that she could get. She went back to the food and the dinner continued. As it went, her mind kept drawing back to what the spirit had said and what the Paragons had mentioned. What kind of question did Tahno asked them? What did that have to do with where they were going? She was almost tempted to ask Tahno or Asami. But when she looked their way, they were making an effort to focus on their food and nothing else.

Did that mean they didn't know themselves or were they waiting so that they could find out the answers? The questions started piling up in Korra's head, wanting to be answered. She forced herself to not focus on them, to think about the now and not the future. _"They'll be answered,"_ she reminded herself. _"You're just going to have to be patient."_ She didn't like to be patient but she was going to have to be now.

* * *

When dawn had come, the five of them climbed into the boat that Naruto had used. Asami saw that it was an older model, probably one of the few that first came out with a mortar attached. The funny thing was that the mortar looked like it was the only thing that had been updated and modified accordingly. The rest of the ship looked like it was only was about three steps away from falling apart.

Of course, none of them said a word about that to Naruto. They liked their heads where they were. So the only thing they asked how long the boat ride would take them. Naruto had replied, "About an hour."

Four hours later and they were still sailing across the sea. The youngsters ended up sitting at the aft of the boat. Tahno and Asami were resting their backs against the hull while Korra sat on the edge and watched the trailed the boat left in its wake. They had been like that for the past hour. Asami tried reading the maintenance guide she brought with her (it was a book that soothed her) but there were so many questions on her mind that it was difficult just to get through a single page. Finally, she put the book down and looked at Tahno. "What do you think's going to happen?" she asked him.

He had been fiddling with the trumpet he brought along. But he too must've been so caught up with his thoughts that he put it down. "I don't know," he said. "Honestly, I think that this is just some form of punishment because I asked a stupid question."

"But it wasn't a stupid question, it was a pivotal one. Yue said it clear as day."

He gave her a look that asked her if she truly knew what she spoke of. "You'll have to forgive me if I take what my sifu says with a grain of salt. She says I'm going to be doing some training and I'll be taking it to mean that I'll be going through torture." He shuddered as the bowl and block came back to him.

"Still," she said, ignoring his shudder. "It has to deal with the question somehow?"

"What question?" Korra asked, looking back at them both.

They fell silent and looked at each other. They had kinda forgotten that she had been there in the first place. Suddenly the boat's aft felt rather awkward. They couldn't really talk about the question because she was right there. Asami felt like it would be rather rude and it would ruin what confidence Korra had in them both. "Uh, nothing," she finally told the Avatar.

She didn't look like she believed her. "Asami, what was the question?" She swung around so that she was sitting with her legs on the deck. Come on, you can trust me."

"The question was about you."

"So? Did you doubt my ability or something?"

Tahno tried to focus on his trumpet but found that he couldn't. So instead he lowered it again and told the Avatar, "I had asked Yue what was the point of us keeping an on you when we knew that you were one of the good ones."

Korra looked at him with an expression that was equal surprise and appreciation. There were times that she forgot he was someone else, someone new. This was one of those times. But it was more than that. The fact that he called her one of the good Avatars made her feel flustered. She certainly didn't feel like one of the good Avatars, especially after what happened with Harmonic Convergence and the spirit vines plaguing the city. "Thanks, Tahno," she told him.

"Think nothing of it," he told her, going back to his trumpet.

"That was the question that landed us here," Asami said to Korra.

Footsteps that sounded loud over the ocean came towards them. Korra looked up and saw Yue coming towards them. "Correction," she said as she came to a stop in front of them, "That was the question that got you to your destination."

They got back to their feet quickly. "We're there?" asked the Avatar.

"It's in sight, yes. We should be going ashore in about twenty minutes or so. Be ready." She turned back around and left without another word.

When Asami heard the words "going ashore," she had assumed that meant they would be sailing into a dock of some kind or even taking in a rowboat to the shore while the ship was anchored off in the shallows. As it turns out, it was the second option and only half that, if she was being honest. Her sensei's idea of "going ashore" was to anchor the ship in the shallows and tell everyone to hop overboard and start making their way to shore. Before either Asami or Tahno could complain or argue the idea, Yue had already gone over and started wading through the waves to reach the shore.

"It's no big deal," Korra told the two of them. She could just bend the water so that they would be able to reach the beach without any difficulty.

"Oh, that reminds me," Naruto said absentmindedly, straddling the side of the boat. He looked back at them and told Korra, "No Bending of any kind here."

She was surprised by that and it showed in how she yelped, "What?"

"You heard me."

"I can't Bend, at all?"

He nodded. "That's what I said."

"Why?"

"You'll die if you do. Come on." He leapt over the railing and into the water. Korra stood there, trying to understand what he had said to her. Asami and Tahno left her there to follow the old man over.

Finally, Korra snapped herself out of it. So she couldn't bend at all. That was fine. She could be able to hold onto that attitude. She held onto until she landed in the water and a wave tried to drag her under and keep her there. She fought to keep herself steady, instinctively reaching out to bend the water to her will.

"No Bending!" Naruto called out to her.

She whipped her head his way and gawked at how he was already standing on the beach like it was nothing. "Come on!" she cried back.

"No Bending or you'll die!"

She grumbled a curse his direction but still sloughed her way through the water. She never realized how hard it was to do just that, especially with a bag on her pack. She had always taken her Waterbending for granted. The only time before she had felt this powerless was when she had been hit by Amon. Seeing Asami and Tahno go through the same thing she was ahead of them made her respect for them grow more.

They finally reached the beach at a pace that was almost running, getting free of the waves and the pull it had on their legs. When they felt dry sand beneath their feet, they practically collapsed right then and there. "So, did you enjoy yourselves?" Yue asked them in a pleasant voice. All she got back was a collective groan. "Brush yourselves off now. We've got some hiking to do."

"Hiking?" Asami repeated, lifting her head up to see if she had been kidding. One look at the Water Paragon and she knew that she wasn't.

"Yep, hiking, so back on your feet," she ordered them before turning around alongside Naruto. The two of them started to walk off, leaving them behind. "If you're hungry, have some of the snacks while you walk."

All three of them got back to their feet and went after them, jogging to catch up. When they behind the Paragons, they slowed their pace to a steady walk. They didn't think they were hungry, until Asami's stomach growled loud enough for them all to hear as they made their way through a forest. When the Paragons looked back at her, she was embarrassed. "Sorry," she apologized.

"What are you apologizing for?" Naruto asked her. "That's what the snacks are for. Eat up."

She nodded and started reaching for the go bag. Two identical sounds erupted all around them, making her freeze in place. "Uh, that wasn't me," she said in protest.

Yue smiled at her. "We know. It came from them." She looked at Korra and Tahno with a knowing look. "If you're hungry, eat. We won't judge you."

"At least not aloud," Tahno muttered.

"What was that, Tahno?"

"Nothing, sifu," he told her a bit more loudly.

"Good. Keep moving." The adults started walking again, going up the path. The Avatar and the apprentices hurried after them, doing their best to hike and eat at the same time. It was a little difficult at first, since it wasn't something that they were used to. More often than not they dropped a piece of the food when their hand reached while the other foot stepped, causing a little bit of a jerk. But after a half hour, they were able to figure out the pace and keep the food in their hands.

"Don't eat all of it," Naruto said warningly to them. "Otherwise you're going to end up hungry later on."

They were sated at that moment, so they were able to put the snacks away. The hike continued through the forest, going uphill at a slope they didn't notice unless they looked for it. Tahno looked down and saw that the path they were following had been treaded on by a lot of feet. He didn't know if it was from multiple people all at the same time or from over time. But there was something else he noticed. It was something that he didn't like. "Something is off here," he called out.

Yue and Naruto didn't slow their pace down a single step. "What makes you say that?" Yue asked him, using the tone she always used when she was trying to prompt the answer out of him instead of outright giving it to him.

"I don't hear any animals."

Asami looked his way. "What do you mean?" she asked him.

"Wait, I hear it too," Korra said. Unlike them, she wasn't a city girl from the start. She had lived in nature so she knew what sounded like a little bit. It didn't sound like this.

She looked at the two of them with a confused look that was rapidly turning annoyed. "Would one of you tell me what you're going on about?" she finally demanded.

Tahno turned his attention from his hearing and looked at her. "Listen, Asami. Tell me what you hear."

She gave him a look that showed her disbelief but he remained resolute. So she turned her ear to the forest and tried listening. All she heard the sound of the wind blowing through the trees. Aside from that, there was nothing else. "I don't hear anything."

"Exactly," he said with a nod. "You hear nothing. That shouldn't be possible."

It didn't make any sense to her. If something was quiet, then something was quiet. It shouldn't matter whether it was coming from. "So? What's the point?"

He groaned irritably. "City girl," he said to her.

Korra was quick to defend her. "So were you before Yue got to you, Tahno," she told him. She looked to Asami. "Asami, nature is never quiet. You should be hearing something, even the insects. But we're not."

Asami didn't think that what she was saying was true but the more she thought about it, the more it actually seemed plausible. Even when she went to the park in Republic City when it was the quietest, she could always hear something from nature. Here? She heard nothing like it. It was eerie. No, that would be putting it too mildly. This silence was horrifying.

"Not bad, you two," Naruto told them without turning his head. "But you've also missed something too."

"How could we have missed something?" Tahno demanded. The silence of nature was all around them.

"Take a closer at the trees and tell me what you see."

He did as he was told. The trees were all there, growing nice and big. They had a lot of branches and leaves to provide some shade for them. That was good because it had felt that the sun was going to burn them at the start of things. But now, as he looked at them, he was glad fo—

"_Wait a minute."_ He took a closer look at the trees, trying to find something that he didn't see in the first place. But no matter how much he looked, it wasn't there. "Where are the fruits?" he asked the Fire Paragon. Korra and Asami started looking more intently at the trees. They didn't see any either.

"There aren't any."

"That's impossible."

"You say that, but you've seen it for yourself."

He did see it but it was still impossible. "How is this possible?" he demanded. "This island should have some kind of life to it."

"What do you call us?" Yue asked him.

"That's not what I meant and you know it, sifu," he told her.

She laughed and Naruto said, "Actually, it would be wrong to call this place an island."

Now it was Asami's turn to protest. "Sensei, you can't be serious," she told him. "It's a landmass alone in the sea. That's why it's called an island."

"I know the definition, Asami. I'm just saying that it would be wrong to call it that."

"What would you call it then?"

"A large pile of refuge and rubble that's had Agni knows only how long to fuse together and become an island."

It was a question that made all three of them stop in their tracks. "How old is this place?" Korra asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"Older than Wan when he was born."

She was right. She didn't want to know the answer but she had heard it all the same. She had seen what the world had been like back then. It made her wonder what had happened to this place. "And you come constantly to train apprentices?"

"Actually, short-stack," Yue said, "we only come here when we have to. This has only been my third visit."

Asami and Tahno shared a look between each other. Her throat felt rather dry at that moment and she knew it wasn't because it had been a while since she drank something. Her feet wanted her to turn around and walk away but her legs kept moving forward. "Sensei," she spoke out, "I have a bad feeling that I shouldn't be here."

"Good," he told her. "That means your brain is working."

She wasn't glad to hear that news. "Why do I have that feeling?"

"You probably subconscious realize that this place is a place that should not have survived. The mere fact that it did is sending out vibes that it is wrong that you're picking up."

What he said was true. She did get the feeling that this island was very wrong and it should not exist. But it did. She didn't say anything else because it would probably give them answer they would feel uncomfortable. "Was it the work of the spirits?" Korra asked suddenly.

She looked at the Avatar incredulously. Why would she ask that when they had already gotten disturbing answers? "No, it wasn't the spirits," Yue said.

Naruto scoffed and told her, "This is probably the one place that the spirits wouldn't even think of coming close to." He said no more. He continued the hike alongside Yue, leaving the youngsters feeling very confused and very afraid. Still, they followed the two up the trail.

The sun was beginning to descend from its peak when they finally reached the end of the trail. The trail ended in the mouth of a cave. "We hiked all the way up here for a cave?" Asami asked her teacher. The cave mouth itself didn't look ominous. The plays and radio stories back in the city would have her believe that a cave mouth that led to dark and dangerous places would look like a beast opening its mouth to eat her or other such foolishness. She hadn't believed such things before she had started learning from Naruto and she certainly believe them now. Still, those bad feelings inside her were all but screaming that going in there was a bad idea.

"No, of course not," Naruto replied. "We hiked all the way up here for what's _inside_ the cave." He walked into the mouth with no hesitation and Yue was right behind him. The remaining three saw no other choice but to follow after them.

Inside the cave it looked rather normal. The ground was nothing but solid rock, beyond the flashlight she brought she saw only darkness, and there were plenty of stalagmites and stalactites around them. Again, they heard no kind of animals inside the cave and it made the place plenty eerie. But the further they went in, the more Asami took notice of something. It wasn't glaring obvious but she saw hints of the cave being something else then a cave. The ground was too wide and circular to be natural. Something had to been made here, but she had no proof.

"How much further in?" asked Tahno, stepping around a stalagmite.

Naruto and Yue walked forward with flashlights on and no fear in their steps. "About an hour," Naruto answered.

Korra groaned. "You've gotta be kidding."

"Actually, he is," Yue replied. "It's about five seconds." The two of them came to a stop, making their apprentices and the Avatar stop too.

"We're here?" Tahno asked, trying to look around them. All he could see was the cave wall.

"We're here," Yue said, her voice becoming quite somber. She stepped a little to the side so they could see proper.

Asami saw what looked like two slabs of metal imbedded in the wall. They were made of steel and good quality pieces too. There was a pad next to it that had buttons on it, about 12 of them. Each had a symbol on them. The first ten had the numbers 0 to 9 but she didn't recognize the last two. They just looked like a couple of lines drawn together to make symbols. Above the pad was a glaring red light, almost as if it was forbidding from trying this. That same light was on some kind of lens above the slabs. It looked down at them and she got the feeling that it was watching them.

Her teacher looked up at the lens and said, "It's me. It's that time again." He reached into his shirt and pulled something out, holding it up. There was no reply but the light turned green on the pad. He reached out and typed in a code with a speed and precision that Asami knew came from experience. The two slabs parted, sliding silently into the cavern wall. Inside was a space that would be able to fit them but just enough.

When she followed Naruto in, she felt the cool metal beneath her feet and saw that the other three walls were made of glass. "Is this…is this an elevator?" she asked, her breath filled with the wonder of it. She could see the similarities between this one and the ones in her company's factories. But this didn't look like any elevator she had seen before. It wasn't big enough to carry any kind of cargo she knew of. They could only fit in as it was. That meant this had to be an elevator designed for people only! What a wonder this could have been.

Yue looked back and saw the look on Asami's face. "Don't even think about it, Asami," she said to her.

She looked at the Water Paragon, surprised to have been called out by her. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"I know that look on your face. It's the same look Varrick used to get whenever he had a new idea or saw something that inspired him. Look, just don't take anything from this place, okay? Doing that would be bad."

"But it's only an elevator," Korra said to her. It was an impressive elevator, she could admit to that. But it was still just an elevator.

"Trust me, short-stack, this is only the tip of the iceberg. What you're about to see was another reason that Sokka chose me instead of Varrick. He wouldn't have been able to control himself if he saw what came next." As she spoke of her old friend, her face turned into a scowl. It always happened like that when she had to talk about Varrick.

"You're scowling again," Naruto told her.

"I know. Hit the button already."

"What button?" Asami asked, turning away from the glass to see what they were talking about. She saw her sensei press a button in the wall by the door. The door itself closed and she felt gravity shift below her. It was a fact that told her what was happening instantly. "We're going down?"

"Yes," Naruto told his student. He didn't add anything to it like a slightly or really sarcastic comment. It showed how serious he was and that she had to be there too. But even if she tried to match his level of seriousness, she could not stop looking at the elevator around her. It was a technological marvel.

"You guys should take a look outside the glass if you want to see something that'll freak you out," Yue said to the three of them. She was decidedly not looking out the glass when she said that.

It probably should've been a clue that they shouldn't do it. But Asami knew that her curiosity was too much for her to let it go. She turned to the glass, wanting to see what was out there. At first, she didn't see anything except darkness. But then she saw shapes moving around in the darkness and her mouth dropped. "We're underwater?" Korra asked beside her, her mouth dropped too.

"Yeah, we are," Yue said. "Scary, isn't it?"

"Are you kidding? This is amazing!" Asami said, unable to take her eyes off the sight. The elevator must've been made of very durable construction material in order to withstand the pressures of the ocean water.

Korra couldn't take her eyes off the sight either. As the elevator went further down, she noticed there were more shapes out there in the water. These shapes weren't like the shapes of the fishes they had seen moments before. They were more blocky and rounded at the same time. She didn't know what to make of them at first. But as they went further down, she saw more and more shapes. They were all seemingly clustered together and yet able to form their own space, pushing upwards.

It wasn't until she lost sight of the first shapes that a suspicion formed in her mind. She looked downwards and saw more shapes below, stretching out until she couldn't see them. But they weren't shapes. They were buildings, just like the ones in Republic City. "Are we going down to a city?" she asked the Paragons, her eyes never straying from the shapes.

"We are," Naruto answered.

She tried to see the edge of it but all she could see was buildings and more buildings. "Just how big is it?" she asked. "It looks like it's as big as Be Sing Se."

"Let me put it to you this way: it inspired the creation of Be Sing Se and yet, at the same time, makes it look like a small town."

But that wasn't possible. It shouldn't be possible. Ba Sing Se was the largest town in the Bending Countries. It was so big that people found its location on the maps by looking for its walls. If this city was large enough for it to make Ba Sing Se seem small, the mere implications of that were enough to set her mind reeling. It had to be a city that stretched out over a quarter of a continent!

"I've got a question," Tahno said, his eyes glued to the glass too.

Yue asked, "What is it, Tahno?"

"If this city is that big, what's it doing at the bottom of the sea?"

That was a question that got Asami's attention right away. It brought another question to her mind. "If this city is at the bottom of the sea, how is it that we're able to go down to it from a cave?"

"Because," her sensei said, "that cave was formed around the tallest tower that was ever built. Technically speaking, the elevator doesn't descend into the city. It ascends to the top of the tower, where the ruler of the city and land lived."

It was an answer that only gave them more questions, questions that they wanted answered but at the same time didn't. The three of them looked at one another. There was only one question on their minds that they dared to ask. "What happened here?" Korra asked.

"You'll find out soon enough," Yue told her, still facing away from the glass.

The rest of the trip was done in silence. Eventually, the shapes vanished into utter blackness. The elevator stopped shortly afterwards and the doors opened. "Alright, everyone out," Naruto ordered. "Also, don't try exploring."

"Why?" asked Tahno.

"He told us already," Asami reminded him, "we can't take everything back with us. If we go exploring, we risk finding something to take back with us."

"There is that," her sensei acknowledged. "But it's also because the central hub is the only place that's managed to keep out the water. If you go exploring, there is a very good chance you'll cause the water to come rushing in and we all die. Now come on, we've got to go."

The apprentices and the Avatar stayed behind the Paragons as they stepped out, very fearful of what would happen next. Given what they were told and what they saw, they expected the place to be half-drowned in water and completely dark. But instead there were no leaks that they saw and they were given light by large lamp-like structures on the ceilings. They reminded Asami of the industrial lights in the factories, only more powerful.

Once she got past the fear of being surrounded by water that went up to her waist, she started to look around as they walked. What she saw absolutely astounded her. The walls and the ceiling were made completely out of metal. She didn't see any support beams or even edges where the walls ended and the ceiling began. It honestly looked like they were built together and yet she knew that was impossible. _"How on earth was this possible?"_ she asked herself. _"The construction methods must've been so advanced. They would probably make what we've been create look like something from a kid's imagination!"_

The walk was short and ended in front of another set of doors. It opened without any one touching anything, something that astounded Asami even more. Korra saw the look of awe on her face and leaned close to her. "You're impressed by a door?" she asked.

"I'm impressed by a door that opened when we came close and no one touched a thing to make it open in the first place," she replied. "I couldn't even begin to imagine what it would take to make something like that to happen."

They went through the doors and found themselves in what, to her eyes, looked to be an office. But calling it an office wouldn't be enough to describe it. It was too big, too large to be properly called an office. Perhaps it was more of a throne room than an office. She could see the ruined throne sitting close by. She could also see the shelves lining the walls, stretching down the hall. She wondered how much of those shelves were filled with books. "What is this place?" she asked Naruto.

"That question alone shows that you've got a noodle for a brain!" a voice shouted out. "If you don't know what this place, shut your trap until someone deigns to tell you! Were you not taught properly, lass?!"

It was a voice that somehow managed to have both a foreign accent that she had never heard of and also had a quality to it that she could not place. If she was forced to describe it, she would've said that it sounded like it came from a machine. But it still wasn't enough to properly describe it. The voice itself had echoed around the hall, making her turn her head to see where it came from properly.

"What the hell are you doing? Are you blind or something, girl? Or can you not just see what the fuck's in front of you?" the voice demanded.

"Perhaps if you turned the voice down a little bit, she'd be able to find you easier?" Naruto suggested. There was a little bit of humor and Asami would swear that he was smirking.

"Oh don't get so high and mighty with me, laddie! I still remember the time you thought I was a ghost! You shot up twenty feet into the air!"

"You were hiding the shadows when we met you. It was a legitimate concern. Now would you please turn the voice down?"

There was a paused moment before the voice spoke again. "There, you happy?" It was much lower now and she could tell that it was coming from in front of her sensei and Yue.

"Yes, thank you." Naruto looked back at them and said, "Asami, Tahno, Korra, come up front."

They did so a little hesitantly. They didn't know what it was they would see and that made them nervous. But when they finally saw who the voice belonged to, they stopped and stared in amazement. Asami had read about the Earth King Kuei had a pet that was known as a bear (not a platypus bear, gopher bear, skunk bear, or an armadillo bear, just a bear, which was weird) named Bosco. What she was looking at looked like Bosco, only smaller, standing on two legs, and somehow managing to have an annoyed expression on its face.

Tahno saw the same thing and was just as surprised as she was. He just made what he was thinking vocal. "What the…what the hell are we looking!?"

"I could say the same damn thing!" the small bear replied. "You looked you got thrown underneath a razor and came worse for it! Just what the hell happened to your hair, lad? Did you decide to try getting it cut by a weed hacker or something? And you!" it said, turning its attention to Asami and pointing a claw that somehow managed to come across as accusing.

"Me?" she replied.

"Yes, you!" it said. "Didn't I already tell you that you have a noodle for a brain? Don't ask stupid or redundant questions!"

She didn't know what to say. This was kind of a first experience for her. "Uh…um…okay?" The little bear didn't seem too pleased to hear but accepted it all the same.

"Everyone, this is Biāo," Naruto introduced them. "He's been taking care of this place."

"It's a bear standing on two legs," his apprentice said aloud.

"Technically speaking, he's a machine in the form of a stuffed bear standing on two legs," Yue corrected her.

"Machine!?" the bear replied indignantly, swinging its head to look at her. "Have you forgotten your manners since the last time you were here, lassie?! I am a fully functioning A.S. occupying this body, thank you very much!"

"Sorry, Biāo," she apologized right away. "I forgot."

When she got over her surprise at seeing the thing, Asami naturally became curious about the bear. Hearing that it was a machine made her wonder how it got like that. It was moving on its own, with no support that she saw and had a full range of motions along with a completely functional voice. "What does A.S. mean?" she asked.

"Artificial Spirit," Naruto told her.

She looked back at him, surprised again. "He's what?"

He nodded. "Biāo here is the first and only spirit left that was created by humans."

"But, how?" she asked. The idea just sounded impossible but she marveled at the sheer possibility of it.

Her teacher looked at her pointedly and said, "It's one of those things you can't take with you, Asami." She deflated at those words, disappointed. All these marvels around her and she couldn't even take a scarp back with her. On the other hand, she was beginning to understand why Varrick would have a hard time being here.

When she looked back at the bear, she saw that it was looking at Korra. It was looking at her rather intensively and as each second passed, its face turned darker. "Laddie, what the fuck am I looking at here?" it demanded in a calm and restrained voice.

Asami felt a chill crawl down her spine. Her hearing that calm voice scared her more than hearing the angry one. Korra looked nervous but she swallowed her nervousness and said, "My name is Korra."

"I don't give a flying fuck what your name is, girl. What I want to know is why you're a fucking sham and you dare stand before me?"

She was astounded by those words. They were filled with such venom and disgust. But then she got angry. Who the hell did this piece of fur and machine think it was to look at her like that? She opened her mouth but Yue placed a hand on her shoulder. "Not a good idea, Korra," she said. "Just wait and listen."

"I'm waiting, laddie," the bear said again.

Naruto looked unfazed by the venom and danger from its mouth. "It's like she said, Biāo. She's called Korra," he said. "She's known as the Avatar."

"Avatar?" the bear repeated. "Her?"

"Her."

It didn't say anything for a long moment, choosing to glare at Korra. There was disgust still in its eyes but Asami saw something else too. It looked like…longing? How was that even possible? That bear or artificial spirit or whatever it was had spoken to them with such hostility. How could it have any kind of longing emotion attached to it? "What is she doing here?" it finally asked. "I thought that it was decided she and her kind would never learn about this place."

"My kind?" repeated Korra. She felt a little insulted by those words. It sounded like she was supposed to be something other than human!

Naruto leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Your predecessors, Korra." He leaned back up and looked at Biāo. "We're breaking protocol."

It glared for a moment longer and then turned around. "Fine, just keep that…thing away from me. Make sure it doesn't talk unless I want it to talk."

"Hey, I'm not a thing!" Korra snapped. "You're a thing!"

It didn't turn back and snap at her like she thought it would. It kept walking away, going through a door on the other side. The Paragons started after it and the apprentices followed. Korra considered staying put, just because she could. But it was childish and she realized that it was childish. She hurried after them.

The next room held some kind of metal carriage. Asami stood still for a moment and analyzed it. It looked like some cross between a train compartment and a Satomobile. But it wasn't as blocky as either and it was opened air too. There about five rows behind the front of the carriage and each row had three seats. That meant it could carry up to fifteen people plus the driver. "Lass, what the fuck are you doing?" the bear demanded.

She snapped back to reality and looked at it. It was sitting in the driver's seat and looked annoyed again. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself," she told it. "I'm an engineer. This kind of stuff is fascinating."

"If you say it is. I personally couldn't give two shits about it." It said those words but it looked at the carriage with a fondness that she knew only came from driving for so long that it knew everything about it. "Alright, everyone get on the tram. Take whatever seats you want. Except for you," it told Korra. "You sit at the back."

She wanted to protest but one look from Naruto quelled it. She only nodded resentfully and went to the back. Once she sat down, she settled for glaring a hole into the back of the bear's head. "Don't take it out on him," Naruto explained quietly as he sat down in the row in front of her.

"Why shouldn't I? It's the one—"

"He, Korra," he interrupted her. "That bear has lived longer than either of us. If it wants to be called a male, call it a male."

That made no sense to her. It was a spirit, one that had made supposedly by humans, and stuffed inside a bear. Even if it sounded like a guy, it was still a spirit. It had no gender. She wanted to tell this to Naruto but the look on his face was firm. "Fine," she agreed, "_He's_ the one who's being rude to me."

"I know. There's a story to it."

The tram started up, levitating off the ground and moving forward at a speed she didn't think a Satomobile could reached. But she was still focused on Naruto. "What is it?"

"Just wait," he said, turning his head back around to the front. "You'll find out soon enough."

She wanted to protest, to have him tell her now. But there was no point to it. She knew that the old man would only tell her or show her what he mentioned when he felt like it and not a moment sooner. So she leaned back in her seat, throwing her arms wide like she owned the space. She looked ahead and saw that Tahno and Asami were in the row right behind the bear. They were leaning forward, almost eager to see what was coming up ahead of them. Seeing them like that, eager to see what lay ahead so far away from her, made her feel jealous. She wanted to be up there with them too. But instead, she was back here, like a reject.

The ride lasted about twenty minutes before stopping at the largest pair of doors they had seen so far. The bear made so many turns that Asami would have gotten lost trying to get back to the throne room/office. When she got off the tram, it felt like her legs were jelly, shaking when she was trying to stay still. But in spite of that feeling, there was a big smile on her face and she looked back at the tram longingly. "Don't get any ideas, lass," Biāo told her shortly as he hopped down from the driver's seat. "I know that your teacher told you about the rules."

"He did but a girl can dream, right?"

He frowned. "Not here you won't, noodle brain. You remember that or I will make you regret it." He stalked off before she could reply.

They followed the bear through the doors. When they closed behind them, they were suddenly plunged into darkness. "What the…?" Asami asked, whipping her head around to see what she could. But all she saw just darkness.

"Give it a moment, Asami," Yue's voice told her from that same darkness. "This happens every time."

The lights came back on, shining so brightly that she had to close her eyes. When she finally opened them, they widened in shock at the sight. There was a statue in front of her that was about half the size of the Avatar Aang Memorial statute but had the same imposing level. But that wasn't what surprised her. What had surprised was the fact that she was staring at a statue of Avatar Aang. It was the same face, the same arrow tattoo. It was uncanny how much the statue looked the man.

But there were differences. This statue had hair that fell down to the back of his shoulders. It also wore a set of armor that seemed a little out of place with the surroundings. It seemed like something a warrior from the Hundred Years War would have worn. However, the most distinguishing detail was the expression on its face. The expressions she had seen on Avatar Aang were kind, generous, sometimes humorous (Tenzin's family had the pictures to prove it) and when he had to be, stern. She didn't see any of those expressions on that statue. She saw arrogance and condescension but also outrage and anger. The statue seemed to say that it was undefeatable but somehow it was defeated and it couldn't believe it to be true.

"What in the name of the spirits is this?" Korra demanded. Asami looked her way and saw that she was staring at the statue in outrage. "Is this supposed to be some kind of joke?"

"What have I said about you talking, sham?" the bear demanded. It was now standing in front of the statue like some sort of protector. At least, that's what it looked like to Naruto's apprentice.

"Shut it!" the Avatar snapped. "I'm not talking to you." She swung her head to look at the Paragons. "Is this a joke?"

"Hardly," Yue said with complete seriousness. "We wouldn't joke about this. Not if we could." She looked at the statue and shuddered. "Just looking at it gives me the creeps."

"How can you say that? It's Aang! You knew him!"

"Korra, that's not Aang," Naruto told her sharply.

She spun her head his way. "What? How can it not be Aang?" she demanded.

He looked at the statue. "Because that was there the first time I came here, when Aang was barely your age. It's not him."

"Then who is it?"

He paused and considered his words. "If you want to be technical about it, it's a statue of the last incarnation of the First Order."

She didn't understand those words. Not understanding them just made her more irritated. "Just tell me already!"

No one chastised her for losing her temper like that. Instead, Yue looked to Naruto and Biāo. "We're here," she said to the Fire Paragon. "We might as well start."

He nodded his head. "Alright," he agreed, "But first, a history lesson." He looked at the three youngsters, the Avatar in particular, with a questioning gaze. "Who here knows the complete origins of the Avatar?"

Asami and Tahno stayed silent. It seemed redundant to answer that question when they were right next to the Avatar herself, especially when they both knew she had literally gone on a trip down memory to learn the origins of the Avatar. So when Korra spoke up, they stayed silent. "The Avatar began when Wan fused with Raava during Harmonic Convergence," she explained. "They used Harmonic Convergence to make the fusion permanent. Together, they defeated Vaatu, sealing him into the Tree of Time, and closed the spirit portals. Wan spent the rest of his life traveling, trying to bring peace to the people fighting. When he finally died, he was reincarnated into Avatar Nubia, the first Airbending Avatar."

When she was finished, she looked at both the adults and the bear with a challenging look. She knew her history. She had seen it for herself. She dared them to say that she was wrong. "Half right," Naruto finally said.

She went still and then scowled at him. "What do you mean? That's what happened."

He shook his head. "I asked for the complete history of the Avatar. You've only described the beginnings of the Second Order."

"The Second Order?" she repeated, really confused by his words. "What are you talking about?"

"He's talking about the First Order," the bear said with distaste. "You really are a fucking sham if you don't know that."

"They've never known, Biāo," Yue said to him. It sounded like she was reminding him. "That was the whole point."

He snorted in derision. "Then educate her." Korra wanted to retort something fierce, to give a rebuke that would sting the bear's nose. But one look from her aunt and all such thoughts sullenly vanished.

"Hey, guys?" Tahno said to Korra and Asami. "Take a look at the corners."

Asami looked and saw four more statues. They were made from the same metal as the first but they also looked taller than it. They all held their arms out with their hands clenched around iron chains. A damning look of judgement had been placed on their faces as they looked to the statue that stood in the center of them. She wondered if that had something to do with the expression on the Aang lookalike statue. She counted them again and the number added to four. She saw the medallions that were carved to hang around their necks and she knew. "These are our predecessors, right?" she asked her teacher, "The first ones?"

Naruto nodded. "Very good, Asami," he told her. "Yes, these indeed are the original Paragons, the leaders of the rebellion against the Tyrant." Biāo winced and silently snarled at the title but no one really took notice.

"Why would they rebel?" asked Korra.

He tapped his sword against the floor. "Look down."

Her eyes widen when she did look down. She hadn't been aware that they were standing on a map so wide and big that it literally covered a quarter of the floor. The landmass on the map was unfamiliar to her and when she looked over at Tahno and Asami, she could see that they had the same puzzled look she knew was on her face. She looked at the landmass again, trying to figure out somehow what it was exactly. There were some islands around the edges but the majority of the land was the one great continent.

She kept looking and looking until she could've memorized every single detail about the map. But it was still unfamiliar to her. There was something familiar about it, just a hint. But it wasn't enough to lead her on and it was enough to possibly drive her nuts. She tore her gaze away and looked up at the Paragons. "What is this?"

"It's a map," Yue told her.

"I can see it's a map, Auntie Yue. But what is it a map of?"

She smiled a little and nodded her head. "Good question."

Naruto took over the explanation. "It is a map of this side of the planet before the end of the First Order."

Asami looked up from the map. "Wait, that can't be right," she protested.

"And why not?" he asked.

She pointed down at the map almost accusingly. "This looks nothing like the five Countries."

"I did say that it was before the First Order fell," he replied. "It has been a long time. Things do change." He saw the stubborn refusal in her eyes. She didn't want to believe him. He wasn't angry for her refusal. He was glad for it. "Here," he said, striding over to the upper right part of the map. He used the sheath of his Zanpakutō to draw an imaginary boundary. "Try seeing the part I'm standing on as the Earth Kingdom."

She looked at where he drew the line and tried seeing it. It was there, faintly, and only if she included the United Republic. But she could still see it. Once she saw it, she looked and saw the other countries too, vaguely. They were attached to the landmass and still looked like they were being molded and formed. "What happened?"

Naruto turned somber and serious. "That's an answer with a story attached to it." He tapped the ground before him. They heeded the silent signal to stand before him. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," Tahno said back.

Biāo snorted audibly, which was a little weird to hear from a bear. "Wrong fucking answer, lad," he told him.

"Biāo, please let me do this," the Fire Paragon told him.

"Whatever. Just get it over with." He walked away from them, going around the edge of the statue. They could still see him but only faintly against the statue's base.

Naruto cleared his voice, getting their attention back. "Back in the beginning, when this map was the truth, there was no Bending."

"What?" Korra yelped.

He glared irritably at her. "It happened, get over it. I will explain if I'm allowed to go uninterrupted."

"Sorry," she apologized.

"Thank you. Now, as I was saying, no one could Bend. But it wasn't a deterrent. The people progressed and grew and while there was conflict, it could be resolved so that peace could have again. They knew of the spirits and honored them, which the spirits accepted. All in all, it was a good time to live. But then something changed."

"What did?" Asami asked reflexively. He looked at her and she got the silent point. "Sorry, couldn't help myself."

"Try to restrain yourself," he told her.

"Yes, sensei," she said with a bowed head.

"As I was saying, something had changed. The spirits foresaw that a terrible thing would come to the world, both spiritual and mortal. They saw that it would begin in the mortal world and when it was done there, it would break into the spiritual world and consume it. Choosing to stop it in the mortal world, they decided to create a soul with the power of the four elements. They all came together and poured a part of their essence into this soul and when it was full to burst, they sent it into the mortal world.

"The soul was born into a boy in a town that moderately sized. Even from the beginning, everyone instinctively knew that he was different from the other children. The children stayed away from him because of it and when he began to display his ability to bend the air and earth around them, the water in the river and the well, and the fires in their pit, he was further isolated, treated like a freak, tormented. The spirits did nothing to intervene. They had done what they needed to do and they knew that it would be an influence on him, that it would make him humble and respectful.

"They were right and wrong. The terrible thing never came and the would-be hero was an outcast who had nothing that he could use his powers against himself. So instead, he struck against the world, subjugating his hometown to his rule by killing the mayor and his tormenters. But he wasn't done there, not when there were other lands to conquer. He went out to them, forcing them to bend to his will. Soon, people began to follow him out of respect, fear, and craving of his power. Within years he had forged an empire from the entire landmass and he ruled from the very town that ostracized him.

"He was not a benevolent ruler or even a good one. His followers ran the empire with blatant corruption. If people protested or tried to make a stand against the empire, he would come down upon them himself and forced them to their knees once more. If he wished to have a woman in his bed, all he had to do was demand her and she would come, it did not matter if she was married, betrothed, or single. They came and from their loins came his children. But he saw them all and dismissed them as weak, for they were never strong enough to do what he could: wield all four of the elements. They were only able to wield one."

It was not hard for them to grasp what he was saying. But thinking about it made their eyes go wide still. _"They were the original Benders,"_ Asami said to herself. It was true what her sensei said. No child of an Avatar wielded the Avatar's power. No one had expected Avatar Aang's children to have all of his powers. They were actually hoping they would inherit his Airbending alone. When Korra would have children, they wouldn't have her powers except for her Waterbending. She glanced at the Avatar but her attention wasn't on her.

Her teacher continued his tale. "His reign was long and horrible, going until his first grandchildren's grandchildren's grandchildren. Those who had known his true name soon began to die and thus his title only remained: the Tyrant. As he began to turn old and tired, even long after he should have, people held onto hope that the nightmare would be over and the empire would vanish.

"The Tyrant considered the future too, when he finally began to feel the end coming for him. He feared what would come next and what would come of what he had created. He had long since decided that none of his children were worthy enough to succeed him. But he did not want his empire to fall into nothingness. Most would have accepted that their time was done with but Tyrant believed that he was different, that he could make it different. And after years of research ways, he found what he believed to be a way.

"When the planets aligned, he went to the roof of the world. From there, he broke through the barrier between the worlds and crossed into the spirit world. As soon as he crossed over, the spirits came aware of his presence and his intentions. They all rushed to stop their creation but he was too powerful and too experienced for them. He tore through them with ease and continued through their world unhindered. They tried many times to stop him but each time they failed. Eventually, he found what he was looking for in the spirit world: the River of Eternity through which all souls come back to when their bodies die and leave when they are reborn.

"No living soul had even waded into its waters before then. It did not stop him. With his last breath, he stood in the center of the river and went under. The amount of spiritual energy that rippled out from that singular action, along with Harmonic Convergence, caused a backlash and tore another hole in the fabric the worlds."

"The southern portal?" asked Korra, a sense of dread growing in her stomach. She already knew the answer, but she wanted to hear it from his mouth.

He looked at her with annoyance. "Why must you young people always interrupt me?"

"Was it the southern portal?"

He sighed exasperatedly. "Yes, it was. But you already knew that so why did you ask?"

She looked down at the map, trying to find the North Pole but also to avoid his gaze. "I just wanted to be sure."

"Of course you did."

Yue gave her fellow Paragon a look. "Skip the sarcasm and keep going with the story."

He gave her a foul look before turning back to the youngsters. "The Tyrant was seemingly gone and as everyone thought, the empire quickly disintegrated. But while some hope for good times to come again, the more power hungry of the people started fighting to carve out their own kingdoms. What had held for years fell faster in a week.

"The wars lasted for years, until suddenly a boy with the powers of the Tyrant emerged and began taking control of the lands back. He marched across the ruined empire, bringing it back to life and subjugating all who tried to fight against him. When his conquest was done, he sat atop the throne of the Tyrant and proclaimed that he _was_ the Tyrant come again. By immersing himself in the River of Eternity, he gained control of his own soul. He could retain his original consciousness when he was reincarnated, although it would be some years before it successfully emerged. The hope the people held out for that the Tyrant was gone forever, died there.

"He ruled as he had before and when he died again, there was hope that the first time was a fluke only. The fighting began again and the Tyrant returned, this time in the body of a girl. The cycle repeated itself again and again every time that he died and was reborn. It became apparent that with each new reincarnation, the Tyrant's skills at Bending would turn back to zero. Each new incarnation would have to relearn the skills. When they were proficient in each Bending art, the Tyrant would finally take control of the body and the previous personality would vanish into the abyss. His own skills would come back to him and there was no more need for lessons."

"How long did it take for him to become proficient?" Korra asked.

Biāo leaned out of the shadows just enough to glare at her. "You should try using your head. Or is that a novel concept for you?"

Yue took that moment to step in before things got nasty. She looked to her niece-figure and asked, "Korra, have you ever wondered why the Avatar is always told who he is when he turns sixteen?"

She hadn't really. She had been told when she was a little kid and that was after she had started showing off around the house. Aang had been told when he was twelve because of what had been brewing through the four countries then and he had ended up running away. But for each Avatar before them, they were proclaimed the Avatar at their sixteenth birthday. She opened her mouth to tell Yue it was tradition but stopped herself. This wasn't going to be something as simple as that. She would actually need to think about it. The air felt a little moist to her skin as she thought it over. Perhaps it was because they were so far underwater?

"_Why am I even thinking about that?"_ she asked herself. It was distracting. She needed to focus on the question. Luckily, she remembered something Katara had told her when she had finished up Waterbending, having asked about her predecessor. Her great aunt told her all about why he had ran in the first place. "It's because that's when the Avatar has an actual grip over his emotions and is skilled in his initial Bending," she finally answered.

"Yes and no."

She blinked and became confused. "What do you mean by that?"

The bear opened his mouth again but Yue whipped her head around at him. "She asked me, not you, Biāo. Let me explain it, please."

"Fine, lassie," he said in a grumble, which somehow made his accent thicker.

She gave him one last look of warning before looking back at Korra. "Yes, that is the reason they give you in this era. But it wasn't always like that. They began to tell the Avatar when he's sixteen because, on some subconscious level, they remember that the Tyrant fully possessed his incarnations when they turned sixteen.

Korra was stunned. She probably shouldn't have been, but she didn't see the facts like that until they were all set up nicely for her. The only thing she could say in reply was, "Oh."

"Oh?" Tahno repeated, looking over at her. His face showed just how much he couldn't believe that she had said that. "That's all you're going to say to that?"

"Let's just move on, alright?" She looked back to Naruto and asked, "Could you continue, please?"

He looked a little surprised. He thought that he was going to have to override the argument to get back on point. But here she was doing his job for him. "Of course, Korra," he said. "Thank you."

"No problem."

He cleared his voice once more and started again. "Now, the Tyrant ruled for countless years. When he died, the fighting became less and less of a viable option. Why try to rule your own little piece of land when your emperor would just come back and put you back in your place? Not even the spirits could stand against the Tyrant, and they were the ones who created him. The tears between the worlds had stabilized into portals and the Tyrant would frequently go to the Spirit World. He did so he could bring spirits back and bend them to his will, which he was often successful in doing. He would put them to work channeling their energy to power the empire, making them the fuel that ran everything. When the demand grew, he would go and get more spirits to work.

"Now, as you could probably imagine, there were rebellions against him throughout his incarnation." He paused and looked at the four statues around them. "The last and the only successful rebellion was led by these four, each with their own personal grievances."

Asami looked at the statues again, a little more closely this time around. Two were men and two were women and the only item of clothing that they had in common were the Medallions around their necks. The men were injured but they did not have the same scars. The Paragon with the axe strapped against his back wore an eye patch over his right eye and had half of a smile carved onto the left side of his mouth. The other man looked a little bit like Lord Zuko in his younger days, albeit with a burn scar that stretched over both his eyes and giving him something that looked like a mask.

She frowned as she looked at the burn scar. _"Wait, is that…?"_ She went back to the time when Naruto had introduced her to the leader of the Yuyan archers, Měiyù. The scar on the Paragon looked awfully similar to the face paint Měiyù had worn. In fact, if she smoothed out the rough edges, she would say it was practically identical. It was going to have to be something she asked her teacher later on.

When she looked at the women, she noticed that they didn't really have any scars on their faces. But she looked at the shorter woman more closely and saw that the look on her face didn't reach her eyes. It wasn't really anything to go by on its own, but she also saw the eyes were somehow made so they would look pale. _"Is she blind?"_

The other woman didn't have any scars and there was a staff against her back. But her expression was probably the harshest one of the four. Asami looked at that face and she felt like she was being judged for doing something wrong. It made her wonder what it was she had against the Tyrant that made her so mad. Another thing that she took note was that she looked the youngest out of them all.

"These four came together in rebellion," Naruto explained while they looked, "because the Tyrant had dealt with them personally. The first Fire Paragon was a hunter that was hunting game when he accidently came across the Tyrant. Claiming that the hunter was trespassing on his own hunting grounds, the Tyrant burned him across the face. The first Water Paragon was a soldier who was told to be the Tyrant's sparring partner. When he managed to get a hit, the Tyrant had his eye torn out so he would remember his place. The first Earth Paragon, he blinded her because she refused to follow him to his bed."

"So what was her beef with the Tyrant?" Tahno asked, looking at Air Paragon. "She doesn't look like she was injured."

"She wasn't. Her little brother was the last host of the Tyrant," he said, looking back at the statue in the center. They all looked at it, digesting the information of that. Maybe it was the statues, but they could not see any similarities between the two of them. "In any event, the four of them came together and began plotting to take down the Tyrant. People began to join their cause and they had an actual rebellion going.

"They planned for several strikes against the capital city, taking out key parts that would be able to hinder them. But they knew that if they didn't take care of the Tyrant, it would all be for nothing. So while they trained their bodies, they also sought aid from the spirits that were still free from his grasp. A wandering swordsman taught them how to wield a sword and helped them create weapons that would fell a spirit."

Asami's eyes fell to the sword he held as a walking cane. He caught her look and gave her the briefest of nods, confirming what she was thinking. "But it was a spirit like none other they had encountered that taught them what they needed to know, how to stop the Tyrant from using his full power against them when the fight came.

"They returned to the city and continued to plot their rebellion. It didn't take long for plotting to turn into action and the rebels swept across the city, overthrowing the government and urging the people to either join them or flee. It didn't happen in a day or even a week, but the rebels steadily gained ground in the city. When it all but over, the leaders came here, to the central hub of the city, and confronted. We don't know how extensive the battle was," he said, pausing to look over at Biāo. "But we do know it was bad enough that it caused the world to change."

Tahno and Asami looked down at the map again and pictured the modern world over it. There was a good portion of the landmass that was missing from their imagination. "They caused it to change?" Asami asked, looking up at her teacher.

He nodded and said, "Yes."

"Holy shit," Tahno breathed out as he brought his back up. There was a look of horrified wonder on his face. She couldn't blame him for having it. Odds were that it was on her face too.

"That's putting it lightly, Tahno," Yue told her student. "The destruction they caused in their fight made the earth buckle and break apart. The ocean rushed in wherever it could and fill in the new areas. That holy forest they were trained was transformed into a swamp and that was on the high ground."

"But that would mean people died!"

"They were dying already in the fight to take the city."

He was horrified at the casual way she said those words. It didn't sit right with him. Maybe it was because it was all so far back in the past that it didn't matter to her, but he thought it was horrible. "No one did anything about it?"

She gave her apprentice a look that asked him why he would even bother asking the question. "It happened without warning. No one could have planned for it."

"That's not true," Naruto replied. "Someone did plan for it."

Tahno looked back at the old man. It sounded unbelievable but so did most of what they had been hearing. "Someone saved them."

"Someone called in for help to save them, their last mentor. As the ocean came rushing in, the people found lion turtles moving into the city, asking them to come aboard to safety." He heard Korra gasp softly in surprise. When he looked over, he saw the look of realization on her face. She knew what those lion turtles meant, and so did he. "Yes, Korra," he told her. "The city from where Wan came from, all the cities that were built upon the backs of lion turtles, they weren't cities because they were always there. The lion turtles had come as refugee ships to carry them away into safety."

She didn't know what to say to that. Was there anything that could be said? Everything that she had learned from watching Wan's life was being turned upside down and thrown out the window. She didn't know if she wanted to remember this if she could. "What happened next?" she asked, wanting to know the ending.

"The fight between the Tyrant and the original Paragons ended with the Air Paragon delivering the killing blow with tears in her eyes. When the Tyrant's soul left the body, already weakening from the blows dealt by their weapons, their last mentor appeared. In the ruins of the Tyrant's tower, he took the soul and divided it into three parts. All the evil that the Tyrant had done took a form of a spirit and named itself—"

"Vaatu," Korra finished, horrified realization appearing on her face.

Naruto was really getting annoyed at all these interruptions. "Would you like to finish the story?" he asked the Avatar. She just stared at him in continued horrified surprise. She knew what was coming next but didn't say anything. "Then I will continue. All the good that was done by the Tyrant, for there was good in him and his incarnations, took a form too and named itself Raava. The two spirits saw each other and instantly wanted to fight. But before they could do anything, the mentor threw them both back into time, to the beginning of creation itself. There, they would take on the mantles of darkness and light respectively and fight each other continually."

"_Wait, there's something wrong with that,"_ Asami thought to herself. If they were sent back into time, they would've been at the beginning. If they were at the beginning, they would have put their power into the creation of the Tyrant. Vaatu might've wanted to do that but she knew that Raava never would've allowed it.

"Something on your mind, Asami?" asked Naruto.

"Just trying to figure out the time part of it," she told him.

"Don't bother trying. Sokka and I tried it and the only thing that we got out of it was a raging headache. They were sent back into time and lived there until they passed the moment they were sent back. Before they crossed that moment, what they stood for were only concepts. Afterwards, everyone knew who they were."

"But that doesn't make any kind of sense. If they lived in the time before they were created, they would've been known by others. They didn't just hide away from the other spirits."

"They did and they didn't, lass," Biāo told her. His accent was still thick but he started to sound less angry than before. "The spirits I talked to when I had the chance always say that they remember the two of them always being but they can never remember the details."

She didn't see anything wrong with those words. "People forget things all the time," she told the bear. It was a natural fact of life. That was why the written word was created in her mind, so that people would not forget things.

"Humans forget things," he told her bluntly. "Spirits don't."

"Asami," Yue said, "Raava and Vaatu are paradoxes."

She considered those words but could not believe them. It was just simply too fantastical. "Paradoxes?" she repeated.

Yue nodded. "It's how they are able to come back if they are ever destroyed."

"I thought it was because light couldn't exist without darkness or vice versa." When Korra had told her about that concept, it had made sense. There was not a thing out there in the world that only had just one side.

Naruto considered her words before saying, "Well, that works if you want to bring in the mystical part of it for an explanation."

"How else would it have worked?" she asked her teacher. This was something she needed to know or it would bug her at the back of her head.

"The only way that they would truly be able to die would if they killed each other at the same time. That's the only way their paradoxes would end."

"Hang on," Tahno said, looking down at three fingers. "We're missing one here." He looked at the Paragons. "You said that the mentor spilt the Tyrant's soul into three parts. Who was the third?"

"Himself," Naruto told him.

"…What?"

"The third part was neither the good nor the evil. It was the human aspect of the Tyrant. The mentor turned it into a spirit and sent it back into the past. There, it would watch, learn, and become the mentor. Or, as we know him today, Sifu."

Asami was astounded and she knew that it showed on her face. The ghostly spirit that hung around the Paragons was a part of the Tyrant. If she didn't know her own sensei, she would have thought that he was either lying or spinning a very good story. "Which human?" she asked him. "The Tyrant lived a long time right? Which human is he?"

"We don't know," he answered honestly. "No one knows. He could be the last host of the Tyrant or he could be the original human or some kind of blend between all of the lives. It's probably best that no one knows that truth." He was firm in his voice, showing that he meant what he said and they should leave it at that.

Tahno was silent as he took all of this in. It was a lot to think about, let alone consider. His eyes fell on the bear standing against the statue. "What about you?" he asked. "What's your part in all of this? You said that you're an A.S. and that you were made by humans."

"Not just any human," Biāo said, cutting him off. "I was created by the Tyrant himself. I was his companion and friend, made only more so by the body he put me in." He gestured to the body.

"Why's that?"

"Because this bear you see here was the only companion he actually had in his childhood. Even when he started ruling his empire, he kept this thing around. My word was the only one the Tyrant ever really truly trusted." He sounded sad as he finished his words and his eyes fell back down to the ground.

"Then why are you here?"

"Someone has to take care of this place, lad. Are you so stupid as to not see that?"

Anger sprang up in him. This stuffed bear was really beginning to get on his nerves with its rude attitude. It reminded him a little too much of his old self. He opened his mouth to retort but he saw the look on the bear's face. He was waiting for the retort. Well, Tahno wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. He closed his mouth and said, "I didn't mean it like that. If you were friends with the Tyrant, why are you still alive?"

The look on Biāo's face disappeared and in its place was sadness. "Because I was the one who let the Paragons in to fight him," he said. "Even I knew that he had gone mad long before then."

Korra was silent. She didn't move from her spot. All of what she heard, every single bit, sounded like it was impossible. But somehow, in a deep part of her that she had never looked in before, she knew that it was true. She didn't wonder why none of her predecessors had known about the Tyrant by themselves. That answer was already given to her, by herself and Naruto. She was the beginning of the Third Order and had lost connections to all of the Avatars of the Second Order. The same must be true for the first. Still, it was so hard to believe. "Is it all true?" she asked no one in particular. "You're not putting me on?"

Naruto looked at her. He saw her confusion mixed in with small horror. "If you don't believe my tale, go take a look around in the museum," he told her. "It's just beyond the statue." He pointed around the Tyrant statue with his Zanpakutō. "The entire central hub was turned into a museum about the Tyrant, so Paragons would be convinced."

"All of it?" Asami asked, almost in disbelief.

Biāo gave her a look and said, "I've had plenty of time to do adjustments to the place, lass." The bear pushed itself away from the statue and turned from them. "Come on. I'll take you in."

* * *

Both Naruto and Yue had already seen the museum and had no great urge to see it again. So they waited by the little café at the entrance (what museum would be complete without a little café?) while the others went exploring. The wait was hours long but they were not surprised by the length of it. They knew it would be that long. There was so much here. There was an entire wing for the Tyrant's first life alone.

Naruto was writing out some ideas for his book when he heard them coming back. He looked up and saw the apprentices and the Avatar standing at the entrance. He stood up from his corner table and went over to them. "How was it?" he asked.

They didn't answer right away as they were still trying to filter everything that they had seen in the museum. It held art, sculptures, artifacts, all about the era of the Tyrant. It even had simulations to show the battles that were made and the lives of the people who had lived then. It was frightening, horrible. But the technology they saw was so astounding. The machines that made the simulations alone were so amazing Asami would've sworn they were magic.

Korra hadn't shared her enthusiasm. She had been silent and grim throughout the entire tour. She looked at Naruto and Yue with an unwanted knowing look. "It's all real, isn't it?" she asked them.

Her aunt-figure nodded. "It is, Korra. I'm sorry."

She didn't know why she was sorry but she didn't bother to ask her. Instead she asked, "Just how many incarnations of the Tyrant were there?"

It was Biāo who answered her. He was sitting on a table close by. "You saw the shelves in the throne room, right?" he asked her. His voice was as rude as before but it still held some grudge against her. She nodded and he continued. "Each book in those shelves is about an incarnation of the Tyrant. He liked to read about previous incarnations to remember details. The books you saw are only a fraction of the full amount. The rest I couldn't save."

Asami, Tahno, and Korra went still and digested those words. They had seen the shelves and they had stretched down the entire length of the throne room, on both sides. But if that was only a fraction, just how many shelves and books had there been in that room. The possibility of the number of incarnations staggered Korra. _"That's got to be larger than the entirety of my predecessor!"_ she thought to herself.

The Fire Paragon said, "We've got one last thing to show you." He looked at the Avatar. "This is for Paragons only. You'll have to stay here."

"Alright," she agreed without protest. She didn't care if she would be staying with a bear that didn't seem to like her. She didn't want to see anymore. She sat down at the same table as Biāo and watched as the Paragons took their apprentices to the back. When they vanished beyond a door, she said, "I'm sorry."

Biāo looked at her, angry that she was talking to him but with also with puzzlement. "For what?" he asked her.

"For leaving you alone down here." She knew that she wasn't the Tyrant, but she was the closest thing to it for the bear and she had a feeling that the Tyrant wouldn't have appreciated his friend being stuck down here.

He didn't lash out at her like she expected. Instead he chose to say, "It's not your fault. I deserve it anyway. It's my penance."

* * *

The room that the Paragons took their apprentices to was wide enough to match the café outside, but only half as long. "What is this place?" Tahno asked. It just seemed to be utter darkness to him.

"This is our version of remembering our predecessors," Yue said. She reached out for the wall and it glowed a soft turquoise at her warmth. "Show the recent photo."

The whole room glowed into a warm turquoise color before turning into a pale white. Asami didn't have a chance to wonder about the color change because they were too busy staring at the image in front of them. Asami was particularly astounded. She didn't know what she was looking at exactly. It seemed to somehow be a cross between a picture and a statue. She couldn't make up her mind about what it was because no picture was this tall and no statue seemed so flat. "What is this?" she asked, her eyes never leaving the sight.

"I've been told that it was called a hologram," Naruto told her. "It's made of energy."

"How?" she asked. If it was energy, she had to know how it was done.

"Sorry, Asami, you can't know that."

Her enthusiasm died a little bit at those words. "Oh, right."

Yue gave her back an eyeful. "Have you actually looked at it or did you just ogle the thing?"

She was a little insulted by that. "Of course I've taken a look at it. It's a picture of you guys." The hologram (an interesting word, that) was of four people and she knew all four of them. One was her own sensei, who looked exactly the same as he did now. The other three were Yue, Gāng, and Bumi. They all looked younger, and a little bit fitter.

"That it is," Naruto said, reaching out towards the picture and flicking his finger left. The picture changed. This time, it was a much younger Naruto alongside Sokka, Suki, and June. They all looked as if they were in their mid-to-late twenties.

"Whoa," Asami said in wonder. She didn't see how he did that. It was also a little surprising to see just how different her sensei looked when he was younger. She could see why he always saying that he got mobbed by the ladies when he wasn't careful. The picture changed again and she frowned. She assumed they were Paragons. The Fire Paragon had an air of nobility about him that matched his clothes, the Earth Paragon was the youngest and had the biggest smile out of all them, the Water Paragon wore a hat that draped a veil around her body, and the Air Paragon had an easy-going look on his face that seem to say he was fine wherever he went.

But she didn't know who they were. "And these guys are?" Tahno asked aloud before she did.

"My predecessors," her teacher said in a somber voice.

They both fell silent. They knew what happened to these four, having been killed or driven into hiding by Avatar Roku and the Scholars of the Avatar. It was a tragedy that was followed by the beginning of the Hundred Year War. But despite the sadness of it, Asami wondered about something. "Were they the only ones who were driven to the ground by the Avatar?"

Yue shook her head. "No, they weren't. The Avatar trying to ruin or destroy the Paragons has happened before. But we always make sure that we do not die out. Our founders swore an oath to always watch the Avatar and ensure that they never bend the world to its will again. We may have been hunted, force to hide, or been killed by the person we swore to watch, but we never die out. The Avatar is reincarnated and we always come back to watch the next one."

Her words made them both stand up taller and straighter. They understood now why the Paragons did their duty. Before they kinda knew about it but it wasn't until now that they knew the full depth of it. The Avatar might keep the world balanced but they kept the world safe from the Avatar. If Korra ever want to conquer the Bending countries or destroy them, they would be there to stop her. It would probably hurt to do it for she was their friend, but they would still do it.

They turned away from the hologram and faced their teachers. "We understand," Tahno said.

Naruto eyed them both. "Do you really?"

Asami looked him in the eyes directly. "We do."

He looked over at Yue, who nodded once. They both knew that the lesson had been learned and the question answered. "Good." He lowered his hand and Yue took hers off the wall, plunging the room back into darkness. "When you become the Paragons yourself, come back to this island so that your photo will be added to the gallery. You'll be able to come to the island whenever you want to just don't make it a habit. We don't want other people finding out about this place. Am I understood?"

"Yes," they both answered him. They followed their teachers out of the room and then back to the surface with Korra, leaving behind what was their history and what would be their legacy.

"Sensei, I have a couple of questions," Asami said as they walked back to Korra and Biāo. "What happened to the civilians who were Benders when they fled?"

"The lion turtles took their powers from them, not wanting the same kind of corrupt power to happen on their shells," he answered. "What's the second?"

"What happened to that terrible thing that the Tyrant was supposed to fight?"

His face tensed and for a moment, she wondered if she had asked the wrong question. But then it relaxed and he said, "It originated on the other side of the world. It was stopped by my ancestor, the found of shinobi."

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

So here is my full origin story for the Avatar. This was something that I was planning through since before they came out with Wan. I just added that to the story.

I did make a few adjustments to the story. One of the ideas I had for it would've been to have the aye-aye spirit keeping watch over the ruins and have it recognize Korra by sniffing her and calling her Stinky. But I changed it when I read about what the original intention for Momo was supposed to be a robot from a past civilization. That sounded much more believable to my ears so I went with that, albeit changing the robot monkey into a stuff bear being possessed by an artificial spirit.

I had considered writing about the museum and their exploring of it but that could've been a chapter by itself alone. This had already ballooned into this long of a chapter. I didn't want to add any more to it than I needed to.

And yes, Asami and Tahno were being taught capoeira in the beginning of the story. I think it fits Airbending rather well.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	46. New people and suspicion

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 46: New people and suspicion

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Aozora)

As Tsukiko stared out at the ocean, she marveled at the simple vastness of it all. It just stretched beyond her sight. It was so big and…blue. "Whoa."

"That's all you can say?" Hiro asked her from where he stood next to her with a small grin. "Whoa?"

She looked over at him as they stood on the docks, feeling the wind pass through them. "You can't deny the sight of it."

"Of course not," he agreed. He could also see it better to her thanks to his eyes. "I just think that something better than 'whoa' could be used to describe it."

"Alright, then what do you have?"

He looked back at the ocean, studying it for a long hard moment. "…Well, it's big."

"That's all you can say?"

"It's harder than I thought." How could he describe such a vast thing? He looked across her at their teammate. "You've been on the ocean, Arashi."

"I didn't really see it, if that's what you're getting at," Arashi told him. He was the only out of the three that wasn't really looking at the ocean in general. He was more focused on the ship that was being led into dock. Aozora was a major shipping location in the Elemental Countries, so they had docks for ships of all sizes.

Tsukiko looked at him exasperatingly. "Weren't you the one who came on a ship?"

"Yeah, without an actual ticket," he replied. "When I wasn't below decks trying to make I sure didn't caught, I was sneaking into the kitchen to nick some food. I was trying to make sure that I wasn't caught as a stowaway to look at the ocean around the ship. It was big, it was blue, and it was taking me here. That was all I needed to know."

Rin rolled her eyes at her students. She stood behind them. "Do you think there's a chance you can keep your focus on the ship?" she asked.

"That's what I'm trying to do, sensei," Arashi told her.

Hiro and Tsukiko turned their attention back to the ship. It was something impressive, they could admit to that. In fact, seeing it come closer was made them turn their attention to the sea in the first place. The two golden dragons at the prow of the ship had their jaws agape so their teeth were bared for all to see. The size of it had made all the other ships that Tsukiko had seen the past two days in Aozora look either small or weak. And from what Arashi had told her, there were more where this one came from.

She shuddered slightly at the image of so many of them. "The kids are here, right?" she asked Rin.

"They are," she replied. "You know they are."

She did know they were here. Her team had been the one who led them to Aozora. "Right, forgot about that," she said, going back to watching the ship sailing in closer and closer.

And closer.

And closer.

And clos— "Is this thing taking forever to get into port?" she asked with a frown.

Arashi looked at her with an odd look. She looked like she was to pounce up a wall. "No, it's actually making good time. What's the matter with you?"

"Nothing!" she snapped. She gestured wildly at the incoming ship, like she was trying to prove something. "It's just…big and taking forever."

He looked at the ship and then at her. What she was going just sounded redundant. It was like talking about how a kunai's edge was sharp. "It's a battleship," he reminded her. "Of course it's going to be big." He saw how she kept watching the ship with a nervous eye and realized that this was the first time she was actually seeing something from his side of the world. "Just relax, I'll take care of it."

"Take care of what?" Hiro asked.

"Making sure that coexistence can happen."

"Okay…?"

He smiled. "Just watch and learn, Hiro. Watch and learn."

Hiro rolled his eyes at those words. He turned his attention back to the ship, watching it come in closer and closer.

And closer.

And closer.

When it finally came into the dock properly, he thought, _"Finally. It certainly took its time."_

"Ahoy Water Rats!" shouted Arashi suddenly. Both his teammates looked at him like he had just caught a dangerous beast.

They looked up at the ship, worried that he might've insulted it. A man appeared at the rail. He was wearing a uniform that looked it was made of one piece. "Ahoy landlubbers!" he called back.

"What cargo are you bringing?"

"No cargo, just men!"

"Men, you say? I thought that you were bringing rats to the land!"

"The only rats that are here are the ones who serve without argument or complaint."

"So you have none?" Arashi asked.

The crewman laughed with a grin and said, "None at all!"

Hiro and Tsukiko looked at each other and wondered, _"What the hell are they saying?"_ It sounded like they were having a conversation about clean rats, but that couldn't have been what they were actually saying.

"What would your mother say to that?" Arashi called out.

"That I should've come prepared!" he replied.

"And what would your father say?"

"I don't know! I haven't seen him since he sailed off to the sun in the water!"

Tsukiko was completely confused. _"That makes no sense what so ever!"_ But she looked at her teammate and he was grinning widely. He was enjoying all of this and she didn't know what they were even talking about. She looked back at Rin with the question on her face but Rin shook her head. She didn't know either.

"So who leads you pack of rats?" Arashi called out.

"Our captain is Commander Iroh!" the crewman answered him.

"Ah, I know Iroh. Go back to that Ash Rhino and get him ashore!"

Even though he was a ways above them and he looked a little bit small, Hiro could sense that the sailor was now on the defensive. "And why should I tell him that?"

"Tell him that his cousin is waiting for him to owe up that favor. He'll get it!" The crewman looked down at them for a moment longer before disappearing out of sight.

As soon as he was gone, Tsukiko looked at Arashi. "What the hell was that?" she demanded.

"What was what?" he asked back.

She pointed up at the ship with an almost angry finger. "That! That whole thing that we just saw!" she told him.

He followed the finger up to the deck and then looked at her again. "I was establishing communications."

"You were talking about rats!"

"That's what you heard."

Hiro saw his teammate getting angrier. It wouldn't do any of them any good. They had to look professional in front of what came next. So he stepped and asked, "Arashi, could you just explain what you were doing?"

The dyed redhead turned his attention to him. He knew what Hiro was trying to do, playing the mediator so that their tempers wouldn't explode. He didn't know why he was doing it. His temper was just fine and Tsukiko was just overreacting. Still, they looked at him like he had talked in a foreign language. They deserved an explanation. "I was talking in the navy lingo," he told them. "They usually speak that way when they come into port. I was just keeping them reassured as they came into a foreign harbor."

Tsukiko calmed down at the explanation. It made sense, somewhat. She was still puzzled by what she had heard exactly, but she was willing to accept his word as to what he had been doing. "How do you know what they speak?" she asked him. Her eyes went back up to the ship. She could hear people moving about up there but she could not see them.

He followed her eyes up. There was nothing being thrown over the rail. He could hear the crew working to get the ship properly docked in the harbor, with all the shouting and repeating orders that came with it. But there was nothing else that was going on, so he didn't know what was getting her attention. "I spent a summer with my cousin on his ship a couple years ago," he said, getting her attention back. "I picked up a few things while onboard."

"Like, for instance, not asking the cook what kind of meat was on the dinner plate?" a voice asked from the ship. It was a different voice than before, much more refined and diligent. But there was also a bit of humor in it too.

While Tsukiko and Hiro wondered who the new voice belonged to, Arashi looked up with a scowl. "That happened one time and I apologized to the cook up and down for a week afterwards! I worked in the kitchens!"

"I know. The crew remembers the bread tasting funny! And I don't remember any kind of favor being owned."

"You said I could steer the ship!"

"I said that I would think about it when you got taller! And that's not a favor!"

"It's a favor when I saved your life!"

"You stopped me from slipping on a piece of seaweed!"

"And you said you'd owe me for it!"

Rin sighed. This was going on long enough for her tastes. "Arashi, wrap it up," she told him.

He looked back at her with a look that was equal parts pleading and disappointment. "Come on. Just give me a little more time, sensei. I almost have him."

She wouldn't budge on it. "Wrap it up."

"Arashi, where'd you go?" the voice asked. The humor was gone and there was worry in its place.

Tsukiko found it a little odd, but then she remembered that Arashi seemed to keep getting kidnapped. His family must be especially worried about him when that happens. "I'm here!" her teammate called out. "Now get that gangway down so we can actually talk to each other!"

"What's a gangway?" Hiro asked him.

A metal ramp extended out from the ship in a straight line before falling down to the dock. "That's a gangway," he said, pointing to it.

He and Tsukiko looked at it. "It's a ramp," Tsukiko said.

"Well, it's that."

"So call it a ramp."

"It's called a gangway, Tsukiko."

"But it's a ramp!"

"I know it's a ramp, but call it a gangway."

"Why would I call it a gangway when it's clearly a ramp?" she demanded.

"I don't know. I spent the first night on this ship arguing about it with Iroh and I lost the conversation."

"You certainly did," the voice said again, this time sounding closer.

Rin looked up along with her students. She saw a man dressed in a rich red uniform coat over white leggings. The coat had gold braiding, adding to the richness but also adding to the emphasis of the military aspect of the man. She knew that he was a military person, not just because he came in a ship or had the coat. He had the presence of a military man, of being in charge. As he walked down, she saw that his eyes were colored gold, just like some of the Firebenders she had seen whilst in Republic City. They worked well with his black hair.

All in all, she was looking at someone rather impressive. "Hello, sailor," she said, only loud enough for her students to hear her.

Those words made Arashi's stomach drop and made him a little queasy. "Sensei, that's my cousin," he whispered to her.

"And?" she asked.

He wanted to say something back but Iroh came to a stop in front of them. He saw Rin, instantly noting her to be someone of rank in command, and saluted promptly. "General Iroh of the RCS _Scarred Dragon_," he introduced himself.

"Rin Hatake, Jōnin of Konohagakure," she replied. Although she spoke just as formally as he did, she didn't salute him. If there was any sign of agitation from him, he didn't show it. He simply lowered his hand. "So, you are here to bring back the children?"

"Yes, we are," he answered.

She looked up at the ship, taking in the size and the length of it. "Well, your ship certainly looks big enough to have them all onboard."

"I am sure that we will be able to provide them with enough room. If you could take me to them, I will have a look at their numbers and assess what supplies we'll be able to pick up while in port."

"What about your ship?" Tsukiko asked him, "Your men? You're just going to leave them right here?"

He tilted his head to look at her. He did so without making it look like he was looking down his nose. She blushed as she saw what it was her sensei had seen. "They'll spend an hour or two more making sure that everything is shipshape," he explained to her. He turned his head to look back at Rin. "Will the journey to the children take that long?"

"No, not really," she replied. "It's just a short walk."

"Hey," Arashi said, looking annoyed at Iroh. "Are you just going to stand there and ignore your cousin?"

He looked down at him. "I thought about it." They stared the other down for a long moment before grins broke out and they hugged each other like family. "It's good to see you again, Arashi."

"Same here, Iroh," replied the dyed redhead, meaning every word of it. "Sorry that you can't stay long."

(Location: Air Temple Island)

If people didn't know who Bumi was, they probably would've thought seeing him chase after a dragonfly bunny spirit with a little sweater in hand to be a bit more than weird. For the people who did know him, they would have thought it was odd but par for the course for him and think nothing more about it. And for those who truly knew him or was his family, they would have wondered what he was up to now. It wouldn't have changed the fact that he was still chasing a dragonfly bunny spirit around Air Temple Island with a little sweater in his hands.

"Come back, Bum-Ju!" he called out to his spirit friend. It was probably only to his good condition that he wasn't panting like he was out of breath right now. He had been chasing the spirit around for the better part of two hours now. Bum-Ju didn't look back at him as it flew past a tree and hovered in the air. That didn't deter him. He simply crawled up the tree and onto the branch closest to it.

Once he was out on it, crawling with his feet and hands under the branch for support, he pulled out the source of why he was chasing Bum-Ju. "If you don't want to wear the sweater I made you, that's fine," he said. It was a small sweater, made in a color that was somewhere between purple and pink with white lining. It was a little frilly and he wondered if that was what made Bum-Ju refuse to wear it. But he had gotten so angry at the refusal and shouted at his friend, making him fly away. Now Bumi felt bad about the whole thing and tried to show that to his friend. "I'm sorry I got mad!"

The spirit didn't do anything to show that it accepted the apology. He crawled out a little further to try and grasped it, but it just flew out of his grasp. The branch shook underneath his weight and it got his attention. "Bum-Ju, I'm running out of tree. Can we go down now?" he begged. There was a loud groaning sound from behind him and the branch started to lower itself downwards. Before he could even back up, the groaning ended with a snapping sound that made the branch fall down, hanging only by a few threads.

He fell forward, screaming in surprise as gravity took him. He reached for something to stop his fall and that ended up being the leaves on the branches. It stopped his fall but left him dangling in the air above a long drop to the beach. And the leaves were slick with the morning dew. It might've been simple for him to let go and fall, if he was an Airbender. But he wasn't, so he was trouble. "Bum-Ju, a little help!" he begged the spirit.

He had hoped that Bum-Ju would fly down to his feet and push him upwards. But instead the spirit flew around behind him and bit down on his jacket. As he finally lost his grip on the dewy leaves, the jacket only held him for a moment longer. He fell to the ground below, screaming his head off.

As the ground came close and closer, he couldn't help but think that he was going to die. _"I don't wanna die here!"_ he shouted inside his head. _"I've got so much more to do. I haven't even begun writing my memoirs!"_ As the air screamed past his head, he wanted something, anything that would stop his fall. But nothing it would come to him and the ground was getting closer by the second. Without thinking, he threw his hands in front of his face to protect his head. He closed his eyes, not wanting to see the end.

All he heard was a sudden whooshing sound, something that he had come to associate with Airbending itself. He stopped falling and he didn't feel any pain. _"What's going on?"_ he wondered. He opened his eyes and saw that his hands had a plume of air jetting out from them. He was a few inches above the ground and he was Airbending himself from it.

He saw Bum-Ju come flying down to him, still holding his jacket. "Look, I'm Airbending!" he told the spirit. That's when he apparently chose to stop Airbending and fall to the ground face first with a pained yelp. "Ow, that still hurt a lot," he declared. As he lay there, he let his body announce that he was in pain. His mind was on something else.

He could Airbend!

He probably should've felt joy and happiness at such a thing. But other things had taken the place of those emotions, like fear and horror of what may come next. His thoughts were set on a repeating cycle of _"This is bad. This is bad. This is bad. This is bad. This is bad. This is bad."_ And there was also the fact that he was sure that Naruto was going to kill him.

(Location: Republic City)

As Korra walked through the vine-infested street, her boot caught on a rough patch and sent her forward. She reached out instantly with her staff to stop her fall but it didn't stop her from giving a breathy "Oof!"

"Are you alright, Korra?" Tenzin asked, coming up beside her.

She hoisted herself back up to proper standing. "Just fine, Tenzin," she told him, "Just fine." He gave her a look that showed he didn't really believe what she was saying. She had been getting that look for a while now. She kept walking on, hoping that she wouldn't trip on another rough patch. That was the fifth one today.

She was also hoping that she wouldn't hear the spirits following them laughing. She just knew that they were getting some kind of pleasure out of watching her fall all the time. _"Or is that just the trip talking?"_ she wondered. Since she got back to the city, she could not look at the spirits the same way she had before. Then again, she couldn't see anything the same way she had before. Since coming back from that island, it was like her entire world changed.

She heard Jinora giggle behind her. She didn't need to turn her head around to see that she was playing with the spirits that dared to come close. Out of the three humans, the spirits tended to migrate towards Jinora first. Korra noticed that Tenzin was looking back at his daughter. Once, seeing her so in tune with the spirits might've made him a little jealous, but now there was just worry and pride in his eyes. The pride was because of what she could do at such a young age, but the worry was because of what happened to her in the Spirit World. Yet despite what happened, she still acted around the spirits like she was seeing them for the first time. Korra almost wished she could have that kind of innocence again.

As they came onto a street with houses filled with vines, Korra looked at them with a small bit of despair. "How are we ever gonna clear away all these vines?" she asked no one in particular and not really expecting an answer. She approached one of the deserted houses and bent a quick stream of fire at the door. The vines retreated from the fire but when she was done, they came right back into place. If anything, they were stronger than before.

Korra watched the vines settling back into place and was very annoyed by them. "Ugh, I don't get it," she declared. "I can vanquish Vaatu but not a bunch of stupid vines?"

"I'm sure you'll find a way," Tenzin assured her as she stomped away from the house.

Jinora looked up from the spirits around her at Korra. "Why do you want to get rid of them?" she asked the older girl. "You changed the world. We're connected with the spirits again. The wilds are their home."

If Korra was more of a cynical person, she would've laughed at the naivety coming out of the girl. Sure, they were connected with the spirits again, but there were others that happened to. "I don't think that the people who used to live here are as excited about it as you are," she told Jinora, pushing past a curtain of vines.

Beyond the curtain was the rest of Republic City. Buildings were already being laced around with vines. She stared at the vines in front of her, refusing to look back at the jungle that had literally grown in the middle of the city. She had been gone for a day or two and things had started to rapidly get out of control. _"And do think, this all started with vines in a bathroom,"_ she thought to herself.

She walked clear of the wilds and opened up her glider staff. "I gotta go face the press and tell them I _still_ don't have a way to get rid of the vines," she told Tenzin and Jinora. She added in a depressed tone, "This should be fun." Neither Tenzin nor Jinora said a word in reply as she flew off.

* * *

The city hall hadn't been spared from the growing jungle either. If someone who was new to Republic City had walked past, they would've thought that the architect had designed the building around the tree. Of course, that wasn't the case. Everyone was feeling the fact that the spirit vines were practically everywhere and they wanted to throw the blame on someone. They had two options and went after both with equal fervor.

One of them was trying to do something to handle the fallout, which was why President Raiko was holding a press conference outside city hall. Lin stood beside him and a string of cops were behind them both, showing the support of the police for him. But the reporters that had gathered at the steps didn't seem to think much of her.

Asami was in the crowd, having been sent there by her sensei to see what was happening and report back to him about the events. From what she could see, the reporters seemed intent on tearing down their targets. "Mr. President," one reporter called out close by, "are you concerned that your approval ratings are now nearly as low as the Avatar's? Have you seen today's headline? It says 'Raik-oh no. Polls pan Pres' plans.'"

The president leaned closer to the microphone in front of him. "I'm not concerned with snappy put-downs in the press," he replied. "I'm facing this calamity just like every other citizen." He pointed at the thick vine that had gone through the side of city hall. "There's a tree growing right through my office. You think I'm not doing everything I can to get rid of it?"

The sound of air being flown through echoed through the air. Asami found the direction it came from and saw that Korra was flying in. _"Oh boy,"_ Naruto's apprentice thought to herself as she watched her friend land and the reporters all started talking. _"Here we go."_

"Avatar Korra, few questions please."

"Avatar Korra, do you regret the way you handled the Unalaq crisis?"

"Why are you forcing the integration of spirits in Republic City?"

Those were just a few of the questions she was barraged with. "Listen, I've been trying everything I can think of to get rid of these vines, but—"

The reporters quickly drowned her out with more questions. "Why can't you fix this?"

"Are the vines here to stay?"

"Is this part of your New World Order?"

"_Moon and water, this is exasperating!"_ she thought to herself as the questions kept piling on. "Look," she said, cutting through the questions as best she could. "Harmonic Convergence was just a couple weeks ago. I just needed a little more time to get everything back to normal."

The president, who was just finishing putting his air-ruffled hair back into order, said, "The Avatar has put us all in a very difficult position, but my administration—"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I put you in a difficult position by fighting the giant force of pure evil that was going to destroy the whole world?" she asked sarcastically. She marched up to the podium and got in his face, taking hold of his chin and making his face bob up and down. "Maybe your administration could have handled that."

He didn't reply, choosing to glare down at her. She glared back. Lin saw what was happening and moved to prevent it from getting any worse. She got in between them, pushed them away from each other, and said to the reporters, "That's all, no more questions."

Raiko stormed back into city hall while Korra glared at his back. When he vanished behind the door and the crowd started leaving, the anger left her face and it was replaced with mourning. "This is a disaster," she lamented.

Asami went to her side. "Don't worry," she said encouragingly, "we'll figure something out."

"Easy for you to say," she replied. "You don't have my poll numbers. Eight percent approval? Who are they asking?" She hadn't even been aware that she had an approval rating until the vines started showing up.

Asami could relate to what she was going through. She had the same kind of worry back when Future Industries had been on the verge of collapsing. But she had done her best not to let it get to her and now, her company was stable once more. "You can't take that to heart. People are just frustrated."

"I don't blame them. I should be able to fix this. I'm the Avatar." Even though she said the word, it didn't inspire confidence in her like it used to. Why did it seem like the more she got a handle on being the Avatar, the more things seemed to spire out of her control?

(Location: Air Temple Island)

Bumi raced into the temple courtyard. He saw his niece and nephew playing Pabu and went over to them. "You're not gonna believe what just happened," he told them both. "Where's your father?"

Ikki turned back to the temple and, using her Airbending for enhancement, screamed, "Dad!"

It didn't take Tenzin long to get outside, slamming doors open to get there. "What is it?" he asked, looking for sighs of danger. "What's wrong?" The rest of the family followed him out, wondering what was going on.

Bumi went to his brother. "Tenzin, I've got a problem. I need Korra to Energybend me."

That was something he didn't expect to hear from his big brother. Something must've been really up. "Why?" he asked instantly.

Bumi had always found that it was best to start at the beginning. "Okay, Bum-Ju and I had a little fight. I made him this sweater, and he didn't seem to like it, and I'll admit, it might need work, but it was my first attempt at knitting, so I was a little hurt."

As he listened, the worry that Tenzin had felt drained away. It looked like Bumi was in one of his storytelling moods. "Hilarious," he said blankly to his brother. He turned his attention to everyone else and said, "Time for dinner, everyone."

They turned away from him. "No, check this out," he told them, taking a stance. "I can Airbend." He threw his hands out but nothing happened. He tried it again and again but still nothing happened. "Yeah wait, seriously, I was doing it." He kept trying to show that he was able to Airbend but nothing came of it. Everyone had left by then, even Ikki and Meelo. But he still kept trying to show what happened.

* * *

As they all sat around the dinner table, Bumi still trying to show that he was able to Airbend. "I swear, I'm not making it up," he told them all, swinging his arms through the forms he knew. But he didn't get as much as a puff.

"Stop waving your arms around at the table," ordered a now irritated Tenzin. "It's not funny anymore."

"It's not a joke."

Both Korra and Asami walked into the room and saw him through his arms around. "What's up with him?" Korra asked Bolin, sitting down next to him.

"Bumi says he Airbended earlier, but he can't now," he answered. "Oh, and I guess he's not very good at knitting either. I gotta say, I _love_ being a part of this family," he proclaimed. "You got the grumpy dad, the wacky uncle, the put-upon mom, _crazy_ kids." He looked at each member of the family he was talking about as he spoke. "This is great."

Asami looked around the table. There was someone missing from it, someone they all knew. "Where's Mako?" she asked.

"Oh, you mean the brooding teenager?" he asked back with a slight sarcastic tone, mentioning the one character that had been left out. "He's staying in the police station."

"Still?" asked a surprised Korra. She hadn't really seen much of Mako since they broke up down at the South Pole. She knew that after Unalaq had attacked Republic City and his promotion, he had a lot of work and did sleep at the office. But she would've thought that he'd come home by now.

"I told him Tenzin invited us to stay here since our apartment is a vine habitat now, but, he said he had to focus on work," he explained, ruffling up his hair and sounding like his brother at the end.

Bumi was still trying to get the Airbending to show and he looked intently at the napkin in front of him. "Oh, did you see that?" he asked Tenzin. "I think the napkin moved."

"You blew on it," Kya told him. Just like Tenzin, she was getting annoyed with all of this.

He ignored in favor of an idea. "Wait! Maybe I can only do it when my life is in danger." Since it had happened that way the first time, it was a plausible solution. He looked at the Earthbender beside him and said, "Bolin, bend a giant boulder at me."

"Yeah, I don't think that's a good idea." It was a testament to how weird the situation was getting that even Bolin was refusing to participate in it.

"If you're going to be bending giant boulders, you can do it outside," Pema told her brother-in-law. She had spent the better part of the day tending to Rohan, trying to keep him from not crying when it seemed like the slightest thing would set him off. She was not going to let that kind of thing happen at the dinner table.

Her husband slammed his hands onto the table and proclaimed, "No one is bending giant boulders!"

But Meelo was far too interested in what might happen if they did that. He couldn't bend a rock, but he could do something else. "Look alive, Uncle Bumi!" he called out, banging a plate off the table, grabbing it, and throwing it at his uncle.

Bumi saw the plate incoming and reacted. Normally, his reaction would've been to duck and cover, since he was technically under fire. But his wanting to prove what he did to the others made him reacted in a different manner. He threw his hands out and bent the plate to be caught in a sphere of air. He had closed his eyes when he did it and was completely surprised when he opened them again. "I told you!" he said over the spinning air to the rest of the table.

They didn't reply to his remark. They were too busy being stunned at the sight of him Airbending. It was a sight that they didn't think was possible. But there the evidence was, right in front of them. "Unbelievable," Tenzin said in awe. "You're actually an Airbender."

When the sphere vanished, the plate fell to the table and shattered. The sound of it shattering snapped them all back to reality. "You see?" Bumi said to his brother. "We've got a problem here." He looked over at Korra. "You need to Energybend me ASAP!"

"She's not a sap!" Ikki protested. "She's a person."

"ASAP, Ikki," Kya explained. "It's a military term. It means As Soon As Possible."

"Oh, okay." She was silent for a moment, taking the answer for what it was. But then she asked, "Why is he saying ASAP?"

"That's a good question," she agreed, looking at her brother. "Why are you asking for that, Bumi?"

"It's obvious!" he exclaimed.

Bolin frowned. "I don't think it is. Do you mind explaining?"

He looked at them all and saw that they all had the same look of questioning on their faces. Well, if they wanted an explanation, he would give them the explanation. "I need Korra to Energybend me to take away the Airbending!"

For the rest of their lives, everyone in the room, with the exception of Rohan (who was a baby and didn't remember what happened) would swear that they heard crickets chirping outside the window in the silence that followed. The silence was then shattered by everyone, with the exception of Rohan (who was a baby and didn't remember what happened) shouting "WHAT!?" at Bumi.

(Location: Konoha)

"So," Madara said as he looked at Rin and her students from behind his desk, "I take it that the mission was successful?"

"Yes, sir," Rin answered for him. "We were able to get the children onto the _Scarred Dragon_ without any trouble. They seemed glad to be going home once General Iroh announced who he was and where he was from."

"And there was no trouble between the crew and the city?"

"None that the general or the city police weren't able to resolve amicable," she answered. "It was kept to a few drunken brawls at night."

"It's something," he acknowledged. He turned his attention to Arashi, standing still and at attention in front of his sensei. "I believe that you know the general personally. Is that correct, Arashi?"

"Yes sir," Arashi answered. "He's my granduncle's grandson, so he's my cousin."

"And how was your reunion?"

"It was good, sir."

"Of course, it was good," Tsukiko muttered loud enough to hear. "The two of you spent a day fishing off those dragon heads, trying to get the biggest catch."

"Tsukiko," Rin said warningly. She got the hint and closed her mouth.

Madara eyed his daughter but she stayed silent. "Is there something I should be aware of?" he asked.

"Nothing too big," Rin assured him. "Arashi and his cousin took a day off to go fishing on the ship. It turned out to be quite vocal."

"We get a bit competitive," Arashi admitted.

Hiro eyed him incredulously. That was all he had to say about what happened? "You had members of the crew stay between the heads so neither of you would try to attack the other."

"That was Iroh's idea. I personally thought that we were fine." After all, it had been Iroh who had jumped him the last time they went fishing together.

Rin looked to the Hokage. "Everything was fine," she said.

"Very well," he said back. They moved for the door and he said, "Please hold."

They stopped in their tracks and looked back at him. "What's up?" his daughter asked him.

He gave her a slight frown. They were at work, not at family time. "I have been talking with your senseis about how you and your fellow teammates have been doing since graduating. They all claim that you have been doing well in learning how to function in teams and larger formations, as well as completing your missions."

"Thanks?" Tsukiko asked. "But what's the point of telling us this?"

"Perhaps if you let him speak, he'll get to it," Rin told her, a smile forming underneath her mask. She knew what was coming.

Madara looked at the Genin. "You probably aren't aware of this, but the Chūnin Exams are coming up in the Land of Water." He pulled out a drawer on his desk and pulled out three pieces of paper. "These are the application forms for the exams."

"Wait, you're serious, Lord Hokage?" asked Hiro. He hadn't been expecting this at all.

The Hokage nodded. "Of course I am. Your fellow teams have been given the same forms. I expect an answer by noon tomorrow." He held the forms to be taken. "Do not worry, this is completely voluntarily. If you don't think you're able to go, be sure to tell your sensei that for your answer."

If they were off-hours, Tsukiko might've hugged her father. Heck, she was still tempted to do it for the offer he was giving them. She couldn't even believe that he thought that none of them might be able._ "Of course I'm able,"_ she told herself. She took the forms and held them out for her teammates to take.

"That will be all," the Hokage said to them. "You are dismissed."

They left the office and made their way out of the building. As soon as they touched pavement outside, Rin turned to her students and said, "Alright, you guys have the rest of the day off so you can think about your decision."

"You serious, sensei?" asked Tsukiko. It wasn't that she didn't want a day off, but she felt needed one after dealing with all those Bender kids.

"Of course," she answered. "I'll see you tomorrow at the usual spot."

She vanished with a **Shunshin** jutsu and they were left alone. "Well, see you guys tomorrow," Hiro told the others. He thought that they would be training for the rest of the day or doing another mission. If they've got the day off, there was a movie that he wanted to see.

Tsukiko started making plans too. She wanted to hit the mall. But before she could even take a step in the general direction of the mall, she felt a hand come down on her shoulder. "Guys," Arashi said, holding her and Hiro in place. "Can we talk about this?"

She looked back at him and the hand. "Hey, do you mind letting go?"

"Only if you don't run out on me," he replied.

"Why would I do that? Just let me go."

"Same here please," Hiro added. He had a hand clamped down on his shoulder too.

The dyed redhead let them both go. "Sorry," he apologized as they turned to face him. "I didn't want you two to go wandering off. So, can we talk?"

"Considering that you made us stop from walking away?" Tsukiko asked him, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Sure, why not?"

"Do you have a place where we can talk? Or should we just wander around?" He took a quick look at his watch. It told him that it was too early to eat dinner but too late in the day to eat lunch.

Arashi frowned for a moment, concentrating on his map of the village. "There's a playground nearby, right?" he asked them both.

"Yeah, there is," Tsukiko replied. She knew the one he was talking about, having spent many hours playing there herself when she was a little kid. That tubed slide had always seemed awesome to her.

"Let's go there."

They headed towards the playground, looking to everyone else like they were just another Genin team heading off somewhere. But as they walked, Hiro and Tsukiko were wondering what was going through their teammate's mind. When they got to the playground, Hiro sat down on one of the swings while Tsukiko hoisted herself up onto the top of the tube slide. It felt a little bit weird for them to do that. They looked around and saw that the playground now looked so small when it had been so big in their memories.

Hiro took himself out of that realization and looked at Arashi. "So what do you need to talk about?" he asked his teammate.

He held up his application form. "It's about this. I don't think that we should take it."

"What?" Tsukiko asked. "Are you nuts?"

He glared up at her. "I'm perfectly sane, Tsukiko. You know that."

"Well now, I'm having doubts."

"I'm kinda with her on this one, Arashi," Hiro said, pushing back and forth on the swing with his toe.

But he was the one who looked at them like they were crazy. "Guys, come on. Are you not even thinking about this?"

"Why should we?" she asked him. "This is the Chūnin Exams we're talking about here. Do you even know what that means?" That was probably a bit of a low blow. Out of the three of them, Arashi was the one who did the work the hardest. He knew what the Chūnin Exams were.

Like she thought, he got angry "Of course I know what the Chūnin Exams are!" he snapped at her.

She was going to apologize. But his snap made her apology fade away in her mouth. "Then you should be happy for this! It's the Chūnin Exams. We pass this successfully and we become Chūnin."

"And if we don't, we're liable to end up dead," he replied. "Look, I read the history books. When the last war ended, relationships between Konoha and Kiri were bitter. We go there with our level of experience, what are the odds of us getting out alive? Huh?" he asked challengingly.

Hiro looked up at Tsukiko. His teammate probably had a point. They would be going into a land where Konoha shinobi weren't particularly liked. He looked down at the ground. He watched it move back and forth, his foot the anchor point of his entire sight. "You really don't think we have a chance?" he asked.

"Hiro, we're Genin."

"Of course we are. That's our rank."

He shook his head. "That's not it. We are as Genin as we can get. We might be shinobi but we've still got green on us. It's a wonder that we don't grow plant life from all that green."

The Hyūga frowned at those words. "Did you pick that up from somewhere?" It didn't really sound like something Arashi would say.

He didn't bother to deny the fact. "From a training instructor on that first trip at sea," he explained. "I always thought that it worked.

"It kinda does, actually." It was something that he should remember for later on in life.

"We're getting off point here," Tsukiko said.

She was right. Arashi looked back to her. "Tsukiko, we are months fresh graduating from the Academy. Do you really think that we'll have a chance in the Chūnin Exams?"

"The Hokage and our sensei seem to think we are," she retorted.

"I'm not asking about them. I'm asking if you think we are ready. Because I don't think we are."

"Come on, Arashi. Our grandparents entered the Chūnin Exam when they were our age. They managed to come out of it alright."

He looked at her like he couldn't believe that she had used that for an argument. "Okay, first off: that was because the Exams were in Konoha and they were all Konoha shinobi. Secondly: we're not our grandparents. We've done some small missions and one big one. Suddenly you think we're ready?"

She didn't answer right away. He might've been onto something. But this was the Chūnin Exams. It would be her chance to prove herself to her family and to the people who still doubted her. "They wouldn't offer it to us if they didn't think we were ready," she finally said.

But he didn't look convinced. In fact, he looked more stubborn. "We're not ready, Tsukiko. We need more time to mature."

"And just how much more time do you think we need to mature?" she asked in challenge. "A year? Two? Three? Maybe even four?" She held out her own form out for him to see. "You see this? This is our chance to get promoted. We can't let it slip out of our hands."

"There'll be more chances," he objected. "They hold these things biannually."

Hiro saw that they were both glaring at each other. The air seemed about to snap with anger. "Look, Arashi," he said, "If you don't think you're ready, you don't need to sign up. They said that this is all voluntarily."

"You really think that they'd let a two-man Genin team take part in the exams, Hiro?" he asked back. "Something tells me that this is like the bell test: either we're all in it together, or they won't let us go at all."

Tsukiko saw an implication in his words. She got angry at what it might mean and what he might do. That same anger made her jump off the slide and marched up to him, getting right in his face. "Is that what you're going to do, huh?" she demanded. "You're going to refuse to sign up and spite us?"

"We are not ready," he said again, looking at her. Anger was beginning to leak through his voice, coming out from underneath the stubbornness that was layered on his tongue.

It looked like they were about to fight over this to Hiro. He got up from the swing and forced them apart. "Guys, take a breather," he told them both, doing his best to keep them away from each other. "Come on, this is nothing to fight over."

Arashi would've gladly argued the point. But he could see that there was some doubt beneath Tsukiko's anger and Hiro's concern. So he took a deep breath and said, "Look, promise me that you won't sign the forms right away. Take the time to think it over before making an actual decision."

"Fine," Tsukiko said without really thinking about it.

Hiro was still unsure about why Arashi wanted them to do this, but he could indulge him. "Alright, Arashi," he said, "I'll think on it."

Arashi watched the both of them leave the playground. He wasn't sure if they would actually think about it. He hoped that they would. But now he had doubts. Were they ready for the Chūnin Exams? He needed to clear his head and get some answers. It was a good thing he knew just the place to do both.

(Location: Republic City Police Headquarters)

_RING!_

_RING!_

The sudden ringing of the phone above his head made Mako jerk up instantly. But since he was still waking up, he forgot the fact that there was a desk between him and the phone. "Ow!" he yelped as his head hit the underside. The pain did a good job of getting him a bit more awake. He climbed out from underneath the desk, his hand searching for the phone along the way. "Police," he announced when he finally got the phone in hand and put it to his ear. He listened to the person calling but only got a panicked amount of words mashed together. He was able to understand a few but he was still very much confused. "He what?" he asked the caller, "Slow down." The caller did as he was told and was able to give him some actual information. It sounded like his store had been attacked. "Okay, I'm on my way."

He put the phone back in its cradle and went to the locker room for a quick shower. He didn't see any of the graveyard shift people in the locker room. It gave him a little of peace and quiet, something that he felt like he really needed. Ever since he came back from the South Pole, he just felt awkward around both Korra and Asami. He had broken up with one for the other and then broke up with the other because things would never work out between them. It felt like a landmine and he thought that the best way was to avoid them. It was why he put in so many hours at the police station now. Some of the other detectives might've looked at him a bit weirdly because of what he was doing, but he just focused on the work.

Once he was dressed in his uniform, he left for the garage. Since he had been promoted to detective, he could drive a Satomobile around the city. But he had actually declined the option, choosing instead to stick with his motorcycle. It was faster and got through traffic whenever it got clogged badly. Plus, he kinda got attached to his. As he got on the seat and put the key in the ignition, he wondered if he would be allowed to soup it up a little bit. He knew a few garages that could do it. But the more he thought about it, he dismissed it. _"The Chief would have my hide if I did anything like that to a cop motorcycle."_

As he sped away from Police Headquarters, the lights of the city turned into something of a blur. If he went fast enough, it all became a tunnel of light and darkness, merged and diverging all around him. But for now, he was content to drive the speed limit to reach the caller. His eyes looked at Republic City. To them, it was a beautiful city. Even in the darkness of the night, there was beauty in it. Other people might disagree with him but he knew there was beauty there because he had lived in it.

When he reached the address that the call had come from, it looked to be a shop to his eyes. Everything looked normal. But when he opened the door and stepped inside, what he saw was a complete and utter mess. The shopkeeper was trying to clean everything up with a broom but it looked like he would need more than that to clean it all up. "What the heck did all this?" Mako asked as he tried to take it all in. It honestly looked like a typhoon had blown through.

As soon as he heard his voice, the shopkeeper ran right over to him. "It was my brother. He's out of control," he said, his voice still sounding a little bit panicked.

"Okay, just tell me what happened," Mako told him, using the calm and level voice he was taught in basic training. He pulled out a notepad and got his pen ready to take notes.

"We were arguing about the books, and Daw was yelling at me. And all of a sudden, things started flying around. He was creating this storm, like—"

"Like what?"

"Well, like he was Airbending."

For a moment, he didn't really hear what he had heard. But then the information took root in his head and made him stop in his notes. "Sir, that's impossible. There are only five Airbenders in the entire world, and, your brother is not one of them." Not only was it an established fact about the Airbenders, he also knew it was true because he was friends with them too.

But the shopkeeper seemed determined. "I know what I saw. He was freaking out yelling, 'What's happening to me?!' Then, he ran into the back room and locked himself in." He gestured to the door at the back of the store.

"_Well, if the guy is still there, I can talk to him."_ He walked past the shopkeeper to the door. He knocked on it and said, "Police. Open up."

"Go away!" a panicked voice screamed from the other side.

"Get out here, sir, or I'm knocking this door down," he ordered. The door didn't move an inch. "One, two—"

The next thing he knew, he smelled wood resin up close and there was a very large weight pressing him against the floor. He wondered why he smelled wood resin or why there was a weight on. Then he realized that it was the door on top of him. It had been blow clean off its hinges and was still in intact. There was only one way that could've happened. But it should've been impossible. "I'm so sorry!" he heard that same panicked voice apologized. Then there was the sound of running feet going past him and panicked screaming.

As he pushed the door off him, Mako didn't see the man. But he did hear the sound of air being bent outside the store. The shopkeeper knelt down beside him. "I told you. Airbending!" he said, still panicked.

Mako looked at him for a long second before slumping down against a cabinet with a sigh. _"I gotta call the Chief. She is not going to believe this."_

(Location: Air Temple Island)

As morning rose over the island, Korra stood by Tenzin in one of the gardens. The rest of the family, along with Asami and Bolin, was by their side while Tenzin and his sister argued with their big brother. "Tenzin, please be serious about this!" Tenzin said.

"I am serious!" Bumi retorted. He was the only one who was sitting on his legs, waiting for Korra to bend his Airbending away.

"This is Airbending, Bumi. You have it." It was something that he had never thought would happen but he was glad for it now.

"Exactly!" his brother cried. "I can't be a Bender." He looked towards Korra. "Come on, Korra. Bend me already."

She didn't move from her spot. Even though Bumi was looking at her insistently, she couldn't do what he wanted. Ever since he asked her to do it last night, Amon kept flashing in front of her eyes. The feeling of Bloodbending taking control of her body against her will was enough to make her shiver. So she looked at Tenzin and asked, "Do you think being in the Spirit World during Harmonic Convergence could have given him Bending?"

"I suppose it's possible," he conceded. He hadn't given it much thought. He was still being caught up with the surprise of it all.

Ikki heard the doubt in her father's voice. She was surprised that he would doubt something like this. "Maybe Uncle Bumi is just a late bloomer," she chimed in.

That rang true with Kya. "I have been noticing a change in your aura lately," she told Bumi while checking his energy flow.

"And you didn't tell me?" he demanded. "We could've stopped this before it could even happen!"

She would've frowned at him for saying such thing but his words were still tinged with why he wanted his new ability gone. "Don't you want Airbending? You were the only one who didn't have before now." She could still remember the look on his face when he first saw her and Tenzin Bending for the first time. Each time it was a look of sadness mixed with anger.

"When I was a kid, but I can't have it now. I am the Paragon of the Air Nomads. I can't be a Bender. It would defeat the purpose!"

She sighed. "Bumi, I know you think that being a Paragon is important but—"

He flashed her a look that was deadly serious. "Finished that sentence, Kya, and I will take you to Naruto so he can hear it." She shut her mouth instantly. She knew exactly what he meant and she knew that Naruto would do something horrible to her for it. She felt a small shiver of pain at her hair roots just by thinking of what could happen. She was glad to see Lin walk into the garden with Mako at her side.

One look at Bumi kneeling on the ground like he was expecting some kind of punishment was enough for Lin to know that something had happened last night. "So what did he do this time?" she asked Tenzin when she stopped in front of him.

"Lin, you won't believe this," he told her. "Bumi just started Airbending."

It was definitely not news that she was expecting. One look at Mako showed that he didn't expect it either. What he had told her suddenly seemed a lot bigger. "I'm afraid he's not the only one."

"What?" said Korra and Tenzin together.

"I got a call last night about a guy who just started Airbending out of nowhere," Mako explained to them.

Tenzin felt a hope in his heart. It was a hope of something that he didn't think would be possible. "You mean there's another one?" he asked Mako. "Where is he now?"

"He…blew a door down on me and got away," he explained, sounding rather embarrassed about it. He tried to get past it by sounding official. "We got an all-points bulletin out on him right now."

That was the entirety of their visit to the island. Korra saw them leave. She felt a little left out. "Wait, we'll help you look for him," she announced. "Where should we start?"

Lin didn't break her stride walking away. But Mako stopped and turned back to them. When he looked at both girls he dated and broke up with, his tongue suddenly felt very thick in his mouth. "Oh, well, y'know, you should leave it with the police. It's…police business. Y'know. It's um…official."

She tried to understand what he was saying, but it had been so awkward. His eyes also kept moving around, like they were unable to look at her directly for long periods of time. "Okay," she said, unsure of what was going but still rather concerned for him. "How are you doing? You know, you're welcome to stay here instead of sleeping at the police station." Asami came up beside her in silent support.

Staring at the two of them made him feel even more awkward than before. "No, I'm fine." He tried putting on a smile but he could feel how awkward it felt. "I should just, get going. So, as you were," his hand snapped to his forehead automatically, "ladies." A second passed and he realized just how stupid and awkward he must've looked to them. The only thing he could do was just get away.

Korra and Asami watched him walk away after Lin, his hand still at his forehead. They looked at each other, trying to figure out just what happened now. "You suddenly wish that Arashi was here now?" Asami asked her.

She nodded. "Yeah, I do." That little blonde would've gone after Mako and dragged him back to make things clear.

Still, the news that was another Airbender in Republic City was enough to make both of them get off the island for the mainland. Korra felt a lightness in her step as they approached Asami's Satomobile. "This is so exciting! New Airbenders in the city," she said to Asami. "I bet we can find that guy before Mako does." As she reached for the passenger side door, she saw something glinting in the air. She grabbed it and saw that she was now holding the keys. The implications were clear and she didn't like them. "You know I'm not very good at this," she reminded her friend.

Asami looked at her with a little amusement and also encouragement. "You're the Avatar, master of all the elements. You should know how to drive. Besides," she added while pushing her hair back, "it's relaxing."

Korra was a little distracted by the hair flip. It was a move that looked unconsciously graceful on Asami. She wished that she could have hair like that. Hers just fell flat and heavy when it was down. She realized what she was thinking about and shook herself out of her. "Alright," she said. "But I gave you fair warning."

Asami smiled at her. "You'll be fine."

It only took her ten minutes of Korra driving to change her opinion. She kept screaming "Clutch! Clutch!" as the Satomobile jerked its way down the road. When it came to a literal screeching halt, all she said was "That's the brake." She took a moment to get her breath back under control. She looked at Korra and saw the frustrated look on her face. "Let's try again. You ready?" She heard the Satomobile behind them honking but she wasn't paying attention to it.

Korra wasn't paying attention to it either as she saluted her just like Mako had. The imitation made them both laugh and the humor made the Avatar relax a little bit. "How long do you think talking to Mako is gonna be like pulling teeth?" she asked as she started the Satomobile up again.

The honking finally stopped, which meant that the driver behind them must've gone away. Asami was glad because that horn was rather annoying. Still, there was her question to consider. "Well, Mako has never been the most…'in touch with his feelings' guy," she remarked as the Satomobile started up again, a lot smoother this time around, "but it'll get better eventually."

It didn't really assure Korra. "So, when I was gone, did he tell you that we broke up?" she asked.

"Yeah…we all knew. Sorry."

She could feel a blush burning her face at that. "That's pretty embarrassing."

Seeing the blush made Asami think about what happened during that time. Now was probably as good a place as ever to talk about it. "Actually, I need to tell you something about that," She tried to find the words, but they came out awkward, "and I should have told you this sooner, but…while you were gone…I…kind of…kissed him. I'm sorry."

She was surprised to hear that and looked at Asami with that same surprise showing on her face. But then it turned to laughter. "No wonder he's so nervous around us!" the Avatar exclaimed. Now it made sense!

That wasn't the reaction she had been expecting. "You're not mad?"

"No! I mean, I kissed Mako when he was going out with you, so…"

"You what?" asked Asami. She sounded very annoyed and suspicious.

Korra's internal warning senses started ringing off the hook, telling her that she had stepped on something wrong. "I'm so sorry!" she apologized instantly. "I thought you knew!"

She lost the suspicious look and smiled at her. "I'm just kidding. I knew a long time ago."

She was glad to hear that and showed it with a relieved chuckle. "Well, whatever happened with Mako, I'm glad it hasn't come between us. I've never had a girlfriend to hang out with and talk to before, except for Naga." She looked at Asami and said, "This is nice."

It was nice. For the moment, the Satomobile driving down the streets, it didn't feel like they had titles to Asami. She wasn't the apprentice to Naruto, Paragon of the Fire Nation. Korra wasn't the Avatar destined to keep the world in balance. They were just two friends enjoying a drive. But then she looked at the road and the moment passed. "Vine! Vine!" she shouted at Korra.

Korra saw the massive vine jutting out into the middle of the street like a roadblock. Her foot found the brake and pressed down hard. The car almost swerved right off the road as it came screeching to a halt right in front of the vine. Both Korra and Asami sat there, taking in the fact that they almost ran into a vine. But then they saw a spirit appear on the vine to look down at them. **"****Hey! Watch where you're going!"** it ordered them.

The Avatar looked back up at the spirit. To her eyes, it looked it was a mix between a fruit and a hedgehog, somehow. But that wasn't important. "What are you doing living in the middle of the road in the first place?!" she demanded, standing up in her seat so she could look at it better.

"**Don't ask me, Avatar! You made the world this way. We're just living in it!"**

Now that was an excuse if she had ever heard one. But again, that wasn't the point here. The point was where the vines were. "Look, I don't have anything against spirits, but these vines are causing major problems all over the city!"

"**Spirits, vines. We're all the same. Seems like the Avatar would know that,"** it said in a snooty manner, like it was somehow better than she was. It was about to turn away when it saw Asami in the passenger seat. **"You, you're the Fire Paragon's apprentice, aren't you?"** it asked her.

While it wasn't the first time she had been asked that question. It would've been the first asked by a spirit. "Yes, I am," she answered. It just gave her a fearful look and quickly backed away, disappearing from sight.

Korra watched the spirit go and then looked at her friend. "What was that all about?"

She gave it a quick thought. "I'm not sure, but it might have something to do with why the vines won't go near Sensei's apartment building."

Now that was something the Avatar hadn't heard before. "What happened?"

"Apparently he saw the vines coming when he came back from grocery shopping. He went inside and came back out with his sword and told the vines to consider their next move very carefully. The vines hadn't gone near his place since." And since then, it was like the buildings around Naruto's building were like prime land. Everyone was trying to move there.

"Huh." While that was interesting, she was more focused on what the spirit had said to her. She sat back down in her seat and stared off into space.

Asami saw how she was staring and got a little concerned. "Korra, you okay?"

"I think that spirit just gave me an idea how to get rid of these vines…" she replied. Her hand came to her chin as she thought the idea through. "But I'm gonna need a lot of water."

(Location: Air Temple Island)

Sometimes when Tenzin liked to mediate, he would sit on a cliff's edge that faced his father's statue. There, it felt like he could have a conversation with Aang. And now, it was something that he needed now more than ever. "It's like a dream, Dad," he said to the statue. "After a hundred and seventy years, new Airbenders."

It was something that he never thought would happen in his lifetime. He had always thought that the Air Nomads would be reborn gradually, through his children and their children and so on and so forth. He had known a few people who thought that it was all too slow and suggested that he spread his seed, as it were. They had even suggested that he took multiple wives, as if that would soothe his conscience.

Now, he could admit that when he had first thought about the offer, the idea of him marrying both Pema and Lin, two girls that he had loved at the time, was a little tempting. But while it was tempting, he knew that it would not be a good idea. The same offers had been made to his father when he was alive, right up until his death, and the man had refused them all, staying married only to his mother. That was why he refused the offers and ideas.

"Dad," he heard Ikki call out to him. He turned his head and saw her, along with Jinora and Meelo, coming running towards him. The younger two hopped on him but the eldest stood by his side. "When a new guy gets Airbending, does that make him our brother?"

It was a question that he had expected of Ikki. He was glad that she had asked it. "Well, in a way, all Airbenders are our family."

She pouted. "Does that mean I have to share my room? Because I _like_ my personal space," she told him insistently.

"Of course not," he assured her. "But we might have to get used to not being the _only_ Airbenders around anymore."

"I hope we have enough for an _army_," Meelo said before leaping off his father's shoulders. "I want to be a Commander like Uncle Bumi."

"Air Nomads don't have armies, Meelo," Jinora told him. The way she sounded made it seem like he should've known that and that he was stupid for not.

Tenzin would've thought more about her tone of voice if he wasn't still overwhelmed by the prospect of it. "But maybe, there will be enough to fill the temples again," he said. As he said those words, he could feel a wetness forming around his eyes.

"What's wrong, Daddy?" his eldest daughter asked, seeing the tears glistening in his eyes. She worried that it might've been something that she had said, maybe towards Meelo.

"I just wish your grandfather was here to see this." Avatars normally lived long lives, probably longer than a normal human would be able to live. But a century in the ice had taken its toll on his father and he passed away in his sixties. Considering the lives of his predecessors, it almost seemed too young.

Meelo looked back at his father but still saw the statue of his grandfather out of the corner of his eye. It was a solemn thing to take in. He didn't want that. "Will you be Airbender President?" he asked, moving his body back to him childishly.

"No," he told his son with a short shake of his head. "But I think the new Airbenders will need lots of help and guidance to understand what it means to be part of our nation. That's a big responsibility."

"Don't worry Dad, we'll help you." He walked up to his dad and gave him a big hug across the chest.

Ikki and Jinora hugged him too. He hugged them back. "I know you will."

(Location: Konoha)

Rock Lee was not surprised when he saw that someone was in his house. If they had been waiting in his living room, he knew that it was simply one of his old comrades. But the living room was empty, so it must be one of the young shinobi who knew where he lived. _"It is a wonder that they haven't told anyone about where I live,"_ he thought to himself. He knew that when he was young, it was hard to keep secrets from his friends.

He paused at the dinner table, listening to know where his visitor was at. There was a faint sound of air moving rapidly and flesh hitting leather repeatedly. It seemed that his visitor was in the gym. He made his way there and saw that his visitor was Arashi. The young Uzumaki was on the first floor, pounding away on a punching ball. His strikes were coordinated and focused, so he wasn't angry about something. But the ferocity that was striking the ball did say that he was peeved about something.

He waited for the dyed redhead to slow down to a finish before asking, "Something on your mind?"

Arashi looked back at him, a little surprised. "Lee-sensei, sorry, I didn't see you there," he said.

"I believe that's the point of being a shinobi," the old man replied with a small smile. "Are you in the middle of a workout?"

He shook his head. "No, just blowing off steam."

"That's what I thought. You need to talk about it."

He considered the offer. It was probably a good idea to get advice from someone older. And there was the added benefit that Rock Lee might not judge him for what he was thinking. He walked over to a nearby bench and sat down, taking a swing from the nearby water bottle. "It's about my team."

It usually was when it came to Genin, but he wasn't going to say that aloud. He went over to the bench himself but did not sit down at it. "What about them? Did you come to a disagreement?"

"No, nothing like that, I think."

"You think?"

His face screwed up in a frown. "It wasn't a full-blown argument but we did argue about it."

"What's this all about?"

"The Chūnin Exams," he answered, resting his head against the wall behind him.

"Goodness," Lee said, honestly sounding like he was surprised by the news, "Is it that time again already?"

He pulled his head away from the wall and looked at the old man. He did look surprised but Arashi couldn't believe that he didn't know. "You didn't know?"

He just laughed good-naturally, like his surprise was something expected. "When you get to be my age and my rank, serving for as long as I have, the times for the Chūnin Exams start blurring together and the excitement for it starts wearing thin." His good-natured expression vanished suddenly, being replaced by a stern look. "Why are you concerned about the Chūnin Exams in the first place? You've barely graduated from the Academy."

"Thank you! That's what I said!"

Lee fell silent. That had not been the reaction he had been expecting. The usual reaction would've been anger and injured pride, usually coming with them saying they were Genin. But the agreement from Arashi was not something he planned for. "You don't think that you are ready for the Chūnin Exams?"

"Agni preserve me, no," Arashi said, conviction layering over his words. "It's like you said, we're barely out of the Academy and they think we can do the Chūnin Exams? They've gotta be nuts!" He clamped down on his tongue before he could say anything else. That wasn't something he should say about his leader!

The old man didn't look like he disapproved. "I won't hold it against you, Arashi. Trust me we've all had those kinds of thoughts about our leaders at times. Just be careful where you say it."

He opened his mouth again. "Thanks for that, Lee-sensei. But seriously, we're not ready for this. We've been on one big mission. That's it. And they think we're ready?"

Lee could see where this was going. "And your teammates disagreed with your belief?"

"Yeah, that's what we fought about. I tried to convince them that we weren't ready and only managed to get them to think it over before tomorrow." He paused and thought back to the playground. In hindsight, he looked to be too insistent, practically falling into bullying. If there was one thing he didn't approve of, it was bullying. "Did I do the right thing?" He felt like he had bullied them into considering the idea.

"You did," he assured the boy.

"You think?" The more he thought about it, the less he was so certain.

"Yes. I know what you are thinking. I've been through it myself." He could see the slight disbelief in Arashi's eyes. It probably wasn't intentional but he doubt Lee's words. "Have you been told about my first Chūnin Exams?"

"I've read about them. The Konoha Twelve were all Genin who had recently graduated from the Academy."

He grimaced at those words, an old reflex. "Did you get that from the Academy history books?"

"Yes."

"I keep telling them to change that line. They never listen."

"Sensei?" said Arashi. He wondered what the old man was talking about. The way he was frowning, it looked like an old grudge. Should he ask about that?

Lee brought his attention back to the present. "What the books don't tell you that Team Guy, my team, waited a year before entering the Exams. Guy-sensei wanted us to have more experience before going into it and he was also careful to make sure that we entered the Exams when it was being held in Konoha."

He looked at the differences between what happened to Rock Lee's team and what was happening to his. They were enough for him to say, "Whereas we would be going into this exam barely out of the Academy and into the Land of Water too."

"Yes, that is troubling. But," he said, not done with his words, "I can see what Madara would be trying to present to the other countries with this attempt. Not only does he believe that Genin fresh out of the Academy have enough to be there, he's also doing a silent presentation."

"What presentation?"

He looked down at the dyed redhead. "A presentation of his own daughter, the granddaughter of Sasuke and Sakura Uchiha, the grandson of Hinata Hyūga, and the grandson of Naruto Uzumaki himself," he said, laying it out so that it was obvious.

As soon as he heard the explanation, Arashi saw it. Anger started to burn through him but it didn't overwhelm him. "They would really do that?" he asked.

"The Chūnin Exams isn't just about Genin getting promoted. It's also about politics. If the Hokage makes such a display, he's showing the promise of future Konoha shinobi."

He could see it. He didn't want to, but he could see it. "I still think that we're not ready."

"And I agree with you," Lee told him. "But it's not just about you. It's down to your teammates too."

* * *

Tsukiko thought that she didn't need to think about it. But even as the day went on, she thought about what Arashi had said more and more. By the time she had gotten home, she felt like she needed advice. She couldn't talk to her father, not when he gave her the opportunity. She went to her grandparents' house and knocked on the door. "Hello?" she called out.

The door opened and her grandmother looked down at her. "Tsuki," she said.

"Hey, Oba," she said back. "Can I come inside? There's something I want to ask you and Jiji."

"Of course," her grandmother said without hesitation, turning back into the house.

She followed, closing the door behind her. Her grandparents' house was one of the smallest in the complex. It always smelled nice when she walked through its halls, like a garden in bloom. That came from the garden the two of them had grown in the backyard. It was a place that she loved. When she was little, the garden paths always seemed to take her on adventures to new places.

She found both her grandparents on the back porch, looking out at the garden. Her grandfather was reading a book as she stepped out onto the wooden pouch. "Hello, Tsukiko," he said, eyes flicking up from the book. He set it down on the table so his full attention would be on her. "What's on your mind?"

"Well, Dad offered my team a chance to go to the Chūnin Exams," she started. They lost their warm looks and became neutral. She felt like she immediately got into trouble. "We haven't said yes," she quickly assured them. "We were given the night to think it over."

They didn't look relieved to hear that. "Do you think you're ready?" her grandfather asked her. But he sounded formal, official, almost like he was the head of the Uchiha clan once more.

"I thought I was. But ever since Arashi—"

"Arashi?" repeated Sakura, her face showing her surprise for a brief moment.

Tsukiko sighed. Sometimes she hated how they reacted to whatever Arashi did like this. "Yes, Oba, Arashi was the one who thought that we weren't ready."

Sasuke shared a look with his wife, a look that was full of knowing but also amusement. "So he tried to convince you that you weren't ready."

"Yeah, he did. We kinda fought about it. He asked me and Hiro to think it over before we gave our answers tomorrow. I didn't think we needed to but now—"

"Now you're not so sure about it," he finished.

"Yeah," she replied. There really wasn't any other way to say it.

"So, why are you here?" His eyes drifted down to the book on the wooden table in front of him.

"Sasuke," Sakura said, reprimanding him lightly. She knew that he knew why their granddaughter was here. There was no need to lead her on like this.

But Tsukiko said, "I came here because I wanted advice. I wanted to know if I am ready."

"You're not ready," her grandfather said bluntly.

She stared at him, completely caught off guard. "…Okay, that was fast." She would've thought they'd take longer to consider the situation she was in.

He looked at her with a look that seemed uncompromising. "You wanted to know if you were ready for the Chūnin Exams. If you came looking for someone else's advice, it means you're not ready to make your own decisions. If you can't make your own decisions, you're not ready."

She felt embarrassed by how he said his words. That embarrassment quickly turned into anger. She said, "I can make my own decisions!" Her volume shot up and her voice echoed out over the garden. As it repeated itself through the air, it sounded more and more childish before finally faded away.

Her Jiji was unmoving. "Then why are you here asking for advice?"

"Sasuke, stop tormenting her," Sakura told him in reprimand. He fell silent and she took over. "Tsuki, becoming a Chūnin is more than just getting a promotion and a vest to go with it. It's also about being given responsibilities. A Chūnin will often lead a squad of Chūnin or Genin. That means they'll be in charge of making the decisions. While it is good to listen to advice, you must also be able to make your own decisions."

Tsukiko listened to her Oba's gentle lecturing. Her anger started to fade away as she listened. She understood what was being said and felt rather foolish for shouting at her Jiji like that. What he had said seemed truer now. "I think I understand," she said when Sakura was done.

"Now, do you think you're ready?"

"I thought I did. Now I'm not so sure." She looked at them both with a questioning glance. It was odd, she admitted, seeing them sitting there like an old married couple. She knew them as her grandparents. But they were also legends in the shinobi world. Sometimes it felt hard to reconcile the two of them. Now was one of them.

She didn't know what tipped them off about what she was thinking. But somehow they knew. "Tsuki, do you know of our first Chūnin Exams?" Sakura asked her.

That felt like such a stupid question. She tried to keep the exasperation out of her voice when she said, "Of course I know of it. It's famous in the Elemental Countries." A group of Genin that was barely out of the Academy enters the Exams and some of them even make it all the way to the finals. But it was also the Exams where Orochimaru had decided to try and destroy Konoha with the aid of a fooled Suna. Instead of panicking, they did their duty and held the lines against the invaders. Her own grandparents, along with Shikamaru Nara and Naruto Uzumaki, went after Gaara and defeated him.

Her grandmother was serious in her demeanor. "Did you know that when we had time to decide whether or not we wanted to join the Exams, I was the one who wasn't sure about it?"

"You?" she said. It was surprise. Her Oba was always a strong, confident woman in her eyes. To hear her say otherwise came as a shock to the system.

"Me. But I didn't think that the team wasn't ready. I thought that I wasn't ready. Sasuke was Sasuke, so he was all set to go." Jiji gave her a look. She just smiled back at him. "Naruto, while a loudmouth that seemed thick at first glance, saw it as the next step to being the Hokage and was motivated by. But me?" she asked rhetorically. "I was a glorified bookworm who only really had good chakra control. I didn't bring anything else to the table. I didn't think I was ready."

"And now?" asked Tsukiko.

She laughed and said, "Now? Now I know I wasn't ready. None of us were. How many times did we get close to death at the second Exam?" she asked her husband.

"I wasn't keeping track," he replied. "And I was unconscious for a part of it."

"Ah, yes. You were."

Their granddaughter felt her own face turn pale. "D-Death?" she stuttered.

"_Madara didn't tell her about that?"_ Sasuke thought with a severe frown. He could understand why his son wouldn't tell them that it was possible and would've even approved of the decision. But this was his daughter. She deserved to know. "Yes, Tsukiko," he said. "It is very possible for Genin to die during the Chūnin Exams."

"Oh." What else could she say to that?

"Do you still think you're ready?"

"You guys already asked me that question."

"We know," Sakura said to her. "But it's still an important question. Do you still think you're ready?"

She didn't answer but the look on her face showed them that she was reconsidering her belief in her own ability. That was a good thing. She and her team still time to grow and learn. It was something that Sakura and Sasuke had long come to realize that they had still needed then. If they had more time before the Exams, things might've gone completely different for them. Naruto might still have been with them.

(Location: Republic City)

"I hope this works," Korra said as she looked up at her intended target, standing on bridge along with Lin and Bolin. It was one of the buildings that were covered in vines, vines that also covered half the bridge itself. What made this one different from the others that she could've picked was the fact it was next to one of the city's water canals. Like she told Asami, she was going to need water and not just from a bucket or something.

She heard the sound of feet walking together behind her. When she looked back, she saw that it was the president and the press. "What are you guys doing here?" she demanded

"I was alerted that you had a new plan to wipe out these noxious weed," Raiko told her. "So I thought you'd want everyone to be here to watch."

"_That's just low,"_ she thought to herself. The president knew that the both of them hated the press for attacking them like this while they were trying to figure out the vines. But they had never used the press to attack each other before now. Her respect and opinion of President Raiko seemed to drop every time he opened his mouth.

"Avatar Korra," one of the reporters called out, "do you really think—"

"No questions!" she snapped, throwing out an authoritative hand. "Just stand there. Silently!" she added. She knew that their questions could be very distracting.

She turned back around and approached the vines. She took only a few steps before stopping. She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing.

In and out.

In and out.

She reached into herself and called upon her power. Her eyes snapped open, glowing white. Everyone took an unconscious step back from her. They couldn't see her eyes, but they could tell that something had just changed about her. She brought her hands out in front of her and started moving them with a grace that was effortless. She bent the water out of the canal and up around the building. The ribbons spread out wide so they could encircle the building completely. Once the two became one, she began to channel the energy through it all. Seeing the gold ribbons floating around the house, glowing in the daylight, she knew it had to be an awe-inspiring sight. She knew that she was impressed.

Gradually, the roots pulled themselves out from the building and the bridge, retreating down into the waters of the canal. She didn't stop until they were completely gone from sight. Only then did she let the water drop away too. "Go in peace," she said, bowing her head in respect. She lifted her head up as she heard people running. Sure enough, when she looked back, reporters were already at her side, hounding her for information.

"How did you know what to do?"

"Will you send the spirits away now?"

"How soon can we expect public water service to resume?"

"_Are they serious?"_ she couldn't help but think to herself, already frowning in annoyance. They had just witness something incredible and all they wanted to know was if she had more questions! Do these people have no sense of wonder?

The water exploded open with a sound of a cannon firing, shocking them all. The vines shot out and encircled the building again, much thicker this time. It didn't stop there as more vines came out of the water and started infesting buildings on the other side of the canal. The closest one was so filled with dense vines it started to collapse under the weight.

"Look out!" Korra shouted in warning but the reporters were already running away. She, Lin, and Bolin sprang into action. The Earthbender bent supports to stabilize the building while she grabbed her glider staff and ran for the front door. She blasted it open with Airbending and looked at the people inside. They were all scared and worried, but there was hope in their eyes too.

"Let's go, people!" she ordered them, getting down to it, "Hurry." They didn't waste time running out the entrance that she gave them. She stayed in place, counting heads as they went past her. It started as a flood but quickly lessened into a dribble before finally finishing. That was the majority of the people but there could still be people up above. She had to go look. She took a running start and opened up her glider, flying up to the higher levels.

Her gut had been right. She saw a kid hanging close to a window, half in the apartment and on the vine outside. She landed next to him and held out her hand. He reached for it but froze when they both heard stone tearing itself apart from above. Korra looked up and saw a tower of the building coming down fast. "Hang on," she told the kid grabbing hold of him and leaping off the building.

What they did wasn't a flight as much as it was a controlled fall. As soon as she felt the air currents balance, she leveled off and closed the glider, landing in a roll. She let the kid go from her grasp, spinning around so she would face the building. The tower piece almost crashed into the ground before she caught it with her Earthbending. The strain on her arms felt enormous and she felt the need to drop it fast. But she forced herself to lower it gently, letting it land so it wouldn't cause any more damage.

As she felt the strain on her arms fade away, she got back to her feet. Both Bolin and Lin were by her side. All three looked at the new building covered in vines. "I think that could've gone better," Bolin declared.

Korra didn't bother snapping at him for the obvious comment. She was too busy being annoyed with herself. It had seemed like such a good idea when she first came up with it but using energy to bend the vines away just made them stronger. _"If I ever find that fruithog spirit again, I'm going to kill it,"_ she promised.

(Location: Air Temple Island)

As Tenzin approached Korra in the gazebo, she was facing out to sea but still said, "Can't talk. Meditating."

He could see that she was mediating. She was sitting in the proper position in an empty space so she could have clarity of mind. "You must be at the end of your rope," he remarked. "You hate meditating." The old Korra, the Korra that had been fresh off the boat, had disdained meditating, preferring to train or just Bend. Sometimes, it astounded him that she had come this far. Sometimes, it astounded him that it was almost a year since she came to Republic City.

She stopped trying to mediate and slumped forward a little. "I thought if I really tried I might be able to contact my past Avatars," she explained as she stood up and walked to the railing, "someone who knows something to help me, but I can't. They're gone and I'm all alone." It was not a comforting thing for her. Even though she had barely access that part of her Avatar Spirit, her predecessors were still there to give her answers. But now, it was like she had this cold feeling around her shoulders, like she was missing eyes that had been watching her. She turned around to face Tenzin. "Did I ruin everything by leaving the spirit portals open?" she asked him.

"You didn't _ruin_ anything," he assured her. "You did what you thought was best for the world, and now things have changed." He saw that she still doubted herself and his words. He walked up to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Change can be good or bad, depending on your point of view."

She knew that he had a point, but the events of today were still fresh in her mind. She sighed and said, "I know the people's point of view. It's bad."

"You're not the President, Korra. Your job isn't to fix the daily problems of every person in Republic City. Your responsibility is to bring balance to the entire world, and that means no matter what you do, some people are not going to be happy about it."

She dropped down to the ground and said, "Great."

"On the other hand, some people will be very happy," he continued, sitting down next to her. "Like me. What you did during Harmonic Convergence may have brought back the Air Nation, and that can only be good for restoring balance. That is the act of a great Avatar."

"It's scary. I have all this power and all these people depending on me, but I don't know what I am supposed to be doing half the time. It seems like I should be…wiser." It should've been true especially after everything that she has seen.

"True wisdom begins when we accept things as they are. You've started a new age, Korra. There's no going back to the past."

They heard a sudden rushing of feet from behind that came to a quick halt. There was only one person who would do that when it was clear they were meditating. "Mako called!" Bolin announced. "The cops found the new Airbender guy, but when they tried to bring him in, he ran away and climbed to the top of Kyoshi Bridge and won't come down." When he finished talking, he saw what they were doing. "Ooh sorry, did I interrupt an Avatar wisdom session?"

Korra just stood up and quickly passed him "Avatar wisdom is the thing of the past, Bolin," she said with a light thump to his shoulder. "Come on."

"Oh okay," he said as he watched her and Tenzin go by. "Is that a good thing?"

"Depends who you ask."

* * *

As they flew down onto Kyoshi Bridge atop Oogi, the three of them saw that the cops were all out in force. There were men on the ground as well on the supports. All attention was focused on the man clutching to the top of the bridge. Korra took one look at him and knew that he wouldn't come down easily. Both Lin and Mako were there too. She had a megaphone pointed right at the guy. "Come down immediately, or we will be forced to take action," she ordered.

He didn't answer her, preferring to swing his rapidly around to look at the Metalbenders moving closer. "Stay back!" he shouted at them. "I'm dangerous." One of the cops launched a cable at him. He panicked, throwing his arms wide on instinct. The air he bent blew the cops right off the railings and down to the water below. "Sorry!" he told them.

Korra saw the cops bend their cables to stop their fall. They pulled themselves back up to safety. But the guy up there wasn't moving and he was a walking windstorm. It didn't help that he was panicking too. Someone had to get up there, someone who could stop his Airbending. Her legs started moving before she made the decision to fly up there. Her glider snapped open and she was airborne before anyone could stop her. She landed on one of the supports above the new Airbender. "Don't panic, I'm just here to talk," she told him right away.

He was still panicking and it showed in his voice. "Please, I don't know what I'm doing and I don't want to hurt anyone."

"Tell me about it. Rough day, huh?" she asked him, keeping her voice casual. "I'm having kind of a rough day myself. You mind if I sit down here?" He looked up at her like she was crazy but didn't say anything to stop her. "Look, I know you're scared. You've gone through a big change and it's kind of my fault. But you're not alone. There are other Airbenders and they want to help you. Actually, they are really excited to meet you."

"I don't want to be an Airbender. Please, you're the Avatar, make it stop." He took a couple of steps towards her. His foot nearly slipped off the bridge and he plastered himself to the support beam.

Hearing those words, it made her think of what happened between her and her mother in the South Pole. She had been so angry with her father and she said something that she thought to be the truth then. She had said that all she wanted was to be the Avatar, not to have a normal childhood. Looking back at what she said, she felt so stupid for saying it. "I'm sorry," she told him, "I can't, but I promise you things will get better if you just give it a chance. Let me take you over to Air Temple Island and we can talk this through. Okay?" She held her hand to him, an offer of friendship and hope.

He still looked unsure about everything, but he was also beginning to look a little convinced about her words. "Are you sure?" he asked her.

"Of course," she promised. "What's your name?" She had never heard his name. She would have to know it if he was going to be a part of the Air Nomads.

"It's Daw." He reached hesitantly for her hand. The distance was too great for just that. He would have to move closer to her. As he moved his foot, it went to the edge. It was the foot that had lost its boot and slicked with sweat. It moved farther than he had intended and took him over the edge. All he could feel was the wind pushing against his face and the bridge coming closer and closer faster.

But Korra wouldn't let him fall like that. Just as she had hours before, she leapt after him. Her hand grabbed his shirt and she snapped the glider open, letting them fly the current down. She heard cheering but focused on the flying. The current leveled out behind Oogi and it allowed her to land with him, everything intact. She saw that it was people cheering behind barricades, but was more focused on Tenzin approaching them. "Daw, this is Tenzin. He is going to help you."

Tenzin looked at the new Airbender. His clothes were blown and torn, like he had gone through a gale to get here. That didn't matter to him. "It is absolutely my pleasure to meet you, Daw," he said with a short bowing of the head. "I have never met a new Airbender before. Well, at least not one whose diaper I didn't have to change."

"Actually, I just fell off a bridge so I could use a fresh diaper right about now," Daw said in reply. Neither the Airbending master nor the Avatar said in anything back. They just hoped that he was kidding about the diaper.

It was also not the end of everything. "So, is this the deal?" President Raiko called out to Korra as he walked up to the barricade. A cop bent it out of his way so he could walk through unopposed. "We have crisis every other day now thanks to you."

Korra felt her temper losing its fuse but tried to keep it under control as she walked up to him. "Listen, I know you're having a tough time getting used to these changes and I'm sorry for that, but _you_ and everyone else are going to have to learn live with it. The vines and the spirits are here to stay."

"Well, you know who's not here to stay? You!" he declared with an angry finger pointing right at her. "I order you to leave this city. You've caused nothing but trouble since you arrived."

She had a clear sight of the people. They were shocked at the president's proclamation. She was too. But the shock quickly turned into anger. She had saved this city twice, was still trying to help it, and this was how he repaid her. Fine, if that was the way he wanted to do it. That was what he would get. "Don't worry, I was already leaving," she declared, turning her back on him.

She went back to Tenzin. Her eyes were on the ground but she soon looked up at him. "I can see my path now," she told him. "There are new Airbenders out there and I'm going to find them and rebuild the Air Nation."

"Don't think I'm not going with you," he said back, putting a hand around her shoulder. Together, the two of them walked back to Oogi. "It's so exciting. Who knows who's out there now, discovering the gift of Airbending for the first time?"

(Location: Konoha)

Rin met her team at the usual spot, a small alleyway behind a shop in one of the old marketplaces. If someone didn't go looking for it, they wouldn't find it. She had her back to the wall. It gave her an equal sight of the exits and also a quick escape route if she was ever ambushed here. There used to be an old smell of garbage here but since she had started using this place to meet with teammates and her students, the shop-owners did their best to keep it smell respectably.

She heard them coming before she saw them. Each had their own pace and each pace had its own sound to it. Hiro's pace was precise but also uncertain. The uncertainty came from his past history and was still something that she was trying to fix. Tsukiko's pace was hard and fast, like she wanted to get where she was going and get there now. The girl needed to slow down. And Arashi had a pace that was slow and trying to be silent. To a civilian or even an Academy student, he would've been completely silent. But to a trained shinobi like her, she could still hear him.

"Good morning, all," she said just before they turned the corner.

When she started doing this to them, there was a slight pause in their steps. They had frozen in place and wonder how it was she knew. Now the pause was gone and they just came around the corner. "It's noon, Rin-sensei," Tsukiko told her.

"And I can't say good morning to my students?" she asked her.

The Uchiha girl didn't get stubborn or adamant. Instead she shook her head and said, "Can we skip past this bit?"

Rin nodded and said, "Alright then. You've had the night. Have you made your decision?"

They all gave each other a look before pulling out their forms. "We have," Arashi said, handing her his form. Hiro and Tsukiko did the same thing.

She took the forms and quickly looked them over. To her surprise, the forms were exactly the same as when they were given out. It only meant one thing. "You've decided not to join? All three of you?" she asked them.

"We're not ready," Hiro told her with the utmost seriousness.

She looked at him and then at the others. They all had the same knowing look on their faces. "The Hokage and I believe that you are ready."

"You believe it," Tsukiko said. "We don't."

"I see." There was no point in bullying them to join, not when they had already refused. "Why did you refuse what changed your minds?"

"I always thought that we weren't ready," Arashi told her. "We've barely just graduated from the Academy. We need some time."

"I had a talk with my grandparents," Tsukiko said. "They told me that they had wished for more time to learn and grow."

All eyes fell to Hiro as they waited for his reason. "I had a talk on the phone with Tsume," he told them. "Listening to her talk about how she was going to own everyone at the Exams made me think that things weren't going to be that easy. Once I started thinking that, I wondered about just how hard they would be and if we were ready. It didn't take long for me to come to the idea that we weren't."

Rin looked at her students and then at the forms they gave her. "You do know your fellow teams will be attending the Exams," she said.

"We'll root for them," Tsukiko said back. "But they're not likely to become Chūnin."

"I'd be surprised if they all get to the finals," Hiro remarked. They were in the same boat the three of them were in. They barely had experience being shinobi. If they wanted to try their luck, he wasn't going to stop them. He just thought that they wouldn't make it.

Rin put the forms inside her flak jacket. "I will go tell the Hokage of your decision. Head to Training Ground 3 and spar against each other until I get back," she ordered.

They turned for the exit but Tsukiko paused in mid-step. She looked back at her and asked, "Sensei is he going to be mad at me later?" Her once sure and confident look was now worried.

She knew what her student meant. "I'm sure he won't be," she said reassuringly. "And if he is, I'll talk him out of it." Tsukiko looked gratified. She nodded her appreciation and left after her team. Rin listened their feet walk and scruff against the road until they started to fade. She leapt over the wall and made her way to the Hokage building.

(Location: Unknown)

He heard the gate to his cell begin to open, metal twisting against metal and gears shifting into place. He stayed in place, sitting with his head bowed. That way, when the light from the outside came in, he wouldn't be blinded. As he felt the fresh air from the mountains outside caress his head, he knew that there would be White Lotus guards at the ready while one of them held a tray of food in his hands. "You know the drill, Zaheer," the guard holding the food said. He was always the one who spoke.

"Of course," he said without arguing. He got to his feet and went to the wall, facing it with his hands behind his back.

"Hope you still like rice," the guard remarked.

He heard the tray getting scraped against the floor as it was put down. The guard was probably standing back up. "Have you ever read the poetry of the great Airbending guru, Laghima?" he asked.

"What?" There was confusion and irritation in the guard's voice. He had him.

"Guru Laghima lived four thousand years ago in the Northern Air Temple. It is said that he unlocked the secret of weightlessness and became untethered from the earth, living his final forty years without ever touching the ground."

"Is that how you plan to escape?" asked the guard mockingly. "With something you picked up from an old Airbender children's story?"

He didn't believe. That was fine. Zaheer didn't need him to believe. "Like all great children's tales, it contains truth within the myth. Laghima once wrote, 'Instinct is a lie, told by a fearful body, hoping to be wrong.'"

"What's that supposed to mean?

"It means that when you base your expectations only on what you see, you blind yourself to the possibilities of a new reality." He slowly took his hands off his head as he spoke. Then with a speed they didn't expect, he whipped around and bent the air behind the guard, slamming into the gate.

The other White Lotus guards were completely caught off-guard by what had just happened. When they looked again, they saw the prisoner holding one of their own against the bars, his arms wrapped the neck. When they moved to attack, Zaheer said, "Uh, uh, uh. You wouldn't want to singe your friend, would you?"

"How?" asked the guard he held, his voice straining from beneath the arm. "You're not a…Bender." It was a known fact that he wasn't. But he could? What was happening?

"Nature is constantly changing," Zaheer told him. "Like the wind." He grabbed the keys, opened the gate, and threw the guard in with his Airbending in one smooth motion. He ran out, sliding forward and bending the air to knock the guards to the ground.

He missed two and they tried fighting back with fire and earth. They were decent but while they never had experience fighting against an Airbender, he had plenty fighting Firebenders and Earthbenders. The Firebender was the first to go in the cell when he was thrown in by Zaheer. The Earthbender kept him moving while the rest of the guards recovered.

They got back to their feet and joined the fight. It probably should've been an uneven fight but he had been trained to fight multiple opponents and how to fight like an Airbender. They could never get a good shot at him as he moved around on the small peak. What they didn't see how he lined them up right in front of the gate. When they were all good and centered, he swung behind then and bent the air to slam them into the prison. He had no hesitations in slamming the gate shut on them all.

"Now you might want to ration that bowl of rice," he told them. "You've got three weeks until the next shift change." They looked up at him with eyes of fear and confusion. They were wondering why something like this was happening. Zaheer was feeling generous. "It's the dawning of a new age. The end of the White Lotus, and soon, the end of the Avatar," he proclaimed.

He turned around and walked to the edge, surveying the mountains they had put the prison at. The architects had been worried what would happen if he ever did break out. They thought that since he hadn't been a Bender, the best place to put him was high in the mountains where it would be impossible to get down normally. But he was a Bender now so getting away would be easy. He jumped down and let his Airbending land him safely.

Strangely enough, there was only one thought in his mind as he fell into the mists below. _"What would Sifu June say if she could see this?"_ It was almost a pity that she had died. He would've enjoyed showing her what she thought was practically gone. Now he would have to contend with her successor, his…replacement.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

While I know that there are navigational terms and whatnot, I am not sure if there is a full-blown language they have. But if they did, it would be interesting to see what it would be like. My inspiration for the whole scene is from the book _Castaways of the Flying Dutchman_ by Brian Jacques. It's a good one to read.

I'd be willing to bet that none of you were expecting that kind of reaction from Bumi? If he wasn't a Paragon, he would've been over the moon for the Airbending, like he originally was. But since he's a Paragon, he feels like he needs to get rid of it fast. This will keep coming up through the season, provided that I don't decide to have him lose the Airbending sooner.

Let's be honest here: how many of you thought that they would accept the chance to go Chūnin Exams right away? I didn't want them to be a repeat of their grandparents. Half the time I read through that part of the story I think that Naruto's team got through by luck and sheer stubbornness. That can easily been seen as a one-off. To their grandchildren, what were the odds of that happening to them?

I'll see you all next chapter!


	47. Hunting and freeing

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.

Paragon of Korra

Chapter 47: Hunting and freeing

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Bijū/spirit talking"**

"_**Bijū/spirit thinking"**_

(Location: Ember Island)

Natsumi was doing hot-squats in the house's courtyard. Her muscles were crying for her to stop but her brain were telling her to keep going. She ignored both, focusing only on the count. "35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40," she breathed out.

Zuko watched her from the mural, standing easily in its center. "Alright," he said, "That's enough."

She stopped and fell to her knees. Her breath wheezed in and out as she tried to get back. "Please tell me that was the end of it," she said to him.

He smiled with amusement at the sight. Ever since she had the Agni Kai, they had been training her back through the basics of Firebending. While she could blaze through them if she wanted to, he wouldn't let her. He wanted to make sure that she knew what each step would do for her. Plus, it also helped her keep a normal-sized head. "Don't worry," he told her. "You're almost there."

"I want it to stop."

He arched an eyebrow. "Are you going to give up here?"

"Can I?"

"You are the one who wanted to be trained."

That was the truth and she knew it, unfortunately. She also knew what she was getting into because Zuko had told her what he would be making her do. If she gave up now, she just knew he would give her a look of disappointment. "Alright, I get it," she said. "I'll keep going."

"Good."

She brought herself back up to her full height, resisting the urge to wince. There was a pain in her leg that made her want to scratch it. It wasn't from the exercise and had been with her since she woke up. She had asked Zuko about it and he told her it was groaning pains. Whatever they were, she didn't like them.

When the exercise was finally done, she collapsed to the ground. A strong urge to pant like a dog wanting water grasped her. She didn't let it consume her. She pushed herself up to a sitting position. It made her aching arms moan a bit more in pain. Practically every part of her body hurt. She wanted to glare at her granduncle but knew it would be pointless. Something moved in the corner of her eye. Her hand snapped up and caught it. It was a towel. "Clean the sweat off," Zuko told her. "You did good."

"I feel drained," she said back. The towel moved around her head, wiping off all the sweat she made.

"You wanted it."

"I know. I wasn't complaining." With all the sweat gone, she looked back up at him. "When I will learn the next steps?"

He looked down at her. She had asked this question before. "When I say that you're ready," he told her.

"I feel ready."

"Of course you feel ready. You're the student and the student always thinks that they're the master."

She was hurt that he would think that. She knew that she was still learning. She wasn't the master. "I'm not asking to learn the final steps, Uncle," she protested, injured pride motivating her to stand up fully. "I just think that I'm ready for the next one."

He looked at her with a judging look. "And why is that?" he asked. "And don't tell me it's because you think you're ready."

That had been her initial but since he called it out she would have to think of something else. Thank Kami she did have something else. "I know these steps completely," she answered. "I could do them if you woke me in the middle of the night and had me blindfolded."

"Is that a challenge?"

Her mouth fell silent as she looked at the challenging look he wore. If she said yes, he might take her up on it and do it. But still, she knew that she could do it. How many times did he make repeat the basic sets again and again? She had done them so many times that she was starting to do it before he called it out for her. She could do it. She knew that she could. If it took a challenge to prove it, so be it. "Yes, it is," she told him.

"Well, we'll have to get back to that," he said, losing the challenging look. One second he was her teacher, daring her to try and reached beyond what he thought she could do. The next he was back to being her good-natured, tea-loving uncle figure. It was almost weird how fast he could do it. "For now, let's worry about breakfast."

Her stomach agreed whole heartedly with that sentiment. She bounded up to her feet and together they went for the kitchen. The phone started ringing as they sat down at the table, making Zuko get back up and go over to it. She didn't pay attention to it, choosing to satisfy her hunger. Food always tasted best after a good workout, especially when it helped ease the aches from her body. She took a bite from her bread and savored the buttery but also slightly spicy flavor of it. It was delicious.

She heard the phone put back in the cradle and looked over at her uncle. The expression on his face made her go still. He wasn't Uncle Zuko in that moment. The grimness and the seriousness on his face meant that he was Zuko, former Fire Lord. That could only mean something had happened. "Uncle, what is it?" she asked him. "Is it Jiji?"

He looked at her. "No, it's not your grandfather," he said. "But something bad has happened." There was something else to his voice other than the seriousness. It almost sounded like he was worried. It made her wonder what he was worried about.

(Location: Air Temple Island)

All anyone could say as they watched the airship being lowered down to the island and tied off was _"Whoa."_ Earlier that day, Asami had assured them she could find them a way to get to Ba Sing Se looking for new Airbenders. Korra thought that she would be able to book them passage on a ship or something, nothing like this. The airship was so big that when the front of it lowered down on the top step with the ramp extended, she couldn't see the rest of the staircase.

When it was finally settled, the front slid open and Asami was standing there. "Did someone order a fully equipped Future Industries airship?" she called out to them.

Korra smiled up at her as she came down the ramp. "It's perfect! Thanks Asami."

"I figured if we're going to Ba Sing Se to search for Airbenders, we should do it in style," she told them all, looking back at the ship. She might not have built it herself, but she took pride in it all the same. It was made of metal that was strong enough to hold the frame together but light enough to fly through the air. Green-tinted glass was provided for the windows for the front and bridge while multiple propellers provided the lift that they would need.

Naruto came out of the airship and down the ramp. "It's a bit overdone for my tastes," he told them all as he stepped off. "But that's probably perhaps I've never been one for first-class flying." He looked at Bumi and his expression turned grim for a moment. His fellow Paragon had told him what had happened to him. It was a concern and one he promised Bumi he would help him with, after also promising that he wouldn't kill him for revealing it.

Meelo and Ikki couldn't hold their excitement at the airship in any longer. "Yay, airship!" cried out Meelo as he ran for the ramp. His lemur, Poki, followed behind him.

Ikki rushed past him and was first up the ramp. "I wanna see!" she exclaimed, bending up an air scooter so she could see all faster.

"C'mon, Poki," he said to the lemur. Once Poki was atop his head, he bent an air scooter too and went after her.

Kya smiled as her niece and nephew vanished from sight. The two of them were as rambunctious as she and Bumi had been. "While you guys are gone, Pema and I will hold down the fort," she told the rest of the group. She took Rohan from Pema and held him up high in the sky. "Who's excited to spend some time with your Auntie Kya?" she cooed at him as she bounced him up and down.

Rohan's response was to throw up on her. He grinned and cooed back at her while she looked at the vomit in disgust. Pema smiled at the two of them. "Aw, he likes you," she told her sister-in-law. Kya didn't say anything to that. She rested Rohan on her shoulder and bent some water up to wipe away the vomit.

Korra watched the scene with a small smile. It was endearing to watch Tenzin's family like this. She heard footsteps coming up the steps. She almost couldn't hear them over the propellers but there was a faint scraping sound. She looked around the ramp and saw Mako coming up. He was dressed in his usual clothes with a scroll case slung across his back. In spite of everything that happened, her smile widened at the sight of him. "Mako, I'm so glad you're here," she said, going over to him.

"Of course, Korra," he said in his friendly way, pulling the case off his back. Then the memories of their two breakups came bubbling up and he felt awkward. He tried be more formal and said, "Avatar. Avatar Korra." It didn't work so he went with how he would report to a superior. He stood up straight and said, "Once I received your message I proceeded to contact various locations within the Earth Kingdom as ordered by you, the Avatar."

"Right," she said with the utmost humorous sarcasm. "The Avatar thanks you for your loyal service." He didn't respond, so she chose to be a little more serious. "Did you find any more leads?"

"There are reports of Airbenders popping up all over the Earth Kingdom. I marked the villages on this map." He held out the case to her. "You guys can take it with you."

She took it from him and looked at it for a moment. It was great what he had done but that wasn't what she wanted from him. "Actually, I was kind of hoping you could come, too."

"Really?" he asked. His eyes shifted to the side and he kept them there, unable to look her in the eyes. "Uh, it's probably better if I sit this one out."

"I know things have been weird between us since we broke up, but you're a part of Team Avatar, and we can't do this without you." She stepped closer to him, their bodies almost touching.

But he backed away. "I'm sorry, I can't." He turned away from her and walked back down the steps.

She watched him go with something of a sad heart. It would probably be sadder if they were still together. No, she knew it wouldn't. This hurt worse. "Is the boy being an idiot?" Naruto asked as he came up beside her.

She flinched a little at the sound of his voice and just quiet he moved. "Could you give somebody some warning before you do that?" she asked.

He looked at her with a puzzled expression. "Like what?"

"That!" She gestured at him. "The whole walking quietly so I don't notice you thing!"

The puzzlement left and was replaced with amusement. "If I told you that it was happening, what would be the point of me doing it? You need to learn to open your ears and listen."

That sounded like the beginning of a lesson to her. "Is that an Airbending thing I'll learn?" she asked. She didn't know how he would teach her something like that, but she had long since learned to never make assumptions when it came to the Paragons. He rolled his eyes in reply. "What?"

"Never mind," he said. If she thought that it was something that could be done with Bending, she had a long way to go. "You still didn't answer my question. Is the boy being stupid?"

She looked at the steps even though Mako had long vanished from sight. "I wouldn't say that he's being stupid," she told him. "It's more stubbornness." He might be a Firebender but Korra knew that Mako could be as stubborn as an Earthbender. "He refused to come with us."

"Huh. That's easily fixable. I'll go make him come with us." He started for the stairs before she could say a word in protest.

Bolin had seen his brother walk off and was close enough to hear the Avatar and Paragon talking to each other. He quickly jogged up to Korra's side and asked, "Uh, excuse me, Lord Naruto? Just how do you plan to make Mako come with us?"

"Simple." He lifted up his Zanpakutō. "I'll walk up behind him, knock him out with this, and drag his body back up the steps."

He made it sound like it was the simplest thing in the world to do. It made Bolin shiver in fear for his brother. "You know what? How about I go talk to him first? I might be able to convince him." He said all of this at a breakneck pace before speeding down the steps.

Naruto watched him run down the steps before walking back up with a smirk on his face. "Too easy," he declared. Korra looked at him as he passed. She wondered if he actually would have brained Mako with his sword or if he was making sure Bolin would go talk to him. Either way, she wouldn't have bet money on it.

"I'll miss you, sweetie," Pema said to Tenzin, leaning in to give him one last kiss on the cheek.

He smiled down at her lovingly. "I'll miss you too. Once we find the Airbenders, I'll send word. You can join us at the Northern Air Temple then."

"Hey!" Ikki called out from the airship. The adults looked up and saw her flying back down the ramp with Meelo right behind her. They came to a stop in front of their parents and she demanded, "How come Jinora gets to go with you but we don't? That's so not fair!"

"Yeah!" agreed Meelo, pointing at her. "What this girl said! Not fair!" Jinora appeared at the top of the ramp alongside Bumi, looking a little embarrassed. She must've told them what was happening when she and her uncle ran into them on the airship.

Their parents and Kya looked at one another for a moment. If the truth was being told, Jinora was coming with them because she was the eldest and not really a child anymore. They couldn't say that Ikki or Meelo, though. It would make them throw a tantrum and even if it would prove the point, they wouldn't let it go until they were allowed to come along. Luckily, Kya was able to take the situation and spin it to their advantage. "Because if Airbenders show up here, they're gonna need some guidance from the two of you," she told the kids. "It's a very important job."

Ikki hadn't thought of it like that. "Really?" she asked, "Me, a teacher?" The idea sounded like a good one and the more she thought about it, the more she liked it. She liked it so much that she started dancing in a circle, crying "Yay!"

"Those maggots will bow to me!" Meelo proclaimed. He could see himself now, standing over the new Airbenders as they knelt to their lord and commander! He would lead them to glorious conquest!

Tenzin smiled down at his son. He could almost hear the thoughts raging around in the boy's head. "Go easy on them, son," he said in good humor.

* * *

Mako had reached the dock and was heading for his boat when he heard Bolin say, "Mako, wait a sec," from behind.

He looked back to see his brother coming down the steps at a fast pace. "Korra already asked, bro," he said before Bolin could open his mouth. "I can't just leave Republic City. I have a life here, and a job."

"A life?" repeated Bolin, not really believing a word he said. "You sleep under your desk. And what's a more important job than helping the Avatar rebuild an entire civilization?"

He looked away, back at the city. "It's not just that. I feel like I've been drifting apart from everyone." It would probably explain why he felt so awkward around Korra and Asami now. They were going their separate ways and so was he.

"Well, drift back, we need you! C'mon Mako, we're going to Ba Sing Se, where Dad grew up. What if I meet our grandma for the very first time, and she asks me 'Where's your sweet brother?'" he put on an old woman's voice, "and I have to say 'I'm sorry, Grandma, he had some really important police paperwork to file' and she starts to cry those grandma tears, and is like 'Mako! Why? Why? I can't go on, I ca—'" he bawled as he grabbed his brother's shoulder, "and then she dies," he finished, voice going back to normal.

Mako pushed his brother off. "Okay, all right, I'll come with you." He had almost forgotten just how irritating Bolin can get. "I guess I gotta call Beifong. She's not going to be happy." He would be surprised if he came out of it with his skin intact.

* * *

When all the goodbyes were said, the traveling party boarded the airship and it took off. They waved goodbye from the windows until their view was turned from the island. Korra and Tenzin had left Naga and Oogi on the sun deck so they could enjoy the feel of the moving breeze on their faces.

They all sat in the meeting room, just below the cockpit. Korra found herself easing into the leather seating of the chair. It felt so soft and smooth. _"Asami was right,"_ she thought to herself. _"It's best to travel in style."_

But as much as she wanted to enjoy the comfort of the seat, she leaned forward to look at the map Mako had placed on the table. It was a map of the Bending Countries. There was a string of little red x's across the border between the Earth Kingdom and the United Republic. "As of now, these are the towns where we've gotten reports about Airbenders," he told them all. "It looks like we can hit up most of them before we get to Ba Sing Se."

Korra felt a surge of excitement as she looked at all those little marks. "We're going to bring the Air Nation back from the brink of extinction after nearly two hundred years," she declared.

"And it's all because of you, Korra," Tenzin told her. Those words made her smile.

Naruto didn't sit in a chair around the table but on one of the couches around them. He could've made a sardonic or sarcastic remark about how all of this was caused by how Korra acted like an idiot. But that time had long since passed and she knew the consequences the next time she decided to do something like that. "So, how long until we reach the first town?" he asked.

Asami quickly did the calculation in her head. "At the speed the airship is set to fly at, by the end of the day tomorrow," she answered.

"Alright," He stood up from the couch and headed for the exit, "It'll give us time to train. Come on, Asami, to the sun deck." She got out of her chair and followed him. "In the meantime, Korra, take Bumi's Airbending away."

The Avatar froze in place at his words. She looked at Bumi. He looked firm and nodded in agreement. Tenzin was just as surprised as she was. He looked like he wanted to say something but she asked Naruto, "He told you?"

"Of course he did," he replied without a look back. "Did you really think that he would keep something like that from me?"

She knew that he wouldn't have. Why would he? The two of them were Paragons. What would be the point of them trusting each other if they couldn't tell the other stuff like this? The idea of taking away someone's newfound Airbending still troubled her. "Can't we talk about this?" she asked him.

"If you'd like," he said, still walking away. "But you're going to take away his Bending. It's something that he wants, remember?"

Asami didn't say anything as she followed her sensei. That waited until they were on the elevator. "You do realize that you're asking to do the same thing Amon did, right?" she asked him. The elevator went up, pulling at their center of gravity.

"No, I am not," he told her.

"It looks like that to me."

"There is a difference what I want her to do and what Amon did. He took away the Bending from people whose lives practically depended on it and he did it without asking them. Bumi has already built up a life without Bending. He's learned how to live without it. He can't have it."

"Can't he?"

He looked at her. "He's the Paragon of the Air Nomads. He can't be a Bender. It's a rule as hard as steel. It doesn't bend and it doesn't break."

"Well, what happens if his Airbending isn't taken away? He's killed?"

"Yes."

The way he said so casually and bluntly made her shiver silently. There were times that she forgot that her sensei could and would become a killer. There needed to be a change in topic, quickly. "Why are you coming to Ba Sing Se in the first place, Sensei? It's not about the Airbenders. You would've left that to Bumi."

He eyed her again, this time with an approving look. "You're learning."

She felt a little proud at those words but she didn't let it blind her from what she was trying to do. "So why are you going to Ba Sing Se."

"For the second reason Bumi is going to Ba Sing Se," he answered, his voice turning grim and serious. "We're going to look for Gāng. He hasn't checked in and I'm worried."

She didn't know what to say. She had only met the Earth Paragon once and that was about half a year ago. Everything she learned about him was through Naruto, Bumi, and Kya. "Didn't you say that he's constantly busy?" she asked.

"He might be busy, but Gāng never misses his match of Pai Sho against Bumi."

It just seemed so odd. "That's the only reason?" she asked him.

"You could set store by their phone matches. And Gāng hasn't called for three months. Something's up and I intend to find out what it is." The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened to a small cabin. On the other side was a door that would lead out onto the sundeck. "After you," he told her.

(Location: Konoha)

Team Seven watched as their fellow Genin were about to head out through the village gate. They would head for the train station and catch a ride to the Land of Water. The air above them was excited to say the least. The three of them saw that their teammates were so pumped to go to the Chūnin Exams they might've been tempted to feel a little jealous. But they knew that they weren't ready for what could happen so the jealousy just passed over them.

"Man, I can't believe that you guys would give up on this," Tsume told them, idly scratching Aoimaru on the head. The puppy was nestled in her jacket and looked like she couldn't believe it either.

Tsume shrugged her shoulders. There wasn't really anything that could be said about the situation. "We didn't think we were ready," she told her.

"Sucks to be you," Jiro said as he came over to them, "Because we're sure as hell ready. Right, Tsume?"

"Damn right," she replied, bumping his fist. "We are so ready."

Arashi shared a look with his teammates. _"Should we shatter their fantasies?"_ he asked them silently.

"_Would it do anything?"_ Tsume asked back.

"_It might help."_

"_They're already going,"_ Hiro added. _"What would be the point?"_

"_He's right,"_ she agreed.

"_We could still try,"_ Arashi argued.

"_Nah, it wouldn't do anything. I think the only thing we can hope for now is that they all get back home in one piece."_

"_What are the odds of that happening?"_

"_Let's not think about that,"_ Hiro suggested. If they thought about it, the odds would probably lower fast.

"You guys okay?" Tsume asked, seeing how they fell quiet.

They snapped out of it instantly. "Yeah, we're fine," Hiro assured her.

She looked at her cousin with a look of sheer disbelief. "You're not slipping back into your old ways, are you, Hiro?" She liked the new confident Hiro. It was such a step up from the old Hiro who would stay quiet and flinch at everything that came his way.

He frowned at her. "No, I'm not. Why would you even think something like that?"

She threw her hands up in protest. "Alright, alright, sorry, yeesh," she said. She wasn't even able to keep eye contact with him. It was uncanny how much he looked like their grandmother when he frowned like that. If Lady Hinata kept training him the way she was, he was going to have a look that would terrify people.

Inoji came wandering over to them with Chōichi. "You know, it is kinda weird not to have you guys come along," the Yamanaka said to them. "I mean, I thought all three teams would be in this together, just like the Land of Sp—"

"Could we please not talk about that experience anymore?" Arashi asked abruptly, cutting him off. "It was bad enough. We don't need to talk about it again."

"…Yeah, you're right," he agreed after a moment's silence. It was a little startlingly to hear the dyed redhead do something like that.

"So," Chōichi asked as he scarfed down chips, "What are you guys going to do while we're out at the Exams?"

Team Seven had to stop and think about it. They hadn't really thought about the details beyond this moment. "Probably just keep going on missions, I guess," Tsukiko said.

Hiro nodded. "Yeah, it's not like we're going to get sidelined because we chose not to go to the Exams."

"If anything, we'll be taking on your workloads to."

Chōichi stopped eating. He looked a little ashamed. "Oh, geez, sorry," he said to them.

"What are you apologizing for, man?" Jiro asked him. "They're the ones who're going to get stuck with the workload while we're at the exams."

Arashi was bugged by his smugness about the whole thing. It prompted him to reply, "Yes, we'll be here, nice and safe, able to go home every night to family, food, an actual bath, and a warm bed while you'll be sloughing through Agni knows what trying to find a place to spend the night safely, finding food you can eat that's not poisonous, all the while making sure you don't get yourself killed or really humiliated."

Jiro got in his face. "At least we're trying," he said with a voice that was rough with anger. "We're going there to try and become Chūnin while you're staying here saying that you're not ready."

"A Genin practically fresh out of the Academy who thinks that he can become a Chūnin?" the dyed redhead asked rhetorically, laughing harshly. "Good luck with that."

Both Tsume and Tsukiko saw that the two of them were on the verge of fighting. If that happened, not only would they possibly get punished but there was also the good chance that Jiro's team wouldn't be allowed to go either. Tsume didn't want that. So she grabbed Jiro and pulled him back while Tsukiko did the same for her teammate. "Hey!" Jiro said in protest.

"Would you knock it off?" she told him.

"Let me go!"

Aoimaru leaned out and grabbed his shirt with her teeth. "Not until you stop it," her partner said to him. "We're about to leave for the Exams. Don't ruin it for us." She saw Tsukiko let go of Arashi and she felt a little annoyed. How was it they were able to calm down so quickly when she was still restraining hers? She actually felt jealous.

"Alright, I get it."

"Do you?" she asked him.

"Jeez, yes!"

"I hope so." She let go of him and Aoimaru released her bite too.

He checked his shirt and neck, making sure they hadn't injured him. "Jeez, I thought that the worst thing we'd have to deal with was making sure Tsubasa didn't go wandering into houses again."

"Uh, you still might have that problem," Hiro said as he watched Hiruzen-sensei talking to Tsubasa. The way the Jōnin was talking made it look a lot like it was a lecture.

"Two minutes, people!" Gin-sensei called out. His words made all the Genin who were going hurry back to their bags, making sure that they had everything they needed.

Team Seven watched quietly as they did this. There wasn't they could do except watch. They waved goodbye to the Genin leaving as they went out the village gate. "Bye now," Tsukiko told them.

"Stay safe!" Hiro said.

"Make sure you come back in one piece!" Arashi called out.

They waved back, smiles big on their faces. "We'll see you when we're back as Chūnin!" Tsume said.

"Make sure you don't get any missions with the Hag!" Inoji told them.

An involuntary shiver ran up their spines at that. "He had to say those words," Arashi grumbled. Now he knew that they were going to get a mission with the Hag. It was practically guaranteed.

"Just keep waving," Tsukiko told him. "Don't let him see our discomfort."

He kept doing that but his mind was on other things. "What we need to do is find some wood and knock on it."

Hiro looked at him from the corner of his eye. "Why would we do that?"

"It might prevent us from actually getting a mission with the Hag."

"I don't think that's going to work." Quite frankly, it sounded ridiculous. How would knocking on wood prevent them from getting a mission with the Hag. That wasn't to say he didn't want a mission with the Hag (his arm still felt a little numb from the last time she held onto it and didn't let go). He just didn't see how his idea would help.

They kept waving until their friends were completely out of sight. They stood for a couple of seconds longer beneath the afternoon sun. "…So now what do we do?" Arashi asked his teammates. "Does Rin-sensei want us to come find her for a mission?"

Hiro shook his head. "No, she didn't say anything about that." They would've remembered if she had.

Tsukiko frowned in concentration. "So, does that mean we have the day off?"

"I think it might," Arashi replied, "but we probably shouldn't take it as such." If they took too many days off, they might slack off and stay on point. "Let's go train. We could work on our teamwork."

She stared at him with slight disbelief. It wasn't that she didn't understand what he was saying. She did. But she was also never one to look a gift horse in the mouth. "You want to waste a free day to train?" she asked him.

"If we want to be ready to take the Chūnin Exams next time around, we'll need to train," Hiro told her, siding with Arashi. "And Kami knows we need to work on our teamwork."

She scowled at him. "Are you ever going to let that go? I already apologized a dozen times."

He started walking towards the nearest training ground with the others following. "You set my pants on fire," he told her.

"It was an accident!"

"How was it an accident when you were supposed to be aiming for Rin-sensei and I was right behind you? I ran into the river to put the fire out." For the first second he had done that, he had been glad that the fire was out. The next second he realized that he was waist-deep in the river and it had a strong pull.

Arashi remembered that day too. He had to run after Hiro to pull him out. "Look at the bright side, Hiro," he said. "You learned how to walk on water and you had someone to help you with it."

He had meant it as a compliment but got dirty looks from both teammates. "There was no need to remind us that you were able to do it by yourself, Arashi," Tsukiko said. "We already know you're a prodigy."

He shuddered at the word. "Please don't call me that."

(Location: Unknown)

All he could hear as he pulled himself up was the creaking of the wooden beams he held onto. That was all he heard for the past thirteen years. The guards never spoke to him only to each other. Whenever they came close to his cage they would fall silent. It was almost like they were afraid of him. He wasn't surprised. After all, there was a reason they put an Earthbender out at seas on a platform made entirely of wood.

"Finally," he heard one of the guards say off in the distance. "Our shift change is here."

"_Oh good,"_ he thought to himself. _"I hope that they have new people."_ The only source of enjoyment he could get from the White Lotus nowadays was listening to the guards unused to the sea throwing up over the rail. He could get a laugh out of that.

"Hey! Where are the other guards?"

He paused in his workout. It sounded like there was only one guard in the boat. That wasn't normal. Something was up.

"Zaheer?!" shouted one of the guards.

"_What?"_ The sounds of battle filled his ears, Waterbending, Firebending, and…wait he heard gusts of air being thrown. Was there Airbending going out there? He dropped to the ground and tried looking out the bars.

There was Zaheer, jumping around and using Airbending to fight. He watched his friend fend off the White Lotus, watching him move from spot to spot. He vanished from sight going over the cage. He appeared on the other side, landing on his feet and throwing a couple of rocks inside. While Zaheer ran off, he stared down at the rocks, three in total. _"Nice going, Zaheer,"_ he thought. The man always did come prepared.

He reached for the rocks and bent them up. He held them in the air and spun them around. He fed them his energy and drive, letting the rocks start to burn. They burned and then they started to melt into lava. He took the lava and molded it into a throwing star. He used it to cut through the bars and then kicked it open.

There were three guards close to his cage when he burst free. One was taken out by the bars and he took care of the other two with his throwing star. They didn't have a chance against him. When he was done, he saw that there was one more White Lotus beside him. But when he turned around, he saw that it was Zaheer. He had hair that was greying and a beard to match. But it was the same face with the same firm conviction and the scarred eyebrow.

"It's nice to see you again, Ghazan," Zaheer told his friend, clasping his hand in brotherhood. The man still retained his size and strength while his hair was much longer than he remembered it being. But he was still the same, tattoos and all.

"Thanks for busting me out. Where did you pick up the new skills?"

"I have Harmonic Convergence to thank for that," he said with a smile. "I was given a gift. I believe it's a sign that our path is a righteous one."

(Location: Airship)

Like Asami had predicted, they had arrived at the first location the next day just after the sun had set. They landed the ship in the middle of the village square since it was the only place large enough. As they disembarked, the village headman met them. "Avatar Korra!" he said with a full bow. "Oh it's such an honor to have you come to our humble village."

"Thanks," she said in reply.

Tenzin stepped forward. "I hate to get down to business, but is the Airbender here now?" he asked.

"Kuon and his family will be joining us shortly for a special dinner," the headman told him. "Please, right this way." He led them to his own home and had them wait at the dinner table. It didn't take long for Kuon, his wife, and three children to arrive. Once everyone sat down, the food began to be served. The headman sat at the head of the table and Korra sat at the opposite end. To her view, the people she knew were on her left and the Airbender with his family was on her right.

They wasted no time in eating the food but there was also talking. "Kuon has been the talk of the town ever since he's got Airbending," the headman explained. "He's like a local celebrity."

Tenzin smiled at the man sitting opposite of him. "I just want to say it's an honor to meet a fellow Airbender."

"Oh, I still think of myself as a simple farmer," Kuon said in reply, "Who can Airbend!" He had gestured and accidently sent a pie flying into Bolin's face. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" he apologized instantly. "I still don't have any control."

Bolin wasn't affected by it, catching the pan in his hands. "No worries! I love pie," he said, putting the pan back down on the table. Pabu leapt onto his shoulder and quickly licked off the pie. Then he hopped down and dragged the pan away for himself. "And so does Pabu." The aforementioned fire ferret

Tenzin looked pointedly at Kuon. They needed to talk about why he had come. "Well, you're so much more than just a farmer now. Harmonic Convergence changed everything. You represent the future of a culture that is being reborn. You're going to help us rebuild the Air Nation."

He had hoped for curiosity, maybe even a little bit of excitement. But Kuon simply looked at him with puzzlement. "I'm gonna do what now? The only thing I'm planning to rebuild is my barn."

"Blew the roof off, did ya?" Naruto asked with a smile from where he sat between Tenzin and Asami.

"He most certainly did," Kuon's wife said, giving her husband a look they all could tell was teasing. But he still looked a little embarrassed.

"But you must come with us to the Northern Air Temple," Tenzin said, getting back on track.

Kuon leaned forward a little, silently challenging the authority of the Airbender. "Well, I can't do that. I have a family and a farm."

"Of course you can come. This is of the utmost importance. Your wife will understand."

"Wait, what?" asked the wife. She was just as confused as her husband, not to mention worried. "No, I do not understand."

"Daddy, where are you going?" Kuon's daughter asked. She held onto his arm like she was trying to stop him from going. "Why does the bald man want to take you away?"

"No one's going to take Daddy away, sweetheart," she assured her daughter.

Korra could see that this could end up having a bad ending. She joined the conversation so that wouldn't happen. "Actually, this bald man does want to take him, but it's for an important cause," she explained to the girl. "Your dad is an Airbender, and he should learn about his culture."

"I think there's been some sort of misunderstanding," Kuon said to her and to Tenzin. "I'm not going with you. I might be able to Airbend, but I'm no Air Nomad, I'm no monk." His voice got harder and angrier with each word he spoke.

She shared a look with the headman. There was a look of worry in his eyes and he quickly said. "Okay, maybe we should just have some dessert huh? Who's up for dessert?"

But Tenzin was more focused on the farmer. His own anger was bubbling up but he held it down. Losing his temper would not do here. "Sir, you must understand, you're an Airbender now, and there are thousands of years of culture you must learn about, skills you must master."

"You expect me to abandon my entire life? My family?" asked Kuon, standing up. "No! No sir, I'm not going anywhere with you and I think it's best that you leave."

Asami saw that Tenzin was shocked by the man's words. The air around the table, which had started out peaceful, had suddenly turned quite hostile. Her chopsticks were in the middle of reaching for meat when Kuon gave them that order. She didn't know what to do and looked to her sensei. She didn't know if he saw her look or not but he did say, "It would be a terrible waste of food if we were to leave right now." All eyes fell to him as he continued to eat. "Headman, would you allow us to finish this wonderful meal before we leave?"

"O-of course," the headman agreed, glad for the save.

Everyone went back to their food and the dinner continued on. Kuon stared hostilely at Tenzin, angry for what the man had suggested. His concentration was broken when Naruto spoke to him. "Mr. Kuon, might I ask you what kind of a farmer you are?"

It was a question that he wasn't expecting. He stared at the old man who waited patiently for an answer. He knew who he was. He would have to be a blind man if he didn't. He was looking at Naruto Uzumaki, one of the heroes who ended the Hundred Years War. He was also one of the Paragons, the four who watched the Avatar. He was facing a legend and it would do well for him to be polite. "Mostly grains but I also cultivate some fruits too."

"Grains and fruits," Naruto repeated, "Perfect."

He frowned in suspicion. "Perfect for what?" he asked.

"You must forgive Tenzin. His plan for rebuilding the Air Nomads was the long term one, where they came from his loins, so to speak. The fact that there are Airbenders he hadn't sired has made him excitable." Tenzin gave him a look that asked what he was doing but he kept going on. "You see, Tenzin is much like his father, Aang, when it comes to remembering the Air Nomads. They like to see it as a grand picture."

"What does that have to do with him wanting me to abandon everything I know?"

"I'm getting there, Mr. Kuon. You see, despite Aang being an Airbending master, he was also a twelve year old boy when he decided to run away and take an ice-induced nap. So while he had the grand picture, he never really looked for the details. Tenzin here, because he is excitable, has done the same thing."

Jinora tried to follow what it was he was saying but it seemed all garbled and confusing to her. "Lord Naruto, what are you talking about?" she finally asked him.

He looked her way with a small smile on his lips. It was the smile a teacher would get when a student asked a good question. "Think of it like this, Jinora. Your grandfather loved fruit pies, loved helping bake them. But as a child, he never wondered where the fruits and grains for the pies came from or how the oven that baked them was made."

Asami realized what her sensei was doing right away. Ever since she had joined her father's company and learned how to run it, she knew that the Satomobiles weren't just magically created. They had to get the parts made for it, bring them to a factory, make sure that there was a factory, get the parts assembled into a Satomobile, ensure that it was all in proper working order, and then send out to be bought. And that was if everything went right. She knew very well that any one of those things could go wrong and that made a whole new set of things that would have to be taken care of. It wasn't exactly the same as what her sensei was doing, but she understood what the basis of it.

She looked over at Mr. Kuon and saw that he was making the same kind of connections, albeit at a slower pace. She wondered if he would just ask her sensei what he meant. "Please explain yourself fully, sir," the farmer asked. She didn't say anything. She just went back to her food.

Naruto put down his chopsticks and looked at him. "What I am saying is this, Mr. Kuon: the Air Nomads will have need of your skills as a farmer. There will need to be someone who knows how to sow and till the fields, how to harvest the grain and the fruit."

"So you still wish me to come and abandon my family?"

"No, nothing of the sort," he said easily, keeping the man from getting angry. "As I said before, Tenzin got excited and a little rushed. What he meant to say was that your family is welcomed to join us too. They would be trained in the ways of the Air Nomads and be considered a part of them too."

The anger he showed on his face started to vanish, replaced by uncertainty. He looked to his wife and his children. "But…they're not Airbenders."

Naruto waved it aside. "Mr. Kuon, contrary to popular belief, not every Air Nomad was an Airbender. They had a good amount of people who were Nonbenders. They were still trained in the ways of their people. Some chose to become monks and nuns, some did not. In fact, I'd be willing to bet you that some of the Nonbenders traveled the world and some of the Airbenders stayed behind to farm the land. I know we are asking you to uproot your life and move it far away, but we're not asking you to change it completely. You must also think of your children and your future grandchildren."

The kids looked nervous that they were being called out so. Kuon saw them and became protective. He leaned closer to Naruto, silent challenging his authority like he had with Tenzin. "What about my children?"

He was aware of the challenge given and ignored it. "You are an Airbender now, Mr. Kuon. It could be quite possible for your children to become Airbenders themselves. If they do not, their children might. Would you leave that up to chance?"

"But they haven't shown any Airbending skill since I got them."

"There is always the possibility of them being late-bloomers. And even if they are not Airbenders there would be places amongst the Air Nomads for them. Take my compatriot for example." He gestured down the table at Bumi. "This is Bumi. He is a retired commander of the United Republic Navy but he is also the Paragon of the Air Nomads. Perhaps one of your children will become his apprentice and take his place."

"That's when they're older, of course," Bumi added so the man wouldn't get any bad ideas. "We don't recruit that young."

Kuon's wife looked at him, then to her husband and her children. She knew of the Paragons and she could see how they had respect and prestige. The chance to become like that was being offered to her children. "Do you really think that could happen?" she asked.

"It could," Asami said, speaking for the first time.

The family looked at her. The boy blushed and avoided direct eye contact. His sister pointed her finger, recognition shining in her eyes. "I know you," she said. "You're Asami Sato, the head of Future Industries! You attended the Nuktuk mover in that suit made by Juan!"

She smiled. "Yes, I am." She didn't think that suit would make her recognizable but she wasn't going to complain. She actually liked it.

The girl's mother widened her eyes in recognition too. "I remember when _Fashion Queen_ had an article about that suit. They called it bold and innovative while also remaining stylish." She looked right at Asami. "They said it suited you to absolute perfection."

"_That was the point,"_ she thought to herself. When Juan did her work, she did her work and she did it well. She had been amazed herself by the suit when she first tried it on. She moved past that and went back to the main point. "Thank you. While I am the head of Future Industries, I am also Naruto's apprentice. When he deems me fit, he will step down and I will become the next Paragon of the Fire Nation." She smiled easily and said, "If it happens so, I would be honored to stand beside one of your children and think of them as a fellow Paragon."

The table fell silent as Kuon's family digested all of this information. Naruto was watching the man himself, seeing how the man would go. He looked almost convinced but there was still uncertainty in his eyes. He didn't look like he was ready to give up his farm and the place he had called home for so long. **"He's a tough customer to sell,"** Kurama remarked.

"_Yes, I can see that,"_ he replied.

"**What are you going to do about it?"**

"_Give him the whammy."_

The fox grinned and declared, **"Whammy away then."**

He eyed his tenant. _"It's been a long time since I've had to follow your orders."_

"**Just get to it already. I'm getting bored here."**

He looked to the farmer again and said, "Mr. Kuon, if all of this does not interest you, it is perfectly acceptable."

"What?" said a surprised Tenzin. "Naruto, you can't be serious!"

"Hold on now, Tenzin. I wasn't done."

"But—!"

"Tenzin," he said, "Let me finish." The Airbending master went quiet instantly. He knew the tone that had crept into Naruto's voice. It was a tone that, while outwardly polite, was a warning for the person his attention was on to stop talking lest they suffer in pain. He had seen it happened before and he wasn't keen on it happening to him.

Naruto saw how fast he went quiet. "Thank you," he said. He turned his attention back to Kuon. "Now, as I was saying before I was interrupted, it is perfectly acceptable for you to refuse all that we offer. However, I still must insist that you come with us still."

Kuon almost stood up again. "What? You still want to drag me away even if I say no?"

"Sorry, sorry, I forgot to add in the word 'temporarily,'" he apologized, looking sheepish.

He lost the anger but was confused by his words. "What do you mean by temporarily?"

"If you're set on staying here, we would ask you to come with us so you can learn how to properly use your powers. You said it yourself you don't have any control over it now. You accidently blew pie into Bolin's face. What happens when it gets to the point when you sneeze and you inadvertently cause a storm?"

He hadn't thought about that. He was still getting used to the idea of having this kind of Bending. "You're kidding, right?" his son asked the old man. He didn't believe a word he had said.

He looked at the boy. "Have you ever been around an Airbender that sneezed?" he asked back. "I have, exactly once. I've always made it a point to stay at least twenty miles away from Aang whenever he had a cold." He looked back to the farmer. "So what do you say, Mr. Kuon? Do you accept what I offer you and your family?"

He didn't answer right. He looked down at the table and its food, frowning in concertation. He didn't want to leave his life behind but something had to be done about his new ability. The man wasn't telling him to become a monk outright, only implying that he could if he changed his mind. For now, the offer was that he could become a farmer for the Air Nomads, supplying them with grain and fruit. It would help them grow once more. He could admit that being known as one as one of the founders of the reborn Air Nomads sounded just fine to him.

He looked to his children and they looked back at him. He wanted a different life for them other than a farmer. He might be comfortable with it but he believed that they would have better lives than his. And his wife had told him of her dream to travel a few times before. But what about the life he had here? What about the people he knew? Could he all just leave them behind? Still, the temptation pecked at him and would not stop. They weren't asking him to become a full-blown monk, only to learn how to control his Bending and stay a farmer.

"Alright," he finally said. "You've convinced me, Lord Naruto."

The old man looked surprised but it didn't really seem real. "How so?" he asked.

"I will come with you to learn how to use my Airbending. And my family will come too."

Tenzin perked up at those words. Naruto didn't react so much. "That's wonderful to hear, Mr. Kuon."

They went back to the dinner, the air much more relaxed now. As everyone ate, Tenzin leaned in close to Naruto. "Thank you," he whispered.

"Don't mention it, Tenzin," the old man whispered. "But you had one freebie for this whole trip. You just used it."

* * *

The entire family couldn't leave that night as there were thing like ensuring the harvest came through, the land was properly sold, and a travel plan was actually made. So Kuon came with them while the wife stayed behind and handled the logistics. Kuon was initially hesitant about leaving his family alone but his wife reminded him that she enjoyed the logistics end and that they would be fine.

So while the airship flew through the night to their next destination, and with Kuon sleeping in one of the cabins, Team Avatar had a meeting around the table. "Alright, I'm just going to come out and say it," Korra said, looking at the others. "That was close. I thought it would play out very differently."

They couldn't disagree with the sentiment. That's what they all felt. "I was worried that we would have to try harder to convince him to join us," Asami remarked. She was glad that her sensei had stepped when he did.

"Or we could have thrown him in a potato sack and forced him into the ship," suggested Bolin humorously. The looks he got back told him that the others didn't find the suggestion funny.

Naruto looked across the table from the couch he was sitting on at Bumi. "Isn't that how June got you to enlist in the United Forces?" he asked the man reading on the other couch. He remembered how June declared that her apprentice needed some worldly experience and ensured that it would happen. He was never sure if he should've been shocked or laughed at what she did.

Bumi scowled at the older man. "No, she had Nyla paralyze me, dragged me to the enlistment office, and _then_ had me join."

"We can't coerce people," Tenzin said to them all. "They must come freely. But not to worry, there are plenty of other Airbenders out there who will be happy to come with us once they find out what the Air Nation is all about."

While he was hopeful at the promise of it all, that hope diminished with each stop they made to find the Airbenders. Each time Tenzin talked to one of the new Airbenders, he kept making the mistake of saying the wrong thing again and again. Some of the things he said were telling a boy's mother that he'll get tattoos all over his body, a meat-lover that he would basically become a vegan, a very fashionable woman that she would have to wear the same kind of robes all the time, a merchant that he wouldn't have to worry about worldly possessions again since he wouldn't have any, a girl who was very proud of her hair that she would have to shave it, and the most popular guy in his town that his best friend would be a bison.

Needless to say, by the time they were reaching the end of the list, their hopes weren't very high. Tenzin was more irritated then depressed about it, even though it felt like the entire trip was set to the tune of doors being slammed in his face. "Ugh, I really thought I had that last guy," he declared as he glared at the map on the table. "Who doesn't want a bison as their best friend?"

"Apparently, the guy who had his friends almost run us out of town," Bumi remarked from where he sat next to his brother. He wondered if Naruto stayed in the airship each time because he knew what would happen.

Korra decided that it was time to for something different. "Okay, we've tried it your way, and people just don't seem to be responding," she told Tenzin. "It's time for a little tough love." Her fist smacked her palm for more emphasis.

Tenzin looked at her. He wanted to object that what she was implying would not work. But his way hadn't been working. All he could say was "Don't go overboard."

* * *

She took Mako and Bolin to the next location. Asami saw them leaving and decided to tag along. Their destination was a nice house in a good neighbor. When Korra knocked on the door and it opened, she met a woman with glasses who beamed with joyful surprise. "Oh, are you the Avatar?"

"Yes, I am," she said. "These are my friends. We're here about the new Airbender?"

"Oh yes, that's my son. Please come in." She led them into the nicely furnished home. "When my son got Airbending, my husband and I were so happy. We thought this could open a lot of doors for him," she leaned in close to Korra, "maybe he could finally move out of the basement." She laughed like it was an actual joke.

She chuckled alongside her. "How old is he?"

"He's twenty-two, and you know, still just to figuring his life out."

Asami was silently astounded. _"He's older than us and he still hasn't figured out what he's doing?"_ Suddenly, she felt like this was going to be a lot harder.

"Well, I have a great opportunity for him," Korra told the mother. "We're looking for Airbenders to join us at the Northern Air Temple."

"Ah, that sounds wonderful! I'll get him." She leaned down to the basement stairs and shouted, "Ryu! Get up here!"

She exchanged thumbs up and smiles with Bolin and Mako. Things were going so well. Ryu came up the stairs. He was scruffy with a bored look, dressed in clothes that didn't look clean. They saw that he was only wearing one slipper on his feet, like he couldn't have cared to find the other one. "Hi, I'm Korra," she introduced herself, holding out her hand to him.

He looked at the hand and then at her. "So you're like the Avatar or something," he said in a bored tone that matched how he looked, "Big deal."

She paused. That wasn't how she thought it would go like this. But still, she had to go on. "Uh, I just wanted to talk to you about an opportunity."

"Yeah, I heard you talking to my mom, and I'm not interested." He turned back for the stairs.

Her patience ran thin at that point. "Well, you're gonna be interested." She grabbed him by the collar, bent the air to have a chair face him, and tossed him into it. She slammed her hand against the table and looked him hard in the eyes. "You're an Airbender now and you have a responsibility as a citizen of the world."

"Whatever," he said back, not even bothering to make eye contact with her. "I didn't ask to become an Airbender, you know."

"Well, I didn't ask to be the Avatar, but I am, and I'm fulfilling my duties."

"So? You don't have to."

"Yes, I do have to." She was the Avatar. It came in the job description.

"No, you don't."

Her temper started to rise at that. He was making it sound like she didn't have to be what she was. "Yes, I do!"

"No, you don't."

"Well, if I didn't embrace my role, then our entire world could be thrown into chaos. Think about that! Is that what you want?"

"Maybe," he said.

Asami realized what was happening. He was arguing for the sake of arguing, trying to annoy Korra so that she would go away. He might actually have a brain in there after all. _"I'd be impressed if he didn't look and sounded like an uncaring slob,"_ she thought to herself.

"No, it's not!" Korra blew up at him.

"So what?" he asked. Who cares?"

"Everyone cares!"

"I don't care."

"Yes, you do!" she shouted, slamming the table again.

There was a pause as he looked at her again. "No, I don't."

And she had officially lost her temper. She had tried being nice but it was now time for the tough love. "Well, you're about to care, you little slacker," she grabbed him by the collar again, "because you're coming with me!" She pulled him out of the chair and dragged him to the door.

He grasped at her hand, trying to pull her off. "Stop pulling on my collar! You're stretching it out! Mom, are you just gonna let her take me?!" he complained, trying to get some support.

But it was the opposite. "I think it's a great opportunity," she told her son, following them to the front door. He tried to keep himself inside the house and she aided Korra in trying to push him out. "Just try it for a week and see how it goes."

Mako, Bolin, and Asami all watched the struggle at the door and shared the same thought. _"This is sad."_

"No!" Ryu said, trying to get free. "Let me go!" He slammed his hands against the door frame and blasted himself back into the house, taking his mother with him.

Korra was left holding his shirt, now torn in two because he blasted backwards out of it. She threw the pieces to the ground and marched into the house. "That's—!"

Asami reached down and grabbed Ryu by his undershirt, hoisting him up to his feet and holding him in place. "Hey! I said let me go," he said.

"I really wished it hadn't come to this option," she said, a grim look on her face, "But you've left us with no other choice." She looked down to his mother. "Ma'am, do you have a block of some sort out in the back?"

She picked herself up and looked at the younger woman with some confusion. "We do. It was there in case my husband had to chop wood but he never did."

"I see. And is there an ax that comes with the block? A sharp one?" she added as an afterthought.

"Well, I don't if it's sharp or not but we do have an ax for chopping firewood."

"Thanks. Bolin, go outside and check on that ax. If it's dull, bend up a whetstone and get it sharp again." Bolin looked a little apprehensive but still went out the back door. "Mako, help me get this useless excuse of a person out back. We're probably going to have to hold him down."

Ryu's face paled. He looked at her. "H-Hold me down?" he asked, his glasses almost tipping off the edge of his nose.

She looked down at him without a hint of remorse. "Yes, hold you down. Come on, Mako." He did as he was told, grabbing Ryu by the arm in support.

Korra watched this all happen from the doorway, stunned. This was a side of Asami that she hadn't seen before. It was…kinda intimidating. Ryu's mother lost her confusion and replaced it with concern. "Just what exactly are you planning to do with my son?" she asked Asami.

"_You haven't figured it out yet!?"_ She knew it was obvious the moment Asami had told the brother to get the ax and help the guy go out back.

"I am sorry, ma'am. I truly am," Asami said to her, a look of sincere sorrow clear on her face. "But we have to do this. We've been rejected too many times before now. My teacher and his fellow Paragon are concerned about what might happen if the new Airbenders continue refusing to join us. So they've given me the order to execute any Airbenders that doesn't come with us."

"What!?" shouted both mother and son. "You've gotta be kidding!" Ryu protested.

She looked at him. To him, she looked like she was staring at a dead body already. "You're the one who said no, so you're the one who ends up on the block. It's as simple as that." He struggled to get out of the grips but they held him in place.

His mother walked up to her, grabbing her arm. "I won't allow this," she declared, getting right into her face.

She felt a sudden dryness in her throat and an empty feeling in her stomach. The woman who had greeted them so happily at the door was gone and in her place was a woman who would protect her child. She felt rather scared but she couldn't let it stop her. "It's happening, ma'am. I'm sorry." She paused for effect, looking like she was thinking it over. "Unless…"

Ryu stopped struggling long enough to look at her. "Unless what?"

"Unless you decide to change your mind and become a part of the Air Nomads, actually learn how to use your Airbending."

"But—"

"You're either leaving this house out the front door or the back," she told him bluntly. "Either way, you're leaving the house."

"…Ugh, fine, whatever," he said, trying to go back to his bored disinterest. "Let me just go get some stuff from my room." He tried heading for the stairs.

Their grips kept him in place. "I'm afraid we can't allow that. If you go down there, you'll probably try and lock yourself inside your room and hope that we'll go away. We'd just break down the door and take you out back. You're leaving now. We'll send your mother a list of anything you might need later. Come on, move." She pushed him to the door and he had no choice but to obey.

Mako looked backwards. "Bolin, forget about the ax!" he called out.

His brother reappeared almost instantly. "Oh thank goodness!" he said in relief. "I was just starting to get the thing sharpened."

"Good day, ma'am," Asami said to Ryu's mother. It was the last thing said in the house before made him leave it.

Korra just stepped out of the way, letting them pass. She fell in line beside Asami. No one said a word until the house was practically out of sight. "Uh, Asami?" she asked.

"Yes, Korra?" asked Asami back.

"Did the Paragons really order you to kill any Airbenders that refused to come with us?" She wouldn't have put the idea past Naruto. But still, the idea seemed a little bit much.

To her surprise, her friend shook her hand and lost the grim look. "No, they didn't. Honestly, Korra, you'd think that they would give me an order like that?"

"Well…" Any excuse or reason she tried to come up with just felt weak in her mouth.

"I was improvising."

"Wait, you mean you weren't going to kill me?" Ryu asked. He started struggling to get free again. "Let me go. I'm going hom—!"

_THWACK!_

No one said a word as the slap faded in the air. Bolin looked over at his brother. "Did she…?"

"Yes, she did," Mako said back.

"Oww, what was that for?" Ryu asked, rubbing his head where he got slapped. His voice became rather whining. "I told you to let—"

_THWACK!_

"Ow!"

"Are you done?" asked Asami, putting her hand down.

"No, I—"

_THWACK!_

"Ow!"

"Are you done?"

"I want to go—"

_THWACK!_

"Would you stop that?" he finally asked.

"_It took him that long to ask?"_ Mako thought to himself with a shake of disbelief. He would've demanded her to stop after the second slap. One look at his brother and he knew Bolin had the same opinion. This guy really was a bit of a wuss.

Asami put her hand down again. "Are you done?" she asked him again in the same tone of voice.

He rubbed his head, trying to message away. "Why are you doing that to me?" he asked her.

"I was stopping you."

"From what?" he demanded. "Wanting to go b—?" Her hand snapped up and he flinched, falling silent right away.

She brought the hand down. "Smart. Now listen up, you slacker. We are all younger than you and we are all doing better than you. Korra's the Avatar, Mako is a police detective, and Bolin's a mover star." The Earthbender shifted uncomfortably. Ever since Varrick had been thrown in jail and then vanished, other investors had moved in and taken over the mover industries. He tried to stick around but they didn't like his acting skills and kicked him out the door. She knew that. He wondered why she'd make it sound like he was doing well.

Ryu just huffed. "Whate—"

_THWACK!_

"Ow! I didn't say anything about home!"

"I know," Asami said to him.

"Then why'd you hit me?" A few people passed them in the street, giving them odd looks as they went by. Korra and the boys gave them friendly smiles and waved at them, hoping it would be enough to ward them off. None of them said anything so it must've worked.

Asami saw how the slacker she had by the undershirt eyed the people, weighing his options. _"So I was right. He does have a brain in that head. Why he doesn't use it is a wonder."_

_THWACK!_

"Ow!" he yelped as his head rocked sideways again.

"Don't even think about it."

"I wasn't thinking of anything!"

"You were trying to figure out if telling them you're being kidnapped would have them you get free so you could go home."

He stared back at her in surprise. That was what he had been thinking. _"How could she have had known that?"_

"I've been running one of the leading business companies for the better part of a year and was involved in it for years before. I know how to read people and you are an open book," she told him. "The point here that you are older than any of us and you live in your parents' basement. You've got a chance to get out of the basement and you don't want to because you're lazy. Well that's not going to happen anymore. You're going to have a life now and it is going to be outside of your parents' house. And I don't want to hear you say anything else for wanting to go home or how you don't care or the word 'whatever' again. Got it?"

"Ugh, what—" Her hand came up into slapping position and his mouth clamped shut.

"Smart," she said, putting the head down again.

He looked at the hand and at her. "Are you really doing this to me?"

She didn't say anything back, choosing to keep him moving. "It's for your own good," Korra said to him. "You need to do something with your life, something that doesn't include hiding away in your parents' basement." He didn't say anything. Instead, he settled for frowning as they left the suburbs for the town streets.

_THWACK!_

_THWACK!_

_THWACK!_

"Ow!" He looked sulkily at Asami. "I didn't say anything."

"You were thinking it," she replied.

(Location: Konoha)

Tsukiko charged at Arashi. He knelt down as she got close, presenting his back to her. She stepped up and leapt into the air. Her hands flashed through handseals and she breathed in. **"Katon: Gōkakyū no jutsu** (Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu)**!"** The jutsu flew out of her mouth and smashed into the target dummy, burning it to a crisp. She landed in a roll and came out of it with a kunai in hand, throwing it at the dummy. She saw the kunai wedge itself into the throat and was satisfied.

Arashi stood up, wincing at his back pain. "So we finally managed to get most of it right," he said, "About time."

She looked back at him with a frown. "I didn't step too hard, stop whining."

He scowled at her. "It's now how hard you put your foot down. It's how many times you did it." His back was starting to ache. He reached behind and started rubbing it. It didn't do much but he was willing to take what he could get.

"And you still did wrong," Hiro said, leaning against a tree across the training ground. He stayed that far away because they were all concerned about how big of an area effect Tsukiko's jutsu would have. That was the first time she had been able to use it and he could see that it only stretched out five feet on either side of the target. They might've overdone with the precautions but he was only willing to move forward slightly. For all he knew, the spread could have variation.

She looked at him inching forward from the tree. With the clouds moving across the sun, it looked like he was stepping out of shadows. "What do you mean?" she demanded. "We did exactly as we discussed." It was a maneuver that she had read in one of her dad's books that morning and wanted to try it out. When they got to the grounds and after they sparred for a warm up, she was able to convince them to help her try it and some others out.

"No, you didn't," he said, looking at the book in his hand. "You're supposed to throw the kunai while you come out of the roll, not after it."

"I can't do that. My sight's whacked when I'm in the roll. I try throwing it then, I don't know where it's going to end up."

"You're going to have to figure it out." He tapped the book. "This says that throwing after the roll causes a delay in taking down the target. If there's a delay, the target could recover or have someone come in and protect him."

She groaned. Just when she thought that she finally got the move down, she finds out that she didn't. "Guess we're doing this again." She turned back to Arashi.

He backed away, one hand out in protest while the other still massaged his back. "No, no, no, absolutely not," he told her. "My back hurts. It can't take any more."

She sighed in irritation. "You big baby," she said.

"It's easy for you to say. You're not the one who's been getting stepped on."

She walked over to him with a determined pace. "Take off your jacket and get on the ground."

He paused, not quite sure what he had heard. "I beg your pardon?"

"I said take off your jacket and get on the ground."

"Why would I do that?"

She had the temptation to just kick his feet out from under him but she knew it would only make him fight. "I'm trying to help you out here. Now take off that jacket." He looked at her doubtfully but still took off the jacket. She didn't have to tell him get on the ground, he was already doing it. "Stretch out on your stomach."

Hiro watched as he did this. _"What is she planning?"_ he wondered. This didn't seem like a prank in the making but he couldn't say that it wasn't either. He wondered if Arashi had the same thoughts going through his head. Tsukiko crouched down and straddled his back.

As soon as he felt her weight on his back, Arashi wondered what she was doing. Hands that weren't his gripped his shirt and started pushing it up. "Hey, hey, hey!" he said, trying to look back at her.

"Stop moving around so much!" she told him, still pushing his shirt up.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm helping. Now stop moving, would ya?"

He wasn't reassured. When he felt her hands on his back, cold despite the warmth of the day, he started to think that she was going to kill him. But then those hands began to knead and rub his muscles. It was a change he hadn't expected. His mind overwhelmed the panic with the pleasure of relief. "Ooh Kami," he groaned out. "That feels so good."

She smiled as she massaged him. "So glad you approve."

"Please, don't stop." It was like all the aches and pain were being carried away from his back. He didn't resist anymore and just let her continue.

Hiro was surprised, not by the fact that she didn't prank their teammate, but by the fact that she knew what she was doing. "When did you know how to give a massage, Tsukiko?" he asked.

"Since my Aunt Uruchi gave me a few lessons," she answered him while still focused on her work. "I know how to do the basic stuff but I need to concentrate. So stop talking."

"Right, sorry." He fell silent and stayed silent as he watched them. But the more he watched her massage Arashi, the more he felt like he was intruding on a private moment. The looks on their faces, content and concentrating, made it seem like they stopped caring about the world around them. They were only there for each other. _"Should I say or do something?"_ he asked himself. No, that wouldn't do him any good. It would just seem more awkward. All he could do was stay silent and wait. But he did back up to the tree so they could be a bit more alone.

As Tsukiko moved her hands across Arashi's back, she realized something. _"I've got my hands on a boy's back. And he's not Itachi."_ The thought made her cheeks go flame-red. She tried to keep her composure but it didn't seem to be working. Not only was she using her hands on a boy's back, she was also straddling said back. If she leaned back just a little bit, she could feel the curve of his butt…

Her body started to unconsciously do that and she felt that curve. She snapped out of the thought and moved forward again, away from the (nice-feeling) curve. _"Come on, Tsukiko, get a grip,"_ she told herself. _"Just relax. It's Arashi, okay? There's nothing to worry about here. Everything is fine."_

Everything was not fine. She hadn't realized until she started doing this but Arashi had good muscles. She wondered why she hadn't seen them before. That was a stupid question. He was always wearing that jacket. It prevented anyone from seeing a hint of muscle. And now, she was feeling all of his muscles. She had to admit, it was a good feeling against her hands. But it also freaked her out. It was Arashi!

But still, she went back to what Tsume said during that sleepover. Maybe there was a point to the whole talk? Was there something to Arashi? She tried looking at him without making it obvious. She couldn't see his face, only the back of his head. But she knew what the face looked like. She guessed that he was kinda cute-looking, although the whole hair dye thing seemed off to her. Maybe it was because she knew that he was a blonde underneath. He might look better if he showed his natural hair color.

But would she be willing to date him? That question came out of nowhere. _"Why would I think about dating him?"_ she asked herself. This was her teammate for crying out loud! And wasn't she still a bit young to be dating? Her mind kept trying to argue the facts and present the case she was trying to make. But her body kept shooting up the case by telling her that she liked the feeling of her hands against his skin. Every time he groaned in satisfaction, she felt her blood thrum through her body in response. She didn't know what to make of it. It excited and scared her in the same breath.

"_Stop thinking about it!"_ she ordered herself, trying to get back to the work. She returned to it with vigor but it was too much vigor.

"Ouch!" Arashi yelped when she pinched his muscle. "Hey, I thought you knew what you were doing."

"I am," she retorted, trying to keep the embarrassment she felt off of her face. "Hold still and let me finish." She was near done anyways.

Hiro looked up at the sky, feeling more and more like a voyeur. The sun had completely vanished behind the clouds and the wind was picking up. The clouds were big, bulgy, and grey, showing to all that would look up at them that they were storm clouds. "Hey, guys," he called out. "Maybe we should head out?" He had heard something about a storm heading the village's way on the news but he hadn't been paying attention. He had been trying to get out the door to meet up with the others.

Before he could finish asking, the rain quickly dropped. Within seconds they were getting drenched. "Ah, geez!" yelped Arashi, coming to his feet.

In doing so he knocked Tsukiko off of him, down to the ground. She felt her butt go wet and cold because of the grass and she didn't like it. "Hey, a little warning next time!" she told him.

He was too busy yanking down his shirt and putting his jacket back on. But it was too late, he was already soaked underneath. "Great, just what I needed," he muttered to himself. He looked over at Tsukiko, still sitting on the ground. "What are you doing? Get up already." He held out his hand for her to take.

She found herself almost wanting to argue back. But the rain put a damper on that attitude. She took the hand and pulled herself up. "Thanks."

"Guys!" called out Hiro as he raced over to them, getting drenched just as fast as they did. "We should get out of here."

"Why?" she asked him. "We can still train."

"I don't think that this storm is going to let up enough for us to train, Tsukiko." He glanced up at the clouds. They didn't look like they were done emptying out the water inside. The one time he had left the jacket back home it had to rain like this.

"Wuss," she said.

Arashi shook his head, sending drops of water everywhere. "No, I'm with him on this one, Tsukiko. I'm already soaked to the bone in this weather."

The lightning flashed overhead and the thunder quickly followed with a boom that echoed like a drum. She and Hiro saw their teammate go stiff at the sound, his eyes wide with fear. The memory of finding him chained to a shower with Ichiro in front of him, cattle prod in hand, came back to them fast. And it wasn't just that. They knew he was afraid of lightning and thunder. It might've been something that they could've found childish about Arashi, if they hadn't learned it was through torture that he was afraid. It's what made Ichiro's work crueler.

"Alright, you guys got a point," she said in surrender. She reached out and took Arashi's arm in hand. He came out of his stupor at her touch and looked at her. "Come on, Arashi," she told him. "We're heading back home."

He nodded slowly. "Yeah, yeah let's go." He led them out of the training grounds, almost but not quite running. Neither of his teammates said a word about it as they followed him.

(Location: Unknown)

The heat seeped into her bones and made her dry. But in the thirteen years that she had been here, she knew that was supposed to be the point. After all, the White Lotus had thrown her into a cage hanging over a lava pit inside a volcano. All to keep her from bending even the slightest drop of water. They were so afraid of her skills that whatever food she was given was utterly dry and she was forced to drink liquids through a pipe put down her throat. Once she drank all they gave her, they would pull it away and leave her alone. It had been the same old dance routine ever since she was thrown in here by the White Lotus. But she hadn't cracked, not once in thirteen years.

"We're under attack!" shouted one of the guards suddenly.

Another shouted, "Look out!" The sounds of battle followed quickly afterwards.

She looked up to the ceiling of her cell. _"What's this?"_ she wondered. She saw flashes of fire on the catwalks above but they were deflected by hard gusts of wind. Her eyes narrowed. That wasn't just any kind of gust. That was a gust that came with Airbending! Something was happening above her and all she could do was watch.

But when she saw Zaheer, dressed like a White Lotus of all things, use Airbending to land on the next catwalk down, she relaxed a little. She was surprised by the fact that he had Airbending but there would be time for that later. She knew why he was here and she was glad for it. Ghazan, thankfully not wearing one of those damn uniforms, landed next to him with a large barrel in hand but there was no one else after that. It must've meant that she was the third who was being freed.

The barrel was tossed over the edge to her and a slice of air split it open. Water fell free down towards her. She watched fall for a moment, entranced by the beauty she hadn't seen for a decade. The moment past and she stood up, bending the water to the stubs where her arms had been once. The water coalesced into tendrils, something that she was used to before being thrown into this prison. And now, she was getting out.

With a blast at the gate, it burst open and she was free. She ran out and leapt into the air, bending the tendrils towards the cell's side. They latched onto, morphing into hands, and she quickly climbed up. At the top, she swung herself into an arc, high enough to avoid a Firebender's blasts. She grabbed onto one of the wires holding her cell above the lava, using the momentum to swing herself onto the catwalk, taking out two White Lotus guards in the process.

The others above rained down earth and fire at her, forcing her to keep moving around. But she was able to use that maneuvering to swing herself upwards, taking out every single guard that was trying to stop her. When she landed on the same level as her compatriots, she saw there were only two guards left. She landed between them and bent the tip of a tendril into ice, forming a hook. They didn't realize she was there until she hooked one in the leg and sent him flying at the wall and knocked the second unconscious via head to the catwalk.

As she stood up from her kneeling positions, she turned to look at Ghazan and Zaheer. "I never thought I'd be so happy to see your ugly mugs again," she told the two of them outright.

Ghazan smiled. "Great to see you too, Ming-Hua," he said. She looked a little parched in the skin and her hair was longer, but she was still the same woman who could keep him on his toes.

She looked over at Zaheer. She almost couldn't tell that it was him with all that hair. But she still knew it was him. "I'm flattered. You busted me out before that girlfriend of yours."

He smiled at her. "We're getting her next."

(Location: Airship)

The team all sat around the table below the cockpit, staring at the map laid out for them. When they had set out on this mission, they all had such high hopes that all the new Airbenders would come with them. But now, all they had to their task was a farmer who had been convinced to join then and a surly slacker who had been bullied into joining. (When Naruto learned of how Asami got Ryu on board, all he said in response was, "Good thinking on your feet). That was it.

Tenzin wanted to take the map with all the crossed out locations and throw it out a window. It just seemed so full of disappointment now. "Well, I guess we should just go to Ba Sing Se and try our luck there," he said to them all.

Korra knew that was the end goal but now she had doubts that they would even find willing Airbenders there. "I don't know what to do," she bemoaned aloud. "I just thought more people would be excited about coming with us."

"Well, maybe you gotta do more to get them excited," Bumi told the two of them. "You need to add a little razzle-dazzle."

Naruto looked at him from where he sat on the couch behind Asami. "And what would you know about razzle-dazzle, Bumi?" he asked with a slightly amused look. "Were you in the circus?"

He gave the Fire Paragon a somewhat indignant look that was also sooty too. "As a matter of fact, I was."

They were all surprised by that, none more so than Bumi. "Wow, really?" he asked the Paragon sitting next to him.

He nodded. "Yes, really," he answered. "That was my first time trying to get some life experience. I ran off from Sifu June and joined a circus. She couldn't find me for nearly a month and when she did, she admitted that I had impressed her with the duration."

"_It's also probably why she didn't tell me or the others,"_ Naruto thought to himself. June had prided herself on being the best bounty hunter in the Bending Countries. If she had to track her own apprentice for a month before finding him, she wouldn't have shared that information with Naruto or the others. Quite frankly, they never would've let her live it down.

Bumi's mood soured somewhat. "Of course, when she did find me, she had Nyla paralyze me and dragged me back to Republic City. Then she made me enlist in the United Forces." He used wonder if his being able to evade her for a month was why she forced him to enlist as an officer cadet instead of a grunt.

They all stared at him, waiting for him to continue. He didn't say anything for a long moment. Then he noticed the looks. "What?"

"You were trying to explain something, Bumi?" Naruto reminded him.

"Oh yeah," he said, remembering what he was trying to get across. "Well, like I said, you need to put in a bit of pizzazz, razzle-dazzle."

"Yeah, razzle-dazzle!" agreed Bolin, already coming up with an idea. "We could put on some sort of Airbending street performance!"

He looked at the Earthbender like he just had the greatest idea ever. "I was gonna say we could cover Tenzin's robe in sequins, but that's even better!"

Korra saw how they looked at her and Tenzin with eager smiles. She just looked over at Tenzin. "It sounds ridiculous, but it might work."

"I'm willing to try anything at this point," he replied.

"Yes!" Bolin cheered, standing up in his chair. "That is the kind of enthusiasm I like to hear!"

"We can always go with Asami's method if that doesn't work out," Naruto suggested.

"NO!" they all shouted at him in unison. Asami didn't say anything. She just looked at the table and made sure that no one could see the embarrassment on her face.

"What?" her sensei asked, sounding a little baffled. "It's a good idea."

"We can't go around threatening Airbenders that we'll kill them if they don't join us, Naruto," Tenzin said sternly.

Bumi nodded, supporting his brother. "Yeah, we'd be seen as killers and terrorists if we do that!"

"But we don't even mean it," the old man protested. It was a weak protest though, and Asami knew there was a hint of a smile on his face. He was enjoying the argument.

"That, I have a hard time believing."

"Oh come on, Bumi. You saw me with Kuon and his family. I was perfectly fine."

"That's not what we're concerned about," Mako said. He was trying his best to be both mad and respectful at the same time. He wasn't sure just how much of a good job he was doing there. "We're talking about what you did to Ryu."

He shrugged his shoulders with careless abandon. "So I made sure he stopped complaining. It worked, didn't it?"

"You tied his hands behind his back, put tape over his mouth, and held him over the railing by his foot, asking if he wanted to see if he could use his Airbending to fly," Tenzin said with an accusing finger pointed at him.

He wasn't put off by the accusation. "And?" he asked.

"And you can't do that to the people we're trying to recruit!"

He scoffed at that. "Don't get high and mighty on me, Tenzin. We were all getting sick of his whinnying. I just chose to something about it before anyone else did. And I did it in a way that'll stop him from whinnying ever again."

"Still, it was going just a little too far."

"Tenzin, it happened. He stopped whinnying. Take the victory," he told the Airbender. "Besides, you guys need to start figure out how exactly you're going to razzle-dazzle the next town."

He wanted to keep arguing the point but Bolin and Bumi got serious at those words and started talking with each other. He gave Naruto one last look before giving up and joining the two of them in the talks. If they were going to put on a show, they were going to have to need someone who knew what an Airbender could do.

* * *

At the next town, a small place that was literally hewn from the mountain, they landed at the edge and gathered at the ramp. Bolin had put on a showy mustache that could've fooled anyone, if they chose to look past the fact that he looked rather young. Still, the people gathered around the airship as the Earthbender shouted through the megaphone, "Come one, come all to witness The Amazing Airbenders! An Airbending show that will leave you breathless…with wind! First up, the tattooed master himself, you know him as the son of Avatar Aang, he shaves every hair on his head, every single day! It's the one, the only guy with an arrow pointing to his nose, Tenzin!"

As soon as he heard his cue, Tenzin turned around on the ramp to face the crowd, taking off his cloak with a flourish. He was bare-chested and everyone could see that he was all lean muscle, no fat at all. He leapt forward and bent an air wheel underneath his feet. He drove up to the ground and then right by, turning in a half circle so he came to a stop next to Bolin. As he stood there, arms extended above his head and listening to the crowd applauding, he felt rather good about this. He had been doubtful about his part (especially the fact that he had to show some skin) but it seemed to be working.

Bolin waited for the applauding to die down a little before he started talking again. "Now, now, ladies and gentleman, ladies and gentleman, please be quiet." He walked slowly towards the crowd, his voice becoming dramatically serious. "I have some serious news. We've heard that an escaped Firebending convict has been spotted near here. Now, I don't want to panic anyone, but if you see a Firebender with a red scarf—"

He was already pointing his head in the obvious direction when someone in the audience shouted out, "I see him! He's right there!"

All eyes fell onto Mako, who stood in the crowd and looked like he didn't want to be there. He pushed out to the front so they could all see him. "I am the escaped convict, and you will all reap my fire," he said, completely stiff. For added effect he bent a tiny blast up into the air.

Bolin almost scowled at his brother. He had been like this ever since he was brought into rehearsal. With an attitude like that, it was no wonder that he never would've made it into the movers. Still, he had to work with what was giving and the audience was eating it all up. "Oh no!" he cried out dramatically, throwing his eyes everywhere for help. "Who will help us?"

And that was Korra's cue to come onto the stage. "I will," she declared loudly, "With my Airbending skills!" With a quick couple of fancy moves, she snagged her ex-boyfriend in a little tornado. He spun around and around, everyone watching him. She bent him higher into the air, letting the tornado vanish so he could fall, catching him with a quick blast, and sending him back up in another tornado.

His shouts quickly became real and panicky. "Hey! Let me go! This is not what we rehearsed! Korra!" he shouted down to her. But it didn't seem like she heard him.

But she had heard him. She looked over at Asami and they shared a quiet chuckle. _"Sorry, Mako, but you deserved this,"_ she told him silently, dropping him up and down a few more times. Maybe this would be enough to make him ease. She got Bolin's impatient look and she finally dropped him for good.

With his brother down, Bolin signaled Jinora to start the next part of the show. She released Oogi into the air. The sky bison flew high into a barrel roll, doing tricks for all to see. "With the power of Airbending, even this beast can float!" Bumi proclaimed, "Like a feather."

They all watched in awe as Oogi kept flying around. Bumi stepped out to the crowd, his arms spread wide. He did a few basic Airbending moves and the air blew out from his palms. "Look what can be done in only a few short weeks of practice!" Bolin told them all as they watched Bumi bend the air.

A shadow flew over their heads. They looked up and saw Jinora flying through the air via glider staff. Bolin could've laughed at their slack-jawed faces but he also saw how some people looked horrified at what they were seeing. "No no, don't worry folk," he said to them all. "She might be young, but she is in full control!" As if to emphasize his words, she did a couple of twirls in mid-air and landed on the tallest point of the closest house. She landed easily and stood just as easy.

Naruto watched all of this from where he stood next to the ramp. _"I'll admit it,"_ he said to himself. _"Bolin does know how to put on a show."_

"**You thinking of getting something for him to do?"** asked the fox inside. He was watching the show as well, albeit with more disinterest.

"_Maybe the film industry is the right fit for him."_

"**You and I both watched those movies with a loud laugh."** That was all they were good for. The Earthbender's acting skills just added to the comedy.

"_Not as an actor, but as a director."_

"…**Hm, you might have a point there."**

"_Thank you."_

As the show came to an end, Bolin made his final announcement. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you or anyone you know is an Airbender, please, send them our way! Master Tenzin and Avatar Korra would love to teach them all they know!"

They were all waving at the crowd, some more obviously than others. Korra smiled at Tenzin, wearing his shirt and cloak again. Maybe this would be the one that got them the draw they needed. If it worked, they could probably use it again in Ba Sing Se. With the show done, the crowd began to disperse. No one came forward. _"Please them be Earthbenders or Nonbenders,"_ she prayed to anyone who was listening. If there were any Airbenders out there who saw the show and wouldn't come forward, that would make her and the rest of them feel really stupid.

But as the last of the crowd went back to their lives, a kid in decent clothes with a green pack against his back ran up to them. "Hey! Hello. If you're looking for Airbenders, you just found one." To prove his words, he moved in a circle, obviously copying what he had just seen. But he was bending out streams of air with each move he made. "I wanna join you guys."

Everyone smiled at those words. "Get outta town!" Bolin cheered.

"We got our next recruit," Korra said to Tenzin. Things were looking up. But there was the chance that the kid would bail when he heard the details. So she looked at him and said, "Just to be totally clear, we're going to be heading to Ba Sing Se, then the Northern Air Temple to live as nomads and rebuild the Air Nation. All that sound good to you?"

"Yeah, Ba Sing Se, rebuild the temple, Air Nomad what-do-you-do, I'm in," he said without hesitation. "Let's go right now."

Bolin literally jumped in joy. "This is going to be so great! You going to love it, er…ah… real quick, what's your name?" he ended up asking.

"Kai," the kid replied. "So when do we hit the road?"

Tenzin held up a waiting hand. "Hang on a second Kai, where are your parents? We can't have you come with us without their permission." He didn't want to be run out of town and chased as a kidnapper.

The eager expression left his face and he looked down to the ground. "My parents are…gone."

"You're an orphan?" asked Bolin, his heart instantly going out to him.

"It happened about a year ago. My home town was raided by outlaws, but my parents fought back against them. I was so scared, but they told me not to worry they would protect me, and they did. My parents saved me and the entire village, but they died in the fight. Mom and Pop meant everything to me, they were my whole life. Ever since then, I've been on the run. Those same outlaws are still after me."

Asami felt bad for him. She couldn't even think about losing a family like that. It was sad, truly sad. But then Naruto-sensei barked out a harsh laugh and all eyes turned to him. "Nice try, kid," he said to Kai. "'Though I've heard better."

"What are you talking about, Naruto?" asked Tenzin.

"The kid's lying."

"What?" said Kai, sounding surprised and also shocked at the accusation. "I'm not lying. I swear to you, I'm telling the truth."

"No, you're not."

Bolin stepped in between the two, acting almost like a shield. "Come on, Naruto. You must've misread things. He can't be lying."

"Oh really?" he asked the Earthbender. "Then why has he preparing to run once I said that he was lying?" They all looked back at Kai, now standing a couple of inches farther back. His knees went bent slightly and his feet were pointing off to the left, all making him look like he was about to bolt.

"He's getting nervous about your accusations?"

He looked hard at him. "Bolin, I'm going you two seconds to reconsider your statement because I know you're not blind to what a street kid looks like." His hand blurred and a kunai struck the ground near Kai. The boy yelped in surprise and looked down at it. He was about to move when the thing landed. "Move another inch, kid, and I will leave you with a limp for the rest of your life."

"Come on, Naruto, this is going too far!" Korra protested.

He didn't look at her. "I haven't killed him, relax."

"You're scaring the kid!" She could see it on his face. He was absolutely terrified.

He looked at the kid once and said, "He's faking it."

Mako heard a buzzing sound in his ear that sounded a lot like the sound his motorcycle engine made. And it was getting louder. "Guys!" he said to them all. "I think we got company."

Five motorcycles drove in from the other side of town, coming right towards them. They stopped by the fountain and the men dismounted. "Mako, grab hold of the kid and make sure he doesn't go anywhere," Naruto ordered the Firebender before he walked over to the men coming their way.

As soon as he thought he was clear, Kai tried to move. But Mako was already there with an iron clamp of a hand on his shoulder. "Don't do anywhere," he told the kid.

"I have to," Kai said. He was fearful again, looking at the men and any possible point of exit.

He wasn't buying it. "Why's that?"

"They're the outlaws I was talking about!" He looked at Korra with pleading eyes. "Please, don't let them take me."

"Good day to you, sheriff," Naruto greeted the man leading the group. "How may we help you and your deputies today?"

She looked hard at the men. _"That's a sheriff?"_ She saw the badge on his armor. He was a sheriff.

That same sheriff eyed Naruto suspiciously. "Who are you?" he asked.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki, Paragon of the Fire Nation." He reached into his shirt and lifted his Medallion to be seen. "This is my identification."

He looked at it for a brief moment and came to attention. "My lord," he said respectfully. His deputies followed his example and saluted.

The old man resisted the urge to roll his eyes. _"I do wish they'd stopped that."_

"**Heh,"** Kurama chuckled. **"It'll be the same day Agni gets a cold."**

"At ease," he told the sheriff and his men. "What are you here for?"

"The kid, my lord," he answered. "He is a thief. We've been chasing him for months."

"Have you?" He looked back at Kai, still being held in Mako's grasp. "Mako, throw his pack this way." The Firebender took it off, ignoring the kid's protest, and tossed it. It landed with a clanging thud at Naruto's feet, spilling out gold coins and jewels.

Kai saw they were all looking at the pack. When their eyes turned on him, he could see the demanding question they all had on their faces. He had to come up with an answer, fast. "I found it on the road," he told them.

"Asami, could you…?"

_THAWCK!_

"Ow!" Kai yelped, rubbing where he got slapped.

Mako looked gratefully at Asami as she lowered her hand. "Thank you," he told her. He lost the small smile as he looked down at the kid he was holding. "Enough with the lies kid," he said. "We want the truth."

The deputies moved forward and took Kai from him. "The truth is, he's an outlaw," answered the sheriff. "He's spent his entire life as an orphan until he got adopted by a real nice family six months ago, and how did he repay them? By taking their entire life savings. We've been after him ever since."

Korra listened to his words as she looked at the money. Her eyes found Kai. "Is that true?" she asked him.

He looked ashamed and when he spoke, he sounded ashamed. "The person who stole that stuff was the old me. Once I got Airbending, I changed. I don't know how to explain it, but I feel like Airbending choose me for a reason, like I'm a new person." The deputies weren't convinced by his words and started pulling him away. He tried to get free, dragged his feet in the ground, but their grips were too tight. "I'm sorry! Please, you have to listen to me." They didn't.

The rest of the deputies and the sheriff turned around and followed them. "Are, are you taking him back to the orphanage?" Bolin asked. His voice was quiet. He knew that he had been duped but he could see himself in the kid. An orphanage would make him feel like utter misery.

"No, he's headed to jail," declared the sheriff.

Korra watched silently as they took Kai away. She knew that he deserved what was coming for him. But at the same time, she was unsure. He was just a kid. He didn't have to be in jail. There was something else that could be done. "Wait! You've got the family's life savings, now let us take Kai."

Tenzin looked at her in complete surprise. "Do you really want a new member of the Air Nation to be a liar and a thief?" he asked her.

She looked back at him. "We've already got a reluctant farmer and a whinnying slacker," she replied. "He just needs some guidance, Tenzin. Who better to give it to him than us?"

"Do you want this boy or not?" the sheriff asked Tenzin.

He thought about it, stroking his beard. The more he thought about it, the more Korra's words made sense. The boy did need to learn how to use his Airbending. Perhaps by teaching him so, they would make him a better person too. "Yes, you can release the boy into our custody."

As soon as he heard those words, Kai broke free of the deputies. He ran right at Korra and gave her a big hug around the waist. "Thank you!" he told her.

"Don't make me regret it," she told him back, still hugging him.

"Welcome to the family, little bro," Bolin said, joining the hug along with Jinora.

As the sheriff and his deputies left, Kai basked in the feeling of the hug. When it broke up, he looked over at Naruto. "Hey, can I ask a question?"

"You just did."

"What?" he asked confused. "No, I didn't."

"You did."

Asami leaned down close to him. "Don't worry about it," she told him in a whisper. "You did but he'll allow you another one. Just ask him."

He listened to her words and asked, "How did you know I was lying?"

The old man looked down at him sharply. "So you admit to it?"

"_Was he bluffing the entire time?"_ That couldn't be it. He had sounded so sure before. When Kai heard his words, he thought that he had been caught. Well, he couldn't just point that out to the man. He might get into more trouble. "Yes."

The sharpness in Naruto's eyes vanished instantly and a knowing smile replaced it. "It was your voice. Even though you sounded like you were genuine, you couldn't keep the smug undercurrent out of it either."

"There was an undercurrent?" asked Asami.

He nodded. "It's something that I'll teach you. His undercurrent was full on boasting how he was able to con us with the sob story. If that wasn't enough for a tip off, there was his pack."

She thought about the pack but remembered nothing wrong with it. "What about it?"

"He kept shifting his shoulders slightly, like he was adjusting to a new weight on his pack." He looked at Kai again. "You were stealing from other people too, weren't you?"

"Yes," he admitted without shame. He had been caught, why would he bother lying now?

His answer got Naruto's sheathed Zanpakutō resting underneath his chin. "I catch you doing that again I will make you regret it. Understood?"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," he said easily. He already saw the loophole. He just has to make sure that the old man didn't catch him.

"Don't try slipping your way out of this, boy. I've got a good eye."

"Wha…? How…?"

He gave him a predator's grin. "I can read your mind." He turned around and walked back to the gangway. "Asami, tell the pilot that we're going to be making a quick stop before going to Ba Sing Se."

His apprentice followed him. "Where are we going?" she asked quietly.

"To find that boy's adopted parents and make him apologize to them. The sheriff gave me the address."

"Should I tell Kai that we're doing this?"

"No. I want him surprised. It'll make the apology much more real."

Kai watched the old man disappear into the airship, breathing a sigh of relief once he was gone. That old man was tricky. Kai didn't think much of him when he ran up to them all but now he knew that he was probably the most watchful. That meant he was also going to be the most dangerous. He was going to have to be careful around him. Still, he was there and he was getting onboard. He was doing fine.

He started for the airship, only have a hand grabbed his hair and turn him around. He came face-to-face with the Firebender, who looked at him suspiciously. "I just want you to know that I'm going to be watching you, kid," he said with a warning smile. "I know exactly what you're all about, 'cause I've been there. You don't have me fooled."

He looked over the guy, trying to see where he was keeping his wallet. It wasn't to keep the money, but more to antagonize him. Anyone got into his face like that he would make them look like fools. He didn't see any bulges in the obvious places and trying to find them with a hug would look too suspicious then. So when the hand came off his head, he backed up saying, "Woah! Hey, lighten up. I'm turning over a new leaf, making a change." He turned around and walked up the gangway. "Don't you worry about me."

"I'd believe that more if I didn't just see you trying to locate my wallet."

He froze briefly. _"He knew?"_ Maybe what he said had been true. Still, he wasn't going to look back to see if he knew what he was talking about. He did that, he would lose. So he kept his back to Mako and kept walking up the gangway.

Jinora waited for him about halfway. "Hi, I'm Jinora," she introduced herself. A blush came to her cheeks and she couldn't help it. She found Kai rather cute. He had a nice smile and with the sides of his head shaved, he looked a little wild. She couldn't even keep eye contact with him as she kept talking. "If you need any help with Airbending, I could show you what I know."

"Thanks, that real nice of you," he said with a smile.

"Jinora," called out her father from inside the airship. "We're leaving now." She listened to him and went up the gangway. Kai followed her up and Mako finished it off. Once they were all onboard, the airship took off, flying to their next destination.

(Location: Konoha)

As she ran with Arashi, Tsukiko realized that running across the rooftops was much different in the rain than it was in the sunny sky. Everything seemed to have changed, turning into something mysterious and obscured. If she wasn't trying to get home, she might've found it interesting and probably a little enchanting.

But at the moment, she was more concerned she didn't lose sight of Arashi in the right. If he got too far away, he would disappear into the rain. She had to keep her movements constant. It was something that she found was getting easier. It had to be from all the running she had been doing with him in the morning. _"I guess I'm getting better,"_ she thought to herself, vaulting over a pipe. Not running in the morning seemed so long ago.

She started to recognize buildings as they ran. They were getting close to home. "We're nearly there!" she shouted over the rain to Arashi.

He could see it too but it was less than her. _"I need to run more in different weather conditions,"_ he thought to himself. "You want to take the lead?" he called back to her.

"What?"

From the way her voice sounded, she couldn't hear him. He needed to be louder. "You want to take the lead?" he asked again, more loudly this time.

Tsukiko could admit that she was rather surprised by his question. She didn't think that he would make it. Still, they had to get back home. What he was asking wasn't an offer of letting her take the lead to see how she does, but a small plea for help because he wasn't sure that he could get them there. "Okay!" she told him. He landed on the next roof and slowed down, letting her catch up to him.

She did just that and quickly took the lead. The sound of his feet running hard against wet concrete came back to her ears again. He was right behind her and followed her. She led him across the rooftops, following the landmarks she could make out through the rain. She saw the compound wall come out of the rain and she knew they were in the home stretch. She signaled Arashi to head down to street level. They leapt for a drain pipe and slid down it. The gate to the compound was still open and they race through it.

They found the door to the house and went through out hesitation. Arashi close the door loudly and the two of them stood there, getting their breath back. As soon as they did, they smiled at each other. They never felt more alive and it was great. "You know," remarked Tsukiko, "I think that's the first time I've beaten you in a race."

"We were racing?" he asked half-jokingly. "I hadn't noticed."

"Running at break-neck speed across rooftops? That's what we usually call racing."

"Even so, you only won because I let you take the lead. So it doesn't count."

"Oh sure, you wouldn't want your undefeated streak broken now, would you?" she asked him sarcastically. But even though she said it like that, she still smiled at him.

Suddenly, Arashi's ability to speak was gone. He was struck by the sight of his teammate. She was completely soaked like he was but with that smile on her face, Tsukiko was undeniably pretty. Even being soaked didn't detract from her being pretty. In fact, it only enhanced it. If she was pretty now, he could only imagine what she would look like when she became a woman.

"_Wait, what am I thinking?"_ he asked himself in stunned horror. _"This is Tsukiko I'm talking about! She's my teammate, my friend!"_ But even as he tried to use that as an excuse, he could not deny the fact that she was pretty. If she took some care and pride in her appearance, she might make all the boys around pay attention. _"Why does that make me feel jealous? It shouldn't, right?"_

Suddenly, all he could think about was the night he told her about his grandfather. He had talked to her a lot that night. But right now, all he could focus on was the fact he had a girl in his room.

He had a girl in his room.

He had a girl in his room.

He had a girl in his room!

"Hey, you okay, Arashi?" Tsukiko asked him.

It snapped him out of his silence. "Uh, yeah, I'm good." He probably didn't sound too convincing.

"Tsukiko, was that you?" called out Mito from upstairs.

"Yeah, it's me and Arashi, Mom!" she called back, looking over his shoulder to shout up the stairs. "We just got in."

"Then change out of those clothes! You're probably soaked!" They looked at each other and nodded in agreement. They were completely soaked. They took off their shoes and went upstairs to change. But something was different between them or was starting to become different. They both knew it but it didn't know what it was. And it made them nervous.

(Location: Unknown)

"They came out of nowhere. I'm so sorry, Lord Zuko," apologized the guard with a bowed head.

The Scarred Dragon didn't look to him. He was too busy staring down into the depths of Ming-Hua's prison. It had been a place that he and Toph help construct. They had been assured that it would've been impossible for her to get out. The White Lotus was there to ensure she wouldn't get out and no outside help would free her. "How could you let this happen?" he demanded.

"They caught us by surprise, and Zaheer is an Airbender now."

He swung his head to look at the guard, alarmed by those words. "No! This can't be. Do you have any idea the power these criminals possess? Individually, they can take down any Bender. Put them all together, they could take down the entire world. And now you're telling me that their leader is an Airbender?"

"We can track them."

"We don't need to track them," he replied. "I know exactly where they're going." He turned and walked swiftly out of the prison. The guard followed him out to the ledge. Fǎn Yìng waited there with Natsumi on his back. "Notify the new chiefs of the Northern Water Tribe that an attack on their prison is imminent, and send word to Lin Beifong in Republic City. The Avatar must be protected." He considered having word sent to Naruto but decided not to. The message would reach him eventually. Hopefully it would be after this crisis had been taken care of.

"Where are you going?" asked the guard, coming to a stop in front of the dragon. It eyed him with suspicion and he didn't feel like provoking it.

Zuko approached with no fear, climbing aboard when it lowered its head for him. "To stop them," he declared.

As Fǎn Yìng lifted off and flew through the air, he looked back at Natsumi. She noticed his look. "Everything alright, Uncle?" she asked him.

He shook his head. "No, it's not. I have half a mind to take you back to Ember Island and leave you there." He knew that she would be safe there.

But she gave him a small look of horror. "You'd leave me alone? You said you wouldn't do that to me again."

He knew. It was the same argument she had used to join him on this journey. She might have friends on Ember Island but she only trusted her family enough to stay with them. He also knew that he couldn't waste any more time. He had to get to the North Pole before Zaheer's group did. "Very well, you can stay with me," he said. "Just promise me one thing, Natsumi."

"What?"

"You listen to everything I say and do what I tell you."

"Don't I already do that?" she asked with a little smile.

He didn't smile back. "I'm serious, Natsumi."

She lost the smile, seeing how serious he was. So she nodded her head and said, "I promise, Uncle." He turned back to where they were flying and she hung onto the saddle. She looked to the horizon, blazing red with the setting sun, and wondered just what it was they were going to. _"Whatever it is, it's enough to make Uncle worry,"_ she said to herself. And that was enough for her to be worried.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

I get the feeling that if Tenzin had held onto his excitement and thought more about what he was saying to Kuon then saying outright that he had to go with them, he might've been able to convince him. Hence why Naruto stepped in and took over the convincing.

He wasn't wrong about the points he laid out. Rebuilding a nation isn't just about the Benders. It's about logistics, where the food is being grown, made, and shipped, where the materials for building are being made, traded, and constructed, and so on. And I personally don't buy the idea that all Air Nomads are Airbenders. There had to be some Nonbenders amongst them, we just didn't see them.

On the other hand, I'm certain that I was not the only one who felt that Ryu deserved to get dragged out of the house and slapped upside the head. That was a slacker if I ever saw him, geez. I personally think that he finally joined the Air Nomads because his mother had enough and kicked him out of the house.

You can probably guess what's happening with Tsukiko and Arashi. That's right, puberty is happening. They're having strange thought about each other and they don't automatically dismiss them. It's new, it's weird, and they'll want someone to talk to about it. This is going to be interesting.

I'll see you all next chapter!


End file.
